Prairie band potawatomi nation (PBPN) is a federally recognized tribe located in jackson county, kansas

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) awarded a $1,599,949 Project Grant under the Tribal Justice Assistance Program (CFDA 16.596) to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation (PBPN), a federally recognized tribe in Mayetta, Kansas. The grant will fund the construction of a 4,000 square foot addition to the PBPN Tribal Court building, converting it into a multipurpose Justice Center that will co-locate the Tribal Court, Police Department, and Child Support Services. This expansion will provide additional office and meeting spaces, as well as secure access, to accommodate the growing staffing needs of these key tribal justice system components. The project aims to enhance the tribe's justice infrastructure and enable their membership to access police and court services in a single location. The grant project period runs from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2029.

The PBPN tribal court, police department, and child support services are experiencing the need for additional space due to high staffing levels versus a low amount of available office and meeting spaces that are geographically close to services utilized by the departments. Additionally, there is a need for staff to be able to access these spaces and services in a safe and secure manner. With this funding, the PBPN tribal court will construct a 4,000 square feet addition to enhance the PBPN tribal justice infrastructure. The facility expansion will convert the tribal court building into a multipurpose justice center, serving both police department and tribal court needs. The expansion would allow the tribal police officers who interface most frequently with the court to be CO-located with the tribal court, and the plan will move the vehicle registration and fingerprinting programs to the new PBPN multipurpose justice center. As a result of the expansion, PBPN membership will be able to access tribal police and court services in one location. The expansion includes space for the child support services program that works primarily with the tribal court but is presently not located within the tribal court building. The completed building addition will also include a large conference room as well as several smaller meeting rooms, a waiting room, a break room, and additional restrooms to accommodate the increased number of staff occupying the space. The additional square footage will include mechanical and information technology rooms, a janitorial closet, and additional file storage space.