New office awaits Tulalip tribal workers

TULALIP — Tulalip tribal employees are expected to soon begin working in a new $28 million administration building on a hill that overlooks Tulalip Bay.

Doors to the building are expected to officially open the morning of Sept. 14. Nearly 300 people who work for the Tulalip Tribes are already packing up their offices, currently spread throughout the Tulalip Indian Reservation, to converge, for the first time, in the same building.

A formal grand opening is scheduled for later this year.

The 75,000-square-foot building is called dXdiGidteGelalftX, a Lushootseed word that refers to a place where people are trained in both spiritual and practical matters, tribal spokeswoman Mytyl Hernandez said.

The move marks a new era for the tribal government, which has for decades been stationed on the banks of Tulalip Bay. Soon, it will be in the middle of an area forested with cedars. The building, which is mostly cedar and glass, was designed to reflect its surroundings.

Outside, an 8,500-square-foot Veterans Memorial includes cedar benches, landscaping and granite slabs. Tribal leaders plan to add a community pavilion for tribal meetings and other events.

The tribal government is expected to save $1 million each year in operating costs by bringing 26 departments under one roof, Hernandez said.

Certain departments, including natural resources and the tribal police department, will not move to the new building.

Krista J. Kapralos: 425-339-3422, kkapralos@heraldnet.com.