2
S MOKE S IGNALS
OCTOBER 1, 2015
NOTICE — Monthly Tribal Council Wednesday Meetings
DATE
TIME
Wednesday, Oct. 14.............................................................................5 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 28.............................................................................5 p.m.
Please note that these times and dates are subject to change if needed.
Letters
Dear Cheryle Kennedy:
I have to admit I became a little emotional watching your members escort
the fi rst Orange Line train over a bridge named by the Grand Ronde. At
that moment, the name Tilikum had such a deep meaning.
Your speech was simply beautiful. You spoke from your heart and cap-
tured the spirit of the day. I could have happily spent the entire day with
your members at the camp listening to the stories, sampling the salmon
and watching the dancing. That experience was such a gift to the whole
community.
The people of the Grand Ronde made opening day and the entire light
rail line special and different from all the other light rail lines. For that,
I, our board and our entire region are grateful to you and your members.
Neil McFarlane
TriMet general manager
Dear Tribal members:
This letter is in support of a swimming pool for the Grand Ronde area.
My number one reason for wanting a pool is that having a swimming
pool in the area would be highly benefi cial to Tribal members with health
concerns such as fi bromyalgia, muscular dystrophy, muscular sclerosis,
tendonitis, scoliosis, bursitis, arthritis, brain injuries, improved blood sugar
levels in patients with diabetes, lower blood pressure, etc.
If hydrotherapy was offered, individuals with those and other ailments
would benefi t from the utilization of the pool. Instead of referring to other areas
which offer hydro/physical therapy, doctors could refer to our facility. For the
sake of insurance purposes, one would think it would save the Tribe money.
I also believe that a pool would be benefi cial for the following reasons:
Socialization of our youth. I cannot say how many times within this
past summer I have heard parents, grandparents, neighbors and friends,
etc., talk about their kids (or others) sitting in front of the TV or playing
videos instead of getting outside and doing something active. Believe it
or not, kids like to swim!
Points to consider:
1. There are 1,021 Tribal members residing in the Grand Ronde, Willamina
and Sheridan area.
2. Open it up to the surrounding community. I’m sure many folks would
rather not drive for an hour or so for therapy or leisure.
3. The nearest towns to offer a swimming pool are McMinnville (26 miles) and
Dallas (23 miles). For folks who live in the Grand Ronde/Willamina areas,
it takes an average of half an hour to drive to these towns and half an hour
drive home. Sheridan, not so much as they are closer but that doesn’t mean
the drive is any easier for them at certain points of the day. My point is, it
takes an hour or so of travel to use the swimming pools in those areas.
For argument sake let’s use this scenario: Say a parent works and
lives in Grand Ronde and their child takes (or wants to have swimming
lessons) or is (or wants to be) on a swim team. This parent gets off work
at 5 p.m., goes home, collects child (now it’s close to 5:30) and drives to
Dallas/McMinnville (now 6 or so), child attends swim team/lesson, showers
off (7:15), parent and child arrive home (7:45 or so). For the child, they
have yet to sit down to dinner or get homework completed; for the parent
… well you get my point.
Location is everything: Many Tribal members live in areas where
they have a pool at their disposal should they care to utilize it. If doctors
send them for hydro/physical/occupational therapy, it’s a piece of cake for
them as they live in areas that have a pool and licensed therapists.
Tribal members who live in rural areas are not so fortunate. In our area,
if one is an Elder there is a big chance they don’t drive or if they do it’s
very little. If a Tribal member does not own reliable transportation or does
not own a vehicle, their ability to get to town is considerably diminished.
Population: Whether people like it or not, Grand Ronde is growing in
population. It’s time to start thinking about the infrastructure (not only
businesses, but recreational activities also) and what it has to offer people
who want to reside in this town.
Youth activities: Regarding activities for youth, we have Tribal pro-
grams that offer activities throughout the year, but they’re not every
weekend, weekday or even monthly nor are they physical activities. And
it’s only certain ages that can attend most of these activities.
Let’s face it, Grand Ronde has a lot of kids (not counting community
children, we have 187 Tribal member youth who live in Grand Ronde) and
we need to realize we have got to start offering them physical activities
just like other towns/cities offer.
Grand Ronde is the home of our Tribe, so I ask as others have before me,
when is our Tribe going to start investing in it by building more businesses
and physical recreational activities for the membership? With that being
said, why not start with a pool?
Respectfully,
Tammy C. Garrison
Roll #1669
See page 14 for more letters.
10 a.m. executive session - Tribal members only
11 a.m. regular session
General Council meeting
Sunday, Oct. 4 — Tribal Community Center
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DEADLINE DATE
ISSUE DATE
Monday, Oct. 5 ..........................Oct. 15
Tuesday, Oct. 20 ......................... Nov. 1
Thursday, Nov. 5 ....................... Nov. 15
Editorial Policy
SMOKE SIGNALS, a publication of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Com-
munity of Oregon, is published twice a month. No portion of this publication may be reprinted
without permission.
Our editorial policy is intended to encourage input from Tribal members and readers
about stories printed in the Tribal newspaper. However, all letters received must be
signed by the author, an address must be given and a phone number or e-mail address
must be included for verifi cation purposes. Full addresses and phone numbers will not
be published unless requested.
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2015-16 Tribal Council
1-800-422-0232 — tribalcouncil@grandronde.org
Reyn Leno
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Denise Harvey
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reyn.leno@grandronde.org
Chris Mercier
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Cheryle A. Kennedy
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