Over a month after a social media post broke the news that human remains were discovered during construction at Pioneer Park, city officials have alleged that Culbert Construction failed to promptly notify officials of their discovery. More questions remain for officials and construction crew alike, with the city’s contract with Culbert Construction still active, and the future of the 2.9 million dollar project still unclear.
When Walla Walla City Officials learned that human remains had been uncovered during construction at Pioneer Park, instead of being alerted by the construction crew, officials say the news came from social media. Adam Klein, City Project Manager for the construction phase of the Pioneer Park Improvement Plan and Whitman Street IRRP told The Wire that Culbert Construction failed to notify the City about the remains, but experts say the discovery potentially points to a lack of adequate planning.
In Washington, state agencies are required to “review capital construction projects and land acquisitions for the purpose of a capital construction project … with the [Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation] and affected Tribes to determine potential impacts to cultural resources,” before beginning construction projects. This process is known as a cultural resource survey or cultural resource review.
Klein says that a cultural resources survey was not required for the construction project.
“The entire project occurred in previously disturbed areas which are typically low risk for discovery of cultural resources,” said Klein, “City staff did not become aware of the discovery until it was posted on social media.”
The Washington State Department of Ecology describes the goals of a cultural resource review as “seeking ways to avoid, minimize, or mitigate any adverse effects on historic properties and cultural resources.”
According to Klein, the assumed low-risk nature of the project resulted in a Determination of Nonsignificance being issued for the project.
The Washington Department of Ecology describes a Determination of Nonsignificance as documentation of “the responsible official’s decision that a proposal is unlikely to have significant adverse environmental impacts.”
Though a Determination of Nonsignificance was issued, Klein says that the City also implemented an Incidental Discovery Plan (IDP), which outlines the procedures for the discovery of cultural resources such as human remains.
“The project IDP required immediate work stoppage and notification of all parties if such a discovery was made. These requirements are emphasized during a preconstruction meeting,” said Klein, “despite this, the contractor failed to follow the IDP protocol when the human remains were found.”
Notably, photos of the construction site taken by the Union Bulletin show what appears to be a human bone in the street.
Executive Director of the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, Chris Moore, says he was unaware of this discovery, but emphasized the importance of pre-project planning.
“I don’t know if Pioneer Park is named Pioneer Park because it’s actually the location of a significant event …but certainly if it’s in and of itself a site that has some historic association, you might assume there could be a higher chance for that kind of inadvertent discovery,” said Moore, “best practices are that once anything is found, reporting happens. If there are human remains … that reporting should happen immediately.”
In 1865 (only twelve years after Congress established the Washington Territory), Samuel Phinney purchased 160 acres of land, including the current boundaries of Pioneer Park, from the US Government. Until 1915, when plans for a fish hatchery at the park were finalized, parcels of property which included the current boundaries of Pioneer Park changed hands countless times.
The history of Pioneer Park from 1865 onwards is well documented. Less well known, however, is the use of this parcel of land before the 19th century.
Member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and Special Assistant to the President for Native American Outreach, Jeanine Gordon, says she is hopeful that the City of Walla Walla will prioritize communication with local tribes.
“My hope is that the City will continue following the proper municipal, county, state, federal and Tribal procedures, policies, and processes, especially the prioritization of consultation with our local Tribes, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, whose traditional homelands include the City of Walla Walla,” said Gordon.
Gordon also expressed concern for the privacy of the local tribes.
“I would recommend that the public let the process “be” and “progress” in private, between the tribes and government entities. Avoid the site itself, being respectful of the area,” said Gordon.
For Moore, the preservation of cultural resources is a matter of “respect.”
“First of all there is just the sacred nature of some sites, the reverence that needs to be provided to tribal ancestors, and the importance of that to the tribes,” said Moore.
The remains were discovered only 6-12 inches below the existing ground surface, leaving further questions about the determination of nonsignificance, and the possibility of future discoveries.
“The best scenario is to not find them, that’s what good planning and the proper planning will hopefully do is avoid that type of inadvertent discovery,” said Moore, “That’s where we really implore people to do the work ahead of time.”
According to Klein, the future of the City’s relationship with Culbert Construction has yet to be determined.
“At present, the contract with Culbert Construction is still active. A determination has not yet been made regarding the appropriate measures to be taken against the contractor. It is unlikely this will be resolved until after the holidays,” said Klein.
Culbert Construction has not responded to numerous requests for comment.