Image provided by: The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; Warm Springs, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 27, 2005)
SCA OrColl E 75 .S6B v. 38 no. 2 October 27, 20135 Spilyay P.O. Box 870 Warm Springs, OR 97761 University of Oregon Library Received oni 11-07-05 Spilyay tyioo. ECRWSS Postal Patron , U.SPostage PRSRTSTD Warm Springs, OR 97761 50 cents Coyote News, est 1976 October 27, 2005 Vol. 30, No. 22 TyjTx Plan would use vacant property " By Brian Mortenscn Spilyay Tymoo Vacant off-reservation property owned by the Confederated Tribes could be used as a ministry soup kitchen to help people in need, according to a plan proposed by two Madras men. Jim Struck and Mark Harner met last month with Tribal Council, to ask if the tribes could offer any possible locations for the project. Follwing the meeting, Struck, Harner and Ron Mulkey, pastor of Metolius Friends Community Church, toured three potential sites with Herb Graybael, head of the tribal Utilities. They toured the Morrison property, the Eycrly property, and the Shoenhagen property. The Morrison property includes 39 acres on the east bank of the Deschutes River, between U.S. 26 and the Mecca campground. The property includes two houses with cement slab foundation. One house is a large residential structure with a fireplace and spacious kitchen, while the other is built around a swim ming pool and has showers and lock ers. Both houses and the pool are in dis repair. The original owners of the Warm Springs Forest Products Industries mill , , built the houses. Around the time the tribes bought the mill, Duke Morrison bought the property. "And then eventually the tribes bought the property from Duke Morrison," Graybael said. Though the Morrison property needs time and ef fort to refurbish, Harner said the build ings appeared structurally sound to him and had possibility. The Eyerly property is on the Metolius River at Flag Creek. "There's a double-wide modular and some old log cabins that were moved there from somewhere," Graybael said. "And then there's what's called the blue house right next to the Deschutes River, which was never finished. It doesn't have water or septic tank, but it's a beautiful place. The property is right where the river dumps into the Lake Billy Chinook. There's excellent fish ing." The Shoenhagen property includes a small house and farmland off the Pelton Dam Road east of the reserva tioa Struck said contractors have been willing to offer their services in helping build or remodel whichever property they deem best, if Tribal Council ap proves of the proposal. Both Harner and Struck attend Metolius Friends Community Church, and are part of that church's soup kitchen-style ministry. This ministry has given them opportunity to meet indi vidual people and help provide their needs at the moment. To expand on that theme, Struck and Harner formed the Madras Gos pel Mission, filing necessary state and federal paperwork toward creating a non-profit organization. The plan for soup-kitchen mission includes use of a building to shelter and train those who are committed to the mission's program. Harner and Struck say the location should be out of the way, away from possible temptations like stores where alcohol is sold, and old hangouts. The training period, as Harner and Struck see it, would be at least three and a half years. Struck said the mission's program would be patterned after the Portland Gospel Mission's. Members, managers weigh budget options By Spilyay Tymoo stff Tribal members of the Agency District voiced their views on the 2006 budget at a gathering Monday evening. Members asked their Coun cil representatives, and other tribal officials to consider keeping some proposed program increases, par ticularly those involving law enforce ment and tribal member employ ment. Tribal apartment managers meanwhile this week have been meet ing with the Finance Department to discuss how to eliminate the $4.7 mil lion deficit contained in the 2006 draft budget that was posted earlier this month. The posted budget needs to be bal anced before adoption by Tribal Coun cil. The proposal includes $4.6 million in new initiatives. At the district meeting Monday evening, Marcia Soliz, whose Commu nity Works program initiatives total over $ 1 million, said the programs put people to work, give them pride, and keep diem away from other societal problems. The programs include the Day Labor Work, Explorer, Young Warrior, Women's Work, and Older Tribal Member Work programs. "I only employ tribal members," said Soliz. "I feel very good about that. It feels good to help our people." Mike Clements, head of tribal Busi ness and Economic Development, spoke in favor of the Day Labor Work Program, among the six employment program initiatives. He also said he would support funding for overtime police patrol divisions, and corrections and detention officers, but not for a new proposed Corrections facilities administrator. Stt BUDGET en pay 10 -? i l U V " -X , ft w I s Davs McMechanSplyay At the Early Childhood Education Center, teacher Shardae Miller helps Tyler Muniz-Wewa and Dellena Plouffee with a painting project. The challenges of child care By Dave McMechan Spilyay Tymoo The Early Childhood Education Center provides the essential ser vice of childcare for many families of the reservation. Funding to op erate the center comes from a va riety of sources, and some changes are expected at Early Childhood Education (ECE) as the center pre pares for the 2006 budget year. The biggest single source of funding at ECE is the Head Start grant, which funds Head Start at the center, and Early Head Start, which is a home-based program. The Confederated Tribes have