The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina has been awarded $4.7 million in federal stimulus package funds and plans for spending it have already been submitted to Housing and Urban Development for approval, Tribal Council members learned this week.

A portion of the money will be used for housing in Scotland County.

The Tribal Council gathered for a special session as part of a Finance Committee meeting to approve plans for the stimulus money because time was of the essence, tribal officials said.

Tribal Speaker Ricky Burnette said the allocation is welcome news and that he hopes the plans will be approved by HUD quickly.

“I’m very pleased with this,” Burnette said. “This money is going to generate jobs and stimulate the local economy and allow us to serve our Indian people. The president has said that this was the purpose of the stimulus, and we’re going to have to track this money separately, and illustrate how many jobs that are created by the projects approved here tonight.”

Almost half the money — $2 million — is to be used to build a tribal Boys and Girls Club Community Center in tribal districts 6, 7 and 8, which encompass the greater Pembroke area. The building will also serve as a Boys and Girls Club, as well as a disaster center in the event of a hurricane or other natural disaster, said Alex Baker, public information director for the Lumbee Tribe. Another $1 million will be used to build an Elder Site in Tribal District 13, covering Cumberland County.

“These are shovel-ready projects that we’ve had ready to go, but no money to fund them,” Baker said.

Another $650,000 will be used for transitional housing for tribal members in Hoke, Cumberland, Scotland and Robeson counties affected by fire, and other unforeseen disasters, Baker said.

Tribal District 4, which includes Red Springs and Philadelphus, will also get a tribal Boys and Girls Club and Community Center at a cost of $525,000, and the remaining $500,000 will be used for the tribal rehabilitation program.

Baker said that while the Lumbee Tribe did not have to compete for the $4.7 million, there is an additional $510 million that will be awarded on a competitive basis.

Congress laid out broad guidelines for the $787 billion stimulus bill that became law in February. Supporters want the money to be used for programs that create jobs now, particularly programs that stimulate the housing industry and promote building in general. Critics say not enough of the money will be used to get the country out of its current economic slump.

In other business, the Finance Committee voted in support of a recommendation that the Tribal Council hold its next retreat in Charlotte, citing the state of the economy. The council has been criticized for spending thousands of dollars on retreats across the country while tribal members were living in substandard housing and experiencing other economic hardships.

The regular meeting of the Tribal Council will be held April 16 at 6:30 p.m.