OCTOBER 15, 2003
Smoke Signals 5
Wednesday, August 20, 2003
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torney, to retain an independent investment manager to invest these funds
per GRTHA investment policy guidelines. Motion carried 5-0-0.
B Transfer of Accounting Functions Housing Authority to Finance
Division. Val Grout moved, Bob Haller seconded to adopt Resolution No.
157- 03 directing the Grand Ronde Tribal Housing Authority (GRTHA) to trans
fer all accounting record keeping to the Finance Division, effective January 1,
2004, in order to consolidate all accounting functions and ease the transition to
GASB-34. Discussion followed. Motion carried 5-0-0.
H Demonstration Grant for Indian Children Office of Indian Educa
tion. Jan D. Reibach moved, Ed Pearsall seconded to adopt Resolution No.
158- 03 authorizing application to the Department of Education's Office of Indian
Education for up to $400,000 in grant funds from the Demonstration Grants for
Indian Children program for a two-year project and authorizing the Tribal Chair
to sign the application for funding and the General Manager to execute modifi
cations and amendments as necessary and to execute contracts under this project.
Motion carried 5-0-0.
B Ft. Yamhill Development Project. Valorie Sheker-Robertson moved, Ed
Pearsall seconded to adopt Resolution No. 159-03 committing to:
1) providing a road access easement to the State's property using the road
course currently under design by the Tribe;
2) providing $12,000 for supplemental road design and $3,500 for Lewis &
Clark staging area design from the 2003 Land Acquisition Contingency
Budget;
3) seeking non-Tribal funding for construction of a staging area for the
Lewis & Clark traveling museum currently estimated at $60,000; and
4) seeking $308,609 in non-Tribal funding to complete a paved access
road. Discussion followed. Motion carried 5-0-0.
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIIIEAP) Grant Ap
plication. Bob Haller moved, Val Grout seconded to adopt Resolution No.
160-03 authorizing the Tribe's application to DHHS for Low Income Home En
ergy Assistance Program grant funding, authorizing the use of a reduced Indi
rect cost rate for this grant program, and authorizing the Chair to execute all
forms required for this application. Motion carried 5-0-0.
Realty MarketingNorthwest Contracts. Valorie Sheker-Robertson
moved, Ed Pearsall seconded to adopt a Resolution No. 161-03:
1) approving the agreements with Realty MarketingNorthwest for the
marketing and sale of foreclosed properties by sealed and open auctions;
2) authorizing the Finance Officer, with the assistance of the Tribal At
torney, to finalize and execute said agreements; and
3) approving a limited waiver of sovereign immunity, which waiver is
limited to disputes between the Tribe and Realty MarketingNorthwest
regarding payment of commissions aggregating $50,000 or less directly
related to each agreement, arbitration of such disputes in accordance with
each agreement, and enforcement of a resulting arbitrator award in the
Tribal Court of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. Discussion fol
lowed. Motion carried 5-0-0.
B Spirit Mountain Logistics, LLC use of UBS Line of Credit. Jan D.
Reibach moved, Val Grout seconded to adopt Resolution No. 162-03 authoriz
ing the use of up to $500,000 of the Tribe's line of credit by Spirit Mountain
Logistics, LLC for use as working capital to fulfill current and future require
ments under the Hewlett Packard contract. Discussion followed. Motion car
ried 5-0-0.
5:47 p.m. Val Grout moved, Bob Haller seconded to adjourn the meeting.
Motion carried.
Grand Ronde Tribal Members Can Live At Home Now
Families move into new 36 unit housing development.
By Peta Tinda
Families and children have been
moving into the Confederated Tribes
of Grand Ronde's new housing de
velopment, "Chxi Musam Illihi," a
36 unit housing complex located on
Grand Ronde Road, since it opened
this past summer.
About 23 families have moved in
thus far and are quickly becoming
accustomed to the close communal
living that the development offers.
Most of the residents say that the
development is a very good place
to raise kids.
"The dishwasher is awesome,"
said resident Kimberly Contreras,
who moved into a four-bedroom
home this summer.
"The house is great, it's beauti
ful, the neighborhood is fine, and
there is lots of kids for my kids to
play with," said Contreras.
The development, which was
built using United States Housing
and Urban Development funds, is
all new and the tenants say they
are doing their best to keep it that
way.
The Tribal Housing Authority
has garnered good reviews for its
promptness and responsiveness to
the residents' problems.
For example, when Contreras's
refrigerator broke down, she said,
they replaced it the very same day.
Tribal Housing Authority Rental
Coordinator Larry Leith, who over
sees the development, said that most
of the residents are quite pleased
with their new homes.
Most say they are favorably im
pressed with the size of the homes,
which range from single occupancy
homes to four and five bedroom
units. Two of the units are com
pletely handicapped accessible, with
handrails and lowered counters.
Leith is at the development almost
every day and knows firsthand the
residents' concerns.
"We've only had a few minor com
plaints, like kids running around
and a few minor maintenance is
sues, like you get with any new con
struction, but so far no major prob
lems or disturbances."
"It's a good group," he added. "It
The combination of low traffic,
rural setting and communal
awareness makes for a very safe
environment for children.
Joe Ulestad, who works as a
Table Games Dealer at Spirit
Mountain Casino, said he wants to
move in because he thinks it would
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Safe At Home Tribal member Amber Finney, shown here with her children Raeann Knight,
12, Gabriel Knight, 11 months, and Dillan Knight, 5, is just one of the many Tribal members who
have made the Tribe's new housing development home. Finney likes the size of her new house,
and says she feels that the development is a safe environment to raise her children.
really is."
Leith admits that the verification
process is sometimes a long one, but
it's necessary to ensure that the
residents fill the criteria for living
at the development.
"It's not just ok, you're a Tribal
member, you can move in," said
Leith.
"Part of the reason for the exten
sive application process is to coun
teract any problems."
be good for his two children, Tajia,
age 5, and Keenan, age 9.
"I want my kids to grow up here,"
he said. "My son wants to move out
here bad, just so he can play with
the other kids."
The Tribal Housing Authority
has plans to build two more hous
ing developments in the near fu
ture to provide accommodation for
families like Ulestads.
The houses in the development
were designed from the outset to
be very energy efficient, which will
save the residents money by reduc
ing their heating and electricity
bills.
All of the houses have double
pane windows, radiant floor heat
ing and energy efficient appli
ances.
Security is provided
by the same Prostar se
curity that looks after
the Tribal office build
ings and most residents
say they feel very safe
in their new homes.
Fire service is pro
vided by the local fire
department and there
are many fire hydrants
situated throughout the
development.
Another feature of the
new development is that
the Tribe provides the
phone service, which
means that the resi
dents can call the Tribal
offices by dialing a 4
digit extension number.
The residents still have
to pay for their phones,
but the rate is very com
petitive, said Leith.
Tribal member Ray
Duran, who lives at the
development with his
aunt and uncle, said that it is very
quiet, and very safe for kids.
"There's a lot of families here and
everybody knows everybody. The
streets are safe for kids to play in
no one goes flying around cor
ners or anything," said Duran.
"It gave a lot of people a place to
live, and now they have more
money for other things, like their
families."