Beyond Basics: Opportunities for more effective cultural mitigation in Pennsylvania

Kegerise, Cory

About this white paper: "This document is the product of an effort to research and analyze the ways in which cultural resource mitigation is currently practiced in Pennsylvania, and to propose alternative management solutions to improve its effectiveness and efficiency. This project began as a partnership between the State Historic Preservation Office and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission and many of the concepts, conclusions, and proposals were developed collaboratively by Cory Kegerise (SHPO) and Alison Hastings (DVRPC). This work was supported by PennDOT and the Federal Highway Administration as part of their efforts to more closely align project consultation and planning. This project also benefited from the input of a group of local and county planners, citizens, and elected officials from Delaware County who served in an advisory capacity during the early phases of research and concept testing. The proposal reflects many of the concerns and issues raised by the group during that process. The questions that this paper seeks to explore are whether mitigation, as it has been defined, determined, and implemented over time is adequate to compensate for resources lost and is there a better system for managing mitigation projects? Because of the different identification and investigation techniques associated with archaeological resources, along with ethical issues surrounding mitigation, this discussion is focused on mitigation for projects affecting buildings, structures, and other above ground resources." Project funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office, administered by the State, Tribal, Local Plans and Grants division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior (grant number P17AF00069).