JANUARY 28, 2022, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A15
Salem, Grand Ronde seek delay as feds
weigh moving Siletz casino forward
By SAPHARA HARRELL
Of the Salem Reporter
Officials with the city of Salem and
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
want more time to review plans for
a proposed tribal casino in north
Salem as the Siletz tribe seeks federal
approval for the project.
The Confederated Tribes of Siletz
Indians plans to establish a 20-acre
off-reservation casino at 4751 Astoria
Street N.E. in Salem, off Interstate 5.
The proposed 180,800-square-foot
casino would house 2,000 gaming
devices and 45 tables. There would
also be a 500-room hotel, nightclub
and sports bar.
The project still requires approval
from the Secretary of the Interior and
Gov. Kate Brown to move forward.
The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs
held a public hearing on the proposed
casino on Wednesday, Jan. 26, at 6 p.m.
The agency on Jan. 7 released a
more than 2,700-page environmental
assessment that gauges the impacts of
building such a facility, like noise, traf-
fic and water demand.
The assessment said the casino
would consume about 125 million gal-
lons of water annually and lead to more
than 7,800 vehicles daily entering or
exiting the site.
The public comment period on that
assessment ends on April 8.
The city of Salem has asked the
Bureau of Indian Affairs for more
time to review the assessment. The
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
are asking the Bureau of Indian Affairs
to move to a more comprehensive envi-
ronmental impact statement to allow
more time to consider the project.
Grand Ronde is opposed to the proj-
ect, saying that the loss of business
at the tribe’s Spirit Mountain Casino
from a competing casino would “cause
a budget deficit drastically affecting
Grand Ronde’s ability to provide crit-
ical programs, invest in infrastructure
and maintain and preserve the unique
culture of Grand Ronde,” according to
a news release.
Spirit Mountain Casino is located
on the Grand Ronde reservation, about
40 minutes west of Salem.
The Siletz tribe expects to generate
$185 million in its first year of opera-
tion and $231 million by its third. It also
said the casino would generate 1,204
full time jobs.
If built, the casino would have a
unique revenue-sharing arrangement.
Half of profits generated would go
to other tribes, with another quarter
going to state and local governments,
according to a fact sheet released by
the tribe.
Craig Dorsay, tribal attorney for
Siletz, said calls for an environmen-
tal impact statement are designed to
delay the project further.
He said the Bureau of Indian Affairs
first suggested a less-stringent envi-
ronmental assessment because of
A rendering of the proposed Siletz casino in Salem near I-5.
the zoning and nature of the land in
question.
“We don’t think one is required but
if we had to do one, we’re glad to do it,”
he said.
Dorsay said the tribe planned for
an environmental impact statement,
asking the firm that completed the
environmental assessment to “do the
quality of work in their studies that
would satisfy the standard for an (envi-
ronmental impact statement). In case
we had to go that route we’d already
hopefully satisfy that standard rather
than start over.”
On Jan. 18, Dan Atchison, Salem
city attorney, sent a letter to the assis-
tant secretary of Indian affairs request-
ing a 120-day extension to review the
assessment, until June 7.
“An extension of the comment
period is necessary to allow for an ade-
quate review of the (environmental
assessment) and to provide meaning-
ful comments on this project,” he wrote.
Courtney Knox-Busch, spokesper-
son for the city, said city staff are pre-
paring to submit comments regarding
potential impacts on infrastructure and
services, like transportation, police and
fire.
Jose Gonzalez, Salem city councilor,
said he’s opposed to the project which
would go in the ward he represents.
“The attraction of revenue I under-
stand, but it’s not worth the negative
impact in northeast Salem,” he said.
Some of the negatives he sees are
increased traffic and customers being
taken away from small Latino-owned
businesses.
He said he lives about five minutes
from the proposed casino and “I don’t
want my kids seeing that every day as
we drive in our neighborhood. It’s not
the image I want my kids to see every
day.”
In an interview with Salem Reporter
in 2020, Justin Martin, lobbyist for the
Grand Ronde, said if the Siletz casino
were to be approved it would under-
mine the original aims behind tribal
gaming, which was to create economic
opportunity around reservations.
Dorsay, the Siletz attorney, said the
casino is seeking an exception through
the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act,
which prohibits gaming on lands
acquired in trust after 1988.
The proposed casino is on land held
in federal trust for the Siletz since 2000.
He said the exception has only been
approved a handful of times around the
country and it’s “not the opening of a
pipeline to off-reservation casinos.”
Dorsay said the Siletz have had an
office in Salem since 1974 and there
are about 900 members that live in the
Salem area.
Submitted photo
“So, the casino is going to have a
huge impact on Siletz members and
also on the community,” he said.
Following the public comment
period, the Bureau of Indian Affairs will
determine if the environmental assess-
ment is sufficient, needs more work or
if there should be a more detailed envi-
ronmental impact statement.
If the assessment is considered suf-
ficient, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland
will make a “two-part determination”
on the project to ensure it would be
in the best interest of the tribe and
not detrimental to the surrounding
community.
If approved by Haaland, Gov. Kate
Brown has a year to approve or reject
the casino.
Brown has not publicly stated a
position on the project, saying she’s
waiting for a federal decision before
weighing in.
KAA hosting popular
exhibit in February
One of the most popular art exhibits of the year is opening in February at Keizer
Art Association’s Enid Joy Mount Gallery at the Keizer Cultural Center.
The McNary High School Art Show opens on Thursday, Feb. 3 and runs through
March 1. Entries in the show will be the artist’s choice of subject and medium.
Mediums can include 2D, 3D, photography and digital art.
An artists’ reception, where awards will be presented, will be held at the gallery
on Saturday, Feb. 5, from 2 to 4 p.m.
Many of the entries in the art association’s January show, Fins, Feather and Fur,
will soon be on display in the foyer of the Keizer Civic Center.
The Keizer Cultural Center is located at 980 Chemawa Road NE. For information
visit keizerarts.com.