Giarrantana Developer Clarifies the Archaeological Survey that the Hall Strategies Flack Obfuscated

After a development associate at Giarratana Development replied to yesterday's Enclave post on possible burial ground desecration with May Town Center construction, Pith in the Wind blogger Betsy Phillips was able to traverse the archaelogical labyrinth Giarratana PR flak catcher, lobbyist and former journalist Joe Hall built in evading her questions about surveys. Betsy underscores the striking admission:

The first one is from David Koellein, who says he's a "member of the May Town Center development and design team." The whole thing is worth reading, for the sake of discussion, but the important thing he says is "A site-wide survey was conducted by Zada Law (corroborated by discussions held by Wilbur Smith and associates), the results of which have been submitted to the city."

So, here we have it, folks, confirmation that this mysterious survey they claim to have is the very survey that says "Background research alone cannot suffice as an assessment of whether archaeological remains are present in a given area."

In other words, Law could not be clearer that the type of work she is doing should not be substituted for an actual assessment of the actual site.

And Koellein is admitting that Law's work is being passed off as an actual assessment.

I would like to take a moment to gloat, but I'm instead struck by how incredibly disrespectful it is of Law and her very interesting and well-done work to use it in the manner she expressly warns against.

But now we know the truth.

There is no complete archaeological assessment of what's where May Town Center would go. And they lied when they said there was.

Let me remind you, that means they lied TO THE CITY, in every document they handed the city that said a complete survey had been done.

Given the Giarratana team's cynical reliance on an uncomprehesive survey, the patent dishonesty abounding around their quarters, and their rush to pave over the dead, I'm not surprised that a firestorm of oppositional Enclave comments erupted since developer Koellein weighed in yesterday.