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Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa updated the interior infrastructure of its community center. The project included the replacement of an outdated and inefficient heating system, replacement of the indoor swimming pool liner and decking, and electrical wiring to accommodate new commercial freezers. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation supported the project with a $146,925 Community Infrastructure grant. Total project investment was $293,851.
The community center houses the Oshki Ogimaag (Young Leaders) Charter School which provides local, quality education with an emphasis on the Anishinaabe culture to grades K-6. It is also home to a tutoring program, after school programming, youth summer camps, fitness center, gymnasium and the Elderly Nutrition Program which serves and delivers over 185 meals per day to elderly tribe members. The facility is used for numerous events, meetings, cooking and other enrichment classes.
The old heating system was 28 years old, rated 70 percent efficient and experienced numerous issues that resulted in high repair costs and a disruption to the center’s daily activities. The new heating system is rated 98 percent efficient and is expected to create savings of approximately $4,000 per month.
The center’s pool liner was cracked, and the decking was beginning to chip. The cracking occurred when the center was closed during the pandemic in an effort to mitigate public health and safety concerns. The pool was closed and drained for both safety and cost saving measures, eliminating expenses for chemicals and heating the water. The liner cracked beyond repair during the closure, and the decking had already created safety concerns with loose surface rocks surrounding the pool and hot tub.
The kitchen located within the center had recently acquired new commercial freezers and a stove, which the existing electrical system could not accommodate. The Community Infrastructure grant enabled the hiring of an electrician to install new electricity to the building and a new meter head.
“The center is the hub of our small, rural community and provides essential and quality of life services to our residents,” said Jared Swader, Tribal Programs Administrator. “The pool is used for our elders to exercise as well as by our families and children for play and physical fitness. The electrical and kitchen improvements enhanced our ability to buy frozen foods in bulk which saves money over time. The upgraded kitchen enables us to continue providing healthy meals to our elders and school children.”
Swader explained that the center has historically been funded by revenues from the Grand Portage Lodge & Casino which is one the tribe’s enterprises. The pandemic resulted in a significant decrease in revenues over the past couple of years, and the timing of the repairs coincided with that downturn. The grant funding allowed the tribe to make the infrastructure investments in short timing and remedy issues related to safety and operational efficiencies.
Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is a sovereign, federally recognized Native American Tribal Nation whose people have lived in northeastern Minnesota for centuries. Their reservation land is located within the Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation service area and has a population of approximately 640 and over 420 households comprised of band members, descendants and employees.
Other project funding sources included the State of Minnesota’s Tribal Statewide Health Improvement Partnership and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
For more information about Community Infrastructure grants email Chris Ismil or call him at 218-735-3010. For information about Tribal Relations email Billie Isham or call her at 218-735-3017.
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