They found archaeological sites. Now what?

York County leaders are dealing with archaeological sites on one side of Fort Mill, recycling sites on the other.

York County Council voted July 18 to extend a lease arrangement for the 160 East trash and recycling collection site near one end of Fort Mill Parkway by two months. Earlier this summer, the county learned the property it has leased in Fort Mill Township – just outside town limits – since 1983 is being sold.

Carolinas Healthcare System wants Fort Mill to annex the property on Tom Hall Street (S.C. 160 East) across from the Springs recreation complex into town limits. The company plans to build a medical office facility and out-parcel business there. The lease was set to expire July 31, but now it’s extended until Sept. 30.

The county will pay $4,000 in rent for the extension.

There are 16 county-run convenience centers, but only two in the Fort Mill area. The other one is near Baxter Village, also outside town limits. Residents in unincorporated areas use the centers for trash disposal and recycling, while municipalities generally offer it as a service to their residents.

Fort Mill East stays busy, averaging 52 cars an hour, county officials said. Plans haven’t been determined for a new site, leaving the Baxter center, which is nearly twice as busy as 160 East, as the only Fort Mill area facility to be open past September. Officials have said since June they hope to find an alternative site after 160 East closes, even if it’s temporary.

New find impacts road work

Council also voted July 18 to allow more money for road work at the other end of the Parkway because of archaeological sites that were discovered.

Officials declined to comment on what type of site was found.

The archaeological issue impacts Pennies for Progress work at the Fort Mill Parkway and Spratt Road intersection. Improvements there are part of the ongoing Pennies 3 campaign, approved by county voters in 2011.

York County picked STV, Inc. in 2014 for almost $650,000 of planning and design work. During site work, three possible archaeological sites were discovered. Two were identified through the State Historic Preservation Office, but one wasn’t. Now the county needs about $5,000 to assess the third site. The rest of the $30,000 is for additional services that may be needed, depending on what the study finds.

The work involves the road site and a 30-meter buffer “in order to account for the possibility that the original boundaries of the site may be larger than previously recorded,” according to a work proposal from Edwards-Pitman Environmental in Charlotte.

Visual inspection and systematic shovel testing will be used “to locate, map, and investigate the archaeological deposits that make up the site.” Digging will take place every 15 meters to set boundaries and determine eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places.

While it is illegal to disturb grave sites, items from smaller sites with historic significance can be moved. Cultural items suspected to be 50 years old or older would be sent to a lab for analysis, including age testing.

“It may be necessary to complete additional fieldwork beyond the scope of archaeological survey,” the letter reads.

This story was originally published July 29, 2016 at 6:41 PM with the headline "They found archaeological sites. Now what?."