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College of Environment and Design

Public Service and Outreach Projects List


The following requests for CED assistance may be well suited for studios, classes or graduate theses. Projects are categorized under Historic Properties and/or Site Design for ease of browsing, so click either category to jump to that topic.  

For more information on ayof these projects, contact Jennifer Lewis at jmlewis@uga.edu or 706-542-6760.  

HISTORIC PROPERTIES

Project: Beulah Rucker Museum Master Plan | Gainesville, GA
The Board of the Beulah Rucker Museum and Education Center would like to partner with CED on a master plan to enhance the appearance and functionality of the historic site and museum. The museum is dedicated to preserving African American heritage and promoting awareness of the contributions and personal sacrifice of Ms. Beulah Rucker Oliver (1888-1963). As a child of parents who grew up during slavery and were not allowed to be educated, Beulah began her life's work in education at a young age and eventually founded her own school in Gainesville, GA. The foundation's mission is to memorialize the life of this phenomenal woman through educational and civic activities that enhance the quality of community life. This museum is the first to focus on African American heritage in Gainesville-Hall County and North Georgia.  Her former home and school provide a tangible link with the community’s past.
The 4-acre site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and includes a museum, two former houses, and woodlands.  It is hidden off of Hwy 129 and needs enhanced visibility, parking, signage, and perhaps trails that are in keeping with the historic character of the site. The site is used for a variety of community events and would like to increase their programming, but needs a thoughtful plan for growth to enhance fundraising efforts and handle increased capacity. There is also an interest in capturing oral histories from local citizens involved in the establishment of the museum to further share its legacy. Explore the site via Google Maps and the Museum at www.beulahrucker.org

Project: Sandy Creek Pumping Station | Athens, GA
Hidden in the woods along the North Oconee River Greenway is a small brick structure with arched windows reminiscent of City Hall. Built by architect and city engineer J.W. Barnett in 1916, the pump station brought water from a reservoir to the growing population of Athens. It sat unused and inaccessible until the construction of the Greenway and a pedestrian bridge over Sandy Creek, and it remains neglected. This property was listed on Historic Athens "Places in Peril" in 2002. Local citizens are interested in ideas, plans and illustrations for how it could become an adaptively reused resource for the public along the Greenway.  

Project: Wray-Nicholson House Garden Restoration | Athens, GA
This is an ideal applied research project for a student interested in historic landscape planting design as a thesis/practicum. The Greek Revival Wray-Nicholson House on Hull St (now home to the UGA Alumni Association) was the residence of Ms. Lucy Nicholson, who served as the president of the Ladies Garden Club of Athens – the first garden club in America.  She lived there for about 40 years from the 1920s to the 1960s before the house was sold and became a religious college in the 1960s, when the landscape was destroyed. Members of the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation [now Historic Athens] were instrumental in saving the house from demolition, but many of us currently at CED were unaware of the house’s connection to the Ladies Garden Club of Athens, or, to Hubert Owens, CED, and the Founders Memorial Garden that were all developed during this period when Ms. Nicholson was active in the same circles.  Ms. Nicholson’s papers are at UGA Special Collections. A sampling of information and historic photographs have been provided to CED in support of this project. 

Project: Billups Grove School House  | Athens, GA
 East Athens Development Corporation (EADC)  has expanded their activities to include community-based micro enterprise, job training and development, affordable housing initiatives, and historic preservation and protection within the African American community. One of EADC’s focus areas include Community Engagement and Public Awareness which includes community appreciation and historic preservation. Part of this vision is to develop a plan for restoring the one-room Billups Grove School building. Success for this project would include the identification of committed stakeholders and an actionable plan to save the schoolhouse. A student team is invited to consult with EADC staff who will facilitate introductions with the community to ensure the plan is grounded in the history and importance of the site.  

