Delaware Tribe of Indians Breaks Ground on Building

By Abigail Singrey
asingrey@examiner-enterprise.com
May 8, 2012

The Delaware Tribe of Indians broke ground Monday on a 4,600 square foot Social Services Building.

“This is a very exciting day,” Chief Paula Pechonick said.

The $800,000 building will include office space, a conference room, a break room, restrooms and a reception area. It will be a pre-engineered metal building with exterior walls covered with manufactured stone. The building is being constructed with grant money.

The building will allow the tribe to house the manager of social services and other administrative employees in Bartlesville. New fiber lines will be run to allow the administration to use the latest technology to support the growing tribal government, Zunigha said.

“The main focus is to get all the services in one area so it is a one-stop shop for tribal members,” tribal council member Jenifer Pechonick said.

A tribal library will also be housed in the building, which will allow tribal members to research their ancestors, Pechonick said. The tribal council hopes to someday construct a separate building to house a museum and library, Zunigha said.

The Delaware Tribe of Indians has only developed a third of their 80-acre campus on Madison Boulevard in Bartlesville, so they have room to continue to expand, Zunigha said.

“[This groundbreaking] is indicative of the growth and development strategy the tribe has,” said Curtis Zunigha, tribal manager. “… We are out to meet the needs of our tribal membership, and we are making sure that we have the administrative support we need, both from our staff and [our] physical infrastructure capabilities.”

The Delaware Tribe of Indians is based in Bartlesville and has 10,000 members nationwide.

• 
• Members of the Delaware Tribe of Indians Council, from left, Janifer Brown, Nate Young, Chief Paula Pechonick, Assistant Chief Chester Brooks and Jenifer Pechonick break ground Monday for a new Social Services Building at the tribal headquarters in Bartlesville.

• 
• An artist’s rendering shows the proposed design of the 4,600 square foot Social Services Building. It will be built at the Delaware Tribe of Indians headquarters in Bartlesville.