Oxford, Alabama is Back in the News Again - Divine Retribution???

Ohmygoddess, this story has more twists and turns than anything Alfred Hitchcock ever wrote!  Wow!  What I thought was the end - isn't!  You're going to love this. I have to get a tiny giggle in here - tee hee hee :)
Prior coverage:

Oxford, Alabama, a Sad Conclusion (March 15, 2010)
Follow-Up: The Oxford Mound (January 31, 2010)
Greed and Lies in Oxford, Alabama (January 22, 2010)
Indian Mound Being Destroyed by Corrupt Politicians (August 4, 2009)

Story from The Anniston Star
Oxford project shut down: Oversight in reporting human remains costs city thousands, delays work
by Patrick McCreless
Staff Writer
Mar 25, 2010

Construction on a multi-million-dollar Oxford sports complex halted a month ago because the discovery of ancient human remains at the site was not reported to the proper authorities — an oversight that so far has forced the city to pay approximately $200,000 to its idle project contractor.

The Oxford City Council briefly discussed the situation during the work session before its regular meeting Tuesday. The council agreed to sit down with all parties involved at 10 a.m. April 5 at City Hall to learn how the oversight occurred and to get the project started again. The parties involved include a representative from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which shut down the project; Taylor Corp., the contractor; University of Alabama archaeologist Robert Clouse, who is overseeing the project; and engineering firm Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood.

"There's obviously been an oversight and someone's responsible for that oversight," Councilman Mitch Key said Tuesday.

Council President Chris Spurlin said the Corps of Engineers stopped the project around late February because it was not notified about the remains, which were discovered around Jan. 8 at the construction site on Davis Farm across from the Oxford Exchange. The wetlands permit the city obtained to develop the Davis Farm site stipulates the corps must be notified if any remains and/or artifacts are discovered.

Spurlin said the city has had to pay approximately $12,000 a day, except for days of rain, during the shutdown period to Taylor Corp.

Taylor's contract states the city must cover equipment and manpower costs for every day the project is shut down for reasons beyond the construction company's control, he said.

"Every two days, we're paying Taylor Corp. what it would cost for a new police car," Spurlin said.

To date, the city has spent more than $5.9 million on the project, most of it for the purchase of the property.

Mayor Leon Smith, who has told The Star on several occasions that he has been against the sports complex project since it began, has apparently washed his hands of this latest ordeal.

"I'm totally out, myself," Smith said after the Tuesday meeting.

Councilwoman June Reaves said she hoped the project would restart as soon as possible.

"We definitely need it," she said of the complex.

Spurlin said the corps has not budged on its decision to shut down the project because it is waiting on a detailed report from Clouse about when, where and how the remains were found.

"The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requested a timeline of events leading up to, and the discovery of, the human remains that were found on the Davis Farm project," Clouse wrote in a Wednesday e-mail to The Star. "That timeline was submitted. Subsequent to the submittal of the timeline, the Corps of Engineers requested a report on all of the findings of the archaeological monitoring conducted to date on the Davis Farm project. That report is still in production and has not yet been submitted."

Clouse's involvement became significant in recent months because of two contradictory reports on a mound behind the Oxford Exchange that he filed last year with Oxford.

The first report, commissioned by the city, claimed the mound was manmade. The second report, published months later, offered a different opinion, saying the mound was the product of natural forces. Experts around the state, including those with the Alabama Historical Commission, disagreed with the second report and believe the mound is culturally significant.

One of those experts is Harry Holstein, professor of archaeology and anthropology at Jacksonville State University, who has studied American Indian sites in this area for decades. Incidentally, engineering firm Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood — which the city contracted to apply for its wetlands permit — hired Holstein to conduct the archaeological portion of the permit in 2007.

"As part of the wetlands permit process, archaeology is incorporated," Holstein said. "We told them there were 24 archaeological sites on that parcel of land, including a temple mound and village areas. The Historical Commission concurred, and the city signed off on it."

