Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What does your program do?
Tribal Building Construction provides project management of its capital construction, contract management, and general fiduciary responsibilities for Tribal projects, equipment, contractors, and Tribal personnel.
2. Where are you located?
Physically located at 810 Acquoni Road, Cherokee, North Carolina 28719. Offices are in Rooms 117, 118A, 118B of the Ginger Welch Complex. The Ginger Welch Complex is across from the Cherokee Fire Department.
3. How do you get your projects?
There is no determination that the program has to consult with either the Planning Department or the Building Construction Department to begin or pass the project to our office. However, the project will eventually come to the Building Construction office for project management if it is a capital construction project for the Tribe. Housing, school, or casino projects are not managed by this office. In general the Tribe will consult with the Planning Department to design the project, while Building Construction consults. Once Design is complete and construction is ready to begin, Tribal Building Construction will manage the project with Tribal Planning consulting.
4. Does your program handle all EBCI Projects? If so, at what point do they get involved? If not, why not?
The Tribal Building Construction Office does not handle housing, school projects, roads, water, sewer, or fiber optics. This office does not manage projects with the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, Qualla Housing Authority, Tribal Housing Department, Cherokee Boys Club, Bureau of Indians Affairs, Vocational Opportunities of Cherokee, of the Cherokee Hospital. These departments or agencies have their own construction crew, management team, or resources to build facilities. Tribal Building Construction manages Tribal government projects including health care facilities (that are managed by the Tribe), public safety, sports facilities, economic ventures, or office buildings and program centers.
5. Whom do you work for?
Ultimately the Tribal Building Construction Office answers to the Principal Chief, who is the day-to-day chief executive officers of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The Tribal Building Construction Office is managed by the Operations Division. The division is divided into two sections, Public Safety and Natural Resources/Construction. Building Construction is directly supervised by the Director of Natural Resources & Construction. The Building Construction Office has a manager that administers day to day activities.
6. Are you a building Inspector?
No. The Building Inspections office is in the same division and Tribal Building Construction works closely with that office.
