May 30—CASS LAKE — Formerly hosting
Cass Lake-Bena
High School’s football field — a venue for physical wellness and community connection — a plot of land along the shoreline of Cass Lake will host the
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe’s
new wellness center come early 2027.
Commemorating the project’s future construction at a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, Band leaders and stakeholders reflected on the years-long process to break ground on the facility aimed at improving wellness from a holistic perspective.
“We’ve had a vision of this kind of building where we could promote healthy ways of living and make healthy decisions, talk about properly exercising and doing all these things that are going to let us live that good Anishinaabe way,” Tribal Chair Faron Jackson Sr. said. “Our babies being born into this world today have a right to have a good start in life.
“They have a right to be born healthy, free of anything that’s going to hamper them on their life’s journey. That’s what buildings like this are going to be able to provide and teach.”
Tribal Secretary-Treasurer Lenny Fineday noted conversations with then-District III Representative LeRoy Staples Fairbanks III in December 2018 about the potential to gain ownership of the property previously under the school district’s control as a way to make their vision a reality.
“(Fairbanks) approached me about a parcel of land that was owned by the school district and said, ‘This would be a great place for a wellness center,’ and we went to work right away,” Fineday recalled. “Over the years, we were able to accomplish a land swap and multiple people in multiple different departments and capacities went to work to get us to where we are today.”
Having secured the land, Fineday credited financial backing from the State of Minnesota to kick off construction.
“We were able to put together a financing package for this project that, as far as we know, has never been accomplished before,” he said. “This project represents a partnership with the state.”
According to Fineday, the state is investing around $20 million in cash bonding dollars and the band is leveraging several million dollars in new market tax credits. They will also leverage roughly $14 million in 105(l) lease funds from the Indian Health Service, totaling around $42 million in infrastructure that will go toward the wellness center as well as a new facility in Ball Club and expansion of the Kego Lake Community Center.
“For so many years, we have envisioned a space where our people of all ages can come together, where wellness is not just a word but it’s a way of life,” Fairbanks said. “Today, thanks to generous funding from the state, that vision is beginning to take shape.”
With the intent to focus on several dimensions of wellness, Tribal Health Director Doris Jones laid out the bare bones of services that the center will offer, notably a medical clinic, physical and occupational therapy and a nurse practitioner who deals specifically with elder care and type 2 diabetes.
QR codes placed on each table at Wednesday’s groundbreaking redirected attendees to a survey asking for feedback and ideas on what other services the wellness center should offer, reaffirming the community aspect of the future facility.
“When I think about wellness, what does it actually mean? Does it mean physical? I’m sure that’s part of it,” Jones said. “Also, I think about wellness in a circle. I think about emotional wellness. How am I doing as a person? Am I coping effectively? Am I creating and establishing positive relationships?”
Project Administrator Ben Benoit shared similar sentiments, adding, “We want this building not to be just another building. We want it to be a place of wellness for our community. For that to happen, we need your input as community members on what we can put in this building so it can be that place.”
Jones also noted cultural ties with the potential of the wellness center hosting dance and drum groups.
“There are a number of things we could offer the community right now,” she added.
UNITY Midwest Regional Representative Marla Mesarina spoke on the potential to host Leech Lake Youth Council events at the center on top of providing a physical location for youth to connect.
“There are many things we can do for youth with this great opportunity,” Mesarina mentioned. “This is just a great way to reclaim our health as Indigenous people.”
Jackson noted a particular focus on wellness spanning across several generations from the youngest band members to elders.
“We want to promote a healthy lifestyle and good habits before you get to that elder status,” he said. “That’s what this building will provide.”
Alongside LSE Architects and Kraus-Anderson Construction, Fineday hopes the wellness center will usher in a new generation of wellness due to the collaborative effort of all involved in its opening.
“There’s no one person who takes credit for this. This was not only a team effort, this was a community effort to reach this goal today,” Fineday left off. “I’m really thankful that we’re here today to be able to celebrate this, not just a new building, but hopefully a new era for Leech Lake.”