Did anyone else start singing David Bowie’s “Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes” song when you read that title? If you have been keeping up with the announcements this year, you may think this is now the PA SHPO theme song. Continue reading
Category: Environmental Review (Page 10 of 13)

Reminder! Draft Report Submissions

Guidance for the Treatment of Historic Bridges
Wherever you travel in Pennsylvania, you are likely to cross a historic bridge. These bridges are an important part of the cultural landscape and a link to Pennsylvania’s transportation and engineering history. Eventually these bridges need some level of work to continue providing a safe passage, but what is the best way to execute this work without diminishing the bridges’ historic character? By consulting and applying the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (the Standards) for guidance.
Last month, we announced changes in how we would like to receive archaeological and architectural reports. These changes are designed to streamline the review process and to reduce paper copies. In addition, we are now requesting shapefiles for survey areas and resources so that we can process your data into CRGIS faster and with greater accuracy.

Join us in Carlisle for 2017 Statewide Conference on Heritage!
You spoke and we listened! After all the rave reviews about last year’s downtown-centered location for the Pennsylvania Statewide Conference on Heritage, this year we’re poised to take over historic Carlisle from Wednesday, June 14 to Friday June 16. Continue reading
This spring, change is in the air for the Pennsylvania Archaeological Site Survey (PASS)!
Archaeologists from the PA SHPO and State Museum of Pennsylvania have worked together to revise the PASS Site Identification Criteria and to devise new procedures for handling isolated finds and non-site collections. Continue reading
Head’s up! Changes are coming to the PA SHPO in 2017! As many of you out there may be aware, our office is working hard behind the scenes to construct and prepare for a 21st century system to manage our survey and resource data as well as provide a platform for electronic environmental review and consultation under all of our SHPO programs.

Bridge to the Past: PennDOT’s Historic Metal Truss Bridge Management Plan
In June 2016, I was hired as the Transportation Special Initiatives Coordinator in the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). This new position was created through a special funding agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and was developed to assist them in marketing the state’s historic metal truss bridges. My position has evolved over the last 9 months and I see my purpose as helping both PennDOT and the SHPO preserve the remaining population of historic metal truss bridges by either marketing them for an adaptive reuse at a new location or helping to develop and implement a management plan to rehabilitate these bridges as part of the transportation system. Continue reading

A Journey to Potters Mills: Story Maps as Mitigation
Potters Mills? Story Maps? What are these things? This week’s post from guest contributor Charles Richmond will answer these burning questions and talk about this creative way to use 21st century technology to connect people to place and preservation.
In May of 2015, Governor Tom Wolf appointed 48 people to serve on the newly-created Governor’s Pipeline Infrastructure Task Force, which was charged with creating a set of recommendations for responsibly guiding the extraction and transportation of natural gas in Pennsylvania. The purpose of the recommendations was to suggest best practices that would avoid or lessen environmental, community and cultural resources impacts and address safety issues. Below is the who, what, when, where, and how of this task force, the PA SHPO’s role, and the group’s accomplishments.
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