By Joe Morey
News Editor
Jason Weaver, the Project Coordinator for the Tribal Office Expansion currently underway, told the LCO Tribal Governing Board (TGB) the project is moving along on schedule with the outer shell being built now so that they can work on the interior through the winter months. In the spring, they will move the workers out of their current offices and by the end of summer, the project will be complete.
“We are planning to build out more office and court / legal space so that we can hire more employees to deal with the violence and issues related to the drug epidemic,” Weaver noted. “We have a real need right now for the employees that are back there in legal, Court, Child Support, IT and ICW.”
In a previous article announcing the project in 2019, Weaver told the LCO News the TGB gave direction to the Tribal Grants and Planning team to find funding to expand the existing Tribal office building.
“Many of the Tribal programs have seen unprecedented growth and have increased staff numbers that far exceed our office space. We have staff members working in tight quarters in the Court, legal, Child Support, I.T. and Indian Child Welfare programs,” Weaver explained. “We also have secure filing space needs to comply with federal regulations that are taking up existing space. We don't have a secure lobby for our Tribal Court and that has been identified as a need. The siding and stone work around the building is in need of repair and replacement as well.”
At the time, the project was estimated to build an additional 6,998 square feet of office space and remodel 3,436 square feet. Essentially the Tribal office would expand out to the sidewalk to the East and towards the blacktop in the North.
The Grants Department was able to secure nearly $1.3 million in grants of the estimated $2,154,082 price tag.
Aerial images by Mark Lundeen