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SILETZ NEWS Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians Vol. 39, No. 2 February 2011 Siletz News Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians P.O. Box 549 Siletz, OR 97380-0549 Delores Pigsley, Tribal Chairman Brenda Bremner, General Manager and Editor-in-Chief ræ pi KNIGHT LIBRARY SERIALS DEPARTMENT 1299 UNIVERSITY OF OREGON EUGENE OR 97403-1205 Presorted First-Class Mail U.S. Postage Paid - Permit No. 178 Salem, OR Tribe, AT&T to construct cell phone tower By Diane Rodriquez AT&T and the Siletz Tribe are pro posing to construct a 250-foot-tall tele communications tower on the eastern side of Silatchee Park in Siletz. Currently, there is no reliable cellu lar coverage in the town of Siletz or the immediate surrounding area. “The Tribe has been working for a number of years to bring a cell tower and cellular service to the Siletz community and we are excited and pleased to be working with AT&T in a concerted effort to have reliable cellular coverage in our community,” said Brenda Bremner, gen eral manager of the Siletz Tribe. “Our recent community meet ings brought positive public comments regarding the desire of our members and our community to further equalize our community with those around us. Hav ing cellular service is a must in today’s environment,” she added. “And the fact that the tower will provide an opportunity for local emergency services to enhance their communications capabilities is an added benefit. ” Benefits to the community from the proposed new coverage include: • • • • • • Courtesy photo by Dean Sawyer More than five inches of rain fell on the Central Oregon Coast on Jan. 15-16, leaving this bull standing in water on property south of Siletz near Yasek Loop and Highway 229. The heavy rain caused landslides, sewer overflows and flooding at various places throughout the county. Tribal properties in the county survived the deluge with no damage. Mobility, with access to the entire national communication grid Reduced telephone costs, especially long-distance calling Ability to communicate more readily in emergency situations and during natural disasters 911 coverage for all cell phone users Text and e-mail communication for business users Access to the Internet for entertain ment and education Since the proposed tower site is on tribal trust land that will be leased to AT&T, the Bureau of Indian Affairs requires an environmental assessment that it will need to approve before the lease can be approved and the project can proceed. A public comment period is included in the environmental assessment. Comments should be submitted to the superintendent of the BI A’s Siletz Agency (P.O. Box 569, Siletz, OR 97380); 541-444-2679) by Feb. 7. Additionally, a community informa tion meeting was held Jan. 19 at the Siletz Public Library with representatives from the Tribe and AT&T. The environmental assessment, along with a Finding of No Significant Impact and a Decision Notice, is expected to be issued See cell tower on page 6. Photo by Diane Rodriquez Remember to Vote 2011 Tribal Council candidates include Frank Aspria, Tina Retasket, Kurtis Barker, Loraine Butler, Robert Kentta and Melinda Logan, all of whom appeared at the Candidates Fair at Chinook Winds Casino Resort on Jan. 8. Ballots are due by 4 p.m. on Feb. 5. You can vote in person at the Siletz Tribal Community Center on Feb. 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
