FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tlingit & Haida Purchases Two Properties in the Aak'w Village District

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tlingit & Haida Purchases Two Properties in the Aak'w Village District

JUNEAU, AK (December 9, 2021) – The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit & Haida) is pleased to announce the purchase of two buildings located at 400 Willoughby Avenue and 410 Willoughby Avenue in the Aak’w Village District.

The properties are conveniently located within walking distance of the Tribe’s Andrew Hope Building which houses the Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall, Sacred Grounds Café and Smokehouse Catering enterprises along with many service-related programs.

“The acquisition of these properties not only brings this land back into the stewardship of Indigenous hands, it also moves us one step closer to fulfilling our goal of creating an all-encompassing campus for the betterment of our citizens,” shared President Richard Chalyee Éesh Peterson. “Our clients will soon be able to access programs and services from a centralized location.”

Tlingit & Haida will soon appreciate the scale of the investment at over 92,000 square feet of office space on a 2.1 acre site including 675 linear feet of frontage on Willoughby Avenue, and 250 linear feet on Whittier Street.

Executive management team members and key staff who played critical roles in the acquisition include Chief Development Officer (CDO) Will Ware, General Counsel Madeline Soboleff-Levy, KIRA Services Property Manager Elias Duran, and Special Assistant for Tribal Development Sherry Aitken.

"I am excited Tlingit & Haida is finally seeing our dream of a campus now realized," said CDO Will Ware. "This campus creates a one stop location where our tribal citizens will receive services, have questions answered, and participate in cultural events."

Tlingit & Haida's next steps are to secure an architect to renovate and redesign the interior and exterior of each building. The goal is to have a cohesive look with the Andrew Hope Building. Ware said renovations and the Tribe's COVID-19 mitigation plan will determine the number of office spaces in each building. The long-term plan is to relocate administrative and programming staff to the Willoughby campus.

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Contact:

Office of the President | Communications

Sam Grubitz, Communications Specialist

Phone: 800.344.1432 ext. 7369 | Email: communications@ccthita-nsn.gov

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“Preserving our sovereignty, enhancing our economic and cultural resources, and promoting self-sufficiency and self-governance for our citizens through collaboration, service, and advocacy.”