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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2009)
DECEMBER 1,2009 MOKE SIGNALS Tube Daoudls miew bonDDcflDinig Dim PtoirtiDainKril By Ron Karten Smoke Signals staff writer The Tribe has purchased a new building in Portland. The Portland satellite office, cur rently renting space on Kelly Av enue, will move into the two-story CIDA building at 4445 S.W. Barbur Blvd., at the beginning of next year, said Tribal member and Tribal Re alty Specialist Ann Lewis. Purchase of the 20,000-square-foot building was completed on Nov. 6. Because the Tribe currently uses less than 5,000 square feet of the Kelly Avenue site to house Tribal services, vocational rehabilitation, employment and training, and edu cation resources, most of the new Barbur Boulevard building will be available to rent, producing income for the Tribe. "I paid attention to the market," Lewis said. "I knew the market was going down and I wanted the Tribe to take advantage of the downturn." Lewis has been looking for a prop erty to house the Portland satellite office since the middle of 2008 and has been working to buy the CIDA building since February. "I probably evaluated more than 100 buildings," Lewis said, "and personally inspected more than 35. It was difficult to find something that met all of our criteria." The Tribe was looking for some thing close to public transportation, as well as close in to downtown Portland. "We also wanted something that would appreciate in value and had parking and handicap accessibil ity," Lewis said. The CIDA building is close in to downtown and has 54 parking spaces. It also is handicap acces sible. "It's a beautiful, two-story building with 10,000 square feet on each floor," Lewis said. The building also is in "very good condition." Originally constructed in the 1970s, it was remodeled completely in 1999 by the architect who purchased the building. "He took four buildings and turned them into one, but you'd never know it by looking at the building," Lewis said. "It's so nice I'm thinking about moving my own council office there," said Tribal Council member Chris Mercier. The property never was offered for sale publicly, but Lewis learned about its availability through her industry contacts, and quietly pur sued the purchase. To Lewis, it was "pretty obvious" that the rental building currently used for the Portland satellite of-, fice was "not a building we needed to stay in." "I believe that the Tribal Council has taken a fiscally responsible step to decrease our dependence on an 4445 S.W. Barbur Blvd Rhododendron Parti Q3 m CD Js i CS33 outside entity and move in the di rection of Tribal sovereignty," said Tribal member and Tribal Execu tive Officer Chris Leno. "This project has been on the mind of the Tribe for a very long time," said Tribal member Jan Michael Reibach, manager of the Tribal Lands Department. "Instead of paying somebody else rent, the idea was to position ourselves and pay ourselves the rent, while pro viding quality space for ourselves and other organizations." With the blessing of Tribal Coun cil, Lewis looked for a building to serve the needs of the satellite office and also give the Tribe the benefits of ownership. With owner ship, Lewis said, the Tribe expects Map created by George Valdez to enjoy the increase in value that is generally a benefit of real estate over extended periods of time. "Ann did an excellent job and brought her years of experience to work just at the right time for the Tribe," said Reibach. "I con gratulate her and the Tribe on this wonderful achievement." Mercier ticked off a range of other benefits for the Tribe: "A lot of our members live in Portland, and they use" the office extensively," he said. "Plus Port land is within our ceded lands. And we do a lot of business in Portland. And we can lease out some of the other space, which will bring in additional revenues. All in all, it's a no-lose situation." )iriDai!oaneibss 3 tohristmas?Peiirtu T.7 DO A0;Ml0 j 0oJflo T.toU d dntTQ gCHTf (HTTP ffil i i M QD (ftg (Jfftlftjlb blBSE) - nrrei?f?T ttflD 6XSD ' '' '.'30 --rt (6) (Ctir istmaslStocki nrj j Dccorat i ngContoSt) 6 ) (Catogof ioGHagoX5$1 2Ianc 399 r , V. o) Dring,your,Gtoc!;inn;alrQcdy;cQcoratcd ! Q) 1 st , 2nd f Ci 3rd prize for4bacKlcatogor! o All judge dccioionGAvill bo final) Ploaso bring a gift of socks, or gloves or mittons for local childron and or fostor children Ad created by OeHQe VtkWl
