When Demetra and Paul Kane looked for a place to raise their two young daughters, one of the appeals of north Peoria's Terramar subdivision was a "coming soon" sign for a neighborhood park near a house they purchased in 2002.
Two teenage daughters later, the park, delayed for years after the city realized it was sitting on the largest Hohokam settlement along the New River, should finally get under way. Archaeologists expect next week to wrap up excavation to recover artifacts and information from the site near 73rd Avenue and Terramar Boulevard. Once a written study is completed in late October, the city expects to get state approval to move forward with the park. It will be a fifth of its originally planned 20 acres as much of the area should be preserved as open space.
The cost is $1.6 million, with $200,000 of that for the excavation. Construction of Palo Verde Park should begin early next year and be completed by summer or early fall 2011. For many residents, especially those who first moved to the community, word that the park is coming soon is bittersweet. "It's not like we'll have our little kiddos playing out there now," Demetra Kane said. "People paid thousands of dollars as premiums for park-facing lots," her husband said. It's been so long that a contingent of Terramar residents doesn't even want a park close to their homes.
Councilwoman Cathy Carlat, who represents the Mesquite District, which includes the site, understands residents' frustration. "I know they have been waiting for the park and they've been so patient," she said. "We're taking the necessary steps now to protect important cultural artifacts and do everything the right way."
A decade or so
In 2001, Texas-based developer Rich land Investment Corp. dedicated 22 acres to the city, which spent about $20,000 to plan the park. During that planning process, city officials said they discovered the developer had made an agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers to preserve the land for its archaeological significance. To this day residents don't understand how city officials could have gotten the land without knowing what it had signed on for. "We just feel kind of duped," Paul Kane said.
City Attorney Steve Kemp said city officials knew there was "some historical archaeological stuff out there, but only as the development moved on did we become aware of the extent of archaeological items." Jeff Sargent, the city's landscape architect, said the developer signed an agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers around the time the developer transferred the title to the city - without telling the city about the agreement.
Once city officials realized a park would not be possible without cultural excavations, they purchased a 5-acre parcel next to nearby Terramar Elementary and built an alternative Terramar Park in 2006. Still, the city kept the plans to build Palo Verde Park. Through the years, the city has worked with the State Historic Preservation Office for guidance on site studies and to get final clearance for park development. Carlat said obtaining the required clearances chipped away precious time.
At the site
On a hot September afternoon, archaeologist Mark Hackbarth treaded carefully across the fenced site that is dotted with short sticks with pink and orange markers. He looked for "hot spots" of Hohokam activity.
The archaeologist has been using a device that sends radar pulses to capture subsurface images. "This is as good as it gets as far as archaeological sites go," Hackbarth said, pointing dirt-lined fingers to a dug-up area. He has studied soil samples and traced pollen and stone fragments to prepare a report with "rich information" on what grew in the area and what settlement activity took place about 1,000 years ago. Hohokams artifacts dating from A.D. 890 to 1070 have been found, from rocks used as grinding tools to burned houses. Hackbarth said Peoria would benefit by preserving the site. "Schools could do history tours here for their students - this could be a destination," he said.
A group called The Friends of Peoria's Archaeological Heritage wants to preserve the area as open space. They hope to have an interpretive trail through the archaeological gem. City staff is considering seeking to have the site placed on the National Register of Historic Places. "We've come up with the plan that preserves the best of the archaeological site and still have two parks (Terramar and Palo Verde) for our residents," Sargent said.
Author: Sonu Munshi | Source: AZ Central [October 01, 2010]