S moke S ignals
march 15, 2014
5
Tribal capital improvements will continue in 201
General Council briefed on
projects on tap for this year
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
A new food bank.
A 20-unit apartment complex.
A new lift station on Ackerson
Road to decrease Tribal dependence
on the local sanitary district and
Polk County.
Those are some of the capital im-
provement projects occurring in 2014
that will improve Tribal members’
lives, said Tribal Engineer Jesse
White during a presentation at the
March 2 General Council meeting
held in the Community Center.
White, who was hired by the
Tribe in October 2011, briefed
the membership on the combined
Engineering, Public Works, Waste-
water Treatment and Facilities
Maintenance Department, which
he manages, as well as projects
that will make life better for Tribal
members in 2014.
The new food bank will have
3,000 square feet of warehouse and
distribution area and be located
closer to Tribal housing on the Curl
Property on the west side of Grand
Ronde Road next to the current
recycling area.
The current food bank facility
near Uyxat Powwow Grounds is
“aging dramatically,” White said.
“This will be a nice place for dis-
tribution of food supplies,” White
said.
The 20-unit apartment complex
will provide housing for low-income
Tribal members who might be
single and not in need of a larger
residence.
It will be constructed on the
lamina Middle School,
which is being remod-
eled into the Tribal mu-
seum and cultural center,
Chachalu.
In addition, Mercier co-
ordinated the Tribe har-
vesting cedar trees from
Willamette National For-
est that were milled into
planks that now are the
southern exterior siding
on Chachalu.
The two wastewater
treatment plants, over-
seen by Lewis Younger,
serve Elder housing and
Tribal family housing.
Photo by Dean Rhodes
“These plants meet all
Tribal engineer Jesse White made the main
Environmental Protec-
presentation about Tribal capital improvement
tion Agency and Depart-
projects slated for 201 during the March 2
ment of Environmental
General Council meeting held in the Community Quality regulated water
protection requirements,”
Center.
White said. “The good
thing about these plants is they treat
31.3-acre trust parcel known as the
raw sewage for irrigation re-use, cre-
Smith Tract across the street from
ating a drought-proof supply.”
the Grand Ronde Tribal Housing
Facilities Maintenance is charged
Authority Office.
with maintenance of Tribal build-
And the Ackerson Road waste-
ings, keeping the buildings clean
water lift station will funnel more
and safe and maintaining the
wastewater from the Tribal campus
Tribal grounds and property, White
into the Tribe’s two membrane bio-
said. Employees have been instru-
reactor plants.
mental in the recent remodel of the
“We are working on getting all of
Tribal Council conference room, the
our Tribal facilities to be treated by
Tribal Court remodeling project,
these plants,” White said.
installing the house pole in the
During his presentation, White
Governance Center Atrium and
said his department’s mission is to
helping with development of the
improve the quality of life for all
new community garden.
Tribal members.
Facilities Maintenance also is
The Public Works Department,
charged with maintaining the
headed by John Mercier, has ac-
Tribal Cemetery, Uyxat Powwow
complished much in 2013, including
Grounds and the Natural Resourc-
installing a new culvert on Yoncalla
es building off Hebo Road.
Creek Road and overseeing the
White said Engineering, which he
asbestos abatement at the old Wil-
is directly involved in, works with
many Tribal departments on capital
improvement projects. Engineering
also works closely with the Tribal
Historic Preservation Office to ensure
construction projects do not disturb
Tribal historical or cultural arti-
facts.
Engineering has been busy work-
ing on the Chachalu remodel and
the new women’s transition house
on Grand Ronde Road that will
house eight clients.
White said his department also
works closely with the new Tribal
Employment Rights Office to en-
sure Tribal members and Indian-
owned businesses work on Tribal
capital improvement projects.
He said an Indian-owned busi-
ness won the contract to remodel
the women’s transition house and
two full-time workers on the project
were Tribal members.
White added that TERO will be
used on construction of the new
apartment complex.
In other action, it was announced
that the next General Council meet-
ing will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday,
April 6, at the Tribal Community
Center in Grand Ronde.
Jackie Many Hides, Val Alex-
ander and Chloe Guardiola won
the $50 door prizes and Russell
Wilkinson won the $100 door prize.
