4 MAY 1,2008
Smoke Signals
CasDffl expaii-sntDin) peons to poalbDk
Tribal member event slated for Monday, May 12, with tours, opening of Cedar Plank Buffet
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
The southern expansion of Spirit
Mountain Casino will open exclu
sively to Tribal members on Mon
day, May 12, with an open house
set from 5 to 7 p.m.
Four days later, the expansion's new
Events and Entertainment Center
will open to the public with perfor
mances by comedian Dana Carvey on
Friday, May 16, and rock band Blues
Traveler on Saturday, May 17.
On Monday, May 12, tours will be
conducted of the Events and Enter
tainment Center for Tribal members
and light appetizers will be served.
In addition, the traditional Tribal
Elders Monday night dinner will
be served at the new Cedar Plank
Buffet in the southern expansion
starting on May 12. The new buf
fet also will be open to the general
public starting at 4 p.m. May 12. It
will feature seven menu stations: in
ternational, pizza, carving, seafood,
American, Asian and bakery items.
The current Coyote Buffet inside
Spirit Mountain Casino's main
building will close at the end of the
day on Sunday, May 11. Therefore,
breakfast and lunch buffet will not
be available on Monday, May 12.
The southern expansion is Spirit
Mountain Casino's fourth major
expansion since opening in Octo
ber 1995. The two
story expansion
will add 135,396
square feet to the
casino, including
the 1,800-seat
Events and Enter
tainment Center,
new buffet and
conference rooms.
The casino's Hu
man Resources
Department and
Gaming Commis
sion offices moved
into the second
floor of the south
ern expansion in
February.
The southern
expansion also
will increase casi
no parking by 700
spaces to 3,600.
The new Events
and Entertainment
Center also will
double as the new bingo hall, with
afternoon and early evening games
Sunday through Wednesday.
In February, Interim Spirit Moun
tain Casino General Manager Roy
Rhode said the southern expansion
supports the vision of turning the
casino into a "premiere entertain
ment destination."
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Photo by Michelle Alalmo
Russ Ellis, left, and Keith Lay measure a piece of wood that will be used on the stage of new
Events and Entertainment Center that is part of the southern expansion of Spirit Mountain
Casino. The two work for S.D. Deacon General Contractor.
"The latest expansion project takes
us to an ever higher level of guest
service with state-of-the-art facilities
that create a relaxing and comfort
able environment," Rhode said.
"As the premiere entertainment
and dining destination in the re
gion, we will continue to improve
and upgrade this property. It's a
very exciting time to be part of
Spirit Mountain Casino and we wel
come everyone to come see our new
buffet and conference space."
Other concerts scheduled for this
summer include country singers
Clint Black on July 25 and Wynon
na Judd on Aug. 15, and comedian
Dennis Miller on Sept. 12-13. B
Still time to comment on Cascade Locks proposal
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Although the five public hear
ings on the Cascade Locks Resort
and Casino Draft Environmental
Impact Statement are over, Grand
Ronde Tribal members can still
submit comments.
The Warm Springs Tribe is re
questing that the U.S. Department
of Interior take 25 acres into trust
within the city of Cascade Locks so
that the Tribe can build a proposed
$389 million, 603,000-square-foot
riverfront destination and casino.
The Grand Ronde Tribe opposes the
request because it abrogates a long
standing principle of one casino per
Tribe on reservation land in Oregon.
The Warm Springs Tribe, with
the largest reservation in Oregon,
already operates a casino in central
Oregon and is seeking to build a
new casino off reservation in the
Columbia River Gorge.
Deadline to comment on the draft
environmental impact statement is
May 15.
Ways to comment include:
Submit comments using the
project Web site at www. gorge
casinoeis.comcocommentform. html.
Mail or hand deliver written com
ments to Stanley Speaks, North
west Regional Director, Bureau
of Indian Affairs. 911 N.E. 11th
Ave., Portland, OH 97232, or send
a fax to 503-231-2275.
Mail in response postcards avail
able at the front desk in the Gov
ernance Center in Grand Ronde
and at the Portland and Eugene
satellite offices.
After May 15, the Bureau of
Indian Affairs will review public
comments and begin working on
the final environmental impact
statement, which may be released
later this year and have a 30-day
comment period.
After that, the final statement
will be sent to the Assistant Secre
tary for Indian Affairs for a record
of decision.
Tribal members who would like
to contact members of the Oregon
congressional delegation regarding
the Warm Springs Tribe's efforts
to build a casino in the Columbia
River Gorge can contact them by
using the following information:
Sen. Ron Wyden
223 Dirkscn Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: 202-221-5211
Fax: 202-228-2717
Web: http:wyden.senate.govcon-
tact
Portland: 503-326-7525
Salem: 503-589-4555
Sen. Gordon Smith
404 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington. D.C. 20510
Phone: 202-224-3753
Fax: 202-228-3997
Web: www.senate.gov-gsmith
webform.html.
Portland Office:
One World Trade Center
121 S.W. Salmon St., Suite 1250
Portland, OR 97204
Phone: 503-326-3386
Fax: 503-326-2900
Eugene Office:
Wayne Morse
Federal Courthouse
405 E. 8th Ave.
Eugene, OR 97401
Phone: 541-465-6750
Fax: 541-465-6808
Rep. David Wu,
1st District
2338 Rayburn House
Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Fax: 202-225-9497
Phone: 202-225-0855
Web: www.house.govwuemail.
shtml
Portland office:
620 S.W. Main. Suite 606
Portland, OR 97205
Phone: 503-326-2901
Toll Free: 800-422-4003
Fax: 503-326-5066
Darlene Hooley,
5th District
2130 Rayburn House
Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: 202-225-5711
Fax: 202-225-5699
Web: http:hooley.house.gov
Salem office:
315 Mission St. S.E. No. 101
Salem, Oregon 97302
Phone: 503-588-9100
Fax: 503-588-5517
West Linn office:
21570 Willamette Drive
West Linn, OR 97068
Phone: 503-557-1324
Fax: 503-557-1981
Rep. Earl Bluemenauer,
3rd District
2267 Rayburn House
Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: 202-225-4811
Fax: 202-225-8941
Web: http:blumenauer. house.
govaboutContact.shtml
Portland office:
729 N.E. Oregon St., Suite 115
Portland, OR 97232
Phone: 503-231-2300
Fax: 503-230-5413
Rep. Peter DeFazio,
4th District
2134 Rayburn House
Office Building
Washington D.C, 20515
Phone: 202-225-6416
Fax: 202-225-0032
Web: www.house.govformdcfazio
contact.html
Eugene office:
405 E. 8th Ave. No. 2030
Eugene, OR 97401
Phone: 511-465-6732
Coos Bay:
125 Central, Suite 350
Coos Bay, OR 97420
Phone: 541-269-2609
Roseburg:
612 S.E Jackson St., Room 9
Roseburg, OR 97470
Phone: 611-410-3523
Or call toll-free at 1 -800-9 I t-
9603 B