The Marble City Community Center celebrated its grand opening on May 23, marking a momentous occasion for the community and the Cherokee Nation.

Over 400 attendees, including local leaders and community members, gathered for the event which featured building tours, live music and a luncheon.

The new center represents a $10 million investment from the Cherokee Nation and spans 22,800 square feet. It offers a variety of amenities such as a clothing resource center, food pantry, wellness space, meeting areas, and teaching area.

Other features include new playground equipment, a basketball court and a covered gathering space. This facility will serve over 11,000 Cherokee citizens living within 15 miles of Marble City and will host a Cherokee community organization.

Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner attended the event and expressed their pride in the new facility, emphasizing the importance of investing in rural communities.

“This new community center will be easily accessible to more than 11,000 Cherokee citizens. Seeing this investment come to fruition is inspiring and I’m thrilled to see the community of Marble City get to enjoy this new building,” Chief Hoskin said.

Deputy Chief Warner highlighted the building’s role in fostering fellowship, education, health and wellness.

“This community building will be such a blessing for not only the Cherokee community in Marble City, but Cherokees in surrounding areas as well,” Deputy Chief Warner said.

The center is located where the town’s longstanding school gymnasium previously sat. In January 2023, before the demolition of the school’s gym, Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Warner met with leaders from the town and Cherokee community organization to set aside materials from the former gym so they could be used in the design and construction of the new center.

The construction also led to significant improvements in local water infrastructure.

Cherokee Nation District 5 Councilor E.O. “Junior” Smith noted the increase in community pride resulting from the project, and District 6 Councilor Daryl Legg praised the facility as vital to preserving Cherokee language and culture.

“There are some great people living here and by building this community center, I think it’s going to be awesome seeing the things that will come off this. I’ve seen more pride in people here recently because of this project and I think that will continue,” Smith said.

“I’m glad we can contribute to their work in this community,” Legg said. “If our true vision is saving the Cherokee language and culture, this town here is the heartbeat of what it is to be Cherokee.”

During the ceremony, Chief Hoskin signed a memorandum of understanding with Marble City Food Pantry and Youth Services, allowing them to utilize parts of the facility for their operations. The center will be staffed by the tribe’s Public Health Department, including Kassandra Rosas, coordinator of public health programs, with details on hours and activities to be announced.

Marble City Mayor Tamara Hibbard, a lifelong resident, expressed her excitement about the new center, which she believes will enhance community engagement and preserve local heritage.

“The grand opening marks the beginning of a whole new future for the town. We’ll have more activities and engagement with the community, so the town is really excited,” Hibbard said. “Growing up in a small town and seeing something this massive that Cherokee Nation would be so much resource into our little community is pretty amazing that they would consider our small community for something as amazing as this.”

Hibbard also highlighted Marble City’s unique position as the “Gateway to the World,” located at the confluence of Adair, Sequoyah and Cherokee counties.

“I hope to pass on our memories of the past to our kids for the memories of the future,” she said.

She added that the local historical society provided the interior of the new facility with a showcase of local history.

According to a press release issued by the Cherokee Nation, the center is one of over 60 projects funded by the Cherokee Nation, part of a historic $1.2 billion capital investment.