State to decide
fate of remainsBones recently found at a
construction site could be reburied
State officials are considering what to do with 30 sets of human remains uncovered this month during construction work in Kakaako.
The remains are believed to date from the early 1900s, said Kai Markell, burial sites program director for the state Historic Preservation Division.
The remains were uncovered during excavation for water, sewer and electric lines to run under a planned extension of Queen Street from Kamakee to Waimanu streets, said Jan Yokota, executive director of the Hawaii Community Development Authority.
The authority is overseeing the $5.5 million project, which will add 900 feet of divided four-lane road, sidewalks, curbs, gutters and almost three acres of park, Yokota said.
The new infrastructure will improve services to area property owners and provide added capacity for future private development, according to the Hawaii Community Development Authority's Web site.
One set of remains was discovered in late April by contractor Kiewit Pacific Co., but in early June additional sets were found, Markell said.
The apparent cemetery is "in the middle of the proposed street," Markell said. "We're trying to determine the nature of the interments ... and gather information about how to best care for them."
Some of the bones were found in coffins, but no headstones have been discovered, Yokota said.
The discoveries, which are nearer Kamakee Street, have forced utility trenching work to the Waimanu Street end of the project, Yokota said.
Options include reburying the remains in place and rerouting utility lines or moving them a respectful distance from planned utility lines, possibly underlying the parkland, said Markell. The decision will likely be made within weeks, he said, after more information about the area's history is gathered.