Kootenai Tribe breaks ground on travel center
The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, June 22, for the Sturgeon Station Travel Center. Pictured, from left, are Angela Cooper, Kym Cooper, Dennis Weed, Desire Aitken, Clara Dunnington, Velma Bahe, Dianne David, Gary Aitken Jr, and Xavier Boychief. Dennis Weed is the project manager, and the rest are members of Tribal Council.
(Photo courtesy RENAE COOPER)
The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on June 22 for the Sturgeon Station Travel Center.
More than 100 members of the tribal community and staff were in attendance. Words of prayer and blessings were shared, and several speeches were made by those instrumental in moving this project forward, Tribe officials said in a press release.
Construction on Sturgeon Station is set to begin the first week of July.
"KTOI is excited to bring the new business to Boundary County and looking forward to opening in 2023," Tribe officials said.
The project is the first phase of an economic development project on the 3-Mile portion of the Kootenai Indian Reservation. The site is located in Ktunaxa Territory along Highway 95 and just west of the Boundary County Airport.
The first phase of economic development project consists of an 8,660-square-foot travel center with gas and diesel fueling stations, truck parking and convenience store.
Tribe officials previously announced that Sonic restaurant will be part of the travel center. Sonic officials and the Tribe have worked closely to bring Sonic’s commitment to quality and service to the area.
Kootenai Tribe of Idaho officials said previously that its economic actions not only bring in money from outside to the area, but also the tax and other revenues stay in the community through its collection of sales taxes and through the Motor Fuels Tax Agreement with the state.
The Motor Fuels Tax Agreement between Idaho and the Kootenai Tribe allows the state to collect a portion of the motor fuels with the remainder collected by the Tribe. The Tribe allocates 50 percent of the motor fuels tax directly to the Boundary County Road and Bridge Department to be used for highway, road and bridge construction, maintenance and repair. The remaining 50 percent is used for Tribal government operations.
Future phases of the 32-acre portion of the Reservation are in the early planning stages, but may include an additional quick service restaurant, a sit-down restaurant, additional retail or light manufacturing.
For information on employment opportunities, please email acooper@kootenai.org.
Kootenai Tribe of Idaho council members said they are excited to bring the new business to Boundary County and looking forward to opening in 2023.