DECEMBER 1,2007 SmOKE SlCNALS 3
Public transit comes to Grand Ronde on Dec. 3
By Ron Karten
Smoke Sifinala stuff writer
Starting Monday, Dec. 3, the
Grand Ronde Tribe, working with
and through Yamhill County and the
Yamhill Community Action Partner
ship, is extending public transit bus
service to Grand Ronde.
The Action Partnership's previous
service route started in McMin
nville and ran through Sheridan
to Willamina. After the current
round of route changes, the service
will continue to Grand Ronde, and
continue to meet up with connecting
services.
The line connects with Cherriot
Bus Service in west Salem, stopping
at the Lincoln Store and Amity on
the way, as well as linking with
routes going to the MAX line in I lill
sboro, the TriMet line in Sherwood
and the SAMT line in Salem.
The Tribe worked with state and
federal transit agencies to obtain
funding for the service extension.
The Tribal piece of the funding comes
from annual state Special Transpor
tation Funds earmarked to benefit
the Grand Ronde community.
Tribal Council approved entering
into a contract with the Yamhill
County Transit Area to arrange
for the service from the area's local
public transit provider (the Action
Partnership). The $42,900 contract
comes out of Tribal STF funding.
The schedule includes seven
round-trips daily, Monday through
Friday, between McMinnville and
Grand Ronde. As scheduled, and the
schedule is likely to change as the
new offerings are evaluated, buses
will leave the Grand Ronde Tribal
campus at 5 a.m., 6:55 a.m., 9:10
a.m., 11:05 a.m., 1:05 p.m., 3 p.m.
and 6:10 p.m. The last bus from
McMinnville arrives at 8:05 p.m.
Planned stops include Grand
Ronde Station at Spirit Mountain
Casino. Riders can walk over or
call for the casino shuttle to pick
them up.
The bus then goes to Grand
Ronde Road and turns right. It
goes past Grand Meadows and the
Housing Administration building
and then turns left into Elder
housing and comes around to the
Community Center and then back
out onto Grand Ronde Road.
The buses have four-way flashers
currently used anywhere deemed
safe to stop traffic and pick people
up on the side of the road along
the official route. Stops could be at
the southeast corner of McPherson
and Grand Ronde Road for Grand
Meadows residents heading north or
the opposite side of the road head
ing south. Another stop could be at
the southeast corner of Tyee by the
Housing Administration building.
Elders, 55 and older, and the
disabled living within three-quarters
of a mile of the route who call
at least two hours in advance will
be picked up at their address.
For more information, check out
the Web site at www.yctransitarea.
org or call 503-4 71-4910 or 503-551-7897.
In McMinnville, passengers can
transfer to buses that go on separate
routes to Salem, Newbcrg and, from
there, to Portland and Hillsboro.
The bus is open to the general
public and has a wheelchair lift.
The Tribal Council appointed
three members of the Elders Com
mittee to serve as the required STF
Advisory Committee and commit
tee members selected this service
extension to Grand Ronde as the
priority for public transit.
Tribal Elder Val Grout, appointed
chair of the STF Committee, said
that the extension would be a big
help for Elders.
"I think it will help a lot of the
Elders who don't drive," she said.
'Transportation is a huge barrier
to employment services," said Tribal
Social Services Manager Dave Fuller
ton. "We deal with the transportation
barrier all the time. (This bus service)
will provide another resource for
Tribal members to reach their poten
tial and to reach out for other services
and opportunities. Transportation is
a barrier that nine out of 10 times
explains people's inability to get to
places, whether to work or to be with
their family."
The Tribal Council adopted the
Tribe's Transit Plan this past
summer. The Tribe is looking at
arranging for more limited service
to Dallas and weekend service to
Salem. A local area Grand Ronde
dial-a-ride and employee commuter
shuttle to the casino are options
also being explored for additional
transit funding.
Among benefits for the community,
planners cite commuters wanting to
save on gas, services for people with
out a second car or driver's licenses,
and people needing transportation
to appointments and shopping.
Another benefit is that groceries
often are more expensive in Grand
Ronde. People pay more for the con
venience of buying locally. People
on limited incomes can save five
to 10 times the cost of the bus fare
if they can ride the bus to a city or
town with lower prices to buy two
bags of groceries. The larger the
town, the lower grocery prices.
