Tribal Council/Chiefs Get Update on Red Lake Capitol At March Tribal Council Meeting - P2

Looking toward the lake near the Red Lake Humanities Center, beyond the Red Lake Powwow grounds, the landscape continues to change. Outside walls are up, roads are nearly complete, and sidewalks meander about where soon a college campus will rise. This is the site of what Red Lake Nation College president Dan King refers to as the new Red Lake Capitol.

Here in the process of being built are huge twin buildings in the shape of Migiziwag (bald eagles), a unique design that may draw attention far and wide and will make the Guiness Book of World Records. They will be the world's largest fiberglass eagles at 48 feet high. To the East will be the new Tribal Government Center, to the West the new Red Lake Nation College. The construction is scheduled to be completed in mid-June, 2015. With a move in date scheduled for August 3, 2015.

During the regularly scheduled Tribal Council meeting on March 10, 2015, the Red Lake Tribal Council and Chiefs received a progress report on the new "Red Lake Capitol" by College president Dan King and College Development Director Eugene "Bugger" McArthur.

King narrated a brief slide show with photos of the construction site. "These are "Green" buildings," explained King. "The grounds are prepared for several heat pumps in the future. All the underground work is done...the plumbing and lighting, the final grading for sites are done, light pole bases are in, and the tubing for radiant heat is installed.

"Donlar Construction is showing excellent corporate citizenship," noted King. "They are ahead of schedule and have saved the tribe thousands of dollars. We hope to save hundreds of thousands of dollars with which we hope to rebuild the Red Lake powwow grounds close to the site. Donlar is working well with TERO, they are employing Red Lake members."

The Transition team will begin meeting monthly beginning on Wednesday, March 25, 2015, from 11 to 1 at the Tribal Council Chambers.

Master Plan Update - March 10, 2015

College:

• EIFS has been completed for now, touch-up remaining;

• Installation of the glass by Clarity will be at 90% by the end of the month;

• Taping of the drywall has been going on for the last few weeks and by the end of the month it will be 75% completed;

• Sheetrock is 95% completed;

• Sprinkler system & all HVAC is complete until the ceilings are installed;

• In three weeks the tile will begin to be installed;

• Painters have started with some of the door frames and library;

• Electrical rough-in is almost complete & the ceilings will begin to be installed;

• Rooftop units will be set next week & all the mechanical will be buttoned up on the roof;

Government Center

• Framing will be 90% completed by end of the week;

• HVAC and plumbers are continuing with the rough-in work;

• Electricians are hanging the panels & setting the transformers;

• All the concrete work has been completed;

• The condenser units have been set on the roof;

• 90% of the door frames have been installed

• All exterior framing will be completed next week;

• EIFS crew is presently working on the lakeside of the building & by the end of the month half of the EIFS will be completed;

• In a couple of weeks half of the windows will be in;

• A high percentage of employees are working under TERO.

More about the Red Lake Nation Capitol

Red Lake Nation College

• Construction of the new buildings will be a source of pride for Red Lake Nation.

• The new building will increase educational opportunities and be an accredited school.

• The twin College campus and Tribal Government center buildings' Eagle design symbolize the culture, strength, power and perseverance of Red Lake Nation.

• With high unemployment rates and numerous social and health issues, the Red Lake Tribal leadership feels that higher education is one of the best long-term solutions for community development.

• The remote location of the Red Lake reservation creates an access barrier to higher education. The high cost of transportation for a two-hour daily round trip, (to the nearest college) the cost of daycare, etc., presents a financial difficulty for many tribal members. The motto for the Red Lake Nation College is "A Great Place to Start!"

• Currently 95% of the students are Red Lake Tribal Members. However, once the new facilities are complete, College leaders anticipate higher percentages of non-members and non-Indian students from the surrounding area.

• The new campus will feature state-of-the-art technology for shared distance learning with other Colleges. The campus will contain a large, multi-purpose Student Union and hold 14 classrooms that include biology and chemistry labs, and two computer labs.

• The new Tribal College will host a library, tribal archives/library center and study rooms. Within the college library there will be a new learning center with free tutoring. There will be an Ojibwe Language Center and an Ojibwe Language Immersion Head Start and Daycare Center for up to 60 children. Included also is a Student Café, Wellness and Fitness Center, and a Sweat Lodge to promote healthy lifestyles and strong cultural living. The college facilities will be open to the public/

• Virtual presence classrooms will be connected to other regional colleges and universities, including BSU.

Red Lake Tribal Government Center

• A $10 million dollar plus USDA loan will be used to build a 27,400 square-foot tribal government center next to the college. The new center will provide a safer environment and allow the tribe to operate out of one central location.

• By the fall of 2015, Red Lake Tribal Government will be housed under one roof for efficiency and the convenience of the people.

• The front of the twin buildings will bear the silhouettes of wingspread eagles.

In addition to the new buildings, the project will include a new powwow grounds, walking trails along the lake and a Veterans Park honoring all Red Lakers who have served in US Armed Forces. The park will feature black granite monuments for inscribing names of living and deceased service personnel with plenty of room for more names if need be.