Copyright © 2002 NLThomas
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WATOVA, OK - Getting from here to there just got a little easier in Watova. Watova residents were recently treated to a new road, thanks to a cooperative effort between the Cherokee Nation and Nowata County.

“Their old road was in pretty bad shape,” said Annette Stinnett, administrative secretary for the Cherokee Nation roads department. “It needed quite a bit of work.”

The road, stretching nearly 5000 feet, is the main artery leading in and out of the community of Watova.

“I am a school bus driver and this little community is on my route,” said Connie Pearsall. “The streets were getting very bad and when the county commissioner told me they were getting a grant to resurface these streets, I was very pleased.”

The Cherokee Nation awarded a grant to Nowata County to be used to purchase supplies for the newly resurfaced road and the Nowata County Commissioner’s office provided the manpower to get the job done.

The road in Watova is just one of three in Nowata County that the Cherokee Nation has provided funding to build or resurface since 1992. With the completion of these roads, the Cherokee Nation has contributed more than $82,000 to improve roads in Nowata County.

“It’s a pretty good program,” Stinnett said. “Sometimes these towns can get overlooked.”