Project: Macedonia Cemetery and Shady Grove | Dooly County, GA 
Macedonia Cemetery and Shady Grove are two sites located in Dooly County, GA. The Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church is seeking the CED's assistance to document the history of the cemetery and to develop and install an indexing system and markers for those who will be interred in the future. The site provides the students a chance to physically link the past history to current people and places. Currently, the site has a lack of readily available recorded references about the people in the cemetery. The project should be completed by March 1, 2022. The budget for design work is $150.00 and the budget for installation is $1,500.00.
 
Project: Pine Top Farm | Thomson, GA (McDuffie Co)
This National Register-listed Centennial farm has been in the Watson family for seven generations. It has several historic buildings in need of assessment, documentation and preservation, especially a pre-civil war saddlebag house, a c.1935 equipment shed/pole barn, and a c. 1935 double-pen barn. Link to Google Drive photos
 

SITE DESIGN

Project: Beulah Rucker Museum and Educational Center| Gainesville, GA
The Beulah Rucker Museum and Educational Center is seeking assistance with upgrading the current museum and surrounding grounds. The museum is located off of the 129 Highway in Gainesville, GA. It is dedicated to the life and history of Beulah Rucker and the Rucker Industrial School. The stakeholders would like to give the museum and grounds a look that is attractive and feasible for the community members that use it. Improvement goals include: creating a bigger event space, upgrading signage, adding a picnic area, upgrading bathrooms, beautification, siting a small amphitheater, adding parking spaces, upgrading the museum itself, creating office space for the Executive Director and maybe adding a basketball court. Grants are currently being applied for as finances are the biggest challenge for this project. The entire site is about 4 acres and is maintained by a groundskeeper. The Executive Director, Kyndra Cohen, and a board will manage the programming. The museum is looking for assistance that is creative. They hope to have a space for tutoring and mentoring as well.

Project: Ramah Darom Environmental Assessment | Clayton, GA
Ramah Darom is a non-profit organization that operates a 185-acre summer camp and retreat center in the North Georgia Mountains. Prior to its use as a camp, the land belonged to the Cherokee Tribe and then a private homestead. We are looking to overlay our master site plan (which includes updating current facilities and some new construction) with an environmental assessment that ensures we protect the property for the long term. We want to establish directives on which parts of the site may be developed and which parts should be left as they are to ensure good stewardship of the property in years to come. We are able to provide additional information and documents including digital and/or print drawings/plans of the site upon request. 

*Note: this project has funding and is able to support a graduate assistantship and/or costs associated with a service-learning course (travel, report production, etc.)    Link to site maps/overview

Project: Sandy Creek Pumping Station | Athens, GA
Hidden in the woods along the North Oconee River Greenway is a small brick structure with arched windows reminiscent of City Hall. Built by architect and city engineer J.W. Barnett in 1916, the pump station brought water from a reservoir to the growing population of Athens. It sat unused and inaccessible until the construction of the Greenway and a pedestrian bridge over Sandy Creek, and it remains neglected. This property was listed on Historic Athens "Places in Peril" in 2002. Local citizens are interested in ideas, plans and illustrations for how it could become an adaptively reused resource for the public along the Greenway.  

Project: The Georgia Club Long-Range Landscape Assessment & Plan | Oconee Co.
The Georgia Club, a twenty year-old community, is experiencing rapid growth with an aging and haphazard landscape.  The homeowners association is interested in Identification of landscaping problems to be corrected, along with creation of a long-range, environmentally sustainable Master Landscape Plan that provides an executable blueprint for the proper continued development. This is a large-scale project  of over 1,200 acres and 500+ homes with ultimate build-out plans for 900 homes. There is a separately owned and managed Country Club, consisting of a 27-hole golf course, tennis and pickle ball courts, a clubhouse, etc. The two entities will need to work together to execute a common vision.   Our community is well-funded  and highly motivated. We would love to work directly with UGA faculty and students to create this plan!

Project: Macedonia Cemetery and Shady Grove | Dooly County, GA 
Macedonia Cemetery and Shady Grove are two sites located in Dooly County, GA. The Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church is seeking the CED's assistance to document the history of the cemetery and to develop and install an indexing system and markers for those who will be interred in the future. The site provides the students a chance to physically link the past history to current people and places. Currently, the site has a lack of readily available recorded references about the people in the cemetery. The project should be completed by March 1, 2022. The budget for design work is $150.00 and the budget for installation is $1,500.00.

