Spilyay Tymoo
Coyote News, est. 1976
July 31, 2019 - Vol. 43, No. 16
July – Pat’ak-Pt’akni – Summer - Shatm
PO Box 489
Warm Springs, OR 97761
ECR WSS
Postal Patron
U.S. Postage
PRSRT STD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
Plan developing for Business Incubator move
T he land is clear for the Com-
munity Action Team Business In-
cubator, just off the highway.
Some of the next steps in the
process are the site survey and a
geo-tech sur vey, said Marissa
Ahern, Business Incubator project
manager.
These surveys should start hap-
pening within the next few weeks,
Ms. Ahern said. So we’ll start see-
ing the surveyors and others work-
ing at the construction site.
Next will be the pouring of the
building foundation; and some
mitigation work at the Commissary
itself, to remove lead paint and po-
tential asbestos, for instance.
September is a target month
for the actual move of the build-
ing, which will be a unique sight:
The building will be lifted up on
stilts, and then loaded onto a truck,
Ms. Ahern said.
The vehicle will then make its
way slowly over the couple of
blocks to the new site. This will be
great renovation of the area.
The Community Action Team
planning a community outreach
this year, identifying the retail busi-
nesses that will join the Incubator
team.
And there will be a website
launch. Marissa has worked with
Courtesy Community Action Team.
Architect’s conceptual drawing
of the finished building (above);
the Commissary today (left); and
the new building site (below).
Getting ready for start of school
The month of August means
school will be starting soon, in
about a month. The first student
day at the Warm Springs Acad-
emy and other 509-J schools is
Tuesday, September 3, the day
after Labor Day.
The Academy reminds in-com-
ing kindergarten families that the
students need to be enrolled for
the coming 2019-2020 school
year.
Kindergarten conferences and
Summer School for kinders will
start soon. Turn in registration pack-
ets to Heilan at the school district
office in Madras, 445 SE Buff
Street.
If you have any questions you
can contact Heilan at 541-475-
6192. Registration packets need
to be returned soon, by Thursday,
August 8. Summer school for kin-
dergarten starts August 12.
In other recent school news:
Senate Bill 13
Following a presentation by
Valerie Switzler, general manager
of the tribal Education Branch,
the Tribal Council this week en-
dorsed the effort to implement
Senate Bill 13.
The Oregon legislature
adopted SB13 in 2017, with ad-
vocacy from tribes.
The law requires the state
Education Department and
school districts to work with
tribes in developing a Native
American curriculum.
This curriculum will give the
tribal perspective on history,
culture and heritage, tribal sov-
ereignty and treaty rights, and
current economic conditions
and events.
Since 2017, Warm Springs
Culture and Heritage has been
working with elders and others
in developing the curriculum
since 2017, with the implemen-
tation in the school district this
coming school year.
Starla Green had her
frybread concession cooking
last week at the Jefferson
County Fair and Rodeo.
The frybread concession is
an always popular addition
to the fair.
As Natives and others know,
frybread is a versatile food: It
can be enjoyed by itself, or
with almost any kind of
toppings.
According to some Native
traditions, frybread was
created in 1864 using the
flour, sugar, salt and lard
that was given to tribes by
the federal government.
Over the decades frybread
has been a link from
generation to generation,
still as popular as ever.
Cheryl Taylor photo
filmmaker LaRonn Katchia on
developing video for the website.
For the project the Action Team
has worked with many lending
sources, with great success; and
with a leading architecture firm,
Hacker Architects, who have do-
nated their services.
So far the retail businesses for
the Incubator include the
Tananáwit artists group, and a cafe.
Upstairs will be office space, in-
cluding for the Action Team small
business coach.
The long-term plan calls for a
an outside food court, and the
Action Team has advertised for a
food cart manager-trainer.
The old Commissary building
is thought to be the oldest struc-
ture on the reservation, dating
back to the late nineteenth century.
It’s been vacant for a number of
years now.
Entering month four
of boil water notice
It was back in May that the
tribes found chlorinated water
leaking into Shitike Creek. After
some research, tribal Management
and Utilities reported a worst case
scenario: The 14-inch water pipe
serving the Agency area had bro-
ken underneath the creek.
The Twenty-Eighth Tribal
Council—they had taken office
just two weeks earlier—declared
an emergency. And residents
around the residents were issued
the boil-water notice.
The notice applied to the en-
tirety 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 Apartments, Elliott
Heights, Senior Housing, Trailer
Courts and Greeley Heights.
August will be the fourth month
that the notice has been in effect,
an unprecedented condition for
the reservation.
There was some hope that re-
pairing the water break—an ex-
pensive project for the tribes in
these lead budget times—would
resolve the problem.
What happened, though, was
the repair of the main break led
to new breaks.
The problem has been the old
pressure regulating valves, no
longer functioning to regulate the
water flow. In addition to the boil
water notice, some residents ex-
perienced the loss of water pres-
sure.
Many individuals, businesses,
organizations and government
agencies have offered and helped
the tribes during water crisis. Ex-
amples are Indian Health Ser-
vices, the BIA, and Housing, Ur-
ban Development. Water com-
panies and agencies, other tribes,
individuals and many others do-
nated bottled water, and money.
Tribal Emergency Manage-
ment has become the headquar-
ters providing the bottled water to
residents.
And for now the boil water
notice continues, as the tribes
are encouraging care and con-
servation.