Photo: Treasurer Armstrong gives remarks at the Buffalo Creek Seneca One Stop Official Opening
Greetings,
I’m glad we are finally enjoying some spring temperatures and easing into summer. Somehow, this pandemic has made it seem like our winter was even longer than usual. Perhaps because we really couldn’t gather, as we would have liked to do. I’m so glad we are getting on the other side of this thing and slowly transitioning into a renewed outlook. Surely, everyone is looking forward to traveling and freely socializing again, since all of our lives have been impacted by these changes.
I see graduation season is upon us once again. Our Higher Education Department kicked off festivities for the season on May 20th. The ceremony commenced at the Seneca Iroquois National Museum, on Allegany Territory, with a drive-thru dinner catered by Villagio, at the ACC. Our Seneca Training Center Construction Technology Program for Allegany, will hold their graduation ceremony today, May 28th, at 11am at the Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center Amphitheater. June 4th, the Cattaraugus area high school graduate recognition event will be held at the CCC, with a take-out dinner catered by Fred’s Catering of Fredonia. June 10th, the Allegany area high school graduate recognition event will be held at the Seneca Iroquois National Museum amphitheater, with a take-out dinner catered by Chiavetta’s at the ACC. This last academic year had to have been very challenging for all of our graduates, due to the global pandemic. I hope each of you realizes you have stayed the course and managed to work through what, at times, had to have looked like an insurmountable barrier. You did it and you can now look forward to the next step in your educational and vocational careers. The graduating classes of 2021 are truly history makers!
On Friday, May 21st, our fifth Seneca One Stop held their grand opening. The preliminary plans for the Buffalo Creek One Stop began during the fall of 2019 and we broke ground in September of 2020. The Buffalo Creek One Stop is a 4,800 square foot slab on grade, single story steel frame structure. It houses a convenience store, a drive-thru Dunkin’ Donuts store and the fuel station has a total of 14 gas pumps. If you are in the Buffalo area, and running low, please stop in for some gas and check out your new store!
I would like to report, if you reside in New York State and are fifteen years of age or older, you should have received a package in the mail from the Seneca Nation by now. If you live on-territory or in the surrounding area, and received a refrigerator magnet containing important phone numbers, it was donated from the Seneca Nation Health System. I’d like to recognize my staff and all those who assisted with getting this task taken care of. We had help from the following departments: Deputy Clerk’s Office, Human Resources, Disabilities, Museum, Library and Wastewater Management. Last, but not least, if it wasn’t for the eleven employees from the Allegany Sanitation Department, this would have been a two or three day project! A heartfelt nya:wëh to Leona Lichy, her staff and everyone whom assisted my staff with this mail-out!
I understand the state of New York is now reporting a positive vaccination rate of 70%. Also, per the CDC, vaccines have recently been approved for those aged 12-15 years of age. Please help to keep our communities as safe as possible by making an appointment and getting vaccinated.
Respectfully,
Rickey L. Armstrong, Sr.