one of the longest-standing and most active Head Start programs among tribes. This is the 40th year the tribes have operated a Head Start program, as the tribes' partici pation dates back to 1965, said Wendell Jim, director of the tribal Education Department. The tribes received word recently that the $1.1 million Head Start grant for 2006 has been approved. The tribes then match the I lead Start grant money in different ways. In this time of financial challenge for the tribes, there is a greater emphasis on meeting the match requirement through volun teer work at ECE. Rate increase Another change expected at ECE in 2006 will be an increase in rates for day care, said Versa Fuentes-Smith, acting director of ECE Day Care and Pre-School. This will be the first time in many years that rates have gone up, said Smith, who has worked at ECE since 1987. "To make ends meet, we have to raise them," she said. "My wish would be that we have a sliding fee scale. Those making good money would pay accordingly," said Smith. The current rate at ECE for infant and toddler day care is $200 per month. This is very inexpensive in comparison with the state average of $392 per month, said Smith. The ECE rate for care of 3- and 4-year-olds is $90 per month, in comparison with the state average of $291, she said. Smith said the new rates at ECE will be effective in January 2006. New bus Some good news at ECE is the purchase, through Head Start, of a new bus. The bus will allow kids who don't have transportation to attend Head Start at ECE. The bus can also be used for activities for Early Flead Start families. Head Start has been operating with only one bus, and the second bus will be a great benefit to the program, said Sheryl Potts, family interventionist for Early Head Start. Potts and Adrian White, grants manager, did the grant work for the new bus. The bus will be specially built to meet safety requirements Chamber recognizes KWSO personality By Brian Mortensen Spilyay Tymoo Known for a long time as the news director at KWSO radio, Will "The Wilman" Robbins went to the Madras-Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce Banquet expecting to accept an award on behalf of the radio station. Instead, he was surprised with an individual award that salutes his ser vice to the Jefferson County com munity. Robbins was presented the Community Champion award, in the form of a plaque, at the banquet In addition to his work at KWSO, Robbins is known through the commu nity for his candor in talking about his own batde with, and recovery from methamphetamine addiction years ago, and his efforts at informing the com munity and helping in its fight against meth abuse. He regularly attends and contributes at the Jefferson County Methamphet amine Task Force, speaks to local groups, and has been featured in sto ries in the local press. Robbins said he was completely taken by surprise to receive the award. "I was suckered into going to the chamber banquet, under the guise that it was an award for the radio station. I was just there to accept the award for the station, on behalf of the tribes," he said. "So when they got to this award, Melanie Widmer stood up. She had written up some comments, some excerpts from my story in die Pio neer, a lot of things. And I go, 'Wait a second. They can't be talking about me.' Then halfway through it, I knew that she was talking about me. They caught me off-guard." Display to feature Gorge casino Drawings of the proposed Bridge of the Gods Casino will be on display soon at Kah-Nee-Ta. The display will be in the Eagle Butte Room, available for public review start ing Monday, Nov. 7, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. The tribal gaming enterprise will also bring the display to different places in Warm Springs once a week beginning in mid November, said Margie Tuckta, director of special projects for the Gorge casino. The new casino and resort will fea ture a 250-room hotel, 24,000-square-foot meeting and convention facility, gaming casino, spa and fitness center, , entertainment venue, retail shops, cul tural interpretive center, daycare facil ity, and a variety of dining options. Construction cost is estimated at $300 million. The 500,000-square-foot riverfront resort and casino is planned for construction on 60 acres of land in the Cascade Locks industrial park. The project is expected to create 1,500 permanent new jobs. The tribes are currently in the pro cess of developing a study of the en vironmental impact of the casino proposal. Activities planned for Halloween The reservation is preparing for a fun, though at times frightening Hal loween. On the fun side: There is a Hallow een Carnival on Monday, Oct. 31, at the Community Center gym. There will be a costume contest from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday in the communtiy center social hall. All tribal employees are welcome to join the con test. There will be prizes for different categories. The Simnasho Halloween Powwow is set for Monday evening. The pow wow begins at 5:30, with a gathering of all goblins at the longhouse, followed by trick-or-treating around the loop. At 6:30 is the potluck dinner at the longhouse. Starting at 7:30 there will be games, and a costume contest for tiny tots, grade school, junior and se nior high, and adult. In Warm Springs on Monday is a I Iaunted I louse at the Warm Springs Fire Hall. The house is open from 5 to 9 p.m. Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for kids, with die money going to help pay medical expenses of a former employee of the fire department. Also on I lalloween, stop by Commodities for some treats, and apple cider. D ay I ig h t Savings Time ends Saturday, Oct. 30. 1
