Prior Lake, Minnesota - The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community announces a donation of $1,000,000 to the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas for a new Administrative Center. The Center will house the tribal government and will feature a community meeting room and kitchen. The two-story building will have more than 26,000 square feet to house the offices of the tribal council members, public relations, legal department, a conference room, and break room. No firm timeline has been established for the project but it is expected to open in 2009.

Kickapoo Tribal Chairman Steve Cadue commented, “The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s charitable gift of $1,000,000 towards the construction of the Kickapoo Nation’s Administrative and Community Center is truly remarkable, immeasurable, and speaks volumes of the caring of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Indian people. Caring, yes, but I also know the leadership of the Shakopee Mdewakanton understands the importance of efficient Indian tribal government administration. Our new Administration facility will provide the Kickapoo Tribe a centralized building with all our major departments under one roof. The Kickapoo Tribe now administers our government offices from several separate locations. This separation of government managers often results in poor communication, loss of time, and loss of efficiency.”

He continued, “We also recognize that the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s ability to provide charitable donations to others communities is due to efficient management by their leaders and professional managers. Our Kickapoo Tribe will combine tribal funds with the Shakopee Mdewakanton’s donation and construct the new headquarters for the Kickapoo Nation.”

The Kickapoo Indian Reservation is located forty miles north of Topeka, Kansas, and ninety miles northwest of Kansas City, Kansas. The reservation is five by six miles and is home to approximately 800 of its 1,650 members. The tribe manages a farm, tribal law enforcement department, a tribal court, clinic, fire department, school, water plant, Boys & Girls Club, and the Golden Eagle Casino.

In fiscal year 2007 the SMSC made a grant for $250,000 to the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas for a new 14,000 square foot Boys & Girls Club facility.

^ top ^