(April 1, 2008) -- The City of Waco has known about an unmarked cemetery behind its Texas Ranger Museum since the building's construction in 1968, an issue that resurfaced with the renovation construction that began last summer at the same site.

Now the city says construction will go on as planned, but that all the bones found will be given a proper reburial.

The city's public information officer says since the renovation was passed by voters in last year's bond election, plans for improvements to Knox Hall and some utility work must continue, despite the presence of the gravesites.

However at a city council meeting Tuesday night, the city manager recommended that the rest of Fort Fisher Park outside those plans remain untouched, and be rededicated as a new cemetery.

This would protect it from disturbance any time in the future.

These items come after concerns by some residents in July of last year that all the bones found around the museum were not being treated with proper care.

But the city says it is following codes of the Texas Historic Commission, the state agency in charge of graveyard preservation.

A new archaeological firm was awarded a 280 thousand dollar contract to finish excavating the remains found on the spot of the bond-approved plans.

All remains found will be sorted as best as possible, individually boxed, and buried in most likely Rosemound Cemetery off of Lasalle Avenue.

City representatives say a ceremony, open to the public, will be held after excavation is completed to give the bones a new and final resting place.

They estimate that will be in the next one to two months.

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