Construction could begin later this year, or sometime in 2019, on a long-planned hotel and restaurant project in Shiprock, New Mexico.
The structure will most likely go up in an area of one-story commercial structures to the north of U.S. Highway 64 and West of U.S. Highway 491.
In a statement, Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye said the new hotel and restaurant will “help revitalize the economy in one of the largest chapters on the Navajo Nation. Shiprock is an important community in the Four Corners area, with traffic coming through from all directions.”
Because that traffic oftentimes sees tourists and truck drivers heading to such area landmarks as the Mesa Verde National Park and the Grand Canyon National Park, the thinking is: why wouldn’t they stop at a new and modern hotel along the way?
The construction project will be a joint effort between the National Gaming Enterprise and the Navajo Division of Economic Development, with the NNGE serving the role as project supervisor.
The $8.3 million project will be paid for out of the Navajo Nation’s Permanent Trust Fund, with some $2.8 million going for the initial infrastructure construction.
By Garry Boulard
