Groundbreaking Kicks Off Renovations to Complex

By Judy Weeks

BIG CYPRESS — The long-awaited renovation of the Junior Cypress Entertainment Complex and Rodeo Arena has officially begun.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the improvements, which facility director Josh Jumper called “a new beginning for an old story,” took place March 8. Susie Kippenberger, formerly of the Utilities Department, was all smiles as she announced that work would soon start on this project, which had been several years on the list for improvements.

“The end result will not only be attractive, but a state-of-the-art complex to accommodate both present and future generations of the Seminole Tribe,” Kippenberger said, pointing to architectural renderings at the front of the room.

Following an invocation by Jumper, Kippenberger introduced representatives from the firms that developed the project: Balfoort Finnvold Architecture, Inc., Northstar Geomatics, Arpe Engineering, Inc., Berg All Angle Construction, S & F Engineers, Inc., P.E. Associates and Signature Structures.

Kippenberger introduced John Dufal of Signature Structures to discuss the state-of-the-art material used in renovating the arena.

“While it appears to be a canvas top, it is in reality a polyester substance with a PVC topcoat,” he said. “It has a minimum 20-year life expectancy with a full warranty for eight years and carries a 15-year pro-rated warranty. This space-age material is both weather- and fade-resistant and is becoming extremely popular because of its ability to ventilate as well as protect. We look forward to it serving us well.”

Big Cypress Council Representative David Cypress then thanked everyone for their support in developing this much needed project — most of all his colleagues on the Tribal Council.

“Because we live in Florida,” the council representative noted, “we have several months each year when the arena is nearly impossible to use because of the heavy rainfall and its effect on the uncovered grounds. When this project is complete, this will no longer be an issue. We will have a year-round facility.”

Recalling “the wonderful man in whose memory this arena was originally built,” Cypress declared, “I am proud to say that Junior Cypress was my uncle.

“Cattle was his life and as you know, work is never done when you work with cattle. He was instrumental in the early development of the cattle industry for the Seminole Tribe and introduced many of the next generation into this line of work. I think I can speak for him when I say that he would be very happy to have this wonderful complex named for him because it promotes a lifestyle in which he believed and creates a future for our younger generations who were so important to him.”

Big Cypress Board Representative Paul Bowers said, “I definitely support this project, which has been a long time coming. During one particularly wet summer, Mitchell and I promised the youngsters competing here in High School Rodeo that we would have a roof over their heads when they returned. Some of them are now running pro circuit and wonder ‘Where’s the roof?’ By this time next year, they won’t have to wonder anymore.”

Junior Cypress’s son, Jonah, thanked everyone on behalf of his father.

“My dad would have been very proud to have his name placed on something as wonderful as this,” he said, “because it promotes the things that he built his life around — cattle, children, honest values, responsibility and a bright future for the Seminole Tribe.”

“A face-lift for these rodeo grounds is long overdue,” Chairman Mitchell Cypress said. “I can remember our first rodeos being held in some pens over on what is now the airstrip. James Billie envisioned this arena and moved it here. It was obvious to everyone from the very beginning whose name it should carry. I am proud to say that Junior Cypress was my uncle. He was with cattle 24 hours a day and children whenever possible. He had a keen interest in youth and always made time for them. Back when dividends were $25 apiece, he would load us up in his cattle truck and take us into town. This brings back very fond memories for me of a much simpler time when our needs were small and I looked up to this man, who for me, was 10 feet tall.”

“Today is very important,” said Fort Pierce Liaison Sally Tommie. “Standing here in Big Cypress, there is a natural beauty that none of us can take credit for — the sunshine, beautiful blue skies, circling birds and the quiet, intense surroundings of the cypress trees and open pastures. Birds drop seeds to re-nourish our surroundings and allow life to renew itself. That doesn’t happen with what is planted in the heart of a man for his community. It takes pride, ideas, actions and results to make a difference, and that is what is taking place here.”

Pointing to Jonah Cypress and remembering her first encounter with him, Tommie said, “He is a special person with a big smile and an unlimited laugh. In Jonah I see the epitome of what his father would have wanted in a son.”

Reminiscing about Junior Cypress, she continued, “That wasn’t a cattle truck that he drove — it was a vehicle to steer the children away from the things in the street. It was guidance to make a dream a reality.”

O.B. Osceola Jr. recalled, “When I was small in the early 70’s, I would come out to Big Cypress with my dad, O.B. Sr., to sell beads and buy rolls of patchwork. Thanks to our leaders, the changes I have seen in the last 25 years are incredible.”

“I came to this reservation 17 years ago as a counselor,” Nery Mejicano said. “David Cypress told me I was burned out and had too much to offer to stay where I was. He pulled me out and gave me an opportunity to be part of the future and I am very grateful to him. Thanks to leaders like him, I have seen Big Cypress transform before my eyes and today is just another example of the progress that is taking place. Leaders like David Cypress have helped put Big Cypress on the map as a destination.”

Assistant Director of Big Cypress Natural Resources Richard Bowers recalled, “I grew up in the shadow of such wonderful men as Junior Cypress and am proud to say that I chose my profession because of what I learned from them. Our elders are one of our most precious natural resources and we should cherish what we can learn from them and put it to good use. This is a proud day for the Seminole Tribe and an investment in the future of our young people.”

Josh Jumper commented, “This facility will be here for years to come serving our community, but the difference it will make for the children can not be measured in words. I take my hat off today to the leaders who had the foresight to realize what youth programs like the ones generated by this facility mean to the development of our next generation. I grew up in rodeo arenas like this one and dreamed of the day when I too could make a difference, and you have made that possible. Today marks a new beginning for an old story and I am proud to be a part of it.”