The Tribal Council is pleased to announce that the Kenaitze Indian Tribe has purchased the former Kendall Ford property in Kenai to serve as its transportation center.
“Access to reliable transportation is a major barrier for many people in our community. The Tribe continues to work to fill in the gaps to meet the need. We’re excited to have a facility to house our Transportation program, and to help our Tribe and our community thrive,” said Tribal Council Chair Bernadine Atchison.
The building will be called Hetl Qenq’a, which means “Sled House” in Dena’ina.
The three-acre parcel is located at 10288 Kenai Spur Highway in Kenai, at the corner with Marathon Road. The building has 20,177 square feet of floor space, as well as a 4,136-square-foot mezzanine.
“We have been working with the Federal Transit Administration since 2019 to identify a location and building. It is with gratitude to those staff who worked with the Tribal Council to come up with options when we had roadblocks. This is a significant partnership we will have with the FTA as it will provide a building, fleet and support staff for our Transportation program,” Atchison said.
The Tribe’s current Transportation fleet totals 65 vehicles, including minivans and SUVs, full-size vans, trucks, shuttle buses and full-size buses. In 2023, the Transportation program provided 12,840 rides for people who receive services from the Tribe.
The Tribe is close to launching the Kahtnu Area Transit fixed-route bus service for the central Kenai Peninsula, and Hetl Qenq’a will serve as its hub.
The new facility is intended to provide space for cleaning and maintaining the Tribe’s vehicles, extending the life of the fleet, as well as to house office space and conference and training rooms for Transportation staff.