Notable Stories - Gila River Indian Community District 4 PSF

Our Mission is to earn the trust of our employees, building partners and clients. Achieving this mission begins by building teams with members who have unwavering, comprehensive trust in one another, YOU!

The Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) District No. 4 Public Safety Facility under construction in Sacaton, AZ, is designed to serve the fire, police, and EMS departments. The facility features a six-bay fire/EMS station, including a designated decontamination zone, hazmat storage, a turnout gear room, captain’s offices, and 20 dorm rooms, with four larger rooms designated for captains. Shared-use areas with EMS include an EMS report room and a large EMS supply room, along with two super offices, two super dorms, and six additional crew dorms. The interior of the building offers shared spaces such as a kitchen, dining area, fitness area, and dayroom. An expansive community room serves for training or community events, with a flexible divider that can split it into two functional spaces. In keeping with CORE's CleanPSB goal of supporting the physical and mental health of first responders, the facility emphasizes wellness by incorporating decontamination areas, outdoor patios and an interior meditation room. The police section includes offices for division chiefs and managers, along with report writing areas, records storage, and a K-9 unit with kennels and a dog run. The facility provides modern, efficient, and functional spaces for Gila River Indian Community’s first responders to live and work for years to come.

CORE MOUNTAIN WEST GRIC District 4 Public Safety Facility

NOTABLE STORY

SCROLL TO SEE MORE

QUICK FACTS

TOTAL VALUE OF THE GRIC DISTRICT 4 PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY PROJECT

$38M

SQUARE FOOTAGE OF THE GRIC DISTRICT 4 PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY PROJECT

45K+

PROJECTS COMPLETED FOR THE GILA RIVER INDIAN COMMUNITY

Building Team + Trust one experience, one story at a time.

NEWS.

Laurie Post, art consultant with TélaArts based in Tempe, AZ, describing the process of incorporating local art into the project's design process.

“What's really nice is that the art is incorporated from the very beginning, as opposed to, ‘Oh, here's a blank wall, let’s put some art there.’ It’s all very well thought out from the beginning.”

CORE Project Manager, Zak Taylor, speaking about the design of the new GRIC Public Safety Facility.

From Clockwise: A . The mural concept depicting the San Tan Mountains as the Gila River runs across the landscape. B. The terrazzo tile sample. C. Scale drawing of the final design for a decontamination shower.

"When you walk into that facility, you know that you're in Gila River. It's a beautiful building, but it's a perfect mixture of modernization and cultural history.”

Throughout the project, the design and art teams committed to using community member artists. Sarah Westfall, Project Director at TynanGroup, described the process as starting with an open call. “We work with Laurie, who's been working with the Community for a long time,” Westfall said. “First, what we do is a call for artists…the community members come to this open house like a showcase. They show all the different things they've been working on…and then Laurie works with them specifically to tailor their ideas to the vision of the project.” Her colleague, Aaron Shilt, notes that this approach is unusual in public facilities. “We use 100% community member artists. So, it's not like artists from all over the world,” he said. “There's usually very little art at all in public facilities like this. These buildings are much different. It's a very important part of the building process, much more than any other projects we work on.” The artwork itself is layered but intentional. In public corridors, landscape photography and backlit light boxes highlight District Four’s vistas and sunsets. In the fitness room, a wall covering based on Toka sticks connects a contemporary training space with traditional sports. The meditation room features soft floral pieces by artist Elaine Shelde, selected to create a quiet, restorative environment for first responders coming off difficult calls.

Inside the lobby, the terrazzo flooring is designed as a literal and figurative centerpiece. Post worked with District Four artist Donnie Miles and local terrazzo fabricator Stone Finish to translate his digital artwork into a floor that carries the river and native plant life through the building. “That is our main focal piece of artwork,” she said. “So, as you come in, we've got the river going through, and then the flora and everything around the river, plants, flowers, cacti. So, that river kind of flows through the lobby and down that main hall with things coming off of it. It is basically a big centerpiece.”

“Even from the beginning with this public safety facility, before it even broke ground, we were having art and culture meetings,” Post said. “We wanted to really focus more on what is interesting and unique about this district and have a heavy focus on photography of the nearby San Tan Mountain, and the Gila River is always an important character in the art concepts.” She goes on to say, “What's really nice is that the art is incorporated from the very beginning, as opposed to, ‘Oh, here's a blank wall, let’s put some art there.’ It’s all very well thought out from the beginning.” To guide this process, the team works alongside a cultural representative or community elder to ensure that the art and its interpretations are used appropriately. “We worked with an elder, Yolanda Elias. She always gets us started with considering what themes are appropriate, and she'll meet with the other elders to share what we're thinking about incorporating,” said Post. “It’s a way for us to make sure that everything we're doing is going to be accepted by the Community.”

