Spilyay Tyro
December 26, 2012
Coyote News, est. 1976
P.0. Box 870
Warm Springs, OR 97761
ECRWSS
'ostai Patron
Branch Matthew
1200 SW Park Ave-
Portland OR 97205
V ol. 37
D ecem ber- Neh’¡-An - Winter-Yiyam
5 0 cents
Change in 2013 at Utilities
T he tribes’ solid waste program
in 2013 w ill see an im p o rta n t
change, due to the financial challenge
facing the tribes.
Because o f the loss o f a garbage
truck driver position, the depart
m ent will no longer be able to serve
residential routes at no cost to the
customer.
This change is to take place at
the start o f the new year.
- Garbage pickup will continue on
th e existing com m ercial ro u tes
where customers pay for the ser
vice. Commercial customers who do
not pay for pickup can pay for the
service, but otherwise will no longer
be served, said Nancy Collins, tribal
Sanitarian.
Also, residents w ho wish to pay
for garbage pickup service should
call the Sanitarian’s office at 541-
553-4943.
Staring in January, there will be
ten additional dum psters placed
around the reservation. People who
do n o t w ish to pay for garbage
Dave McMechan/Spilyay
Tony Wergen and Gordon Scott check out a new sanitation truck.
pickup can use these dumpsters; or
take garbage to the landfill or trans-
fer station, which is free to tribal
members. This also applies to all de
partm ents that do n o t currently pay
for service.
T he following are the com
mercial rates that will apply:
$49.50 a m onth for a three-
yard container with once a week
service.
$85.50 a m onth for a 10-yard
container w ith once a week ser
vice
$24.75 a m onth for a 96-gal-
lon tote w ith once a week ser
vice.
Each additional pickup is $10
per service.
Existing Commercial accounts
do n o t need to do anything to
co n tin u e service, unless they
w ould like to stop service.
Residential rates are as fol
lows, according to the Sanitarian:
$18.50 a m onth for a 96-gal-
lon tote w ith once a week ser
vice.
C o llin s c o m m e n te d th a t
eliminating the driver position
was the only way her department
could reach the budget reduc
tions required for 2013.
Priority items on Council Jan. agenda
Tribal C ouncil in January will
m eet for consideration o f several
“We need to put sòme strategies in
place, as a kind o f recovery plan,”
said secretary-treasurer Jody Calica.
“We can’t continue the way we have
been operating. We are potentially
going to dep lete all reserves by !
im p o r ta n t m atters ,< ~
.2014.” ..
W ith the Tribal Council election
coming up in the spring, the cur
rent Council needs to consider the
transition from the Twenty-Fifth to
the Twenty-Sixth Tribal Council:
Tribal enterprises for the m ost
p art are pro v id in g n o dividend.-
E ventually, th e p er cap ita fu n d
w ould be depleted, w hich w ould
have a domino effect at tribal Credit,
By Dave McMechan
Spilyay Tymoo
S. Postage
'RSRTSTD
.....yo, OR 97761
among other repercussions.
Council set the Jan. 24-25 m eet
ing dates aside for consideration o f
the tribes’ finances and the organi
zation structure. There will also be
consideration o f the idea o f having
the TribalC ouncil positions as,paid
positions.
C urrently, m em b ers w h o are
elected to Council keep their previ
ous jobs, while still serving on Coun
cil. T he decisions facing the tribes
will require the undivided atten
tion o f the leadership, Calica said.
A possible way to achieve that
w ould be by having the Council
positions as paid employees of
the tribes. Also in January:
T h e tribal A ppeals C ourt, and
recom mendations from the judi
cial selection committee, is on the
Tribal Council agenda on Jan. 14.
’ See C O U N C I L o n p a g e 5
School
safety
increases
Jefferso n C ounty School D is
trict 509-J took im m ediate safety
precautions last week following the
Sandy H o o k E lem entary School
tragedy.
Jefferson County schools were
cancelled on Friday, Dec. 21, as a
precaution; and there will be a two-
hour late start w hen students return
on Monday, Jan. 7.