Project: Pecan Arboretum and Food Productive Space | South West area of Atlanta, GA
This agro-tourism initiative on 3.6 acres in West Atlanta wants to produce a high yield pecan orchard within 5 years; create a destination for the surrounding west Atlanta community; design an ecologically resilient site that includes an onsite bookstore/coffee shop; and incorporate local, state, and federal agriculture resources into plan design, operations, and management. The anticipated deliverables are a concept design plan, planting plan, grading plan, cost estimate, short-term management plan, long-term management plan, and potential grant reports. The onsite bookstore component would be limited to less than 1 acre of the 3.6-acre site, with the remaining focused on vegetation. 

Project: Sea Palms West Green Space | St. Simons Island, GA (Glynn Co.)
This is a project for the community of Sea Palms West to transform a former 9-hole golf course into a low maintenance and ecologically sound green space. The property is approximately 40 acres, is comprised of 339 homeowners, is linked to a major bike/walking path on Frederica Road, and is used by other residents of neighboring communities and visitors to St. Simons Island. The project goals include landscape design, forestry and wildlife enhancement, water management, enhancing and connecting the fisheries and lagoon, and park and recreation opportunities.
 
Project: City Park design | Homer, GA (Banks Co.)
The Town of Homer owns approximately 28 acres which will be developed into a park. Key to this development is the creation of a model airplane airport being built on the adjacent private property. The Town DDA is looking for concept drawings including general placement of walking and biking trails, amphitheater, a splash pad, and parking. They are prepared to contribute up to $500 to offset student costs for transportation and printing.
 
Project: Koury Farms Agri-tourism Project | Auburn, GA (Barrow Co)
The Koury family owns a 33-acre farm that is a hospitality-oriented vineyard and wedding venue in Barrow County Ga. The purpose of my request is to help generate agri-tourism related design concepts for my business. The Italian concept of agritourismo (introduction to country life with sustainable on-site food production) has become my inspiration for this project. Our intention is to continue operating as a wedding venue and vineyard/winery with the addition of on-site lodging, activities, education, and food production. Existing businesses of inspiration include: Babylonstoren Simondium, South Africa; Blackberry Farm Walland, Tennessee; Blue Hill at Stone Barns Tarrytown, New York; and Serenbe Chattahoochee Hill, Georgia.
Site improvement goals: Create an agri-tourism theme for an existing hospitality business that includes: Public recreation and activity spaces; Wildlife habitats for genetic diversity; Rotational grazing pastures; Forest, orchards, vineyard, vegetable garden; On-site lodging; Educational space.
Opportunities: Project design flexibility; limited existing constraints; beneficially positive interaction with local ecology; clean-slate, chance to redefine raw space; become an ecologically focused design model for future hospitality projects.  Challenges: Maintain ecological diversity; site gradients; procedures for hyper-local abatement of climate change; correlate theme with exciting hospitality business; purpose-driven design; equal weighting of both form and function.
Timeline for completion: 36 months
Budget for design work: $1250
Budget for installation: $125,000
 
Project: Baldwin County Career Academy garden | Milledgeville, GA
Description: Career Academy wants to create a teaching garden for a 1.5 acre section of their campus.  They aim to create a “wrap-around” learning experience for their students in Ag Science (farming & harvesting), Culinary Arts (café with prepared food samples from the garden), Marketing (promotion of the garden to larger community) and Construction (building garden beds).  Future goals include student agribusiness and local farmers serving as consulting partners.  The acreage is on a slope, trees have been cleared, and electricity and water lines and ready to be run.  Need assistance with garden design and layout, including and upper section (priority) with: Outdoor Classroom (pavilion), terraced row garden to account for the slope in landscape, center focal point with plants for your pollinators, butterfly garden, raised beds and handicap-accessible elevated beds, and drip irrigation system. Lower section (second priority) would include berries and a fruit tree orchard. Link to photos/descriptions
 
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