Osage to Showcase New Welcome Center Nov. 2
State-of-the-art facility provides improved work space and an inviting atmosphere
By ON Communications
Osage Nation Welcome Center in Pawhuska, Okla.
PAWHUSKA, Okla. (October 27, 2015) — Two new buildings, including a spacious and elegant 20,000 square foot Welcome Center, will be officially opened and available to view on Monday, Nov.2. The Osage Nation is hosting a ribbon-cutting and sunrise ceremony for the new buildings that is open to the public.
The first building to be moved into by eager ON employees is the slightly smaller of the two buildings and is occupied by mostly non-service based departments. Employees started moving into this building in August. The larger building, the Welcome Center or O-KI-KI-E TSI in the Osage language, opened its doors to employees in early October and houses mostly service programs including a Constituent Services office that helps people navigate Osage Nation programs and departments.
There are several high points to each building, besides their newness, which is a stark contrast to many of the campus’s much older buildings that were constructed 50 to 100 years ago. The buildings feature natural lighting, spacious waiting areas for constituents and larger work areas for employees.
Much of the planning included increasing quality of service delivery and improving the constituent experience. Programs that work in tandem that were previously situated in different towns are now next door to each other, saving time and money for constituents and employees.
“Clients will now have access to more than one department such as Osage Membership, Tax Commission, Constituent Services and Human Resources,” said Josephine Revard, Financial Assistance Director whose program was previously located more than twenty miles from the departments her staff works with. “The staff is benefiting because the departments we work closely with, like Accounting and Human Resources, are next door or in the same building. We are saving money by not driving to Pawhuska from Hominy to submit payables. Now, we walk next door and we are having a quicker turnaround time, which is great for the people we serve.”
Bruce Cass, Tribal Development and Land Acquisition Director said the process started six years ago, and the end result is well worth the effort and wait.
“This is a state-of-the art facility, it’s not every day a building like this is built in this area,” said Cass. “These two buildings, combined, use less energy than some of our older buildings alone.”
Cass said the buildings have an environmentally friendly temperature control system that uses natural light, water, fans and pumps to cool and heat the buildings. “Those buildings are saving the Osage Nation money right now.”
In addition to saving money and being environmentally friendly, the natural lighting and fresh air pumped through the buildings will create a healthier environment for constituents and employees alike.
The ribbon cutting will take place at 8 a.m. at the entrance of the Welcome Center, O-KI-KI-E TSI at 239 West 12th Street, Pawhuska, Okla. Call Tribal Development and Land Acquisition at 918-287-5509 for more information.
For Media Inquiries: Osage Nation Communications 918-287-5599