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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2017)
SILETZ NEWS Delores Pigsley, Tribal Chairman Brenda Bremner, General Manager and Editor-in-Chief Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians Vol. 45, No. 6 Siletz News Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians P.O. Box 549 Siletz, OR 97380-0549 June 2017 Presorted First-Class Mail U.S. Postage Paid - Permit No. 178 Salem, OR Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians announces plans to build Oregon’s first and only inter-tribal gaming and entertainment facility Proposed casino in North Salem would give Oregon Tribes the opportunity to come together to generate millions in profit and share an unprecedented 25% of net revenue with government SALEM, Ore – The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon has announced a unique partnership that will allow other Tribes from throughout the state to join them in opening the state’s first inter-tribal gaming facility. To be located in North Salem, the Siletz and other Tribes will share an unprecedented 25 percent of their net gaming revenue with state and local government, while splitting the remaining funds between the participating Tribes. Slated to open in 2021, the approxi- mately 140,000-square-foot entertainment, gaming and hotel facility is estimated to bring $185.4 million in gross revenue and 1,500 full-time jobs the first year of opera- tion. You can visit the website dedicated to the Inter Tribal Partnership Project (The Project) at OregonTribes.com. “We know that when Tribes come together with a shared mission, we achieve more for our community,” said Dee Pigsley, Tribal Council chairman, the Confeder- ated Tribes of Siletz Indians. “As Tribal leaders, we have a unique opportunity to make an unprecedented impact on Oregon’s economy and the lives of our Tribal members.” A recent economic study estimates the overall gaming market for Oregon and eight southern Washington counties will reach $1.6 billion by 2021. This year, the ilani Resort, a $500 million facility owned by the Cowlitz Tribe in Southwest Washington, is anticipated to generate $427 million in revenue, largely from Oregon residents. “As a Tribal community, we have a responsibility to preserve and grow jobs and revenue in Oregon,” said Pigsley. “These funds directly support family wage jobs and health care, education, environmental, housing and transporta- tion programs throughout the state.” The facility will be built on the Con- federated Tribe of Siletz Indian’s reserva- tion property located off of Interstate 5, exit 268. The Siletz Tribe is currently working to expand Tribal participation in the proj- ect and communicate with community and public policy leaders about the economic benefits of the facility. 2017 Culture Camp: July 11-13 Registration forms are available on the Tribal website or at your area office. They can be mailed to P.O. Box 549, Siletz, OR 97380-0549 or faxed to 541-444-8392. If you have any questions, contact Buddy Lane at 800-922-1399, ext. 1230, 541-444-8230 or buddyl@ctsi. nsn.us. Apply now for Siletz Tribal Head Start’s 2017-2018 school year It’s time to apply for your child to attend the Siletz Tribal Head Start pro- gram for our upcoming 2017-2018 school year. We have classrooms in Siletz, Lin- coln City, Portland and Salem. If your child will be 3 or 4 years old as of Sept. 1, 2017 (or as of Sept. 10, 2017, for Salem-Keizer only), her/she is eligible to apply for the Siletz Tribal Head Start program. Your child does not have to be American Indian to attend our program, but we do give a preference for enrollment to Native children. Call us at 800-922-1399 or 541-444- 2532 and ask for Head Start to request an application. There are new enrollment require- ments that all Head Start programs must meet. All of us are now required to con- duct either a face-to-face or telephone interview with all applicants to verify the information on their child’s application. When you return your application, we will call to verify the information with you. This new requirement must be met before we can select your child for enroll- ment. If we cannot reach you, we will leave a detailed message asking you to call us back. Please call us back as soon as pos- sible so we can finish processing your child’s enrollment application. This is a mandatory requirement we must meet and we are unable to enroll any child until we complete this new verifica- tion process. Photo by Diane Rodriquez Several Siletz Tribal members and part of the event’s Color Guard visit with Gov. Kate Brown at the Legislative Commission on Indian Services/Nine Tribes Spring Celebration at the Oregon State Capitol on May 18. Those pictured above include (front row) Ed Ben, Alton Butler, Gov. Brown, Sonya Moody-Jurado and SuSun Fisher; and (back row) Richard Van Atta, Edelio Chavez-Gonzalez, Izaiah Fisher, Tony Molina and Jeidah DeZurney. See more photos on page 10. Chinook Winds, Tribe celebrate 22 years of gaming fun By Jessie Davis The Siletz Tribe’s effort to do gam- ing actually began 25 years ago. The chairman and I were back in Washington, D.C., meeting with Sen. Mark Hatfield. He told us we needed to focus on other means of revenue because we were going to be limited in cutting timber due to the Endangered Species Act that was going to be enforced, i.e., the spotted owl, grey ground squirrel, marbled murrelets, etc. The Tribal Council, which included Dee Pigsley, Frank Simmons, Dolly Fisher, Siletz hosted a meeting with the other eight Oregon Tribes to let them know our intent to do gaming. Although Siletz was the first to plan one, Seven Feathers (Cow Creek) was the first to open a door to a gaming center in Oregon. determined to open a gaming center. We finally were able to purchase property from Mark Hemstreet in Lincoln City. The land had previously been owned by a family of Siletz Tribal members. An Ad Hoc Gaming Committee was formed. Members included Mike Fisher, Amos Arden, Lisa Arden, Geneva John- son, Jane John, Lisa Norton and myself. I was appointed the chairman. Other mem- bers who participated were Zak Zakoji, We went through trials, tribulations and disappointments but the council was See Chinook Winds on page 10 Reggie Butler Sr., Lillie Butler, Gladys Tom, JoAnn Miller, Bensell Breon and myself, decided to plan and develop a “gaming center.” Back in those days, we were not allowed to use the word “casino.”
