Spilyay Tymoo
June 5, 2019 - Vol. 43, No. 12
Coyote News, est. 1976
2019 Graduation Day at Madras High School,
Saturday, June 1.
Jayson Smith photos/Spilyay
Kah-Nee-Ta discussion at Tribal Council
Nee-Ta; while the Secretary-Trea-
surer and Chief Operations Officer
dedicate as much time as possible
to issues related to the resort, while
handling many other obligations.
At Tribal Council last week,
Management presented offers
from outside entities that have ex-
pressed interest in partnering with
the tribes in the management and
operation of Kah-Nee-Ta. Council
is now studying the information,
and weighing the options.
An idea that many have ex-
pressed is the opening of just the
Village area. Initial questions
would be what hours, days of the
week, services, etc.
Hiring of staff would have to
start almost from scratch, as basic
documents such as former job de-
scriptions at the resort are diffi-
cult to locate.
Clearly, though, cost of reopen-
ing even just the Village would
be fairly extensive, said Allysa
Macy, Chief Operations Of-
ficer. It is possible a supple-
mental budget would be needed,
meaning a timeline of at least
several weeks.
There are costs associated
with keeping Kah-Nee-Ta
closed. Most significant is the
power bill.
Dave McMechan
Academy Promotion Day
The Warm Springs Academy
Eighth-Grade Promotion Day
is set for next Monday, June 10
from 11:15 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.
The Promotion ceremony
will be at the Madras High
School Performing Arts Cen-
ter.
There currently are 60 en-
rolled eighth-graders at the
Academy.
Early Childhood Educa-
tion
Gradation days at Warm
Springs Early Childhood Edu-
cation are going to happen
soon, but the dates have yet to
be determined.
The water situation is a fac-
tor: The Early Childhood Cen-
ter was open this week to staff,
but not to the students, because
of the water.
The ECE Graduation Days
U.S. Postage
PRSRT STD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
Water
response
T he Madras High School
Class of 2019 saw 132 students
graduate. Forty-six of the stu-
dents, roughly 35 percent, are
Native American.
One-hundred percent of stu-
dents at the high school who
were eligible to graduate com-
pleted their requirements.
The school district Bridges
Career and Technical program,
directed by Jessica Swagger,
helped more than 30 Native
students meet the graduation
requirements.
The Confederated Tribes
and Education will host the
Graduates Banquet later this
month. The tentative date and
place were June 10 at the
Agency Longhouse. The water
situation may require a resched-
uling.
See pages 6 and 7 of this publi-
cation for more on the Madras High
School Class of 2019.
Everyone wants to see Kah-
Nee-Ta back in operation. Be-
yond that point, though, the is-
sue are complicated, and the
opinions many and diverse.
There are a full-time and a
part-time maintenance crew at
the resort, closed now since last
September. And there are two se-
curity officer positions.
That is the extent of person-
nel specifically dedicated to Kah-
ECR WSS
Postal Patron
June – Atixan – Spring - Wawaxam
Record breaking graduating class
The Jefferson County School
District 509-J board will hold
its regular Monday meeting on
June 10 at 7 p.m.
The Jefferson County School
District last day of school for
non-seniors is next Tuesday,
June 11.
PO Box 489
Warm Springs, OR 97761
had been scheduled for June 13-
14. The new dates will be an-
nounced soon.
COCC
The Central Oregon Commu-
nity College 2018-19 commence-
ment ceremony is coming up on
Saturday, June 15 at the Mazama
field at the COCC Bend campus.
The ceremony is from 10 to
11:30 a.m., reception to follow.
Student check-in is at 8:45 a.m.
at the Mazama gym.
No tickets are needed for stu-
dents and guests.
All students who have met re-
quirements for a two-year Asso-
ciate Degree, or a one-year Cer-
tificate of Completion are eligible
to participate in commencement,
if they have earned or will earn
that certificate or degree in the
past fall, winter or spring, or the
coming summer.
Jayson Smith/Spilyay
At the Lil’ Miss Warm Springs Pageant in May, Jessica Bruised
Head crowns Senior Lil’ Miss Warm Springs Shantelle Henry.
The team working on the water
system repair this week is develop-
ing the best response to address the
situation, as quickly as possible.
Regarding the best repair re-
sponse, tribal Management, Utili-
ties and trust partners—including
Indian Health Service and the
BIA—were planning to meet with
Tribal Council on Tuesday (after
the print time for this publication).
Meanwhile the boil water notice
remains in effect until further no-
tice. The notice is for the entirety
of the Warm Springs Agency area,
including Kah-Nee-Ta, Wolfe Point,
Sunnyside, Upper Dry Creek,
Miller Heights, Campus area, West
Hills, Tenino Valley, Tenino Apart-
ments, Elliott Heights, Senior
Housing, Trailer Courts and
Greeley Heights.
Warm Springs has issued a res-
ervation wide burn ban. With dry
fuel conditions and lack of water
for fire suppression, it is critical
precautions are taken to help pro-
tect the people, property and re-
sources of the Reservation.
A burn ban means that all out-
side agricultural and residential
burning is strictly prohibited. This
includes weed burning, burn bar-
rels, and burn bins. All hot work
at all facilities is banned: All opera-
tions involving open flames or that
produce heat and/or sparks.
All fireworks are prohibited.
Outdoor camp fires are not al-
lowed. Only cooking in a propane
or charcoal barbecue or camp
cooking stove is allowed. All cer-
emonial and traditional fires are
exempt from this burn ban. For
further information on the Burn
Ban status, contact the Warm
Springs Fire Management Preven-
tion team, 541-553-1146.
Indian Head Casino is open,
though the Cottonwood Restaurant
was temporarily closed.
Regarding the casino itself,
Belinda Chavez, Indian Head mar-
keting director, said, “With sup-
port from local utilities, loyal ven-
dors and sanitary service profes-
sionals, we can remain open and
operational, with access to safe,
clean water throughout the casino.”
The cause of the problem is a
break in a 14-inch water main. The
break is in a section of pipeline that
runs under Shitike Creek. This
affects about 1,100 service con-
nections.
The Tribal Council last week
approved an emergency disaster
declaration. The declaration allows
the tribe to apply for Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency disas-
ter funds to help with repairs and
any impacts in the community.
The boil water notice says to boil
water for three minutes before
consumption. Drinking water is
also available at the tribal Emer-
gency Response office, 1161
Wasco St., a building in the former
elementary school. Dan Martinez,
Emergency Response director, es-
timated earlier this week the de-
partment had distributed up to
20,000 gallons of bottled water.