HARTWICK SEMINARY — Archeological field technicians are currently testing three miles of Route 28 in Hartwick Seminary for prehistoric and historic artifacts which may impact the New York State Department of Transportation's plans for a future project along that stretch of road.

The DOT recently proposed adding a turning lane to selected area of state Route 28 in the Hartwick Seminary and Index areas to maintain the flow of traffic.

The Public Archaeology Faculty (PAF) was subcontracted recently by the DOT to conduct a Cultural Resource Survey (CRS) in which to determine and preserve historic or pre-historic evidence along the state highway.

"Our job is to help clients move projects forward," said Dr. Nina Versaggi, Director and Principal Investigator from the State University of New York at Binghamton.

The proposed DOT project cannot be stopped by the discovery of either historic or pre-historic evidence, she said. The PAF will, however, work with DOT to come up with an alternate plan in which cultural resources can be preserved while alterations to roads can be executed.

Versaggi said the environmental assessment for cultural resources consists of three phases. The first is to determine if the site is considered a pre-historic or historic site. If the conclusion is deemed positive, it is then decided if the site meets criteria that fits the national registry of historic places.

Each item and site is documented for its description, diversity, quantity, and evidence of features such as house patterns and the time period it is from.

If the artifact is from an unfamiliar time period, it may be very significant in understanding that time in history, said Versaggi.

If the site is eligible for registry, it will then be decided whether the DOT could reroute their project in order to not disturb the site, or whether DOT would fund an excavation.

"If we cannot preserve the site itself, we will recover the data from the site," said Versaggi.

The cultural resource survey covers a 3 mile stretch with units, or test pits 50 ft. apart, said Daniel Seib, Project Director for the CRS.

"We test 50 ft. off the center line of the road for any type of cultural resources," said Seib.

Using hand tools, archeologists dig a hole one meter square and sift for possible artifacts. Observing the top soil, second layer and subsoil, the archeologist's look for any disturbance, discoloring, or item that may be pre-historic or historic.

Each item is collected, documented and photographed, said Seib.

"A lot of stuff we are finding is historic garbage," Seib said.

Examples are fragments of bones, ceramics, glass and cut nails dating back to the 1820s, said Dylan Pelton, archeologist field technician.

Seib explained that some people were worried that construction would be done on their property, which isn't the case. He added that once the test is complete, the soil and sod are carefully replaced.

Seib felt it would be another week or two until they completed the survey.

At this point, the survey is "premature", said Versaggi. When the digging is completed, the items collected will get washed and cataloged. At that point, the archeological team will discuss the historical significance of their findings.

The New York State Department of Transportation last week that a public workshop will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. at the Cooperstown Central School auditorium to solicit public input regarding projects along New York State Route 28 and the village.