The site selected is on the south side of West 14th Street and is the site of what is believed to be an abandoned cemetery.
Scott Hollens who resides across the road from the proposed site asked during a February Council meeting that a different site be selected because of the possibility of gravesites being missed when those buried there were moved decades ago, and noted he did not want to look out his front door at an electrical substation.
Monday night Hollens said that since he appeared at the February meeting, through a process of Dowsing, which is a non-scientific practice used to locate underground water, minerals, oil, lost items and gravesites utilizing tools such as L-shaped rods or Y-shaped sticks or pendulum, and then spiking into the ground, graves have been found on that property that is owned by the City.
Falls City area resident Ron Brown did the Dowsing process and says he discovered several graves and through spiking, unearthed the cement base of a headstone, a picture of was presented to the Council.
EDGE Executive Director Lucas Froeschl said according to records, there are no graves remaining on the property, which was the site recommended by Olsson Engineers for the site to possibly construct the substation.
Froeschl said that he doesn't care where the substation is built, but this was the recommended spot. He said EDGE and those involved are attempting to do things the right way, morally and ethically.
EDGE has a grant application ready to be submitted to the Federal Economic Development Administration for up to $5 million to offset costs for the substation that is part of the $35 million project to bring additional electrical power to the community.
Other sites were reviewed for the location of the substation before to the recommendation was made.