Beaded necklaces created by Tribal
Council member Jon A. George also
were raffled off.
Jan Looking Wolf Reibach, Brian
Krehbiel, Bobby Mercier, Jacob
Holmes and Kailiyah Krehbiel per-
formed the cultural drumming and
singing to open the meeting.
Former Tribal Council member
Steve Bobb Sr. provided the invo-
cation. n
Tribal board to help in upcoming constitutional election
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Tribal Council appointed the
Tribe’s current Election Board
members to serve on a Bureau of
Indian Affairs Special Board that
will oversee the upcoming constitu-
tional amendment election during
its March 5 meeting.
Tribal voters will be asked in
early June whether they want to
institute term limits for Tribal
Council service, as well as if they
want to remove Bureau of Indian
Affairs and Secretary of the Inte-
rior oversight and involvement in
Tribal constitutional elections.
The current five members of the
Tribal Election Board are Penny
DeLoe, Joanne Mercier, Sharon
Hanson, Michael Mercier and
Deanna Johnston. The director of
the BIA’s Siletz Agency office will
chair the special election board.
Tribal Senior Staff Attorney De-
neen Aubertin Keller said registra-
tion forms will be sent out to Tribal
members in early April. Since this
will be a special BIA election, Tribal
members wishing to vote will have
to register. Being already regis-
tered to vote in Tribal elections will
not suffice, Keller said.
“The only way to remove the BIA
is to remove that requirement from
your Constitution,” Keller said at
the March 4 Legislative Action
Committee hearing. “They are very
happy to step out of this process as
well, but the Constitution requires
secretarial elections and secretarial
approval of all amendments. … If
this passes, this will be the last
time you have to do that.”
The term limits proposal going
to Tribal voters would limit future
Tribal Council service to three
consecutive three-year terms. After
reaching that limit, a Tribal Coun-
cil member would have to take a
year off before becoming eligible
to run again. The amendment, if
passed, would not be retroactive to
those currently serving on Tribal
Council.
To amend the Tribal Constitution,
at least 30 percent of registered
Tribal voters must cast a ballot and
at least 66.7 percent of those voting
must approve the change.
In other action, Tribal Council
approved a first reading of amend-
ments to the Employment Action
Review Ordinance that would send
contested employment actions di-
rectly to Tribal Court for a hearing
by a neutral third party and end the
current Independent Review Board
process that requires a three-mem-
ber board of Tribal employees hear
the case first.
Tribal Chair Reyn Leno said he
thinks the amendments will create
a fairer process for employees.
Tribal Council also sent amend-
ments to the Burial Fund Ordi-
nance out for a second reading.
New proposed amendments define
the word “spouse” and allow those
receiving the burial benefit to use
some of the money to buy a Pendle-
ton blanket from the Tribe for the
funeral service.
Previously proposed amendments
to the Burial Fund Ordinance in-
crease the benefit to $5,500 and up
the reception benefit to $300.
In other action, Tribal Council:
• Appointed Alton Butler as the
part-time Tribal Building Offi-
cial;
• Approved Tribal credit cards for
new Health Services Executive
Director Jeffrey Lorenz and Po-
lice Officer Patrick McConnell,
who will be able to purchase
food, supplies and emergency vet-
erinary care for his K-9 partner
Nix-Wa;
• Declared March 14 as the per
capita distribution date;
• Approved the Cougar Logging
Unit timber sale;
• Extended the security contract
with Advanced Security through
the end of 2014;
• And approved enrollment of two
infants into the Tribe.
Also included in the Tribal Coun-
cil packet for March 5 was an au-
thorization to proceed that set fees
for Tribal cultural classes, which
will remain free for Tribal members
and require all others to reimburse
the Tribe for the cost of materials,
if applicable. n
Foundation seeking applications
SALEM – West Valley Hospital Foundation scholarship applications
for students in medically related fields of study became available on Feb.
1 and must be returned by Friday, March 28. Applicants must have a
permanent residence in Polk County or be a West Valley Hospital em-
ployee or a family member of a West Valley Hospital employee, and must
have applied to a college in their field of study before applying for the
scholarship. Visit www.salemhealth.org/scholarships and click on the
West Valley Foundation Scholarship link for more information and to
download an application. Call 503-831-3456 for more information. n