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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 2011)
Smoke Signals 3 DECEMBER 15, 2011 General membership receives Tribal lands briefing Holdings now exceed 12,500 acres By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor The Grand Ronde Tribe added more than 150 acres to its land holdings in 2011, pushing Tribal land ownership to more than 12,500 acres, said Tribal member and Tribal Lands Manager Jan Michael Reibach at the Dec. 4 General Council meeting. In 2011, the Tribe added 141 acres when it purchased in early February the Rink properties that straddle Grand Ronde Road. The eastern portion of the purchase is being used by the Tribe to license hay production while the western portion, which included a house, is being considered as the possible location of a women's transition house. In August, the Tribe added an other eight acres when it purchased the Grand Ronde Middle School site from the Willamina School District. The purchase also brought the Tribe a 27,000-square-foot building. And the Tribe added another 3.5 acres when it purchased two sepa rate properties immediately north of the Tribal cemetery on the west side of Grand Ronde Road. "We're not out there buying ev erything," Reibach said. 'The Tribe just buys what makes sense." Reibach said the Tribe now owns 12,513 acres. Broken down by clas sification, the Tribe owns 10,052.38 acres of Reservation-Forest land, 279.92 acres of Reservation-Local land, 401.4 acres of Trust land, 227.93 acres of Trust-Pending land and 1,551.4 acres of Fee land. In mid-November, Reibach re ported that the Williams property, almost 20 acres east of the Tribal Health & Wellness Clinic, officially became trust land. "The application was completed in 6.5 months, which is very re- f Photo by Michelle Alaimo Tribal member Jan Michael Reibach, Tribal Lands Manager, updates the membership on land that the Tribe owns during the General Council meeting held in the Tribal Community Center on Sunday, Dec. 4. markable," he said in a Tribal-wide e-mail. "The Tribe has earned a reputation for having one of the most efficient trust programs in the western United States. We have a great team here with some out standing staff and a Tribal Council that is very astute regarding the process. "Also, the Tribe is truly blessed to work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Siletz Agency's Superin tendent Greg Norton and Realty Officer Art Fisher. Their profes sionalism and due diligence are part of our success." Tribal member Ann Lewis, who works with Reibach as the Tribe's Commercial Real Estate manager, reported that the Cherry City Cen ter in south Salem continues to be profitable for the Tribe as she con tinues to manage the property and negotiate to retain tenants. "We had another successful year with our Cherry City property," Reibach said after the meeting. Lewis said the new Portland area office on Barbur Boulevard now has three tenants Lewis & Clark College, Colonial Life Insurance and Professional Life Insurance paying rent. In addition, the Tribe is still working on development plans for the Chemawa Station property in Keizer. Lewis also said that the Tribe sold its interest in the 283-unit Russellville Commons development in Portland in 2011, and the profits were used to help fund per capita, economic development and pur chase of the Grand Ronde Middle School site. "We go the extra mile," Reibach said about Tribal management of its lands. "We're Native Americans. We take care of our land." In other action during the Gen eral Council meeting, Tribal Elders Samantha Dala, Linda Brandon, Margaret Provost, Louise Medeiros, Richard Ray, Cherie Butler, Louise Coulson and Wink Soderberg were nominated to run for four open seats on the Elders' Committee. Committee Chair Gladys Hobbs said voting to fill the positions will occur twice at the Dec. 28 Elders birthday meeting at the Elders' Activity Center and at the Jan. 8 General Council meeting. Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy and Spirit Mountain Ca sino Chief Executive Officer Rodney Ferguson also received plaques from Dr. Dale Walker (Cherokee), president of the Association of American Indian Physicians, in appreciation for the Tribe's support of the organization's recent confer ence held in Portland. Besides financial support, Tribal staff helped with putting on the conference, as well as providing cultural events, Walker said. "Your organization did a great job," Walker said. "And thanks to (Public Affairs Director) Siobhan Taylor. What a valuable person you have working for you." Before the General Council meet ing started, Tribal Elder Val Grout gave the invocation and Tribal members Bobby Mercier and Brian Krehbiel performed the drum song "New Beginnings." Tribal Elder Carol Gleason, Trib al youth Nolen DeLoe and Tribal member Alexandra Foster won the $50 door prizes while Tribal Elder Wink Soderberg won the $100 door prize. The next General Council meet ing will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 8, in the Tribal Community Center. Committee & Special Event Board meeting days and times Below is the most current information on the meeting days and times for Tribal Committees and Special Event Boards: Ceremonial Hunt Board meets as needed. Chair: Shonn Leno. Cultural Trust Board meets at 4 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. Chair: Perri McDaniel. Culture Committee meets at 1 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month in Modular No. 3. Chair: Kathy Provost. Education Committee meets at 5:15 p.m. on the first Monday of the month in the Adult Education Building. Chair: Shelby Rogers. Elders' Committee meets at 10 a.m. the third Wednesday of the month in the Elders' Activity Center. Chair: Gladys Hobbs. Enrollment Committee meets quarterly in Room 204 of the Governance Building. Acting Chair: Robert Schmid. Fish & Wildlife Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month at the Natural Resources Building. Chair: Harold Lyon. Health Committee meets at 1 0 a.m. the second Wednesday of the month in the Tribal Wellness Center. Acting Chair: Patti Tom-Martin. Powwow Special Event Board meets at 5 p.m. the first Thursday of the month at the Tribal Community Center. Chair: Dana Ainam. Rodeo Special Event Board meets at 6 p.m. the first Thursday of the month at the Tribal Rodeo Office. Acting Chair: Harold Lyon. Social Services Committee meets at 4 p.m. the second Monday of the month in the Social Services Conference Room. Chair: Ron Hudson. Timber Committee meets at 5 p.m. the second Thursday of the month at the Natural Resources Building. Chair: Bob Mercier. Veterans Special Event Board meets at 4 p.m. the first Tuesday of the month in the Tribal Community Center. Chair: Dakota Whitecloud. ftileettDDncfj off inrDiiinxdls f. J Photo by Michelle Alaimo Tribal Vice Chair Reyn Leno, left, speaks during a meeting with Polk County Commissioners Mike Ainsworth, second from left, Craig Pope, second from right, and Jennifer Wheeler, right, on Tuesday, Nov. 29. Tribal member Justin Martin, the Tribe's lobbyist, arranged the meeting so the commissioners could meet Tribal Council, learn the Tribe's history and work on future government-to-government relations. Sitting between Ainsworth and Pope is Tribal Council member Kathleen Tom.
