April 2013
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Crownpoint Justice Complex Features Five Program Buildings
OFMC and the Navajo Nation share in funding the 112,375 square foot complex in New Mexico.
[Video: Watch the DSRM safety inspection of the complex.]
Security Concerns Prompt Entry Precautions
The 2012 Newtown, Conn., elementary school shooting has elevated efforts across Indian Country to ensure student and staff security in BIE-funded schools and dormitories.
Dennehotso Murals Get Reprieve from Demolition
Computer graphic advancements aid preserving artwork.
[Video: See what will become of the school five murals on the walls of Dennehotso Boarding School.]
[Video: Watch the Dennehotso ground-breaking celebration.]
Focus: Updated Design Standards Include MI&R/FI&R Projects
Since 2007, OFMC’s School Design Handbook has kept up with the latest in facility construction standards.
Briefs: April 2013
Wide Ruins Aquarium Part of Replacement School Project [Video] | JFK Day School Gets New Doors | OFMC Managers Review MAXIMO
Dennehotso Replacement School Underway
OFMC builds Arizona boarding school on same site.
[Play Video: Watch the ground-breaking celebration.]
[Play Video: Discover what will become of the school’s five murals.]
OFMC Supplies New Fire Trucks and Training
Firefighters from four BIE-funded schools attend hands-on training.
[Play Video: OFMC teaches how to use the new trucks.]
OFMC Creates Solar Neighborhood at Ute Mountain
OJS quarters are powered by solar panels; increased insulation leads to energy savings.
[Play Video: See the Ute Mountain Ute Agency Detention Center’s solar hot water and solar power applications.]
Twin Buttes Replacement School Being Readied in North Dakota
OFMC funded the K-8 Twin Buttes Day School replacement project. The new school will be dedicated later this year.
Wide Ruins Ground-breaking Initiates Replacement School
OFMC’s replacement Wide Ruins Community School in Arizona gets underway.
[Play Video: See the Wide Ruins ground-breaking celebration.]
[Play Video: See the plans for the Wide Ruins aquarium’s new home.]
January 2013
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Riverside Campus Gets a Makeover
The focal point of the Riverside Indian School campus is shifting as new buildings are constructed to replace the old.
[Video: Riverside Student Council President Michelle Torres anticipates her speech.]
Improving Indian Affairs’ Water Systems
In view of the EPA Settlement Agreement, OFMC is conducting a condition assessment of the estimated 211 Indian Affairs-funded water treatment systems. The goal is to bring them into good condition over time.
[Video: OFMC resolves the elevated arsenic levels in Keams Canyon, Ariz., water.]
Santa Rosa Boarding School Dorms Demolished, But Saguaros Survive
Asbestos and other hazardous wastes are removed from the Tohono O’odham Nation site, while two saguaro cacti remain standing.
Focus: Replacement School Ranking Process Tested
A test model provided an opportunity to apply a proposed ranking formula in a simulated environment, observe the outcome and report the findings.
Briefs: January 2013
Chemawa Begins Roofing Effort for Gymnasium and Pool | Zuni Pueblo Law Enforcement Goes Modular [Video] | OFMC Improves Plains Indian Museum Facilities [Video]
OFMC Focuses MI&R on Schools in "Poor" Condition
In FY2013, OFMC will fund Minor Improvement & Repair (MI&R) projects to address health/safety and critical system needs at 33 schools it lists as in "poor" condition.
Blackfeet Quarters Get Radon Mitigation
Selected employee quarters at the Blackfeet Dormitory in Montana have been fitted with improved ventilation systems to lower radon gas levels.
[Video: Pilot Radon testing at St. Stephens Indian School in Wyoming.]
[Video: Tour Blackfeet Dorm, including the employee quarters.]
OFMC Leads ARRA Performers
OFMC is the second DOI program to bring its ARRA construction projects to "substantial completion."
[Video: See the Museum’s improvements.]
OJS Quarters Projects Feature Solar Energy
OFMC’s five-home, solar-powered project now being completed will house Office of Justice Services (OJS) employees at the Ute Mountain Ute Agency in Colorado.
[Video: Tour the energy improvements at the Ute Mountain Ute detention center.]
Fencing is Key to Safe Schools
Chemawa Indian School in Oregon and KinLani Bordertown Dormitory in Arizona get security upgrades in line with BIE’s Safe Schools Initiative.
[Video: See the KinLani gates which allow the dorm’s neighbors access to their community.]
[Video: Watch the Winslow Dormitory gate in action.]
Rough Rock Community School Recognized by Arizona’s Green Building Council
The Arizona chapter of the Green Building Council cited Rough Rock Community School’s three LEED awards. Rough Rock won the chapter’s K-12 Schools category.
[Video: Tour the Rough Rock Community School.]
October 2012
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That's A Wrap! - Dedication of Two Replacement Schools Concludes ARRA Construction Era
OFMC oversaw the use of $305,409,812 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funds for more than 100 construction projects across Indian Country.
That's A Wrap! - OFMC’s ARRA Cost Savings Funded the Replacement of Kaibeto Boarding School in Arizona
A highlight of OFMC’s four-year, ARRA-funded construction program was the unanticipated funding of the Kaibeto Boarding School replacement project in Arizona. [Video]
That's A Wrap! - OFMC’s ARRA-Funded On-the-Job Training Programs Lead to Success
OFMC’s 19 workforce training programs helped 306 American Indians gain job skills, with some landing jobs immediately. [Video]
That's A Wrap! - OFMC and National Park Service Replace the Crow Creek Tribal School
Department of the Interior agencies team up to complete the ARRA-funded school in South Dakota. [Video]
Focus: MAXIMO Training Schedule
With the transition from FMIS to MAXIMO scheduled to be completed next month, training has become the focus.
