June 21, 2023

(Left to Right) James Adakai, DCD Deputy Director Nancy Badonie, Chapter Manager's Wife, Eugene Badonie, Chapter Manager Fern Benally, Navajo County Dist. 1 Supervisor, Paul Madson, Chapter President Virginia White, Chapter Sec./Treas., Thomas Bradley, Chapter Vice-President in Chilchinbito, Arizona on Friday, June 16. Photo by Christopher Burnside / BURNSIDEmedia

Chilchinbito broke ground for first convenience store and multipurpose center

KSUT | KSJD | By Clark Adomaitis

Last Friday, 30 miles from Kayenta, Ariz., the Chilchinbito Chapter of the Navajo Nation held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new convenience store and multipurpose center.

The store expects to bring much-needed economic activity to the community and provide a convenient place for locals to buy food and gas.

The Navajo Nation is a large and sparsely populated area, approximately the size of West Virginia, and there are few grocery stores and convenience stores on the reservation. People often have to travel long distances to buy basic necessities.

The new store in Chilchinbito will help to alleviate this problem and expects to generate revenue from tourism.

"They (tourists) come through the Chilchinbito chapter, although they do not stop at the Chapter, but they go through never having to drop off a single penny here," says Eugene Badonie, manager for Chilchinbito chapter.

The multipurpose facility will also provide a space for community events, such as meetings, workshops, and celebrations. The Chapter has been in the planning stages since 2005. The tribe will use $1.15 million in American Rescue Plan funds to build it.

The new store is a welcome addition to the Chilchinbito community. It will provide a much-needed service to locals and expects to boost the local economy.

Editors Note: The reporter in the audio clip said Parrish posted to Facebook and Instagram on Saturday. The Facebook post from Parrish was published on Friday, June 16, at 8:21 p.m., and the Instagram post was published on Saturday, June 17.

The Facebook post was the first public announcement of the groundbreaking ceremony for the new convenience store and multipurpose center. The Instagram post was a follow-up post.

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