NAVAJO NATION

Shiprock hotel, restaurant project gets $11.4 million in funding

Mike Easterling
Farmington Daily Times

FARMINGTON — A long-planned Shiprock hotel and restaurant complex took another step forward earlier this week when Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez signed legislation that will provide $11.4 million for the project.

Nez signed a series of three resolutions on Aug. 8 that provided funding for several projects across the Navajo Nation, including the hotel and restaurant complex, which has been in the planning stages for at least six years. According to The Daily Times archives, the proposed site for the complex is on 7 acres located north of the Wells Fargo Bank, north of U.S. Highway 64 and west of U.S. Highway 491.

Plans call for the hotel to have 80 rooms, a full-service restaurant and various amenities, including a pool and meeting rooms. Then-Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye described the project as "long overdue" after authorizing a $2.8 million expenditure for the complex in 2018 that covered some infrastructure costs.

A market study completed several years ago found the proposed hotel would help Shiprock cater to tourists on their way to Mesa Verde National Park and Grand Canyon National Park. Supporters of the project also have pointed to its value in providing accommodations for the hundreds of runners who take part each May in the Shiprock Marathon or visitors attending the Northern Navajo Nation Fair each fall.

More:Nez approves $1B spending bill for critical infrastructure projects

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez.

Nez also signed measures approving funding for various other purposes, including:

  • $1.6 million for the Ganado Chapter senior and veterans center project
  • $1.2 million for the Tuba City senior center project
  • $2.2 million for the Tselani/Cottonwood Chapter senior center project
  • $2.1 million for the Becenti Chapter veterans center project
  • $7.2 million for the Gadiiahi/To'Koi Chapter community building project
  • $2 million for the Nazlini Chapter senior center project
  • $2.5 million for the Westwater community for infrastructure development
  • $1.6 million for the 2022 Navajo Nation elections
  • $203,000 for the Tsaile/Wheatfields cemetery project.

The resolutions appropriating the funding had been approved by the Navajo Nation Council in July.

"I appreciate the Navajo Nation Council's support of these resolutions to fund community needs for elders, veterans, and families in the Westwater Subdivision in Utah who have lived without electricity and running water for far too long," Nez stated in a news release issued by the Office of the President and Vice President. "Thank you to the members of the Council for advocating for your communities and working together with Division Directors, chapter leaders, and others to get these projects across the finish line. With the signing of these resolutions, we will deliver much needed services to many of our Diné people."

Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.