Holstein claimed earlier this year that someone had bulldozed the temple mound, which may have contained human remains. Clouse and the city claim the mound is still there.

Holstein believes the few remains the city found in January are only the beginning of what will be discovered at the construction site.

"They're going to find more bodies," he said. "(Indians) didn't just bury one person in a large town like that."

Attempts to reach representatives of the Corps of Engineers on Wednesday were unsuccessful.

Oxford, Alabama: A Sad Conclusion

The story finally made The New York Times.  Too little, too late.  Not that I'm ever likely to, but Goddess strike me down with lightning should I ever put a toe in Alabama or spend one damn penny in such a place.  Photo: From NYT article.
Oxford Journal
When Scholarship and Tribal Heritage Face Off Against Commerce
By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON
Published: March 12, 2010

OXFORD, Ala. — Overlooking the Interstate and an outdoor shopping mall here stands a sad little hill, bald but for four bare trees and a scattering of stones.

By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON
Published: March 12, 2010

Follow-up: The Oxford Mound

Note to self: NEVER move to Alabama, the Land of the Liars and the Home of the Bribe.
Story from the Anniston Star:
UA professor defends claims about Oxford mound

by Patrick McCreless, Staff Writer
Janury 28, 2009
 
OXFORD — A University of Alabama archaeologist Wednesday said more investigation had led him to believe natural forces created a pile of stones that an earlier report bearing his signature said had been erected by humans hundreds of years ago.


The stone mound was at the center of a dispute last year that saw the City of Oxford back away from plans to level the mound to use dirt beneath it for fill at a construction site at the nearby Oxford Exchange.

Robert Clouse, director of the Office of Archaeological Research at the University of Alabama and the director of the University of Alabama Museums, said in an e-mail to The Star "the discrepancy between the two reports is the result of additional information gathered from actual on-site review of the make-up of the mound and additional research into the geological events surrounding the gradual disintegration of the makeup of the mountain."

A team from UA excavated a portion of the mound in early in 2009, and concluded in their report it was almost certainly made by humans. Clouse reportedly supervised the team's work, and signed their report. It said the chance of a stone mound of that size being created by random natural phenomena is unlikely.

The report was written to give the city an indication of the potential archaeological significance of the stone mound before crews began work at the site.

Attempts Wednesday to reach Clouse by phone and e-mail for further information or a copy of the second report were unsuccessful. The first report was sent to the Alabama Historical Commission. State Archaeologist Stacye Hathorn, who works for the commission, said she has not seen a second report, but has heard "rumors" that it exists. She said no law requires the university archaeologists to send the commission a copy.

During a Tuesday meeting of the Oxford City Council, Clouse said the Oxford Exchange mound was likely created by erosion and other natural forces through the course of approximately 500 million years.

"It has gradually decayed," Clouse said during the meeting. "(The mound) is the original core of that mountain."

Clouse has no degree in geology and presented no opinion from a certified geologist at the meeting.

Oxford Mayor Leon Smith made a similar claim in July 2009.

When Hathorn was told of Clouse's comments at the Tuesday meeting, her first response was laughter.

"How did the pottery get under there?" she asked. "I don't think there's any chance that it's natural. There may be some boulders that were up there naturally that were added to, to make the mound."

Hathorn said Clouse in the past verbally told her his revised opinions about the origins of the mound. She said she laughed at the claim then, too.

Kelly Gregg, a geology professor at Jacksonville State University, has visited the site in question and said there is little chance it was created by natural forces.

"In my opinion, someone piled those stones up there," Gregg said during a phone interview Wednesday.

Gregg said the rocks on the mound were all of similar size that could be easily carried by humans.  "If it had just been erosion, there also would have been rocks the size of cars too," he said.

During the Tuesday meeting, Clouse also refuted a claim made by Harry Holstein, professor of archaeology and anthropology at JSU, that another American Indian mound at the nearby historic Davis Farm site had been recently removed. The mound is adjacent to a site where Oxford is constructing a multi-million dollar sports complex.

