Revised Press Release PRESS RELEASE CONNECTICUT STATE ARCHAEOLOGIST COMMENTS ON MAPLE STREET CEMETERY’S GROUND PENETRATING RADAR (GPR) SURVEY REPORT A Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Survey was performed on March 10, 2016 at 17-21 Maple Street. The purpose of this survey was to mark the location of existing, marked graves, as well as potentially unmarked graves. During the October 4 final hearing, a representative from M2Partners informed the Planning and Zoning Commissioners that the survey was limited to the five plots at the top of the cemetery on which they planned to construct a building and underground parking garage. On March 11, 2016 this report was prepared for and submitted to Karp Associates, Inc. by Underground Surveying, LLC of Brookfield, CT. On October 4, 2016, a copy of this report was submitted to Town Planner Steve Kleppin during the final public hearing on the application of M2Partners to construct 115 new condominium and rental units where there are currently 38 apartments. Dr. Brian D. Jones, Connecticut State Archaeologist, noted that the report “certainly does not present enough information to make an adequate assessment of the property. Suggesting that the burials were ‘too old’ to detect is misleading and not really meaningful.” “Soil conditions can make GPR results equivocal,” Jones observed, ”but this is based not on the age of the features one is attempting to detect, but on obstructions in the soil that may disturb the radar signal of subtle features - and burials can be quite subtle.” “An appropriate GPR report should include images of the actual data, including both sample profiles (at least) of the transects taken during the survey and plan views ("time slices") of the full area examined. The creation of the time slice views requires a systematic survey of the area, ideally done at 50cm intervals between transects. I have often seen engineering firms "prospect" for burials on random lines. While this can work for on-the-fly projects, it does not provide the type of map output that can be used as an overlay for planning purposes.” Dr. Jones concluded that the GPR Survey Report "does not provide the type of map output that can be used as an overlay for planning purposes." Laszlo Papp, Acting Chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission during the final hearing, requested that M2Partners conduct a more invasive survey of the area in question. The recommended method would involve the removal of one foot of soil to check for any unmarked graves. The procedure was to be conducted in the presence of the Office of State Archaeology. Subsequent to our last press release M2Partners contacted Dr. Jones. According to Dr. Jones, M2Partners will hire an archaeological firm to monitor the top soil stripping.