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Cherokee Nation funding construction of new water tower in rural eastern Oklahoma town

Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and other Cherokee Nation officials met with Roland government personnel to sign a Memorandum of Understanding about the funds.
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Cherokee Nation
Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and other Cherokee Nation officials met with Roland government personnel to sign a Memorandum of Understanding about the funds.

The Cherokee Nation is using COVID-19 relief funds to build a new water tower in the town of Roland, which sits on the tribe’s land near the Arkansas border.

The town’s existing tower has weathered more than two decades of storms and floods. The new tower will increase Roland’s water supply to meet growing demands. It will also allow the town to drain and repair its older tower without disrupting residents’ access to water.

“The opportunity to help a community on something that I think is going to make a generational impact is something we are always looking for,” Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said in a press release.

The Cherokee Nation provided $500,000 for the project as part of the tribe’s Respond, Recover and Rebuild Plan. According tothe plan’s website, the Cherokee Nation has allotted $22 million for public health infrastructure projects.

Town Manager Monty Lennington said this isn’t the first time the Cherokee Nation has provided assistance with infrastructure projects in Roland, which is home to one of the tribe’s ten casinos.

This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.

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