Skip to main content

CHIEF’S MESSAGE

Dear Tribal Citizens,

I hope this letter finds you and your families well.  I am writing to update you on the current situation related to the pandemic and adjustments that we will be making.  Recently, we have experienced a surge of positive cases within the community and tribal staff and everyday more people are testing positive.  Sadly, some people have been hospitalized and our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families.  Due to this trend, we feel it is necessary to lessen our workforce presence with the aim of reducing the risk of further infections within our staff and the wider community.  The new variant is extremely contagious, and we expect the next 3-6 weeks to be very challenging.

Our hope is that these adjustments will be short term. The goal is to implement these safety measures with as little disruption as possible to essential services.  Below please find the departmental information and please check the tribal website for updates.  

Services:

Front Desk:  will be open 10am-2pm daily to take calls and address any questions.//

Tribal Clerk:  will be open 10am-2pm to meet the needs of citizens.  You must call to inquire about any service.

DNR Licensing:  will be open from 10am-2pm daily and you must call to inquire about any service. 

Housing:  there will be someone at the office to answer your calls and for emergencies.  You must call for any service. 

Public Safety: normal service, however we respectfully request that whenever possible people call prior to entering the facility. 

5Health Center: will be maintaining normal services at this time. 

Social Services:  will have staggered staff schedules and someone available to answer calls for essential services.

Maintenance/Public works: will have someone available to answer calls and for emergencies.

Finance Office:  will have staff available for any inquiries.

IT: will be available to handle all tec2hnical needs.

  • For all other departmental inquiries please call the front desk during the hours mentioned above. For any emergencies outside of those times please contact public safety. 
  • With the exception of public safety and the health center, the public will not be allowed in any tribal facility without permission.
  • Masks are required by anyone who is around or in a Tribal facility. 

As you are aware we are experiencing sever cold weather.   If there are any heating emergencies those should be reported immediately by contacting Social Services(207-817-7352) or Public Safety (207-817-7358) after hours. 

Obviously we do not want anyone in the cold during the winter and certainly not with these severely cold temperatures.  If anyone is aware of a situation where someone does not have heat please also contact us immediately and we can utilize programs to resolve. Thank you for your attention to this and please stay warm.

I understand everyone’s frustration as we continue to deal with the impacts of this pandemic, and I thank you all for your patience, understanding and support as we work our way through this ordeal. Many of our departments are experiencing staff shortages due to positive cases and exposure, and the health department is at capacity dealing with covid tests and evaluations as well as trying to maintain normal services.  It is a difficult time and everyone is working diligently.  Our hope is that this surge will be short term, and we will begin a more positive trend soon.  We will continue to make adjustments as necessary based on the advice of the medical team and our partners, and I will continue to update you as things evolve.  Thank you again for your diligence in keeping our community safe.

Sincerely,

Kirk E. Francis, Chief.-

Share this: