Tribal officials of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians broke ground on the new Birdtown HIP Project in Tsisqwohi (Birdtown) on the afternoon of Friday, May 31. The new project will include a total of 24 one-bedroom homes once fully completed. Shown, left to right, are Sean Lawless, Cherokee Boys Club construction and facilities manager; Tsisqwohi (Birdtown) Rep. Jim Owle; Kolanvyi (Big Cove) Rep. Richard French; Ugvwiyuhi (Principal Chief) Michell Hicks; Taline Ugvwiyu (Vice Chief) Alan B. Ensley; Wayohi (Wolftown) Rep. Bo Crowe; Aniwodihi (Painttown) Rep. Michael Stamper; and Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) Chairman Mike Parker. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photo)
By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – A total of 24 one-bedroom homes are being planned for a new HIP Community in Tsisqwohi (Birdtown). Tribal leaders broke ground on the project on the afternoon of Friday, May 31.
“This is a really exciting project,” said Wayohi (Wolftown) Rep. Bo Crowe, who serves as the HIP Committee Chairman. “This is a project we’ve been working on. We’re going to have seven houses built on the phase one project…we’re going to try to not cut too many trees. Just trying to keep the houses in there to have it be more homey for the HIP houses.”
Res. No. 567 (2023), submitted by the HIP Committee, approved giving the Committee 10 acres from a 51-acre parcel in Tsisqwohi.
Ugvwiyuhi (Principal Chief) Michell Hicks said, “I appreciate all the efforts put in to planning this particular project. I think this a great spot for a housing development. There’s a lot of memories here. I think this is going to be a wonderful development. It’s easy access and I’m looking forward to the outcome here. There’s been a lot of hard effort put into it.”
He added, “In working with the HIP Committee, thank you for your foresight on moving projects as such. I’m glad to be here and let’s get rolling.”
Taline Ugvwiyu (Vice Chief) Alan B. Ensley commented, “This is a great day for the HIP community. I’ve served on the HIP Committee and the Housing Board and anytime we can do a project like this I always think of when I first got involved in politics years ago. A good friend of mine, Charles Bradley, said, ‘When you can put somebody in a new home, you’ve changed their lives forever.’ I think with this community it’ll be a great, great addition to the HIP projects.”
This project is a joint collaboration between the EBCI and the Cherokee Boys Club (CBC). Sean Lawless, CBC construction and facilities manager, said, ” We’ve had a great relationship with the HIP. Since our collaboration has started, we’ve built over 215 homes since 2001 and this will be our sixth tribal community. So, we’re really proud to be working with HIP. And, we wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for the tireless efforts of the HIP program.”
Greg Owle, CBC general manager, said it is a wonderful venture and gave a short history of the site. “Back in 1972, the Boys Club established the Goose Creek Rec Park on this site with 50 percent matching funds from the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Outdoor Recreation. It provided an outdoor recreation center for Cherokee children for summer camps, a swimming pool, campground facilities, and other uses that were enjoyed. Later, in honor of Norman Maney, a veteran leader and employee of the Boys Club for many years, it became the Norman Maney Recreation Park.”
He went on to say, “Now, as a Tribe, one of the biggest needs we have is for housing. And, for our elderly and disabled, they don’t have a lot of opportunities. So, we’re just glad, as the Cherokee Boys Club, to be able to contribute a little bit to the evolution of this property and happy to have our construction facility as being a part of doing this with the helping of the building of the HIP community.”
“Anytime we can help with the Tribe and our tribal members, we want to be able to do that. I’m sure Ray (Kinsland) would have been proud because he was all about helping his people.”
EBCI Secretary of Housing Edwin Taylor said, “Since I’ve been back, it’s been a joy working with the HIP Committee, Cindy, Sean, getting houses on the ground and getting our elders and our disabled in the housing.”
This is the second HIP Community in Tsisqwohi. The Ledford-McCoy HIP Community, which has five homes, opened officially on Oct. 15, 2012. It is named for the late Bill Ledford who served on Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) for eight years (1967-71, 1973-75, 1981-83) and six years as Vice Chief (1987-91 and 1997-99) and Dan McCoy who served on Dinilawigi for 27 years starting in 1973, many of which served as chairman.
Information from the HIP Committee states, “The HIP Program currently has two communities in Wolftown with Sara Smoker HIP Community being the first tribally-owned site done with 16 homes and second in a housing development has two homes; Big Cove has one community that has six homes; Snowbird has the Diamond Brown Jr. HIP Community with four homes; and Cherokee County has the Hartness HIP Community with two homes.”
