Spilyay Tymoo
Coyote News, est. 1976
July 5, 2017 - Vol. 42, No. 14
July – Pat’ak-Pt’akni – Summer - Shatm
Walls going up at Plateau Travel Plaza
Workers have installed the un-
derground fuel tanks at the Plateau
Travel Plaza. The walls are going
up for the main building, and the
steel frames are in place for the
canopies over the gas and diesel
pumps.
The project is a little over three
months into construction, and the
work is on schedule, said Travis
Wells, tribal engineer.
With the framing in place, the
various components of the opera-
tion are coming into view:
There is the main entrance way
leading to the convenience store.
The restaurant with seating for
70 is to the back right. From the
restaurant window there is a great
view of Mount Jefferson.
The main building is 13,500
square feet. There will be showers
and laundry facilities, and a Class II
gaming room.
The large parking area on the 10-
acre site will accommodate up
to 70 semi trucks.
The construction contractor
and sub-contractors have
worked with the Warm Springs
TERO, and there are seven
tribal members—some from
Warm Springs, and some from
other tribes—working at the site.
All of them were registered with
the TERO, Mr. Wells said.
The substantial completion
date for the Travel Plaza is
March 2018. This will be the
only travel center of its kind
in the region, the next closest
being at Biggs and LaPine.
The project means new jobs
for members, and welcome new
revenue for the tribes.
Donell Frank (at front) is a
tribal member working at the
Travel Plaza construction
site.
Dave McMechan/Spilyay
Membership meeting coming up on CP Enterprise financing
The tribes’ carbon sequestration
project, through Ventures and
GeoVisions, is moving into a final
phase. The concluding process in-
volves detailed third-party verifica-
tion, registration, and then sale of
the credits.
The carbon credits will be sold
to a company operating in Califor-
nia, where clean air law requires
compliance, or the purchase of
credits.
An area of the tribes’ forest,
non-commercial timber land, will be
managed in a way that meets the
California carbon sequestration
code. Revenue to the tribe is sig-
nificant: a net over a number of
years of up to $10 million, said Don
Sampson, Ventures chief executive
officer.
This project ties into another
Ventures project, the cannabis
project, or CP Enterprise. The
membership approved this enter-
prise a year and a half ago.
At the outset some time was
needed to clarify various legal as-
pects, as this will be a unique
project among tribes in Oregon.
Ventures and tribes worked with
the state legislature and governor
to create a compact. This allows
the sale of reservation-grown can-
nabis off the reservation.
Most recently Ventures was able
to secure a 100-percent refund on
the Oregon cannabis tax, which
normally is 17 percent. “We want
to thank Senator Ted Ferrioli for
Jayson Smith photos/Spilyay
Senior Miss Warm Springs Coreena Stwyer greets the powwow
gathering at the Forty-Seventh Annual Pi-Ume-Sha Treaty
Days, featuring the many traditional dancers.
his work on behalf of the tribes,”
Mr. Sampson said.
This year the obstacle to getting
CP Enterprise in operation has
been funding. Ventures looked at
partnering with an outside group
in order to build the facility and
begin operation. But the terms
have been unfavorable to the tribes.
Self-funding would be the much
more profitable approach, Mr.
Sampson said. “The idea is to in-
vest and create the economic en-
gine now,” he said.
Through self-funding, the tribes
would pay no interest to any out-
side source; and the tribes would
have 100-percent ownership. This
approach accomplishes the man-
date of the December 2015 refer-
endum, Mr. Sampson said.
To reach the goal, a part of
the carbon sequestration rev-
enue would be invested in CP
Enterprise, an economic devel-
opment project. This would be
paid back once the enterprise
begins to generate revenue.
Ventures is planning a meet-
ing with the membership to dis-
cuss the idea, as the process in-
volves a supplemental budget.
“I appreciate the community’s
patience with this project,” Mr.
Sampson said. “We now have
a potential for huge revenue to
the tribes. We would be in the
ideal situation through self-fund-
ing. Let’s get it built and keep
the money at home.”
PO Box 489
Warm Springs, OR 97761
ECR WSS
Postal Patron
U.S. Postage
PRSRT STD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
KNT weighs
future options
When it first opened in the 1970s,
Kah-Nee-Ta was the premier resort
in the region.
“The playing field has changed
significantly since then,” said Jim
Manion, Kah-Nee-Ta board mem-
ber. “Now we have to find our
niche—to make this a unique expe-
rience—and become competitive
again.”
Part of the solution may involve
the landscape around the resort. As
an example: Mountain biking is a
popular sport, and a fast-growing
one.
The tribes could form a partner-
ship with an outside group, and
market Kah-Nee-Ta to mountain
bikers.
The board has been talking with
a group about this idea, and is now
seeking input from the membership.
Using the unique surrounding,
and having a minimum impact on
the landscape, are aspects that make
this a promising idea, Mr. Manion
said.
Kah-Nee-Ta is popular in the late
spring, summer and early fall. A goal
of the board and management is to
bring people in during the slower
months. “We have to broaden the
use to make the resort competitive,”
he said.
Kah-Nee-Ta last year had to bor-
row from the tribes in order to
maintain operation. This is not a sus-
tainable option. Bringing in a part-
ner to help upgrade the facilities is
another approach the board is tak-
ing. A partner could invest in the
kinds of improvements that for now
are not affordable.
Meanwhile, the resort has taken
cost-cutting measures, but this can
only go so far. At some point there
is an impact to the quality of ser-
vice. “And once you impact service
you impact the guests’ experience,”
Mr. Manion said.