Prior Lake, Minnesota - For more than 40 years, the 100 or so elders from the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians gathered for their daily lunch in the only space available: a small room in the elderly apartment complex. The meals were prepared in the small kitchen, but the gathering room was simply too small to accommodate more than a handful of the elders. Although the elders would have preferred a meal shared with others, the space simply didn’t allow for that camaraderie. The result was that many elders ate their meals alone. That will all change in the spring of 2009 with the help of a $350,000 grant from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, when these tribal elders will have their own elder center on their reservation. A commercial kitchen and large gathering room will be open for daily meals, social gatherings, and meetings on the Wisconsin reservation.

“Our elders are so looking forward to this; they’re excited for a place of their own,” said the Band’s Special Projects Manager Jackie Rose.

In tribute to the important function of the elder center, green materials are incorporated into the design of the 4,500 square foot building. Forest Stewardship Council-certified lumber and wood products are being used. (The wood products were also produced within the Band’s region.) Several rapidly renewable materials, such as bamboo flooring and particle board products are also being utilized. Products made of recycled materials include carpet, flooring, and recycled glass/resin product counter-tops. Low VOC paint products, adhesives, and coatings are being used, along with low urea-formaldehyde casework and particle board products. Low emitting carpet products were also utilized. The building site utilizes the industry's "Best Management Practices" for storm water pollution prevention and storm water quantity and quality control.

During design and construction, as many existing trees were preserved as possible; the site will also be landscaped with native plant materials. Existing habitat areas were preserved through sensitive site planning and layout.

The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians is located on a 125,000+ acre reservation in Northern Wisconsin on the south shore of Lake Superior, in Ashland and Iron Counties. Over 90% of the land on the reservation is kept in its natural state by the tribe. With a total membership of over 7,000, approximately 2,300 live on or near the reservation. Nearly 22% of the reservation population is below the poverty level according to the U.S. Census. The Bad River Band is one of six federally recognized Ojibwe bands in Wisconsin.

For more information about the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians go to www.badriver.com.

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