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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2016)
S moke S ignals APRIL 15, 2016 5 Demolition set for Multnomah Greyhound Park site By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor Tribal Council awarded an $888,777 contract to Konell Con- struction & Demolition Corp. of Sandy, Ore., on Wednesday, April 6, to demolish the structures on the 31-acre site in Wood Village that used to house Multnomah Greyhound Park. The Grand Ronde Tribe pur- chased the site on Dec. 11, 2015, and is eyeing the property as a location on which to diversify its economic opportunities in Oregon and to help generate activity in Wood Village. The property is located within the historic homelands of the Cascade and Clackamas Chinook Tribes, which confederated to Grand Ronde in the mid-19th century. The two Tribes ceded the land to the feder- al government in the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855. Multnomah Greyhound Park closed in 2004 and the land has sat vacant and unused since then. At its height, the Greyhound Park attracted more than 611,000 spec- tators in 1987. The old grandstand facilities, which are in an advanced state of disrepair, are still standing. Demolition will begin on the site during the week of April 11-15, said Tribal Engineering Department Manager Jesse White, with the start of asbestos and lead abate- ment work. White said it will take four months for the demolition to be complete with abatement taking approximately two months followed by about two months of actually tearing down of the grandstand structure and several support buildings to prepare the site for future development. In addition, the Tribe is donat- ing several items to the Oregon Greyhound Adoption program, a nonprofit in Oregon that provides homes for retired racing grey- hounds. The program will receive 60 wire crates, as well as cabinets and countertops from the site. During the Sunday, April 3, General Council meeting held in Eugene, Tribal Council Chairman Reyn Leno said the Tribe has not defined plans for the site other than potentially building a motel as a centerpiece on the property. In other action, Tribal Council: • Approved an amended Funding and Participation Agreement at the Astoria Marine cleanup site on the banks of the Lewis and Clark River in Astoria. The Tribe is a Natural Resource trustee for the site; • Approved an amended Resto- ration Credit Agreement for the Portland Harbor superfund site cleanup; • Re-appointed Harold Lyon, Tra- cy Howerton, Eva Simmons and John Lillard to the Fish & Wild- life Committee; • Re-appointed Gladys Hobbs, Bernadine Shriver and Patti Tom-Martin to the Health Com- mittee; • Re-appointed Shelby Maerz and Tammy Cook to the Education Committee; • Re-appointed Faye Smith, Mar- garet Provost, Sarah Ross and Marcus Gibbons and appointed Veronica Gaston to the Culture Committee; • Re-appointed Bob Mercier, Jon- Bike helmets available athan George, Shonn Leno and Mel Holmes to the Timber Com- mittee; • Re-appointed Janel Lara to the Powwow Special Event Board; • Re-appointed Deanna Johnston to the Election Board; • Re-appointed Marline Groshong and Shonn Leno and appointed Steve Rife to the Ceremonial Hunting Board; • Re-appointed Reina Nelson, Ray- mond Petite and Wink Soderberg and appointed Albert Miller to the Veterans Special Event Board; • Re-appointed Michael Mercier, Terri Wood and Margaret Provost to the Enrollment Board during a special Wednesday, April 13, Tribal Council meeting; • Adopted an amendment to the Tribal Council Operating Pro- cedures that will move Tribal Council scheduling of meetings to Friday instead of the current Monday; • And approved the enrollment of three infants into the Tribe be- cause they meet the provisions outlined in the Tribal Constitution and the Enrollment Ordinance. Also included in the April 6 Tribal Council packet were authorizations to proceed to: • Authorize the Grand Ronde Trib- al Police Department to purchase body cameras for use by its police officers, as well as vehicle camer- as; • Authorize the Natural Resources Department to accept a $6,570 grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for telemetry tags to be used for the Lamprey Translocation Project; • Approve a memorandum of agree- ment between the Tribe and the American Red Cross; • Instruct the Tribal Attorney’s Office to research means by which Smoke Signals would operate independently of the control and influence of Tribal government and prepare draft documents that would establish Smoke Signals as a newspaper with editorial independence; • And direct the Tribal Attorney’s Office to revise the Fiscal Man- agement and Public Records or- dinances so that audited financial statements could be mailed to Tribal members. Tribal Council member Jon A. George joined Culture Department employees Bobby Mercier, Travis Stewart and Jordan Mercier and Public Affairs Administrative As- sistant Chelsea Clark in perform- ing the cultural drumming and singing to open the meeting. The meeting, in its entirety, can be viewed on the Tribal website at www.grandronde.org by clicking on the News tab and then Video. Board seeking younger veterans The Tribal Veterans Special Event Board is recruiting younger veterans – Iraqi and Afghanistan veterans – to join. “Our committee is getting older,” said Veterans SEB Chairman Steve Bobb Sr., who is a Vietnam War-era Marine Corps veteran. Members of the Special Event Board attend events as flag carriers and represent the Tribe, as well as their branch of service. Veterans interested in volunteering should contact Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Martin at 503-879-2304 or stacia.martin@grandronde.org. The Tribe’s Social Services Department has bicycle helmets available for distribution. Those needing a helmet need to visit the department and sign a helmet application, as well as get fitted. For more information, contact Social Services at 503-879-2034. free gardening course where Iskam Mek h Mek Haws 9675 Grand Ronde Rd. Taught indoors with possible visits to onsite garden Seed to Supper: Growing Veggies on a Budget Mondays how Registration is required. Contact Surabhi at 503-581-3855. Contact Francene Ambrose at 503- 879-3663 for more information. details Please plan to attend all 6 classes. Participants get a free gardening book, seeds, and other goodies! Ad created by George Valdez April 4th-May 9th 6-8 pm Learn low-cost ways to build healthy soil, plan your growing space, choose your crops, care for your growing garden, and harvest your bounty!
