State of Community gathering updates year's progress

Feb. 29—Speakers at the annual State of the Community event hosted by the Tahlequah Area Chamber of Commerce outlined the progress and future plans in the city of Tahlequah, Cherokee County and Cherokee Nation.

Nathan Reed, CEO and president of TACC, said it is an event that has happened for many years. This year's was held Thursday, at Go Ye Village.

"It's a way for us to get updates on what the Nation, the city and county are doing. We just want to check in on them," Reed said.

Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said prior to the meeting that his message would be very optimistic because it is an optimistic time for Tahlequah and the Cherokee Nation. He said he wanted to talk about projects going on from health care to housing.

"When I think about this community ... for somebody that doesn't live here or hasn't lived here their whole life, I just want you to know it's such a special place, and it's a place that people have a great deal of envy of when they think of what's going on here," Hoskin said.

Driving into town, visitors will see Tahlequah's downtown and won't see a community "withering on the vine" like many small towns across the U.S., Hoskin said. He said this community is poised for growth.

"They see the progress, they see the optimism, they see the potential and they see people in this community that care about the town," Hoskin said. "Then you go to the other end of town and see the headquarters of the great Cherokee Nation. And if you stay here long enough, you will see what really makes this a great place — the people who live here and live here for a reason."

Mayor Suzanne Myers was excited to share the last year, especially the past 10 months, of what's been going on from city hall's perspective.

"The work we've had with our city council members, community members and partners in the region," Myers said.

She shared with the crowd the camaraderie of the employees and elected officials she has seen since she was elected 10 months ago. Several celebratory events have brought city hall and the community together — like the tailgating event for the first Northeastern State University football game.

"I hope you have seen an improvement in the city, and not just downtown but in the outlying areas of the city where not only with partnerships within the city but partnerships with residents, they have taken resources and time and helped to clean up their areas," Myers said. "People are taking great pride in their property and in their community."

Myers said one of the legacies she hopes for the city administration to leave at the end of her four-year term is the collaboration and partnerships they have created.

"Because the resources we have, as great as they are, it's never going to be enough. So knowing we have partnerships with not only the Cherokee Nation, who we value tremendously, we have NSU, Tahlequah Regional Public Works, Main Street Association, the Chamber, the United Keetoowah Band, Save the Illinois River, the county and state officials and so many more that have stepped up to the table and contributed," Myers said.

County Commission Chair Bobby Whitewater said one of his favorite things that happened was the opening of the new Cherokee County Livestock Arena.

"We had our first spring show last week and it was really good," Whitewater said.

Whitewater spoke on the cost of equipment and asphalt and the importance of keeping ahead of the maintenance of roads instead of having big repairs that cost the county a lot of money.

The success of the Hay Wrap Take Back program, that ran from Oct. 2, 2023 to Feb. 2, passed expectations, and he announced the contest will run for six months next year.

In a video produced by the Tourism Department, the vision was expressed of the desire to make Tahlequah a year-round destination for tourists.

One attendee at the event, Jonathan Hook, commented on what he hoped to hear from the speakers. He found it interesting that so many representatives from the Cherokee Nation, the city and county were present.

"I think the communication process and having the opportunity to respond is important. Also, it's important to hear about the perspective of values," Hook said. "We have tribal council members, the city ... I'm really interested to hear if they will address any of the recent topics that came up in the news — speaking of Sen. Woods' comments in this very room. See if it had an impact on perspectives, on topics that should be discussed in the public and really representing community interests."