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July 15,
1990
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I he new steakhouse and lounge, kid's SuperPlay area,
and banquet rooms show all the signs of being as
popular as the Casino has proven to be. The Fourth
of July grand opening celebration held July 4-7, was met
with weekend visitors who gathered for food, fun, and en
tertainment. On Friday many were serenaded by the na
tional a cappella champs, the singing group M-PACT.
Special prizes were given away all four days to visitors,
who enjoyed dining and gaming. Crowds gathered every
20 minutes for a chance at the cash wheel offering cash
prizes up to $500. There were four lucky big prize win
ners: Thursday Season tickets to the Portland Trailblaz
ers; Friday Tickets to the 1 997 Superbowl; Saturday
An all-expense paid trip to the 1996 Summer Olympics in
Atlanta; and Sunday A brand new Chevy Blazer.
Legends opened for a special day to tribal members and
their families on Saturday, June 29. Members were invited
to enjoy a sit down lunch of their choice in the restaurant.
Randy Duggcr, Food and Beverage Manager at the Casino,
said, "This was really our first chance to cook and serve
food at the restaurant, and we appreciated the consideration
and patience of everyone. This was a great opportunity for
our new employees to interact with the tribal community."
Kids were able to play in SuperPlay at no charge. (More
grand opening festivity photos on pagelO.)
Supplemental Budget adopted; includes membership investment program
By Tracy Dugan
On June 26 Tribal Council adopted the Supple
mental Budget which was discussed at the May
General Council meeting, and in various tribal
mailings.
The budget includes allocations of Casino and
timber dollars into various special programs de
signed for the benefit of tribal members.
As described in previous issues of Smoke Sig
nals, these programs include; a health security
package; an Elders' pension program; educa
tion services enhancement; an Investment Ben
efit program; and Trust Fund allocations into
housing, education, and health.
The projected timeline for the implementation
of these programs is as follows:
HEALTH SECURITY PROGRAM
Currently, tribal Elders are being interviewed
and setup with a comprehensive health secu
rity package which is designed to fit each
person's individual needs. Each Elder has been
invited to attend an enrollment meeting or given
instructions on how to enroll via telephone. Af
ter tribal Elders are enrolled in the Health Secu
rity Program, the rest of the membership will be
included. This is scheduled to begin this year, and
tribal members will be kept informed through the
Smoke Signals and other tribal mailings as to how
and when they should sign up for the program.
ELDERS' PENSION PROGRAM
The Elders' Pension Program will be completely
setup in July, and tribal Elders will be receiving
their pension payments this month. The program
calls for each Elder 55 years or older to receive a
monthly benefit of $100. The pension will be ret
roactive from the first of this year, so the first check
will be in the amount of $700.
INVESTMENT BENEFIT PROGRAM
For 1996, each tribal member will be allotted a
$1,000 investment sum. This program is targeted
for implementation in September. Although this
money is in each member's name, the $1,000 will
not be automatically mailed to each member. Ev
ery tribal member will have to request the money,
and speak with an investment counselor. The Tribal
Council adopted this program to encourage tribal
members to leave the money in the account for
their futures, rather than spending it right away.
They encourage tribal members to discuss their in
vestment options with the investment special
ist the Tribe is hiring before requesting
withdrawl of funds. Remember, this money is
not guaranteed to be allotted every year. Tribal
Council will consider the amount and feasibil
ity of providing other investments to tribal
members on a year-to-year basis. A trust fund
will also be implemented for those tribal mem
bers under the age of 21, so all tribal children
will have those dollars collecting interest in an
account until they reach adulthood. It should
be noted that this fund is being provided
through timber revenue, not Casino revenue.
EDUCATION SERVICES
Tribal Council allocated $500,000 to the
Education Division for the purpose of Higher
Education, Adult Vocational Training, and other
educational programs for youth.
TRUST FUND ALLOCATIONS
The Supplemental Budget calls for ten per
cent of all Spirit Mountain Casino revenue to
be applied to programs in health, housing, and
education, in addition to funding these programs
already receive.