Cultural Resource Survey for the Brookwood and Allenwood Water Pipe Replacement Projects in Miledgeville, Baldwin County, Georgia

On April 15, 2009, TRC conducted cultural resource investigations for Wiedeman and Singleton, Inc. and the City of Milledgeville in advance of a water pipe replacement project in the Brookwood and Allenwood neighborhoods of Milledgeville, Georgia. The two projects involve the replacement of ca. 1950 water pipes constructed of a concrete-asbestos mixture that is currently deteriorating. The pipes run within the right-of-way of roads in residential subdivisions that date to the late 1950s-early 1960s. Approximately 26,000 linear feet of water line (8,000 feet in Brookwood and 18,000 feet in Allenwood) is involved in the two projects. Because the right-of-way is 60 feet wide, centered on the roads, it includes 15 feet on each side of the pavement, maintained as residential lawns. The replacement work will involve excavation of a small trench in this landscaped portion of the right-of-way, adjacent to the existing pipes. The cultural resource survey included coverage of archaeological and historic architectural resources in the project's Area of Potential Effects (APE). The APE for archaeological resources is limited to the footprint of the project where ground-disturbing construction activities are possible. For historic architectural resources, a project's APE also includes surrounding areas where visual effects to historic properties are possible from the introduction of newly constructed facilities and changes to the landscape through clearing, grading, or other activities. In the case of the current project, all work will be below the ground surface, so there will be no lasting visual effects to historic resources. Thus, the APE for historic resources in the current project is also restricted to the construction footprint. No previously recorded archaeological sites are located within the two project areas, and no new archaeological or historic resources were discovered in the Brookwood and Allenwood project areas during the current survey. Based on these negative findings, it is TRC's recommendation that the two projects be allowed to proceed without further consideration of cultural resources.