"I know the site," Holstein said. "I've worked it 25 years or more."

City officials have repeatedly stated the Davis Farm mound has not been disturbed [despite photographic evidence to the contrary]. The city hired UA archaeologists to oversee the construction and ensure no American Indian sites were disturbed. Clouse is heading the archaeology team.

Earlier this month, the archaeologists uncovered the apparent remains of an ancient American Indian. Clouse said all proper procedures were followed regarding the discovery and the remains were reburied and would not be disturbed again.

"We will spend whatever is necessary to be sure we're not infringing on some remains we're not supposed to," said Fred Denney, the city's project manager.

Denney said so far the city has received an invoice for approximately $25,000 for the services of the UA archaeologists at the sports complex construction site.

"We'll spend that if not more in the future," Denney said.

He added the city paid UA archaeologists approximately $60,000 to conduct the 2009 survey of the site behind the Oxford Exchange, which he referred to as a hill and not an Indian mound.

Ben Thomas, director of programs at the Archaeological Institute of America and a professor of archaeology at the Berklee College of Music, said there are many universities around the country, like the University of Alabama, which do contractual archaeological work for companies and governments. He said such work can be large revenue generators.

"If a university has an archaeological department that can do this kind of work, then yes, it can be a significant revenue source," Thomas said.

He noted how such funding is distributed and used varies from school to school. Information on how much UA charges for archaeological work or how the money is used could not be obtained by deadline Wednesday.

When asked if there is an ethical dilemma between universities that may profit from archaeological contracts and their need to provide objective research data, Thomas said there always is a chance for corruption in the system but has never heard of any rampant abuse.

"I don't know if that has been a huge ethical issue," Thomas said. "But archaeologists are human. I would expect as an archaeologist, for other archaeologists to act under respected codes and practices."

Holstein said JSU archaeologists could have conducted the work at both sites for much less than Oxford paid UA.  He said JSU teams could have performed a full study of the Oxford Exchange mound for less than $15,000 and the observation work at the sports center construction site for around $10,000.

"We're not here to make a profit," Holstein said. "We charge just enough to pay salaries. Plus, we're right here. The city has got to pay (UA) more to come out here." [One must ask - WHY?]

