8 JANUARY 15, 2004
Smoke Signals
Mew Addresses For Grand Ronde
Spirit Mountain Casino and 22 residences go from Willamina to Grand Ronde without moving an inch.
By Ron Karten
The Spirit Mountain Casino is not moving, but
it is getting a new address.
As the Grand Ronde community has grown in
recent years, Grand Ronde Postmaster, Phil
Burris (Choctaw-Cherokee) and his counterpart
in Willamina, John McCleery, discussed three
particular issues: that Willamina and Grand
Itonde carriers were crossing paths each day, that
a Willamina carrier was
making a difficult turn
across the Salmon River
Highway (State High
way 18), a turn that
would be easier and safer
coming east on the high
way from Grand Ronde,
and finally, that all of 23
Willamina addresses west
of Valley Junction were
significantly closer to the
Grand Ronde Post Office.
The address change was
not initiated by the Tribe.
Before the change,
these residents have to
travel 7-8 miles to the
Willamina Post Office to
pick up packages and let
ters needing a signature,
instead of about half a
mile to pick them up in
Grand Ronde.
"Customer service-wise, it was not fair that they
had to travel eight miles," said Burris.
Another catalyst for the change was a new
housing subdivision in Willamina requiring 100
new deliveries for Willamina carriers, said Burris.
"The natural break is at Valley Junction," he
added. Valley Junction is two-tenths of a mile
east of the casino.
Among those affected, all street addresses will
remain the same following the change, set to
begin on January 24, according to Peter I lass,
Post Office Public Affairs officer. And those in
volved will have a year to let everybody know
that their address has changed. Until then, the
local Post Offices will continue to correctly route
mail with the old addresses.
For the Spirit Mountain Casino, this may be a
S-rff'-J"'".'
" ' " ,
New Change The Spirit Mountain Casino will soon have a new address. Thanks to an effort to make better use
of local postal carriers and improve customer service, the landmark facility will on January 24 officially be located on
the Grand Ronde postal route. It has had a Willamina address since opening in 1 995. Photo by Brent Merrill
golden opportunity, according to Deb Gephart,
Communications Administrator for the casino.
The casino maintains a Post Office box in Grand
Ronde and also receives mail at the Salmon River
Highway address, which until the change, is a
Willamina address.
"The large percentage (at the Salmon River
address) is junk mail," said Gephart. After a
year, most of this will no longer be delivered.
"I'm looking forward to this," she said. Of course,
she was just having fun with the idea. The ca
sino only gets around 60 pieces of mail a day at
the Salmon River address. The bulk, which is
more than 1,000 pieces, comes to the Grand
Ronde PO Box, which will not be affected by the
change.
Before the casino was built, all home deliver
ies came out of the Willamina Post Office. At
that time, Grand
Ronde services in
cluded post office
boxes and postage.
In time, Grand
Ronde added carrier
routes until now, two
carriers deliver mail
to 360 Grand Ronde
addresses.
By comparison, the
Willamina Post Of
fice has about 900
addresses on two
routes.
Casino stationery
and business card up
dates are the only
foreseeable costs to
the casino as a result
of the change, accord
ing to Adam Henny,
Marketing Director of
the Casino. "I would say (the cost to the casino
will be) pretty minimal for the most part. Well try
to phase in the new address as soon as possible."
Talks have been on-going for about a year,
according to Burris. The process began officially
with a formal proposal last September, he said.
In the Northwest, said Hass, changes like this
happen about twice a year. And the reason is
always the same: "to provide more efficient mail
service," said Hass.
Navy Veteran Finds A Home In Grand Ronde As The Community's PostMaster
Cherokee-Choctaw Tribal member Phil Burris wants to finish his career here.
:
Li - U
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Story and Photo by Peta Tinda
Phil Burris, Post
master for the
Grand Ronde Post
Office, has been in
his position for only
two years, but he
has a warm,
friendly style of do
ing things that
have made him a
fixture of the com
munity. Burris lives in
Hopewell, just on
the other side of
Amity, having
moved from
Antioch, California
to Oregon in 1964.
He has worked in
the Postal Service
for 23 years. He started as a part time clerk and
carrier in Silverton before becoming the Post
master for Otis Junction, Mount Hood Parkdale,
and the Dayton offices before coming to Grand
Ronde. He is a Veteran, having served in the
Navy for ten years as machinist's mate on a fast
attack nuclear submarine from 1970 to 1980.
He arrives early at the post office each morn
ing to raise the United States Flag, and lowers
it each evening.
As a small town postmaster, his responsibili
ties include administrating the post office, but
he also keeps track of the finances, posting let
ters and pack
ages, keeping
the stamps
stocked and
manning the
front desk. He
takes care of over
900 addresses in
the Grand Ronde
area, including
328 post office
boxes.
Burris said he
enjoys the famil
iarity that comes
from working at
a small town
post office.
"I always try to
get to know
people by their
first name," he said. "I think it's just in my na
ture to be friendly, that's part of who I am."
Many people who use the Grand Ronde post
office do so because it is more convenient than
many large offices and the customer service is
better.
Nanci Oleson, a speech therapist who was
there mailing packages to her son in Peru, said
that the Grand Ronde post office was her favor
ite office.
"You don't have to stand in line here, like you
do in McMinnville," she said. "And everyone here
is so friendly."
Customer Service Postmaster Phil Burris has only been in
Grand Ronde for a few years, but the Choctaw-Cherokee has quickly
become an asset to the Grand Ronde community. Burris was instru
mental, along with Willamina Postmaster John McCleery in initiating
the address change for Spirit Mountain Casino and 22 other local addresses.
Burris is proud of the fact that in the time that
he's been there, there have been no complaints
or major issues concerning the office.
He said he feels accepted into the local com
munity, and that when he goes to the local pow
wow's people say hello and stop to visit.
"I really enjoy the community and the people
I like being able to help people when they
come in," he said.
Burris is so dedicated to his job that during
the recent ice storm he decided to stay and sleep
at the post office, rather than go home and risk
not making it to open up the next day.
"I was chastised by a lot of people when they
found I slept at the office they said that I had
a place to stay, all I had to do was call but I
didn't want folks to have to drive to come get me
in that weather," he said.
One of the things that Burris enjoys most
about being the only post office in town is that a
lot of people recognize him.
"Just this morning I stopped at the convenience
store for a cup of coffee and a Tribal Elder greeted
me and said: 'Hey Mr. Postman.'"
Burris plans on being the Grand Ronde Post
master for the foreseeable future.
"I've seen places, I've worked in big cities and
I've been around the world, but this is honestly
where I would like to finish my career," he said.
Burris said that his secret is to follow the golden
rule.
"I treat people how I would like to be treated
that's how it is in this community," he said.
"Why would you want to leave?"