If Rhode Island officials want an object lesson in how not to grow the state’s work force, nearby Massachusetts seems glad to oblige.

Medical Information Technology Inc., better known as Meditech, announced plans last fall to build a 120,000-square-foot office building in Freetown’s Riverfront Business Park.

But the Massachusetts Historical Commission has thrown a damper on the deal by trying to force Meditech to excavate the site to see if it has historical artifacts, specifically a Native American burial ground, below the surface of the 21-acre site.

At stake are 800 jobs at the proposed building, not to mention the construction workers to build the facility and the resulting economic impact on one of the region’s most economically depressed areas.

There are reports that the commission and the company are talking, with the goal of reaching a settlement to the dispute. The sooner the better. •