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About Siletz news letter. (Siletz, Oregon) 1989-1997 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1995)
Chairman's Report From: Delores Pigsley First of all, I want to congratulate the Grand Ronde Tribe for their beautiful Spirit Mountain Casino! The Spirit Mountain Casino is an outstanding development that not only members Of th e . Grand Ronde Tribe can be proud of but all of us as Indian people. It demonstrates, once again, that Indian tribes are capable of accomplishing great things, not only to construct a facility such as this but through Indian gaming to address the needs of our own tribal members and at the same time, to contribute to the economic and social well being of the general public. Spirit Mountain is an impressive and positive addition to the State of Oregon. As Chairman of a tribe that has struggled for the past four years to develop our own gaming center I know that the Grand Ronde tribal leaders must also have experienced difficulties in what they did. The Grand Ronde and Siletz Tribes are neighbors. While we are engaged in the same gaming business and are therefore competitors, our two gaming centers may well compliment each other. Once again, we too are proud of what the Grand Ronde Tribe has achieved. We congratulate and wish them well! I'd like now to turn to issues addressed by the Oregon Tribes at a recent Oregon Tribes meeting sponsored by the Siletz Tribe. At that meeting, we agreed on the following: * that two parcels o f land at Chemawa not be taken out o f Bureau ownership, one o f which had been transferred to the State some years ago and subsequently returned to the Bureau; the other, presently an unused part of the former school. These are prime location properties that should be used for the benefit o f the Oregon tribes. A plan for the development and use of these properties will be developed. * that an intertribal gaming organization should be formed to facilitate communications and to address gaming issues that affect all Oregon tribes. The present Congres sional threat to Indian gaming at the national level and the ever present anti-Indian forces in Oregon that have the potential of adversely affecting Indian gaming are two examples o f issues that need to be addressed on an intertribal basis. * that individual tribal members actively participate and vote in the forthcoming congressional election. Tribes were encouraged to hold forums at which candidates could be questioned regarding their positions on Indian issues. The tribes served by the Siletz Agency also went on record urging Area Director Stan Speaks not to support or act on any cuts of agency or tribal budgets. It was further agreed by the Siletz Agency tribes that the Siletz superintendency be maintained, that the agency staff which has already been severely decimated, be kept intact; that all authorities be delegated to the Agency; and Ron Kortlever, whom all Siletz Agency tribes have consistently supported to serve as Superintendent, be appointed to this position For current information regarding gaming I refer you once again to Jessie's gaming report which includes details on the status of construction of the permanent facility, the activities o f the Gaming Commission, etc. Also, I urge you to attend the informational, meetings conducted by Jessie and scheduled by the Gaming Commission which are being held in each of the area offices. Status Report - Gaming By Jessie Davis, Tribal Gaining Rep. Tribal Reps Discuss issues With M1GC Chairman Qn October 4th, Franklin Ducheneriux, our Washington DC consultant, and I met with Harold Monteau, Commission Chairman and his assistant, Tom Acevido to discuss with them, various issues involving the Siletz gaming project including the status of the Management Agreement. Advance copies of the Environmental Assessment were also hand delivered to Monteau which he offered to pass on to his staff for review. Two copies of the Environmental. Assessment had been sent to the National Indian Gaming Commission by certified mail on September 30, 1995. With the submission of the EA, all required documents including the management agreement, business plan and the names of all the principals requiring background investigations, have been submitted to the Commission for their review and approval. We were informed that the Siletz Tribe is among ten whose documents are currently under review and were assured by Monteau and Acavido that they will do all they can to facilitate the review and approval of the Siletz documents. Construction Timeline Set There was a great demand for steel following the earthquake in Kobe, Japan. Thé construction or our permanent facility, which • is dependent on steel for the main structure, was directly affected and delayed our original construction timetable. PCL, the Tribe's contractor for the construction o fth e permanent gaming center, has assured us that they will complete construction prior to the 4th of July weekend, 1996. Our target date for opening our doors to tribal members is June 27, 1996. An agreement between the Tribe and PCL provides for a bonus to PCL for an earlier completion and a penally for failure to meet the deadline. Site work and preparation for the laying of the foundation began on 17th. The schedule calls for thé structural steel to be delivered and erected by December. In order to accomplish this, PCL will be on an accelerated work schedule, since work on the foundation and structural steel must be completed before adverse weather sets in. However, plans have been made to deal with the adverse conditions if they do occur. Amendment to Tribal-State Compact Based on extensive discus sions and agreement between the Tribe and State officials, the Tribal Council on October 21, 1995 adopted a resolution to submit for Secretarial approval, an amendment to the Tribal-State Compact for the regulation o f Class III gaming. Under the amended Compact, the Tribe may engage in house banked blackjack at the temporary gaming facility. The proposed amendment further provides that the Tribal Gaming Commission shall develop rules and procedures for a system of internal controls that meets certain minimum standards, provide training for all dealers, supervisors and surveillance personnel involved in house banked blackjack, establish standards and procedures for security and surveillance, dispute resolution, etc. The amendment specifies the wager limits per hand, maximum number of tables, and addresses such other issues as cooperation with the state law enforcement on investigation and prosecution of
