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