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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2015)
4 S moke S ignals NOVEMBER 1, 2015 Tribal Council OKs grant application for preschool By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor 2010 – Tribal Council Chair- woman Cheryle A. Kennedy met with President Barack Obama before the president’s appear- ance at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. Obama was in Oregon to support Democrat John Kitzhaber’s campaign for governor. Kennedy was among several Native American chair- persons from western Oregon to meet with Obama. 2005 – Housing Director Carina Kistler Ginter presented Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy with the Tribe of the Year award from the Northwest Indian Housing Association. File photo 2000 – Tribal members Court- ney Galligher and Mark LaBonte posed in traditional regalia for an artist’s rendering of what the West Valley Veterans Memorial could look like upon completion. Artist Steve Bobb Sr. thanked them for taking the time to pose for the conceptual drawing. 1995 – More than 4,000 Tribal members, civic leaders, business vendors and others celebrated the opening of Spirit Mountain Casino during a gala evening on Tuesday, Oct. 17. On the previous evening, about 500 Tribal members enjoyed the first look inside the new Spirit Mountain Casino during a Tribal Open House Night. 1990 – Tribal member Lonnie Leno, born and raised in Tillamook, became the Tribe’s new Housing Program director. He began work- ing for the Tribe in June and was busy prioritizing the Housing Program files. 1985 – Tribal Chairman Henry Petite resigned and Tribal Council elected Vice Chair Mark Mercier as chairman and Merle Leno as the new vice chairman. Mercier reported that Tribal Council would continue working on the Reservation Plan. Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in five-year in- crements through the pages of Smoke Signals. Some Trask Unit tags have incorrect dates The Natural Resources Department has announced that some of the Trib- ally issued Coastal Buck tags valid in the Trask Management Unit have the wrong dates printed on them. If you have one of these tags, be aware the correct dates are Oct. 3 through Nov. 6 and not Oct. 4 through Nov. 7 as printed on the tag. Natural Resources staff members are working to notify and communicate the error to all potentially affected hunters. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has notified Oregon State Police of the error as well. If you have received one of these tags, the tag is valid, but just be sure to follow the correct dates. n Tribal Nations Conference set for Nov. 5 in Washington D.C. WASHINGTON, D.C. — The annual White House Tribal Nations Conference will be held 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., in Washington, D.C. One representative from each of the 567 federally recognized Tribe has been invited to attend the event. In the past, the Grand Ronde Tribe has been represented by Tribal Council members Cheryle A. Kennedy and Chris Mercier. Mercier will attend this year’s event. The conference’s goal this year is to continue the meaningful dis- cussion between Tribal leadership and the Obama administration and further strengthen the nation-to-nation relationship between the federal government and American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes. This will be the seventh White House Tribal Nations Conference held since Obama took office in 2009. n A 1,800-square-foot addition to the Tribal preschool was ap- proved by Tribal Council during its Wednesday, Oct. 14, meeting as the Tribe’s submission for a $500,000 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Indian Com- munity Development Block Grant. If awarded, the grant would help construct a preschool addition to the Early Childhood Education building and renovate the current kitchen, expanding it by 200 square feet. The addition would include two classrooms — one for 20 3 and 4 year olds and the other for eight 2 year olds. The Tribe would provide a min- imum of $166,667 in matching funds. The addition is needed because there is a long waiting list with additional families needing services and the Early Childhood Education building is at capacity. The Indian Community Devel- opment Block Grant Program is a competitive program to benefit low-moderate income people. In other action, Tribal Council: • Appointed Spirit Mountain Ca- sino General Manager Stan Dil- lon, Human Resources Director Patrick Dempsey, Interim Gen- eral Manager David Fullerton, Risk Administrator Pattie Mer- cier and the Health & Wellness director to the Tribal Workers’ Compensation Board; • Approved the purchase and sale agreement for acquisition of the Chankawan property, a 411-acre parcel of forested conservation land fronting the North Santiam River in Marion County. “The Tribal Lands Department is performing due diligence for the purchase of the property, which if the Tribe takes ownership, will be funded 100 percent by the Bonneville Power Admin- istration’s Willamette Wildlife Mitigation Program,” said Tribal Lands Department Manager Jan Looking Wolf Reibach; • Authorized Finance Officer Chris Leno to negotiate account con- trol agreements with TriState Capital Bank and Northern Trust Co. and approved a fourth loan modification agreement with TriState that, among other things, increased the Tribe’s line of credit; • Denied the enrollment of one infant into the Tribe and ap- proved the enrollment of three infants and one non-infant into the Tribe because they meet the enrollment requirements of the Tribal Constitution and Enroll- ment Ordinance. Also included in the Oct. 14 Trib- al Council packet were authoriza- tions to proceed to: • Demolish and remove the Public Works modular on the Tribal campus; • Bring a proposed re-enactment and amendments to the Mar- riage Ordinance forward to Legislative Action Committee for possible approval; • Bring forward amendments to the Fish and Wildlife Ordinance to Legislative Action Committee for final approval; • Transfer $3,000 from contin- gency to the Nutrition Program budget for purchase of holiday food boxes for the Grand Ronde Food Bank; • And bring forward proposed amendments to the Tribal Em- ployment Rights Ordinance to Legislative Action Committee for final approval. Tribal Council member Jon A. George joined Reibach and Tribal Artisan Travis Stewart in perform- ing the cultural drumming and singing to open the meeting. The meeting, it its entirety, can be viewed at the Tribal website, www.grandronde.org, by clicking on the News tab and then Video. n Certified Application Assister sets dates Certified Application Assister Loretta Meneley will be at the Tribe’s Portland office, 4445 S.W. Barbur Blvd., during the office’s flu clinic from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, to help Tribal members sign up or renew their Oregon Health Plan coverage. She also will be in the Portland office on Tuesday, Dec. 8. In addition, Meneley will be at the Grand Ronde Food Bank, 9675 Grand Ronde Road, on Friday, Nov. 6 and 20, to sign up Tribal members, too. For more information, contact Meneley at 503-879-1359 or send an e-mail to Loretta.meneley@grandronde.org. n Veterans Day meal set for Nov. 11 The Tribe’s Veterans Special Event Board will be holding a meal for area veterans and their families at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, in the Tribal Community Center, 9615 Grand Ronde Road. West Valley veterans, including those from the McMinnville area, are invited to attend. Baked fish and pot roast with all the trimmings will be served. A social hour will begin at 4 p.m. and there will be three raffles for vet- erans. For veterans who bring children, the Tribal gym will be open for basketball during the social time. For more information, contact Veterans SEB Chairman Steve Bobb Sr. at 503-876-3118. n
