While visiting the Colville Indian Reservation for the grand opening of the housing authority’s third Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) project, we couldn’t pass up the chance to see the newly finished tribal government building in Nespelem, WA. Chaitna Sinha, an attorney for the tribes, took on the additional role of a tour guide. (Thanks, Chaitna!)
Here’s a little background — in the past, tribal departments provided services out of cramped and inadequate buildings spread out across the reservation. In 2013, a fire destroyed the tribes’ administration building as plans were being made for a new building. Travois New Markets helped connect the tribes with New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation to complete the financing plan and make construction possible.
The new government building is a beautiful, energy-efficient landmark building that brings together many of the different services the tribes offer — health care, education, employment and other services — all in one location.
The new building is really cool. The surrounding forests are essential to the tribes’ culture and economy, and they are represented in the beautiful woodwork throughout the design. I especially liked the river feature that is built into the floor and models the Columbia River, which runs along the reservation’s border.
The building is full of offices and conference rooms. We also saw a ballroom for community meetings, a tribal council chamber, a full kitchen for a tribal small business owner, a post office, a lab for the fish and wildlife department and much more.
As we toured the building, tribal employees shared their experiences about being more efficient in the new space – saving time and therefore, money!
Congratulations on the new headquarters!
Check out the photos of our tour.
I am sorry to learn about the fire’s destroying your previous building! My father, Sidney Orendoff, was the foreman on the Tribal Headquarters building, traveling every day from Riverside. He was nicknamed ‘yellow eyes’ by his crew. I would pass the tribal headquarters while living in Grand Coulee Dam to go to Omak. I was proud of his work for you; which it sounds like the building was outgrown. Hopefully, there will be no more destructive fires on your land!