Cost for the service to any stop on
the route is $1 each way, $2 for an
all-day pass, or $30 for a monthly
pass.
Includes information from Kim
Rogers, Tribal Planning and Grants
manager, who is overseeing the
contract.
Grand Ronde officials attend 1 0th Tribal State Summit
By Siobhan Taylor
Public Affairs director
This year's Tribal State Summit
marked the 10th anniversary of
meetings between representatives
from Oregon's nine federally recog
nized Tribes and representatives of
state government.
Attendees ranged from eight
Oregon Tribal chairs to Gov. Ted
Kulongoski, and included legisla
tors, state department heads, state
agency staff members and Tribal
government representatives.
This year's conference was held
Nov. 8 at the Kah-nee-ta High
Desert Resort and Casino in Warm
Springs, hosted by the Confederated
Tribes of Warm Springs.
The theme was "Looking 10
Years Back and 10 Years For
ward." The day before the confer
ence, pre-summit work groups
allowed representatives from the
Tribes and state agencies to share
information and concerns.
The Tribal State Summit was
established as part of an executive
order that states "the purpose of
formalizing the government-to-government
relationship that exists be
tween Oregon's Indian tribes and the
state is to establish a process which
can assist in resolving conflicts,
maximize key inter-governmental
relations and enhance an exchange
of ideas and resources for the greater
good of all of Oregon's citizens,
whether Tribal members or not."
Kulongoski kicked off the sum
mit after a Tribal invocation, honor
song and presentation of the colors
by a veterans honor guard, by
reminding attendees of the upcom
ing Veterans Day. He singled out
the Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde for the
honor they give
to veterans in the
West Valley with
the Tribe's Veter
ans Memorial.
Kulongoski
reminisced about
his early August
trip to Grand
Ronde to visit
"the Tribal Coun
cil, my friend and
council member
Chris Mercier
and Tribal Chair
woman (Cheryle)
Kennedy." He
also said that if
summit attend
ees had not visited
the Veterans Me
morial, designed
by Tribal Coun
cil member Steve
Bobb, they owed
it to themselves to
visit Grand Ronde
and see the out
standing way the Tribe honors
veterans.
Kulongoski talked about the
meaningful dialogue between the
state and Tribes that builds trust
and mutual respect. He reaffirmed
the state's understanding of Tribal
sovereignty, and addressed com
mon values and goals that both
state and Tribes work together on
to solve problems and build and
strengthen future relationships.
When Kulongoski touched on the
defeat of Measure 50 the 1 lealthy
Kids plan he mentioned Senate
Bill 329, which set up a task force for
lawmakers and community leaders
mi mm - e
if
Photo by Angie Sears
Grand Ronde Tribal Council members, from left, Steve Bobb Sr., Chris Mercier and Wink
Soderberg stand with Gov. Ted Kulongoski (second from right) during the 10th annual Tribal
State Summit held Nov. 8 at Kah-nee-ta High Desert Resort and Casino in Warm Springs. The
event was hosted by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and provides an opportunity for
state officials to interact with representatives from Oregon's nine federally recognized Tribes.
to create a strategy to make afford
able health care available to all Or
egonians. Kulongoski thanked Tribal
Chairwoman Kennedy for serving on
that Benefits Subcommittee.
After Kulongoski's remarks,
Tribal chairs discussed their suc
cesses and hopes for the future.
Kennedy talked in-depth about the
benefits and resources now enjoyed
by Grand Ronde Tribal members,
including health care, endowments,
educational growth and more.
She also discussed the intergov
ernmental cooperation between
Grand Hondo and state and local
agencies on projects ranging from
environmental quality to animal
habitat to road and highway im
provements. Sessions at the midday break
allowed state agency representa
tives and Tribal members to net
work and share information about
their programs and initiatives.
Grand Ronde media kits, copies
of Tribal newspaper Smoke Signals
and Tribal pins flew out the door as
conference participants moved from
table to table.
Next year's conference is sched
uled for November at the new Three
Rivers Resort and Casino in Lane
County operated by the Confeder
ated Tribes of the Coos, Lower
Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians.