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MARCH 1, 2004
Grand Ronde Road Widening Effort Gets Big Boost
Road Widening continued
from front page .
tive community supported such a
project.
Four years later, a project is in place
to widen Grand Ronde Road, add bike
paths and sidewalks on both sides of
the road, improve and enlarge the lo
cal sewer main, redirect storm water
from ditches back into natural path
ways and, if funding is available, to
improve the intersection at Grand
Ronde Road at State Highway 18.
Under the plan, the roadway itself
will only increase a foot or two (because
the asphalt currently tails off unevenly
to dirt, and afterward will run cleanly
to curbs), but it also will include two
five-foot bike lanes and two-six foot
sidewalks, including the curb space.
Multiple funding agencies and
grants have been awarded for various
aspects of the two-year, $3.2 million
project, which could begin this year.
"Most of the funding gaps have been
filled," said Eric Scott, Tribal Engineer
and General Manager of the project.
"We're trying to be creative to find
funding sources for those outstanding
items" now less than $500,000 worth.
Some of this money remains contin
gent on Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
dollars currently being considered in
a major federal transportation bill.
"The project will likely save the lo
cal county road maintenance dollars,"
said Kim Rogers, Planning and Grants
Development Manager, "because paved
roads with curb and gutter are less
expensive to maintain than roadside
ditches."
The project also will allow more sewer
water to be processed by the Grand Ronde
Sanitary
District be
cause less
storm water
will go
through the
existing
treatment
plant
The
project will
allow devel
opment by
other par
ties within
the sewer
district ser
vice area
along the
road and is
part of the
groundwork necessary for the next two
stages of Tribal housing.
Scott and other Tribal staffers con
tinue to work through community and
regulatory hurdles. The next one, a
public meeting in mid-April, will pro
vide a review of the latest plans and
describe to individual landowners any
specific impacts the project will have
for them, according to Scott.
Also worth noting:
D Grand Ronde Road passes the ac
cess roads to Grand Meadows, the
Tribal campus, Elder Housing and the
newest Tribal housing development,
Chxi Musam Illihi, ofFTyee Road.
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Plan David Reece, Project Engineer and Consultant from Reece
& Associates of Albany, describes how the project will redirect storm
water from ditches back into natural waterways.
H A cantilever footbridge will provide
walking and bike paths over the
South Yamhill River at Grand Ronde
Road.
B The sidewalk will be built on the
east side of the road only from
McPherson Road to the Grand Ronde
Middle School. The west side of the
road is currently vacant and mainly
a flood plain. A cross-walk at
McPherson will allow pedestrians to
cross over.
Crosswalks also will be built at Tyee
and Ackerson roads, and at the Grand
Ronde Middle School.
B The kids at Grand Ronde Middle
School will be happy to see sidewalks
for the road.
"Sometimes, the semis go by fast
and you have to stop and get out of the
way so you don't get knocked down and
stuff," said Tribal youth Alicia
Phillips, who lives in Chxi Musam
Illihi. "If you're walking with more
than one person, you have to walk one
behind the other."
For brothers Brandon and Denny
Linton, both Tribal members who live
in Chxi Musam Illihi, there are close
calls all the time. "Sometimes, I'll be
like walking to school," said Brandon,
"and it'll be close. You have to cross to
the other side or look for a driveway."
Makayla Rock, another resident of Chxi
Musam Illihi, was walking home along
Grand Road for the first time last week.
All the way up the road, she was looking
back to see if something was coming.
The keys to all this development are
grants from the Indian Community
Development section of HUD, BIA,
Indian Health Service (IHS), Grand
Ronde Sanitary District and Confed
erated Tribes of Grand Ronde, which
has expressed a willingness to provide
significant backup funds in case other
granting dollars fall through. B
Community Fund Honored for "Regional, Intergovernmental Cooperation"
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Quality Of Life Yamhill County Commissioner Leslie Lewis announces the Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Govern
ments (COG) award to the Spirit Mountain Community Fund. Accepting for the Community Fund are Tribal Engineer Eric
Scott (with plaque) and Grand Ronde Tribal Housing Authority Executive Director Carina Kistler Ginter. COG Executive
Director David Galati (right) , made the presentation.
By Ron Karien
Carina Kistler Ginter, Director of
the Tribe's Housing Authority, and
Eric Scott, Tribal Engineer, ac
cepted the Regional Cooperative
Project Award for the Spirit Moun
tain Community Fund from David
Galati, Executive Director of the
Mid-Willamette Valley Council of
Governments (COG) on Wednes
day, February 28. The award hon
ored "a project or initiative that has
best exemplified regional, intergov
ernmental cooperation."
The award was given at the COG
Annual Awards meeting in West
Salem.
The Spirit Mountain Community
Fund has "touched so many lives
across the region," said Yamhill
County Commissioner Leslie Lewis,
new chair for COG and Emcee of
the event. The Fund has "truly
helped improve the quality of life"
in the region, said Lewis.
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Attraction Mr. Las
Vegas, Wayne Newton,
visited Spirit Mountain
Casino on February 12
and 13, 2004. Newton
entertained more than
1 ,500 people and sang for
longer than three hours on
both nights. The award
vanning artist is scheduled
to perform 40 weeks per
year and six shows per
week in Las Vegas,
Nevada. Here Newton
shares a quick laugh with
Tribal member and
Executive Casino Host
Tammy Cook as he
prepares to take the stage.
"Danke Schoen, Wayne."
Photos by Toby McClary
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