The City of Kalamazoo has taken the extraordinary move to publicly call attention to and apologize for a mistake made by a contractor working on Bronson Park.

Deputy City Manager Jeff Chamberlain sent out a release late Monday night, saying,

On Monday afternoon a contractor working on Bronson Park caused minor damage to the lawn and topsoil of the Native American earthen mound located in the southwest corner of the park. A contractor who was supposed to remove a pile of dirt in the central part of the park mistakenly began to excavate into the mound. He was stopped shortly by others, but grass and a few inches of topsoil were disturbed on part of the mound. The contractor has since put all the topsoil back into place, reshaped the soil to its original shape and placed grass seed in the damaged areas. Upon learning of the damage, city of Kalamazoo officials informed representatives of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians (Gun Lake Tribe). - City of Kalamazoo release

The release goes on to say that 'earlier this summer a ground-penetrating radar scan of the mound and the immediate area around it was conducted to determine if any underground historical features could be identified. Results of the survey are not yet completed and city officials expect the results to be released publicly in the next 60-90 days."

 

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