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