S MOKE S IGNALS
DECEMBER 15, 2015
9
Feasibility study won’t end in a decision
POOL continued
from front page
and General Council meetings
and at this summer’s Community
Meeting to make his wishes for a
pool known.
As a follow-up to the annual
Community Meeting, members of
Tribal administration held another
meeting on Thursday, Dec. 10, at
the Tribal Community Center to
discuss a feasibility study being
conducted on the possibility of a
Tribal community pool.
Tribal Council Chairman Reyn
Leno and Tribal Council members
Tonya Gleason-Shepek, Denise
Harvey, Brenda Tuomi and Jon A.
George attended, as well as Tribal
General Manager Dave Fullerton.
Planning Department Manag-
er Rick George introduced Carl
Sherwood of Robertson Sherwood
Architects to the membership and
explained that Robertson Sher-
wood, which was established in Eu-
gene in 1973, has been involved in
many local swimming pool projects,
such the pools in Dallas and Mc-
Minnville, which Tribal members
might be familiar with already.
“A total of 86 percent of those
fi lling out a survey at the Commu-
nity Meeting in June supported
the development of a pool in Grand
Ronde,” Rick George said.
Rick George also said Tribal
members expressed an interest
in having more information about
costs associated with different
types of community pool projects.
“We are going through the pro-
cess of as feasibility study,” Rick
George said. “Your Tribal Council
appropriated money to contract out
with a very competent fi rm to help
us go through this process.
“This is a study of what kind of
pool might fi t this community. The
feasibility study won’t make a deci-
sion. It will provide good, sound in-
formation to you (the membership)
and ultimately the Tribal Council.
“When Tribal Council makes a
decision about a pool, they will
make a decision that is well-in-
formed. We want to hear from you
whatever your thoughts are.”
George said his team, which is
made up of Tribal members, Tribal
staff members and a Tribal Council
member, includes Brenda Tuomi,
Barbara Mercier, Jennifer Biesack,
Jesse White, Joanie Dugger, John
Mercier, Leslie Riggs, Patti Merci-
er, Shonn Leno and Tresa Mercier.
George’s team has been doing
background work on different
types of pool projects and will be
developing a timeline to complete
the study. They also will develop a
work plan.
George said the study will be
completed by early to mid-March.
George’ team has traveled to
McMinnville, Dallas and Lincoln
City to look at pools and talk to pool
managers.
“We learned a lot,” said George,
whose team also looked at swim-
ming pools in Veneta and at Seven
Feathers Casino in Canyonville.
The next step, he said, is to com-
plete a market evaluation and a
needs assessment, and then settle
on no more than two or three design
options for a community pool. He
also said Tribal members will be
surveyed on the subject of a com-
munity pool in Grand Ronde.
“When the study is concluded,
everything will be turned over to
the Tribal Council and the execu-
tive offi ce for the decision-making
process,” said George. “That will be
Yo u t h P ow wow
a separate process.”
George then turned the meeting
over to Sherwood, who said that
he and his staff will be gathering
information to include in the study
on the type of pool the Grand Ronde
community might want to see es-
tablished on the Reservation.
Haller said he walked around the
Tribal community and gathered
as many as 200 signatures on a
petition in support of establishing
a community pool in Grand Ronde.
“We take the health and well-be-
ing of our youth and our Elders as
being our number one priority,”
said Haller. “This could be a great
addition to our community. I know
it costs a lot, but in my opinion if
it helps a couple of hundred Tribal
members with their health prob-
lems, it would be one of our better
investments.”
Tribal member Jamie Adams said
she agreed with Haller.
“This is a good move,” said Ad-
ams. “You can’t put a price on our
health.”
Gleason-Shepek and Tribal mem-
ber Brian Krehbiel each said safety
would be reason enough to build
a community pool. Members then
shared stories of learning to swim
in the local rivers and how much
safer it would be for today’s youth
to learn to swim in a pool.
Tribal Elder Nancy Renfrow
asked what the annual mainte-
nance costs would be for a commu-
nity pool and how much annual
insurance would cost the Tribe.
Duggar said she could not answer
that question until the community
was closer to making a decision on
the type of pool project it wanted
to build.
Renfrow then asked about the
water bill associated with a com-
munity pool and cost of chemicals
and a lifeguard. She said if you
paid a lifeguard $15 an hour, it
would amount to roughly $42,000
annually.
Tribal member Kim Contreras
said that she thought a pool in
Grand Ronde was “a great idea.”
“Our kids are worth it,” said
Contreras. “Our kids really need
something to do out here.”
Tribal Elder Marilee Norwest
said she would be happy to pay an
annual fee if that is what it would
take for the community to have a
swimming pool.
“I would pay,” said Norwest. “I
think it would be a good invest-
ment.”
George said most of the pool
projects researched were attached
to Tribally owned and operated
casinos and hotels, but that some
Tribes have established community
pools.
Some examples include the Sagi-
naw Chippewa Indian Reservation,
which has a swimming pool at
its Tribal headquarters in Mount
Pleasant, Mich., and the Chehalis
Tribe of Oakville, Wash., built a
1,767-square-foot swimming pool
as part of its 50,000-square-foot
Community Center.
However, most Tribal community
swimming pool projects are linked
to a Tribe’s economic development
industries like casinos and hotels
and some swimming pools are a
part of the Tribe’s health and well-
ness initiatives.
The Colorado River Indian Tribes
have three swimming pools and a
two-story water slide at its Blue-
Water Resort and Casino complex
and the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation
of Brooks, Calif., and the Warm
Springs Tribe of Oregon each op-
erate an outdoor swimming pool at
their casinos.
Rick George said his team would
meet with the contractor to incor-
porate what they gathered from the
membership as needs and priorities
and begin the process of putting
that information together.
“We will fl esh out the concepts
that best fi t the community,” said
George.
About 40 people attended the
two-hour meeting, which included
a dinner of chili and cornbread. n
Please join us at the
Tribal Gymnasium
December 21st
from 12:00 – 4:00 pm
Lunch will be provided
Grand Entry starts at 1:00
All ages welcome !!
join in and dance
Regalia is encouraged
For more information please contact: Brian Krehbiel at 503 -879-4639
Please be respectful by not displaying Gang affiliation or
bringing Drugs, Alcohol or weapons to this event.
Ad created by George Valdez