From the outside, Gila River’s new District 4 Public Safety Facility reads like many modern civic buildings: a consolidated home for police, fire, and EMS serving a fast-growing part of the community. Step inside, though, and it becomes clear this is not a generic public safety complex. Instead, every corridor, floor pattern, and light box has been crafted to feel like Gila River. Even the site wall is designed to mimic the patterns of traditional pottery. CORE's Project Manager, Zak Taylor, says that focus on identity is deliberate. “Gila River specifically is very progressive,” he said. “And as they're advancing, they truly care and want to keep their culture incorporated in every aspect of their facilities. Like the previously completed Police Department, when you walk into the facility, you know that you're in Gila River. It's a beautiful building but it's a perfect mixture of modernization and cultural history.” To achieve that mix, the Gila River Indian Community, the TynanGroup, CORE, and long-time art consultant Laurie Post, flipped the typical order of operations. Instead of designing a standard fire station and finding wall space for art later, they began with the placement of cultural themes and art locations.

WHERE FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION

Zak Taylor, Project Manager, reflecting on the value of Ginger Martin's Cultural Compentency Training and what it brings to the Client relationship.

“It’s allowed us the opportunity to further our understanding of why we're here, who it is that we are serving, and the greater meaning behind our work together.”

Zak Taylor, Project Manager, reflecting on the merits of Ginger Martin's Cultural Compentency Training.

“IT SETS THE TONE FOR BUILDING A DEEPER RELATIONSHIP.”

Ginger 'Sunbird' Martin and her nephew Hevachu 'Windchaser' Smith stand for a portrait after she picked him up from the Public Safety Facility jobsite where he works as an apprentice with AME Electric.

“For me, I think this has just been an example of how CORE can really lead in the construction world within Indian Country and how to do things right,” said Martin. “CORE, you know, they're living and breathing the same value system as a company that parallels our community values, being communally driven, respectful and wanting the best for future generations.” She summarizes the philosophy in terms that mirror CORE’s own leadership principles. “It's not about name, rank and serial number. It's about the relationship,” she said. “You know, you build the relationship first to get the business. You don't do the business first and then develop the relationship.” In Gila River, that approach has translated into cultural training, job fairs, long-term maintenance support, and a willingness to sit in meetings that aren’t strictly required by contract but are essential to building that trust that every client deserves. And for CORE’s team, it has simply become a part of what it means to do the work well. “Opportunities like these have helped our team understand that this project isn’t just about scope and schedule — it’s about the community we’re building it for and their history. It’s about making sure we show up the right way,” said Taylor. “We’ve learned that building trust is just as important as building the structure itself. That mindset has changed how we communicate, how we solve problems, and how we lead on site.”

CORE strives to uphold its commitment to Servant Leadership through peripheral efforts in recruiting and connecting its projects back to the communities it serves. Before work began on the new Public Safety Facility, it contributed to a community-specific job fair at the District Four Community Center. And, with the aid of Community promotion and the participation of some of CORE’s key regional trade partners, several residents were hired directly from the fair and contributed to the facility’s construction. For Martin, one attendee stands out: her 19-year-old nephew, Hevachu 'Windchaser' Smith, who walked table to table introducing himself to potential employers. “He’s 19 and attended the job fair. It was up to him to walk around and be introduced to all the industry representatives,” she said. “AME Electric took him with no experience and gave him a chance…and he's loving it. It's changed his life.” Five months later, she still watches him get dropped off at the Public Safety Facility site before dawn every day. “He was a whole new kid,” Martin said, recalling how he first came home all puffed up with pride in his hard hat, safety vest, and tool belt proclaiming, “Did someone call for an electrician?” She went on to explain, “Because the tribe provides 100% free scholarship to any institution you are accepted to…he now can go into electrical school and feel that he is set up for success.” In her view, those individual stories add up to something bigger: a contractor choosing to align with community values instead of simply delivering a building.

