Mastering the next level: Choctaw Nation receives plan of action to consolidate tribal services.

With approximately 85,000 members across the State of Oklahoma, the Choctaw Nation’s steady growth is reflected in increased programs and services for its members, provided by an ever-growing number of employees. This caused serious space and accessibility issues for the tribe, whose employees were divided between old, overcrowded tribal facilities and approximately 30 different leased buildings across the town of Durant. The existing primary site also presented several additional problems, as its three-facility complex was not easily accessible to elderly tribal members and had no room for growth.

To meet the Nation’s needs going forward, FSB created a Facilities Master Plan for a new headquarters complex. Creation of this Master Plan was the end result of a lengthy process which included a series of meetings over a six-month period between FSB and more than 30 groups of tribal leaders, employees, facility users and others. These meetings solidified the Nation’s needs and vision for the new headquarters site going forward into the 21st century. In addition, the FSB team reviewed and analyzed more than 10 tribally-owned sites, ranking them in order of their potential to support the new facilities. As part of the overall plan creation, tribal members also held a day-long workshop during which they presented the FSB team with information about all aspects of the Choctaw Nation heritage. This deeper insight into the unique Choctaw culture helped FSB staff better design a permanent headquarters complex that would truly represent the tribe and fulfill its needs moving forward.

Following this Master Plan, design and construction of the central campus complex is expected to improve operational efficiency and better accommodate future growth for the tribe for the next 50 years. The plan provides for 10 new buildings, approximately 1,000,000 SF of new construction and numerous outdoor spaces on a single site which will serve as home to the Nation’s government and administrative offices, as well as all programs and services the tribe provides. The move is a significant step forward for the Choctaws, who are one of the largest Native American tribes in Oklahoma.