Wellness Center Construction To Wrap Up By January
Project Receives Funding From Federal Tax Credits Program
After two decades of study and community input, the new $23 million Fort Peck Wellness Center in Poplar has received catalytic funding through the federal New Markets Tax Credits program.
According to Sublime Public Relations account executive Justin Gregg, the 50,000-square-foot health clinic and recreation center will provide services for health care, physical fitness, childcare, cultural arts and education.
The new wellness center was slated for the old airport site off U.S. Highway 2 that the Tribes designated for redevelopment. Financing came together through investment and New Markets Tax Credits from the community development lender MoFi. The project highlights the power of the NMTC program in helping to finance community facilities in the places they are needed most. Construction is expected to be complete by early 2022.
“Communities thrive when folks have a place to gather,” said U.S. Senator Jon Tester, “and the Fort Peck Wellness Center will help keep folks in Poplar and across Fort Peck healthy while providing a venue to meet the physical, emotional and cultural needs of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes. I’m grateful for MoFi’s work to secure the New Markets Tax Credits and ensure this project has the critical funding it needs to be successful, and I look forward to seeing the completed project once it’s finished.”
Support for the project has been bipartisan. Said U.S. Senator Steve Daines, “I’m glad to see investment in our tribal communities that will allow the Fort Peck Wellness Center to better serve the Poplar community. This new facility will support jobs and the long-term health and wellness of the Fort Peck Tribes. I will continue to fight for permanent extension of the New Markets Tax Credit, so we can see continued investment in Indian Country.” MoFi is a nonprofit community development financial institution that provides loans to individuals, businesses and communities. MoFi identifies NMTC projects based on factors including the provision of services in low-income communities, alignment with local development priorities and job creation. MoFi sells the tax credits to investors, typically banks, and puts the proceeds from the sale into the project, providing about 20 percent of the total costs, according to Grigg.
“The gap financing from the NMTC provided the bridge between our local funds and the amount needed to complete the project,” said Jackie Weeks, Tribal Operations Officer, Fort Peck Tribes. “You need a great team to put projects like this together, and we’re grateful to all of our partners who came to the table to help us get to this moment.”
The new wellness center is the culmination of an effort that began in 2001, when local high school students, in partnership with Harvard Medical School, began studying the underlying issues causing a disparity in life expectancy among members of the Fort Peck Tribes. The average life expectancy of an individual living on the Fort Peck Reservation is 59 years, compared to 78.5 years for the state of Montana and nationwide.
After years of public meetings and community input, construction of the new wellness center began in June 2020. The new building will replace the smaller center and will include a health care clinic with medical, dental and therapy rooms, and offices for providers. The center will also feature telemedicine rooms with an on-site nurse to allow patients to get exams over videoconference with specialized providers that aren’t available on the reservation. A pool, gym and workout equipment will be available for use and a childcare facility will also be available.
Said Grigg, the new center is expected to create 70 fulltime equivalent jobs in the community.
MoFi is actively looking at projects for its most recent NMTC allocation, which will be invested in qualified areas of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Communities, businesses and nonprofits that have projects of at least $5 million with a gap in financing are encouraged to contact MoFi at 844-728-9234 or www.mofi.org to see if they qualify.