Briefly: Fort Peck Water Project Dedication Features Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Del Laverdure
The Fort Peck Dry Prairie Rural Water Supply Project was dedicated in August by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Del Laverdure.
Hunters Point Library Opens
An 8,000 square foot replacement library/classroom building opened in August at Hunters Point Boarding School in Arizona.
Kickapoo Library Gives School a New Face
Kansas school gets a new 6,522 square foot library built onto the front of the old school.
Blackwater Gets Cafeteria, Classrooms
Three modular buildings have been constructed at Blackwater Community School in Arizona, including a cafeteria.
Three Classrooms Add Space to Sitting Bull Day School
Enrollment jump prompts need for three new portable classrooms at South Dakota school.
Circle of Life Replacement School Adds Illusion to Minnesota's White Earth Reservation
From a distance, the colored bricks in the gymnasium wall seem to curve, though they are placed in the customary manner. [Video]
Oneida Nation School Gets New Air-Cooled Chiller, Tanks for HVAC
Wisconsin school moves from a 270 ton unit to a more more effi cient 155 ton unit, with electrical cost savings estimated at $10,000 to $15,000 per year.
Ceremony Opens Replacement School in Loneman, S.D.
New ground source heat pump cooling system allows Loneman Day School students to weather South Dakota heat wave that shut down other schools. [Video]
July 2012
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Demolition Dominates 2012 Space Reduction
256,00 square feet of buildings is removed from Indian Affairs facilities inventory.
Focus on Detention Center Facility Conditions Pays Off
Conditions at Office of Justice Services detention centers improve, according to the FMIS Facilities Condition Index.
Rocky Boy's Detention Center Opens
OFMC will supply Operations & Maintenance (O&M) funding for part of the new Chippewa Cree Tribal Justice Center which opened in May on the Rocky Boy’s Reservation in Montana.
Solar Hot Water Heating Saves Thousands of Dollars Annually at Ute Mountain Detention Facility
Pilot energy project shows potential for Office of Justice Services detention centers.
Focus: Murals Facing Destruction
Many Indian Affairs schools feature murals by local artists. The time to arrange for the preservation of such artwork should be well before the building is ready to be demolished.
Briefs: July 2012
iQMIS to be Implemented in August; National Housing Assignment Policy Assists in Determining Priority Occupants | Crosswalking Data Screens Show Progress Toward FBMS’s November Implementation | School Construction Handbook Updated
Columbia River Shines Due to Clean Up of Tribal Fishing Sites
DECRM environmental auditors and the general public praise the conditions of tribal fishing sites owned by the BIA.
Loneman Day School Readied for August Opening
Loneman Day School in South Dakota is 56,859 square feet and will serve a projected 267 students.
Planning Focuses on Final Schools on FY2004 Replacement School List
Ten of 14 Schools listed on the Replacement School Construction Priority List in the March 24, 2004 Federal Register have been built.
Three LEED Awards Given For Rough Rock Community School
The U.S. Green Building Council’s Gold Award goes to the high school dorm and the elementary school building. The elementary school dorm earns a Silver Award.
Sanostee Day School’s April Opening
Celebrating the April opening of Sanostee Day School are OFMC Deputy Director Emerson Eskeets (left), New Mexico Navajo North Education Line Office Facility Supervisor Sandra Ahasteen and Project Manager Melvin Tsethlikai who works for OFMC’s Navajo Regional Office.
Department of the Interior’s Key ARRA Project Opens in South Dakota
OFMC’s St. Francis Indian School gymnasium and kitchen addition is the Department’s 4,000th Project funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
OFMC Structural Fire Protection Program Training Returns to Quileute, Wash.
Twenty-nine firefighters from the Northern Tier came to Quileute, while 50 from the Southwest attended training in Socorro, N.M., last month.
April 2012
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Radon Gas Testing Underway
Rocky Mountain Region’s Blackfeet Dorm and St. Stephens Indian School are pilot testing locations to inaugurate OFMC’s radon testing.
Water Quality Initiative Begins
OFMC will be ensuring good facility conditions and proper testing at scores of Indian Affairs water treatment plants.
Havasupai Solar Panels Gets EPA OK
Water system, school must be priority on power distribution, says EPA.
Havasupai Elementary School’s Modular Classroom Arrives Via Helicopter
Students will have a new modular classroom with reliable bathrooms.
Structural Fire Protection Focuses on Alarms, Sprinklers
San Simon Elementary School is just one stop on alarm initiative.
Focus: Paint Ball at Chemawa
Proceeds from private enterprises on leased Indian Trust land at Chemawa Indian School could directly benefit student activity.
Briefs: April 2012
Hopi Tap Water Safe Again | FMMS Transition Continues | O&M Set for Administration at Santa Fe Indian School | Rough Rock Gets New Fire Station, Truck
OFMC, OJS Working on Employee Housing, Modular Offices
OFMC and the Office of Justice Services have created priority lists for both constructing new employee quarters and installing modular buildings to serve as police offices and substations.
OFMC, BIE Working On Modular Buildings
OFMC and BIE are addressing modular classroom or office needs at 19 locations across Indian Country based upon BIE’s August 2011 request for more classroom and office space due to increasing enrollment or deteriorating conditions in existing buildings.
DSRM: Using POWER to Reduce Injury and Job Time Loss
Indian Affairs did not meet its required goals of a 4 percent annual decrease in total cases rates and lost time case rates for injury and illness. Indian Affairs showed a 5 percent and 10 percent increase, respectively.
OFECR Director Jack Rever to Retire
Indian Affairs has decreased the number of schools and dormitories in poor condition from 114 to 63 during Rever’s tenure.