Greed and Lies in Oxford, Alabama Government

(Photo from the article: This photo from 1998 shows a team of archaeologists from Jacksonville State University standing in front of an American Indian mound with trucks parked on top of it. JSU professor of archaeology and anthropology Harry Holstein said the trucks held the tools the team used to excavate the side of the mound. The excavation uncovered American Indian artifacts and evidence it was an artificially constructed mound that had been originally documented in 1890.) The remains of the Mound is clearly visible in this 1998 photo, trailing off to the left. The perspective is a bit tricky; perhaps it was 3 feet high in the center, where the vehicles are situated. This is, I'll admit, a shocking story to me. But why should I be surprised? The good ol' boys are still working hard down in good ol' Alabama to destroy anything that isn't sufficiently "white." $$$ are also no doubt involved. I posted an earlier story about these corrupt city officials in August, 2009. Greedy liars - these men are filth, gutter scum. I fervently wish that if there is such a place as Hell with a Devil and a pitchfork that these guys spend all eternity constantly having that pitchfork shoved up their butts. Story from the annistonstar.com JSU professor: American Indian site is gone by Patrick McCrelessStaff Writer January 21, 2010 OXFORD — A Jacksonville State University professor says an ancient American Indian site Oxford city officials agreed not to disturb has been destroyed, but he does not know by whom. City officials claim the site is still intact. JSU professor of archaeology and anthropology Harry Holstein said the site at the historic Davis Farm property in Oxford contained remnants of an American Indian village and the 3-foot-high base of a once 30-foot-high temple mound, which he says may have contained human remains. When Holstein visited the site last summer, it was still intact. But when he returned to the area Monday, he could find no sign of the mound or the village remnants. The land is now flat, with tire tread marks clearly visible in the dirt. "It's been flattened like a pancake," Holstein said. "There is just grass over it now." Holstein believes the temple mound and village are related to a stone mound on a hill behind the Oxford Exchange. Last year workers hired by the city of Oxford attempted to destroy that mound and use the dirt below it as fill for a Sam's Club. Following protests from local residents and activists, the contractor hired by the city's Commercial Development Authority apparently stopped work there, and a private landowner says he is now providing fill dirt from his property. The city is constructing its new sports complex on land near the former Davis Farm property on the other side of Leon Smith Parkway. The area near the location of the temple mound on the Davis Farm site is slated to become ball parks. Oxford's project manager Fred Denney said the city has not disturbed the site. "We've never done anything to it," he said. Before construction began, Holstein and other JSU researchers prepared a report for the city. The report said the Davis Farm property contained some of the most significant archaeological sites in northeast Alabama. It recommended the city leave the sites alone. City officials agreed to the recommendation and told the Alabama Historical Commission the site would be left alone, Denney said. Stacye Hathorn, Alabama Historical Commission state archaeologist, confirmed Tuesday the city agreed not to disturb the sites. "No, we're not touching the mound out there," Denney said Monday. "We did have some ribbon and stakes of where to go … to show we're not going any further than this." Denney said the same thing when interviewed about the site in August. No markers were visible when a reporter visited the site on Monday. After Holstein surveyed the area, he said he could not find any stakes or markers or any signs of the American Indian site. "There was a big noticeable hump … maybe somebody stole it at night," Holstein said, jokingly. "(It) has been here since the 12th century and now it's gone. It was there when the city bought the property." Denney said University of Alabama archeologists were hired to observe the construction work. "They have been out there," he said. "They are watching us, looking to see if there are any artifacts." Denney said no artifacts have been found since construction began. He added the hiring of the archaeologists to oversee the recreation center construction had nothing to do with the earlier mound controversy. Chris Bryant, assistant director of media relations at the University of Alabama, confirmed Monday that members of the UA Office of Archaeology were working at the Davis Farm site. "The University of Alabama's Office of Archaeological Research is evaluating the archaeological significance of the site," Bryant said. "Our role is ongoing." Bryant would not be more specific about what the archaeologists were doing or if they had found any artifacts, citing a confidentiality agreement. UA archeologists were also hired to examine the stone mound behind the Oxford Exchange, but university officials last year declined to discuss their work for the same reason. [A confidentiality agreement? For a Native American archaeological site? What is going on there?] Mayor Leon Smith said Tuesday there should be archaeologists at the site, but did not know if they found anything. Smith said he was not familiar with the city's agreement to avoid disturbing the Davis Farm site. [What? He's the frigging Mayor - of course he knows.] "Fred Denney knows more about that than I do," he said. "If there is anything wrong out there, I don't know anything about it." Holstein said he never came into contact with any Alabama archaeologists during his examination of the area. According to the JSU report, which noted 12 separate excavations conducted by researchers, all of the sites on the Davis Farm property yielded hundreds of artifacts, indicating the area was occupied for thousands of years by prehistoric American Indian populations. The artifacts included gaming stones, greenstone tool fragments, and large amounts of ceramics and house wall fragments. Records indicate much of the temple mound was bulldozed by farmers in the 1950s, Holstein said. He said the apparent loss of the village and mound was significant. "History is important," he said. "There was a high probability there were human remains under that mound. It would be like tearing down Abe Lincoln's cabin." To Holstein, the sites could have been restored and turned into an attraction similar to Moundville, near Tuscaloosa."I'm not against development," Holstein said. "But you can work with the natural and cultural resources."

