(October 8, 2008) - The City of Waco is suing American Archaeological Group for a mistake it says has cost the city more than a million dollars.
The city says the costs are due to construction fees after delays to the renovation at the Texas Ranger Museum. The project ran into trouble when construction uncovered human bones during May of last year.
The graves were part of an old cemetery the city says it thought had been excavated more than 40 years ago.
The city points a finger at AAG, that it hired to survey the site before building began.
It was determined that the graves would be excavated and re interred at a different city cemetery, with a public ceremony for the reburial.
When human remains are discovered, the Texas Historical requires that the remains receive proper treatment, and city representatives say AAG was fired because they couldn't give the city a time line on how long proper excavation of the graves would take.
However, the president of American Archaeological Group, Michael Bradle, says the city misrepresented the project from the beginning, not telling him that the site was a former cemetery.
He says his staff missed the graves in their inspection because they were only asked to survey one meter below ground.
AAG is suing the city because it says it was wrongfully fired. The suit is filed with the 170th District Court in McLennan County.
Construction at the site has been halted until the dispute can be resolved.
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