Officials in Arkansas are to meet with the Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma to discuss a recently discovered Indian village in northeast Arkansas where a $1.1 billion steel mill is to be built.
A tribal spokesman says next Wednesday's meeting in Osceola will be with Arkansas and Mississippi County economic development officials and the state archaeologist.
Officials say the meeting will not be open out of concern that publicizing the location of the site could lead to plundering. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Friday that it asked Economic Development Commission Director Grant Tennille to open the meeting under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.
The county has allocated $14.5 million and the state promises $125 million in bonds for the Big River Steel mill that officials say will create 525 jobs.