Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear signed a contract for an outdoor health complex during a Public Health State of Emergency for the Osage Nation at the start of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, and it is now undergoing completion and scheduled to open Oct. 28.
The park includes an extension of 4th Street, which borders the park, a walking trail of over one mile, three pickle ball courts, two fields made of sod “suitable for soccer, rugby and football,” 15 fitness stations including five wheelchair-accessible units, five obstacle course units, five “functional fitness units” and one Ninja exercise course, according to Secretary of Development Casey Johnson. Additionally, 70 pathway lights and three parking lots with 273 parking spaces and 39 parking lot lights complete the outdoor complex. The cost is just under $8 million.
After heated debate from the Congress over whether the outdoor health complex was justified while the Nation’s plans for a funeral home were being “slow-rolled,” Standing Bear provided requested documents to Congress about the health complex – including the contract for the work with Builders Unlimited, Inc.
“Congress approved it through the roads money,” said Chief of Staff Jason Zaun.
“Sometimes, people forget around here,” Standing Bear said, reflecting alongside Zaun.
Specifically, the outdoor health complex was funded with roads money from the Transportation Improvement Program, said Johnson. Donations from Phillips 66 and Marathon Petroleum totaled $100,000, and other donors included Builders Unlimited and Enbridge Energy.
Work on the complex began in 2023, when Standing Bear directed work to begin, Johnson said. First, they demolished three dilapidated structures on the land, using property improvement funds to do so, then they began to build. The land for the park was bought in 2021.
Standing Bear met with members of Congress about the complex during the pandemic, even though Congress decided not to appropriate funds to support it and criticized it.
“I told them I was going to do what I could to accomplish my mission, anyway,” said Johnson, who expressed disappointment the complex would not have a basketball court due to Congress’ “say[ing] no,” as Congresswoman Alice Goodfox said during the 2024 Tzi Sho Session.
At the time, Goodfox expressed her disappointment in Standing Bear and the Executive Branch for moving forward with the complex after Congress had turned the project down due to more pressing needs that needed funding.
The Public Health State of Emergency during which Standing Bear signed the contract for the complex spanned from March 19, 2020, to May 25, 2021. The contract for the outdoor health complex was dated May 26, 2021, one day after the Public Health State of Emergency ended.
Johnson said, however, that he had an unofficial opinion from Attorney General Clint Patterson that the contract does fall under the Public Health State of Emergency. “The contract stands as funded during emergency, a health crisis,” said Johnson.
He added the funds were already appropriated by the Congress in the form of federal roads dollars and noted that additional funding sources included “Public Health Nurse (PHN [funds], IHS and HHS ARPA funds, and clinic lost reimbursement funds. The health funds were designated for use in public health and health-related activities, with verbal approval from the clinic CEO, COO, and Health Board Chair. We also received donations in the form of money.”
Johnson quoted ONCA 15-26, outlining that Congress also approved the Nation can use funds donated to the Osage Nation Donation Fund “for the specific purposes designated by the donor,” and added that Enbridge Energy paid for the pickleball courts and Phillips 66 paid for benches spread throughout the park.
The contract cited the cost of the outdoor health complex as no more than $17 million. The actual cost has amounted to $7,790,648, according to Johnson – a figure over $9 million dollars short of what the contract stated the price could be during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new health complex walking trails adjoin the existing Osage Nation Heritage Trail, which opened on May 5, 2021. For that project, the Roads Department contributed $1.5 million in federal Tribal Transportation funds.
The health and welfare of the people
The complex is in an area safe for walking, exercise and recreation, and will help Osages to get outside and move, Johnson said. He noted that resulting benefits will include everything from increased lifespans to preventing diabetes and increasing testosterone levels for men over 40, due to the benefits of getting outside in the sunshine and getting Vitamin D.
The Wahzhazhe Health Center’s new clinic supports the outdoor health complex, CEO Mark Rogers said. He noted they will utilize the outdoor health complex for physical therapy, once their health services are up and running at the new clinic abutting the complex.
Standing Bear said he did not understand Congress’s issue with the outdoor health complex.
“Every Osage I have heard about wants this outdoor complex,” Johnson agreed. “Our thought behind all of this is we could hopefully stave off people going into the clinic and going in the PRT … if we catch them when they’re children.”
COVID-19 showed everyone just how important it was to be able to get outdoors, Johnson said, who hopes it will provide an additional place for Osages to exercise until the Nation is able to build a better fitness facility in Pawhuska.
“Prevention is a huge part of wellness. It staves off disease,” Rogers added. “It would be unethical for us not to support this.” He noted that “millions and millions of dollars of grants money” could go toward enhancing the outdoor health complex once it is built, to support wellness programs.
The WZZHC is able to buy equipment to be used at the outdoor health complex, for instance, equipment for outdoor fitness classes, family fitness challenges and programs such as elder fun walks, he said.
“The way they’ve got the sports complex, it’s very family-friendly. … Some can throw the frisbee, old veterans like me can do some light calisthenics, people can bring their pets with them and walk their pets, or just to walk and talk about life,” Rogers said.
Abby Mashunkashey, Director of Wahzhazhe Communications said the tribe will host a community event this fall celebrating getting outside and being healthy. The event is still in planning, but it will be “before it gets too cold out,” Mashunkashey confirmed.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the new Wahzhazhe Health Center is a hospital. It is not a hospital; it is a clinic, and Osage News regrets the error.
