Burial ground found under Alameda Elementary

A-P-S WANTS TO DO SOME WORK ON AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THE PROBLEM -- AN INDIAN BURIAL GROUND IS IN THE WAY THE HUMAN REMAINS UNDER ALAMEDA ELEMENTARY DATE BACK TO 1200 A-D AS YOU MIGHT HAVE GUESSED -- THE PROJECT IS ALSO DIGGING UP SOME CONTROVERSY JEFF MAHER IS LIVE NEAR 4TH AND ALAMEDA WITH TONIGHT S TOP STORY -- JEFF ALAMEDA ELEMENTARY IS SLATED TO GET A LOT OF UPGRADES STARTING IN THE SPRING BUT IN ORDER FOR THAT TO HAPPEN - ARCHEOLOGISTS WILL HAVE TO DIG UP THE SKELETAL REMAINS AND POSSESSIONS OF PEOPLE WHO LIVED HERE ALMOST 900 YEARS AGO we have no clue how many people are still buried there ALAMEDA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IS MORE THAN FIFTY YEARS OLD BUT THAT S NOTHING COMPARED TO HOW OLD THE STUFF IS BENEATH IT the entire school complex sits on a site of a prehistoric pueblo site THE SCHOOL IS SUPPOSED TO GET AN UPGRADED DRAINAGE SYSTEM AND A NEW PLAYGROUND TRACK AND SOCCER FIELD the proposed drainage system would run right through this soccer field the only problem is just two feet below the ground are a number of artifacts including fire pits ceramics even a burial site THESE SURFACE RADAR IMAGES WERE TAKEN BY ARCHEOLOGISTS WHO SURVEYED THE SCHOOL GROUNDS OVER THE SUMMER THEY SHOW ARTIFACTS AND BONES SCATTERED ALL OVER THE PLACE AND IT S NOT THE FIRST TIME HUMAN REMAINS WERE FOUND BENEATH THE SCHOOL there was a small project a few years ago when they built their new kindergarten building where parts of three individuals were found in the footings of the building THOSE REMAINS WERE RE-BURIED NEARBY ARCHEOLOGISTS SAY FOUR INDIAN TRIBES HAVE ALREADY EXPRESSED THEIR CONCERN WITH THE RENOVATION PLANS UNDER STATE LAW A SERIES OF PUBLIC HEARINGS MUST BE HELD BEFORE THE PROJECT CAN GO THROUGH we want to be very sensitive to the culture and to the needs so we will follow to the letter what the procedure is ARCHEOLOGISTS SAY THE TRIBES WANT THE REMAINS OF THEIR ANCESTORS HANDLED RESPECTFULLY AND RE-BURIED CLOSE-BY THE FIRST PUBLIC HEARING IS SCHEDULED FOR NEXT WEDNESDAY HERE AT ALAMEDA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LIVE IN NORTHEAST ALBUQUERQUE JEFF MAHER EYEWITNESS NEWS FOUR