Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
May 24, 2017
Page 3
On schedule progress at Travel Plaza
Business
opportunity
C onstruction is moving on
schedule at the Plateau Travel
Plaza, with the foundation
area in place for the main
building. Crews are also
working on the large park-
ing lots, gas and diesel pumps
stations, utilities and infra-
structure.
Indian Head Casino gen-
eral
manager
Jeff
Carstensen and tribal engi-
neer Travis Wells gave an
update on the project last
week, during an on-site inter-
view with KTVZ News
Channel 21.
The substantial comple-
tion date for the Travel Plaza
is March 2018. The business
will be on 10 acres of tribal
trust land at the Madras In-
dustrial Park.
The main building will be
Warm Springs Ven-
tures made some im-
provements recently at
the building, known as
the old gift shop, located
by Eagle Crossing at
2197 Highway 26.
Ventures wants to
rent the 1,300-square-
foot structure to a small
business owner. The his-
toric building has two
bathrooms, storage and
a newer HVAC system,
and new paint. Rent:
$500 per month plus
utilities. Call or email
Sandra Danzuka at
Warm Springs Ventures
with any questions, 541-
553-3565. Email:
sdanzuka@wstribes.org
A business plan is part
of application process.
Dave McMechan/Spilyay
Kirby Nagelhout Construction crew at the Plateau Travel Plaza building site.
13,500-square-foot in size,
featuring a restaurant and
convenience store, shower
and laundry facilities, a few
Class II gaming machines,
among other amenities. The
parking area will accommo-
date up to 70 semi trucks,
Mr. Carstensen said.
Tribes expand Willamette wildlife program
The Confederated Tribes
and Branch of Natural Re-
sources work with the
Bonneville Power Adminis-
tration on the Willamette
Wildlife Mitigation Program.
Last year the tribes, Natu-
ral Resources, BPA and
other partners celebrated the
dedication of the Red Hills
Conservation Area.
This is a 279-acre conser-
vation area in Yamhill
County now owned and
managed by the tribes.
Through the Willamette
Wildlife Mitigation Program,
BPA provides the land pur-
chase funding, as mitigation
for loss of other tribal fish-
ery sites. The tribes’ Branch
of Natural Resources then
serves as manager, with op-
portunities and access pro-
vided for members.
More recently, Tribal
Council approved the pur-
chase through the program
of two other tracts in the
valley.
One is nearly 152 acres
in size, located in Clackamas
County, referred to as the
Austin Hot Springs property.
The previous owners of
this land had passed away,
and the tribes and BPA, and
estate trustees negotiated the
acquisition. The property
can now be managed in per-
petuity for the benefit of
fisheries and other wildlife.
The acreage will “be per-
manently protected and en-
hanced through a perpetual
conservation easement” un-
der the terms and conditions
in the agreement.
Similarly, Tribal Council
also approved the purchase,
through the BPA mitigation
program, of nearly 182 acres
in Marion County.
This acreage is referred
to as the Little Sweden prop-
erty, and Natural Resources
will manage it in the same
spirit as the Red Hills and
Austin Hot Springs proper-
ties.
Warm Springs Ventures CEO planning move back home
Warm Springs Ventures
chief executive officer Don
Sampson will be leaving the
position later this year.
“I have to move closer to
home,” Mr. Sampson said
recently.
This is a decision based
on family consideration, he
said. His mother and his fa-
ther, Chief of the Walla
Walla Tribe of the Confed-
erated Tribes of the Umatilla
Reservation, are getting on
in age. And being closer to
them is becoming more im-
portant.
“But I’m not going to just
walk away from Ventures,”
Mr. Sampson said.
He is thinking September
will be the time when he will
leave for Umatilla.
Mr. Sampson has over-
seen the initiation and devel-
opment of promising eco-
nomic projects for the Con-
federated Tribes of Warm
Springs.
A goal is to see these fur-
ther along before he leaves.
The carbon sequestration
project is an example. This
project has the potential to
generate millions—possibly
more than $20 million over
years—for the Confeder-
ated Tribes. The project in-
volves the sale of carbon
credits to an petroleum com-
pany in California.
Another project that is
getting close to a significant
turning point is the cannabis
project (stor y on page 1).
Finding a general man-
ager, and working through
more of the partnership
details, are goals before he
leaves, Mr. Sampson said.
Meanwhile, the un-
manned aerial systems pro-
gram, tribal Construction,
and NATIVEfax are also
moving forward.
The tribes and Ventures
advertised the CEO position
a few weeks ago, and have
already received a number
of applications.
The deadline for applica-
tions is June 6. Here are some
details:
The chief executive of-
ficer has full responsibility
for the daily operations of
Warm Springs Ventures cor-
porate office and enterprises
in accordance with the Warm
Springs Ventures strategic
plan, operating/business
plans, and annual budgets as
approved by the board. Ven-
tures is the economic devel-
opment enterprise of the
tribes.
The Ventures CEO is re-
sponsible for the day-to-day
operations of six existing
business divisions: Warm
Springs GeoVisions, Warm
Springs Construction, Warm
Springs Property Manage-
ment, EagleTech (UAS),
NativeFax and Warm Springs
Ventures.
A complete job descrip-
tion and application require-
ments can be found on the
Ventures website:
warmspringsventures.com
The casino board and
management, and Tribal
Council planned the project
thoroughly over a period of
years. The feasibility study—
concluding the project will be
a profitable addition to the
tribal enterprise family—was
the determining factor in go-
ing forward.
The Plateau will be only
travel center of its kind in the
region. The next closest are
at Biggs and LaPine.
Hundreds of semi-trucks
travel by site each day on
Highway 26, with many more
nearby on Highway 97.
These are in addition to the
thousands of other vehicles
passing vehicles, and the
1,000-plus people who work
at the Madras Industrial
Park.
Public notice - IRRTIP
T h e F i s c a l Ye a r
2017 Indian Reser-
vation Roads Trans-
portation Improve-
ment
Program
(IRRTIP) for the
Warm Springs In-
dian Reservation,
Oregon.
The 2017 Indian
Reservation Road
Transportation Im-
provement Program
for the Confederated
Tribes of Warm
Springs is available
for public review and
comment at the Warm
Springs Planning De-
partment located at
1233 Veterans Street
in Warm Springs.
Written comments
can be mailed to the
Planning Department
at P.O. Box C, Warm
Springs, OR, 97761.
The Transportation
Planner will be avail-
able, in person, at the
Planning Department
from 3 to 5 p.m. on
Wednesday, May 31,
to present informa-
tion, answer ques-
tions and take com-
ments on the pro-
posed project list.
Comments should
be received before
close of business on
Friday, June 9, 2017.
For more informa-
tion, call the Planning
Office at 541-553-
3509.
Warm
Springs
Planning Depart-
ment.