Tlicho gov't to build 8-room hotel in Whati this summer

The investment arm of the Tlicho Government plans on building an eight-room hotel in the remote community of Whati this summer.

Alfonz Nitsiza, the chief of Whati, says the operation will allow the community to host larger groups than it's been able to in the past.

"We up to now have been using bed and breakfasts on the ground here and we have some trailers and some houses that we use to accommodate people," said Nitsiza.

"But we do miss out on a lot of requests" including N.W.T. MLA caucus meetings and a shelved visit from the federal minister of education, he said.

The hotel will be located right next door to Whati's Tlicho Government office.

It's not the only construction project set to begin this summer: the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation is planning to build eight homes for stay-at-home seniors

A race against the road

The community is serviced by a winter road open for little more than one month a year.

That winter road typically closes in the middle of April, but Nitsiza ishopeful all the building materials for both projects will make it into the community.

The Department of Transportation closed the winter road briefly last week to plug twolarge cracks on Marian Lake with snow, then reopened the road to commercial traffic.

But Del Miller, a highwayoperationsmanager for the department, said drivers should be prepared for abrupt closures, and said some water-spewing cracks could prove too troublesome to plug and prompt the department to close the road for good this year.

Last week the territorial government applied for the permits to build an all-season road from the N.W.T.'s Highway 3 toWhati.

The proposed all-season road will bypass Marian Lake entirely.