Indian Mound Being Destroyed by Corrupt Politicians

Where are the safeguards against the CDA awarding contracts in exchange for bribes? And as per its usual mode of operation, Walmart, in the guise of Sam's Club, is at the heart of the matter. Unbelievable! Posted at the Institute for Southern Studies Alabama city destroying ancient Indian mound for Sam's Club By Sue Sturgis on August 4, 2009 8:43 AM City leaders in Oxford, Ala. have approved the destruction of a 1,500-year-old Native American ceremonial mound and are using the dirt as fill for a new Sam's Club, a retail warehouse store operated by Wal-Mart. A University of Alabama archaeology report commissioned by the city found that the site was historically significant as the largest of several ancient stone and earthen mounds throughout the Choccolocco Valley. But Oxford Mayor Leon Smith -- whose campaign has financial connections to firms involved in the $2.6 million no-bid project -- insists the mound is not man-made and was used only to "send smoke signals." "The City of Oxford and its archaeological advisers have completed a review and evaluation of a stone mound that was identified near Boiling Springs, Calhoun County, Alabama, and have concluded that the mound is the result of natural phenomena and does not meet the eligibility criteria for the Natural [sic] Register of Historic Places," according to a news release Smith issued last week. In fact, the report does not conclude the mound is a result of "natural phenomena" but says very clearly it is of "cultural origin." And while the University's Office of Archaeological Research does not believe the site qualifies for the National Register of Historic Places, the Alabama Historical Commission disagrees, noting that the structure meets at least three criteria for inclusion: its "association with a broad pattern of history," architecture "embodying distinctive characteristics," and for the information it might yield to scholars. The site is also significant to Native Americans. The Woodland and Mississippian cultures that inhabited the Southeast and Midwest before Europeans arrived constructed and used these mounds for various rituals, which may have included funerals. There are concerns that human remains may be present at the site, though none have been found yet. United South and Eastern Tribes, a nonprofit coalition of 25 federally recognized tribes from Maine to Texas, passed a resolution in 2007 calling for the preservation of such structures, which it calls "prayer in stone." Native Americans have held protests against the mound's demolition, and last week someone altered a sign for the Leon Smith Parkway that runs past the development to read "Indian Mound Pkwy." A local resident named Johnny Rollins told the Anniston Star how his Native American grandmother taught him that when she died he could "go to that mountain" to talk to her: "It seems like it's taking part of you away," he said of the demolition. "I always felt I had ties to that there." Since the media began reporting on the site's demolition, city officials have revised their story and are now claiming that dirt from the mound is not being used as fill, despite earlier statements to the contrary. But eyewitnesses say they have seen workers hauling dirt from the mound to the Sam's Club development. "I mean really, I went there, saw the giant trucks deliver the earth straight from the mound to the construction site, and I still can't believe what they are doing," writes the seventh-generation Alabamian behind the blog Deep Fried Kudzu. She shared the photo above showing roads for construction vehicles now cut to the top of the mound and has other photos and her story of visiting the site at the website.' Deepening the development's controversy is how the contracting has been handled. The force behind the project is Oxford's Commercial Development Authority, a public board that uses taxpayer money to lure businesses to the area. The CDA owns the land where the mound is located. Alabama law exempts CDAs from bid requirements, which means contracts can go to whomever the board chooses. A recent Anniston Star investigative series about the CDA revealed among other things that the group has awarded nearly $9 million in contracts since 1994 but has taken bids for none of them. The newspaper also detailed the financial ties between the CDA, firms it does business with, and Mayor Smith's political campaign. For example, the $2.6 million contract for preparing the Sam's Club site went to Oxford-based Taylor Corp., with the money for that coming in part from the sale of city property to Georgia-based developers Abernathy and Timberlake. Taylor Corp. owner Tommy Taylor, who has received thousands of dollars in city contracts for non-CDA work, donated $1,000 to Smith in 2004 and $1,000 in 2008, while Abernathy and Timberlake donated $1,000 to Smith's re-election campaign in 2004, the paper reports. More.