TYENDINAGA – The Tyendinaga Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte administration office is expected to move into a new building at the end of June. According to Daniel J. Brant, the Chief Administration Officer, this move is a long time coming. Brant states, “The current building has just outlived its usefulness”.
The new building was designed by Kingston architect, Al Cromarty and is still under construction at Meadow Drive off York Rd by local contractor Build All Contracting. Brant says the building is on time and on budget.
The old band office building was originally a school from “grades 4 – 8 at times, 4 to 6 at times, kindergarten and special needs were in the basement” according to Jan Hill, a Tyendinaga community member. The members of the community referred to it as The New School.
The New School was built in 1952, but it has seen better days. It stayed a school for approximately 20 years. The school closed in 1972 when a new Quinte Mohawk School was built. The band office moved in some time after. Now the basement leaks and as Brant states, “Its full of asbestos, and its just not a safe environment.” It no longer passes inspections.
The new administration building will centralize most of Tyendinaga’s services into one area. The 2200 square foot building sits in between the new police station and the Community Well Being centre. Soon a water treatment plant will also be a part of the landscape as you drive through Tyendinaga on Highway 2. The new water treatment plant was one of the reasons Meadow Drive was chosen as the new site for the new buildings.