“In fact, my quote for my trainings is, ‘Do you want to be right, or do you want to be successful in Indian Country?’” Martin said. “CORE has to deal with our people at all levels, and it’s really important that they grasp the concepts behind the course.” Martin continued, “Everyone has had the opportunity to utilize it or not and they [CORE] have been the best example of utilizing it.” Any lasting relationship is rooted in a willingness to understand one another and, over time, the mindset that Martin’s course cultivates has shaped not only how the CORE team approaches Gila River projects but how it shows up for the Community long after the job is done. Taylor explains that because the Community’s internal maintenance infrastructure is still growing, CORE is working with its leadership on an agreement that keeps the team involved after turnover.

“When Gila River starts a project like this, it sets the tone for building a deeper relationship,” said Taylor. “It’s allowed us the opportunity to further our understanding of why we're here, who it is that we are serving, and the greater meaning behind our work together.” Martin’s cultural competency curriculum covers the history of the Gila River Indian Community and concepts like the lingering impact of federal Indian policy and the historical traumas her community has experienced. Her goal is to give non-Native teams the tools to be effective partners by understanding the cultural nuances of the Community rather than accidental disruptors.

When CORE first arrived on the Gila River Indian Community, the scope on paper was straightforward: deliver a new public safety facility to meet the community’s needs. What has taken shape since, however, is a relationship that extends well beyond the usual affair of drawings, schedules, and punch lists. At the start of each major project with the Gila River Indian Community, CORE participates in a cultural competency training led by community member and Native American Cultural Conceirge, Ginger Sunbird Martin. When you are awarded a project, you are expected to arrive on site and build to spec. In fact, it is generally seen as being a basic requirement. But, according to Project Manager Zak Taylor, in the case of the GRIC District No. 4 Public Safety Facility, Martin’s courses have helped to take the project and his experience in the Community far beyond that.

BEYOND THE DRAWINGS

Even functional elements carry cultural references. LEED signage explaining the building’s green features incorporates symbols drawn from Gila River iconography. “So, this is also a LEED project, which is a green building,” said Shilt. “They’re focused on using less water, less energy, and all those things that are considered being environmentally conscious. So, that in itself ties together the idea of binding cultural theming with a project that has the least amount of environmental impact possible.” And according to Laurie Post, this pairing is even seen in some of the design elements themselves. “For the LEED signage, for instance, there may be like a native sun symbol, or a water symbol depicted in the water conservation signage,” Post said. “And then for all the artist plaques, we're using a backdrop of the local San Tan Mountain.” CORE’s role has been to make sure those ideas can be built and protected. Taylor and the project team participate in ongoing cultural theming meetings with a community representative, the TynanGroup, and Post, then work with trade partners to coordinate backing, power, and in some cases the installation itself so that the art can be installed cleanly and safely. “This is probably the only time where the art drives both the construction and the design versus the other way around,” Taylor said. For Westfall, the result is more than a well-detailed building. “I think it's what makes this project so special,” she said. When the Public Safety Facility opens, it will give Gila River’s police, fire, and EMS teams a modern, consolidated base of operations. Just as important, it will give the community a place where their river, mountains, plants, games, and stories are visible every day—a facility that looks and feels like home, even to those who are serving it from the outside.

Click the color-coded markers below to reveal sample locations of art placement.

Drawings detailing the color coding for an elaborate terrazzo flooring design by GRIC artist Donnie Miles and installed by Stone Finish in the entryway lobby and corridor. A similar concept was incorporated into the lobby design of the recently completed Gila River Police Department Facility project, shown above, in 2024.

Ginger 'Sunbird' Martin poses for a portrait with the CORE team while conducting her Cultural Competency Training Program during the construction of the GRIC Police Department Facility.

The Gila River Indian Community primarily comprises the Akimel O’otham (Pima) and Pee-Posh (Maricopa) Tribes. The Akimel O’otham are some of the world's premiere basketmakers and the Pee-Posh are known for utilizing local red clay for their pottery work. As such, the site walls of the new Public Safety Facility depict the geometrical designs long associated with their respective arts.

(Left) Representatives of the Gila River Indian Community participate in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Public Safety Facility. (Right) CORE and its trade partners participate in a job fair hosted by the Gila River Indian Community.

Representatives of the Gila River Indian Community participate in the facility's groundbreaking ceremony.

JOB FAIRS FOSTERING FUTURES

“We're actually working on a preventative maintenance agreement for different facilities throughout GRIC where CORE could continue to be a part of these projects,” Taylor said. “To me, just having an opportunity like that speaks to the strength of the trust that exists between us.”

'LEED'-ING THE WAY

CULTURE AT THE FOREFRONT

AMPLIFYING LOCAL VOICES