Spilyay Tymoo
Coyote News, est. 1976
January 31, 2018 - Vol. 43, No. 3
January – Wiyak’ik’ila – Winter - Anm
Water plant to see needed improvements
The BIA has committed
$358,000 for repairs at the Warm
Springs water treatment plant. “I
would say these are critical, needed
repairs,” said Alyssa Macy, chief
operations officer.
Meanwhile, the Indian Health
Service and Housing and Urban
Development are working with the
tribes on a longer term solution to
the domestic water system serv-
ing the tribal residents and busi-
nesses.
Some of the $358,000 from the
BIA could be used to purchase one
more pump for the treatment
plant, said Roy Spino, tribal Utili-
ties water and wastewater engineer.
The plant also needs a better
heating, ventilation and cooling sys-
tem, Mr. Spino said. The HVAC
system is needed to keep the elec-
tronics at the plant at the proper
temperature, he said.
The treatment plant is 30 years
old, and the control panels, for in-
stance, date back to the original
time of construction. The BIA
funding could help with upgrades
to the control panel and computer
system that operate the plant.
Utilities and tribal Planning are
also working on a water meter in-
stallation project. Last year they
completed a grant-funded engineer-
ing report, and now can use the re-
port to seek a grant for the pur-
chase and installation of the meters.
Some
neighborhoods—
Simnasho, Greeley Heights and
Sidwalter, for instance—have wa-
ter meters, while many homes still
do not. The water meters can as-
sist in finding the major leakage
spots in the system, relieving some
of the burden on the treatment
plant.
Speaking with Tribal Council on
Monday, Ms. Macy also gave
an update on the Children’s
Protective Services building
renovation, and the downtown
abandoned building demolition
project.
Both are on schedule, and
plans are being made for phase
2 of the building removal.
The CPS building will not only
see the complete remodel, but
will also have new furniture. A
goal is to have a type of furni-
ture and the beds that create a
home environment for the chil-
dren, Ms. Macy said.
PO Box 489
Warm Springs, OR 97761
ECR WSS
Postal Patron
U.S. Postage
PRSRT STD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
Pageant
this evening
The 2018 Miss Warm
Springs Pageant is set for
this Wednesday evening,
January 31 at the Agency
Longhouse.
Dinner will be served at
5, provided by 2017 Miss
War m Springs Katrina
Blackwolf.
The community is invited
to attend. The candidate
this year is Thyreicia
Stimtustus, 2017 graduate
of Madras High School.
She will have a presenta-
tion, plus a talent show. The
judges will test her knowl-
edge of the tribes.
Thyreicia is also a
Lincoln’s Birthday Powwow
Queen.
For fire
fighters
Pastel drawing by Unique Bryant, 10th grade.
Little Miss Warm Springs Kiahna Allen and her brother Kiellan
were enjoying the artwork at the opening the Tribal Youth Art
Exhibit at the Museum at Warm Springs. Works include the
drum (left) by 10-year-old Julia Wolfe, student at the Warm
Springs Academy.
The Twenty-Fifth Annual Youth Art Show, curated by Natalie
Kirk, featured a wall of painted drums, paintings and crafts by
students, including an acrylic painting of an eagle by Unique.
The show opened with a performance by Deanie Johnson and
her Wasco Dancers, followed by dinner, and a hand-drumming
performance in the exhibits gallery.
(See more of the show on page 8.)
New management, investors arriving at KNT
The tribes next week will wel-
come the new Kah-Nee-Ta man-
agement and investment team.
The company is AV Northwest,
with senior partners Tom Hansen
and Michael Gaskin.
February 1 is the planned trans-
fer date to AV Northwest, the lease
being for a term of 25 years.
At a meeting last year with the
Tribal Council, Mr. Hansen and
Mr. Gaskin gave some of the
details of their plans for the re-
sort and spa.
They are expecting to invest
several million dollars into Kah-
Nee-Ta, for many needed im-
provements, plus an expansion at
the Village. AV Northwest will also
implement a new marketing strat-
egy for the resort.
Some current aspects of Kah-
Courtesy Kah-Nee-Ta
The Village area at Kah-Nee-Ta will feature new services and amenities.
Nee-Ta will remain, for instance the
focus on the tribal culture, the mem-
ber hiring preference, and certain
discounts for members.
Some of the planned improve-
ments: A new heating and cooling
system, new paint, improvements
to the rooms, pools, restaurant and
café, to name just a few.
Another interesting part of the
plan is a new hydro- and physical
therapy center at the Village. The
hot springs would be put to use
in the treatment of young
people who are recovering
from muscular and other con-
ditions.
AV Northwest is planning a
public meeting in the spring to
present their plan.
Tribal Council last year ap-
proved the lease agreement
with AV Northwest, as recom-
mended by the Kah-Nee-Ta
board of directors.
Bringing in an outside in-
vestment and management
partner was the only way to
keep the resort open, as Kah-
Nee-Ta for the past few years
has been costing the tribes.
Closing the resort would
have eliminated up to 180 sea-
sonal jobs.
Over the decades, hundreds of
tribal members have worked at
Fire Management—as fire fight-
ers and camp crews, in fuels re-
duction, logistics, fire prevention,
equipment and vehicles, dispatch
and recruitment, administration
and staff, etc.
There are 122 people now
working at Fire Management. The
number changes during the year,
increasing in case of a fire event
during the season.
For the past few years Luther
Clements, now the Fire Manage-
ment training officer, has been
thinking of a way the tribes might
recognize the past employees of
the department, especially those
who have passed on.
So far, he has compiled a list
of 64 former Fire Management
employees who have since passed
away. The recognition could be
especially for these individuals, but
also for the past and the present
employees still with us.
Probably everyone on the res-
ervation has at least one family
who at some point worked or now
works at Fire Management. And
for this reason, the idea of a rec-
ognition day could see broad sup-
port among the membership.
The idea that Luther came up
with is a honor and recognition day
starting with a community and Fire
Management Grand Entry, per-
haps at the Pi-Ume-Sha grounds.
The Grand Entry could include
banners, or portraits of the loved
ones who have worked at Fire Man-
agement.
The event could involve many
people—current and former em-
ployees, family and friends—so a
potluck type of setup might be the
best way to feed everyone, Luther
says. This fall might be the time
to hold the first Fire Management
recognition day, he said, as the
project will involve a lot of plan-
ning and organizing.
(Read Mr. Clement’s letter explain-
ing the project on page 4.)