1999 Annual Report Executive Summary*
Tri Counties Indian Nations Enterprise Community
Tri Counties Indian Nations Community Development Corporation (TINCDC) is a round two Enterprise Community. President Clinton did not announce the designation until December 1998. The official announcement came in January of 1999.
This summary will be updated in the coming year of 2001.
The Tri-County Indian Nations EC consists of three counties which has two higher education institutions, vocational education skills development center, many industries that range from single ownership to hundreds of employees and two Native American Nations (Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations). The TINCDC is in the early stages of establishing a sustainable program to support implementation of the strategic plan. Issues to be addressed within the next two years range from rural water issues, Emergency 911 services, bi-county housing, rural health care, and education. The organization is striving to seek out active participants, to involve all citizens of all backgrounds for economic development and a better quality of life for all residents.
The TINCDC is fortunate to have a Native American governor and tribal councilman on the board of directors. Both of these individuals have continually pressed forward to work with the grass roots community, and to pursue grants that can help with the many programs of this population. The level of commitment to the empowerment effort was greatly demonstrated in November of 1999 when TINCDC formed an education and industrial consortium to develop a $750,000 grant to the U.S. Department of Labor. This grant would be used to develop a pilot program between industry and a certain age group to help bridge the gap between industry and skills required by industry.
The City of Allen, Oklahoma has continued to push forward initiatives to improve housing, child safety, water and disposal issues. The city has community development meetings each month which TINCDC participation. The City of Tupelo, Oklahoma has become active in TINCDC through a working relationship with their city attorney and TINCDC. One of the goals is to help search out grants for senior citizens nutrition centers and community activity center. The City of Tishomingo has started working on housing issues and has contacted a developer to assist with establishing a housing plan. Partners working in this effort include Oklahoma State University, the County Commissioners, banks and concerned citizens. The City of Coalgate is finishing up on receiving a grant to improve the waste disposal system of the city. TINCDC has met with the Coalgate Community Hospital and the Tishomingo Hospital on several occasions to help with planning to establish reliable emergency health care.
In addition to local partners mentioned above, TINCDC has worked in partnership with East Central University. The University was awarded a $3,000,000 Gear up Educational Grant. The grant will be used to develop education and training programs in and around the EC area.
The main priorities for the TINCDC organization during the coming months are to review and update community benchmarks, acquire TINCDC staff and locate a central facility for program operations.
TINCDC
P.O. Box 1524
Ada, OK 74820
580-310-2264 office
580-436-0236 FAX
email TINCDC@chickasaw.com
Tri-County Indian Nations Summary Page Tri-County Indian Nations Funding Page