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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (June 17, 1996)
4 June 17, 1996 SMOKE SIGNALS We all know there's a casino in Grand Ronde; there's programs for housing, education, business, health, and natural resources. Sure, the Tribe is helping its own members, but... W lat does the Grand Tribe give to the community onde By Tracy Dugan ' rovvth in Grand Rondc and traffic along Highway 18 has prompted some concern about future development in Grand Ronde and how our community will eventually be structured. As the 2 1 st Century approaches, the Tribe will play a significant role in re shaping the economy in Polk and Yamhill counties. Many com munity members whose roots and livelihood span many genera tions in this region of Oregon are uncertain about how the Tribe's development is going to affect their way of life. While these changes have positively impacted the Tribe and generated opportunity and revenue for the benefit of its members, they have also resulted in the Tribe spending significant amounts of its resources to im prove the community as a whole. LAW ENFORCEMENT For a long time, the people of the Grand Ronde community have expressed a need for better police protection and services in the area. The Tribe collaborated with the Polk County Sheriffs Department to address these concerns, and in 1994, provided $45,000 to Polk County to cover the cost of increased patrolling. In 1995, a formal agreement was signed by both parties to provide permanent deputies on patrol in Grand Ronde. As part of the agreement, the Tribe has provided a Sheriffs substation in Grand Ronde, pays for all its utilities and upkeep, and has contributed to the salaries of the officers. This year, there are two deputies assigned to the area, effectively patrolling and canvassing local neighbor hoods and business, as well as answering reports and complaints. All residents of Grand Rondc are able to take advantage of these policing services. INFRASTRUCTURE In 1995 the Tribe received a $724,000 grant from the Economic Development Adminis tration (EDA) and a $270,000 Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant for the pur pose of building a water tank in Grand Ronde. For many years there has been a moratorium on water hook-ups, effectively keeping potential businesses and private citizens from buy ing property and moving to Grand Rondc. The water tank, located on Highway 1 8 directly across from the Casino, provides water for Casino use, but also provides water to the rest of the Grand Rondc area. In addition to the $994,000 in grants, the Tribe contributed $230,000 of its own money, and Spirit Mountain Development contributed $50,000. The Tribe may have to spend up to $300,000 more to complete the project. The tank holds 500,000 gal lons of water. Although the Tribe owns the tank and the land it is located on, it is being leased to the Water District for free. Additionally, the Tribe has worked with the Grand Ronde Sanitary District for improve ments to the sewer system. More recently, the Tribe has purchased, in advance, 35 hook ups from the county to assist with financial problems of the district. The Tribe has contrib uted $5,000 of tribal dollars to the district, as well as $2 1,000 in grants to help improve the system, and will work closely with Polk County to identify ways to upgrade the system. The ongoing tribal developments during the past five years provided opportunities for many small local businesses to start-up or expand operations. EffPLOYHEKT After the Casino opened for business, the Tribe conducted an Economic Impact Analy sis, to determine the impacts the Tribe's employment and expenditures would have on Polk DDDO-ODQO Tribal Other Total Law Enforcement $195,000 $0 $195,000 Infrastructure Water Tank" $280,000 $994,000 $1 ,274,000 Sewer Improvements $5,000 $21,000 $26,000 Highway 18 Improvements $2 Million $0 $2 Million Health Clinic $3.5 Million $0 $3.5 Million Projected cost and Yamhill counties. The employment impacts have been significant. The tribal organi zation has grown from 31 employees in 1988, to 136 employees in 1995. The Casino has 800 employees and will add another 200 when expansion is complete in late June. In 1 995, tribal employment was estimated to account for 2 of total employment in Polk and Yam hill counties, and for 2.4 of total personal income in the counties. These impacts will increase, since the Casino did not open until October of 1 995. It is estimated that the Tribe will account for 3-4 of total employment in Polk and Yamhill counties and for 4-5 of total personal income in the counties on an annual basis. The direct salaries and wages from employees of the Tribe and expenditures made by the Tribe in the counties also re sulted in additional jobs. For 1995, the direct salaries, wages, and expenditures are esti mated to have resulted in 330 additional jobs in Polk and Yamhill counties. Additionally, the average wage of tribal jobs exceeds the local average. The average annual salary of a Casino employee is $25,000, while the average annual wage in the Polk Yamhill economy is $17,639. The added development in Grand Ronde has provided employment to a region of Or egon that has been economically unstable due to the reduction in logging and other forest jobs. Moreover, these new jobs help to improve the quality of life of local residents by providing above average salaries combined with comprehensive health programs for em ployees. NATURAL RESOURCES The Natural Resources Division of the Tribe is responsible for maintaining and effi ciently using the resources on tribal lands. The Tribe owns a significant amount of timber land in the Grand Ronde area, which is usually harvested by local timber companies. "The Tribe's timber sales are usually bought locally, and that provides jobs for mill workers, loggers, and haulers," said Cliff Adams, Natural Resources Division Manager. "This is true for timber sales as well as salvage sales." The division also employs a summer Youth Crew, open to young people in the commu nity who are interested in working doing various outdoor jobs. Cliff said they work with the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps (OYCC) to implement this program for local young
