The Osage Nation upgraded air conditioning and heating units for its Pawhuska senior housing residences as the 2022 summer season started.
In a news release, the Nation announced a total of 28 housing units in Pawhuska received the HVAC upgrades, as well as duct cleanings which were complete at the end of May.
American Rescue Plan Act funds distributed to the Nation were utilized for the HVAC improvements as a COVID-19 reduction measure allowable under the U.S. Treasury Department’s Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Final Rule. ON Construction Manager Brandon Wallace led Osage vendor Prairie Heating and Cooling, LLC throughout the HVAC project’s completion, the release said.
“Taking care of our elders is a top priority at Osage Nation,” said Celena White, who is an Osage Language Department instructor and ARPA task force representative. “Being able to improve their health and quality of life is an honor. I’m proud and thankful for all those who contributed.”
The new HVAC units for the Senior Housing units come after the Nation completed construction on a 10-unit addition to the Pawhuska Senior Housing – known locally as “Senior Circle” in April. The first two phases of Pawhuska senior housing were built in the mid-2000s.
Meanwhile, construction is nearing completion on Fairfax Senior Housing’s 20 units and plans are ongoing to pursue a 20-unit Senior Housing project in Hominy as well. The Seventh ON Congress approved two separate appropriation bills for those senior housing projects in 2021.
“They did a great job with both the duct cleaning and the new a/c units,” Pawhuska Senior Housing resident Florence Bigheart Tranum said in a statement. “I love our housing and we’re just so lucky to have it.”
With the Fairfax Senior Housing project construction nearing completion, Osage elders interested in being placed on a resident waitlist can contact the ON Housing Department at (918) 287-5310 for more information.
Also, for more online information on senior housing and other services, visit the ON Housing Department website at: www.osagenation-nsn.gov/services/housing
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