“The school closure allowed stu
d e n ts, s ta ff an d fam ilies som e
added peace-of-m ind during this
difficult time,” said district superin
tendent Rick Molitor.
District leaders then m et with the
schools safety team for careful re
view o f the current school safety
plans. Over- the break, school dis
trict staff will m eet w ith law en
forcem ent and fire departm ents to
make any plan adjustments that may
be needed to ensure student and
school staff safety.
During the two-hour late start on
Jan. 7, school officials will update
teachers on new and existing safety
protocol.
School closure last Friday was
prom pted in part by rum ors that
proved to be unfounded. N everthe
less, “These rum ors created a sig
nificant interruption to our schools
and m ade it difficult to have an ap
p ro p ria te ed u c a tio n a l se ttin g ,”
M olitor said.
• ......
As safety is a priority for the dis
trict, school was cancelled that Fri
day, the last day before Christmas
break.
— Dave McMechan
2012 Year in Review
K-8 school, casino, Telecom among top news
I k e WasCo people chose a new
chief in 2012, C hief Alfred Smith.
The tribps dedicated a new in-
lieu fishing site at D allesp o rt in
2012. This was the thirty-first, and
last, o f the sites to be constructed
by the Corps o f Engineers under
the treaty fishing access site program.
O ver the summer, tribal N atural
R esources released m ore Rocky
M ountain goats at Mt. Jefferson.
Meanwhile, the N ’Chi W anapum
C an o e F am ily m ad e th e 2012
Canoe Journey, to Squaxim Island
on the Olympic Peninsula.
In 2012 m igrating fish m ade
their way up past the Pelton-Round
Butte dams, the first time the fish
h ad m ig rated up th e re in
generations. T his was the w ork
m ainly o f P ow er an d W ater
Enterprises, P G E and tribal Natural
Resources.
T he year 2012 saw roadway im
provem ent work around the Holly
wood-Tenino intersection area. A nd
Spilyay photo.
Students and tribal leaders break ground during a July ceremony at
the new school building site.
the Community Counseling building
was renovated, ready now for staff
to move back in.
Early in 2012, two tribal enter
prises held grand openings.
F irs t, in Jan u ary , th e W arm
Springs Telecom welcomed the com
munity to its new offices at the in
dustrial park. T he Telecom is m ak
ing available high-speed Internet and
telephone service to tribal house
holds and businesses.
T hen in February, the new Indian
H ead Casino held its grand open
ing. This was the busiest day and
evening in W arm Springs in recent
memory, as the grand opening saw
a tre m e n d o u s p u b lic resp o n se.
Parking lots at the casino and m u
seum were full, with cars eventually
diverted to the parking lots at ad
ministration, the community center
and longhouse.
Still, the single biggest news event
o f 2012 for many in the com m u
n ity w as n o t th e casino o r th e
Telecom, despite their obvious sig
nificance. Instead, 2012 may be re
m em bered m ost as the year w hen
the tribes moved forward with a new
school.
T he idea had been around for
decades. T he current W arm Springs
Elem entary School is a great place
for the students, b u t the location by
the highway is not ideaL A nd the local
student population is outgrowing the
current elementary school.
T he school district was aware o f
the situation, and asked district vot
ers to fund half o f the construc
tion o f a $20-million kindergarten
th ro u g h eig h th -g rad e sch o o l in
W arm Springs^ This measure passed
district-wide, and the m em bership
agreed by referendum.
T he school will be located on
Tenino Road at the intersection with
Chukar. T he School is scheduled to
open at the start o f the 2014 school
year. T he tribes currently are work
ing to Secure the funding, and help
ing to finalize the design. Construc
tion is expected to start in the spring.
W hen the new school opens,
W arm Springs middle school stu
dents will no longer have'the long
bus ride to school. And all the Warm
Springs k-8 students and family will
have new school facilities located in
the local community.
— Dave McMechan
WILD WINTER SPECIALS!
More than $30,000 in cash prizes’
See page 10 for details.
C A S IN O
Highway 26, Warm Springs