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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2015)
14 S moke S ignals OCTOBER 1, 2015 Letters Dear Tribal members: I am writing in response to Angie Blackwell's letter in the Sept. 15, 2015, issue of Smoke Signals. Angie Blackwell is correct that I do not live in the Grand Ronde, Ore., area. However, Angie is not correct in thinking that I do not have a way of knowing what Tribal issues the Tribal members in Grand Ronde are talking about. There are various means of communication that are available if a person wants to utilize them and that is what I have done over the years to try and stay in touch with what is going on in the Tribe. Angie Blackwell is correct that enrollment is one of the Tribal issues that I have strong feelings about. I have stated on various occasions that I believe if a person is found not to meet the constitutional membership requirements at the time they were enrolled they should be disenrolled as is set forth in the Tribe's Constitution. I would think most Tribal members feel the same way. I am a LaChance descendant and therefore probably related to over half of our Tribal membership. There is also a strong possibility that I am a descen- dant of Frank Norwest, who I think is one of Angie Blackwell's ancestors. If that is the case, I would be related by blood to Angie Blackwell and even more of our Tribal membership. Regardless of all of that, I consider my family to be my late mother, my three sisters and their children and my four children. All the members of my family have been enrolled for many years. For those who do not know, a few years ago the Tribal Council approved a change to the Enrollment Ordinance that will allow a person to be added to the Restoration Roll based on certain criteria. Something like that could help quite a few Tribal members who do not have an ancestor on the Restoration Roll. A person would have to contact the Member Services Department to find out more about that. In regards to what was revealed at the July 29, 2015, Tribal Council meeting, two days after that meeting I requested and received a copy of the handouts that were given out at the beginning of the meeting. In the handouts was a copy of an authorization to proceed that was signed by six members of the Tribal Council who were Jack Giffen Jr., Toby McClary, Jon A. George, To- nya Gleason, Cheryle A. Kennedy and Ed Pearsall. In looking at the ATP, I do not see where “several items are bundled together” as Angie Blackwell wrote. Instead I see the words, “Remove the requirement that an applicant for membership have a parent who is or was a member of the Tribe at the time of the applicant's birth and, if living, at the time of application.” I don't see how that wording could be considered to be any kind of a bundle. In closing, I want to say that I stand by my statement in the Aug. 15, 2015, issue of Smoke Signals that there wasn’t any talk of “gerrymandering” after the disenrollment of 34 children and adults on Dec. 3, 2008. I will also add there wasn't any talk of “gerrymandering” after the disenrollment of various Tribal members during the Tribal Council meeting in August 2013 that lasted for about two days. It is only recently that Angie Blackwell and some others have come up with the term “gerrymandering” for their own political reasons. Leroy Good Roll #892 Zoe Morriss Alvarez born Sept. 1, 2015 7lbs 1oz, 19 & 1/2 inches, is lovingly welcomed by proud parents Daniel & Elizabeth (4282) Alvarez along with excited big siblings Seven, Justice, Carsten & Mercedes. ELDERS’ RETIREMENT PROGRAM AND SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME PROGRAM ORDINANCE OPEN FOR COMMENT The Tribal Council is considering adopting amendments to the Elders’ Retirement Program and Supplemental Security Income Program Or- dinance. The proposed amendments were given a First Reading at the August 26, 2015, Tribal Council meeting. The proposed amendments include: 1. Providing three months of benefits to surviving spouses of Tribal Elders; 2. Replacing outdated payment amount of $100 with “monthly amount established by Tribal Council;” 3. Adding definitions of “Spouse” and “Executive”; and 4. Replacing all references to “Executive Officer” with “Executive.” The Tribal Council invites comment on the proposed amendments. For a copy of the proposed amendments please contact the Tribal Attor- ney’s Office at 503-879-4664. Please send your comments to the Tribal Attorney’s Office, 9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347 or by e-mail to legal@grandronde.org. Comments must be received by Oct. 15, 2015. Notice of planned ICDBG application & Community Development Statement Early Childhood Education Center Preschool Addition Project The Grand Ronde Tribal Council collected comments and suggestions from the Tribal community and selected building a Preschool Addition to the Early Childhood Education Center in Grand Ronde for the Tribe’s 2015 Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) application to HUD. A 1,800-square-foot project addition is planned for the south side of the center. It would add two classrooms to serve twenty additional 3 to 5 year old children and eight additional 2 year old children. Also 200 square feet of existing space would be renovated to expand the kitchen. The estimated development cost is $667,000 and would be covered by $500,000 from this ICDBG application and $167,000 in match from Tribal funds or from the Grand Ronde Tribal Housing Department’s Indian Housing Block Grant funding. There would be an estimated $10,000 in startup costs including furnishings, increased annual program operating costs estimated at $253,363, and $18,073 in added annual facility operating costs. These costs would be provided by the Tribe less any portion provided by grant funding such as the Administration for Children and Families. To comment on the proposed application please contact Kim Rogers, Planning & Grants Development Manager, at 503-879-2250 or send your comments to him at 9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, OR 97347. Written comments should be provided by 8:30 a.m. Oct. 13, 2015. Tribal Council will also collect comments at their Oct. 14, 2015, Tribal Council meeting at which council will consider formally authorizing this application. Ad created by George Valdez