A sign on the Catawba Nation in South Carolina. Photo from CIN

The Catawba Nation of South Carolina might host a $125 million movie studio project on the reservation, The Rock Hill Herald reports.

The tribe is in discussions with Studio South. Chief Bill Harris said the parties signed a non-disclosure agreement but the project could bring a significant economic boost to the reservation and surrounding region.

“I can’t discuss the details,” Harris told the paper.

Studio South once proposed a movie studio in Charlotte but the deal fell through, the paper said. The company also announced plans for a development at a different site but no ground was broken.

In related news, lawmakers denied a request to include $500,000 in the state budget to help the tribe pay off a school tuition debt. The tribe reportedly owes between $2.7 million to $4 million to the Rock Hill school district to cover the costs of educating Indian children between 1993 and 2006.

The tribe agreed to pay the costs as part of its 1993 settlement act. The tribe, however, has been unable to secure federal funds so the bill piled up.

The tally, however, ended in 2006 under a state law that removed residential property from school tax rolls.

Get the Story:
Catawba Indian Nation considering movie studio project for reservation (The Rock Hill Herald 6/24)
Money for Catawba school bill dropped from state budget (The Rock Hill Herald 6/23)
State budget proviso would help pay Catawba Indian Nation bill for schools (The Rock Hill Herald 6/15)
Catawba Indian funding plea axed over unpaid school tuition bill (The Rock Hill Herald 6/9)