PRESORTED
STANDARD MAIL
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
PORTLAND, OR
PERMIT NO. 700
JANUARY 1, 2017
Tribal Council OKs MOU with Portland
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
T
ribal Council approved a
memorandum of understand-
ing with Oregon’s largest
city during its Wednesday, Dec.
14, meeting, which was held at 11
a.m. to allow Tribal employees to
leave early to avoid a snowstorm
that hit the Willamette Valley later
in the day.
According to the executive sum-
mary, the city of Portland adopted
a resolution in 2012 to formalize
coordination and consultation with
the Grand Ronde Tribe. Portland
lies within the ceded lands of the
Tribe.
Since then, Tribal Council and
staff have participated in numer-
ous meetings and discussions with
Portland representatives to for-
malize a memorandum of under-
See MEETING
continued on page 6
Tribal Council Chairman Reyn Leno signs a memorandum of understanding
between the Tribe and the city of Portland in the Tribe’s Governance Center Atrium
on Wednesday, Dec. 21. Watching him are, from left, Tribal Council members
Brenda Tuomi, Kathleen George and Chris Mercier, Tribal Council Secretary Jon A.
George, and Tribal Council members Jack Giffen Jr. and Denise Harvey.
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
To telecom or not to telecom?
Tribe examining business
potential for Grand Ronde area
By Brent Merrill
Smoke Signals staff writer
T
he Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde is thinking about getting into
the business of providing Internet
services to the Grand Ronde area by pos-
sibly starting its own telecommunications
company.
Part of the process for considering the new
venture is gauging community interest.
Tribal Council member Chris Mercier
hosted a community meeting put on by the
Tribe’s Information Services Department
at the Tribal gym on Wednesday, Dec. 21.
The meeting was originally scheduled for
Monday, Dec. 5, but postponed because of
inclement weather.
About 20 community members attended,
shared a meal and discussed their concerns
about current Internet providers in the area
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Kim Contreras fills out a Grand Ronde
telecommunications survey as Tribal Council
member Chris Mercier gives a presentation
during a meeting about the proposed Grand
Ronde Tribal telecommunications company.
and talked about what they would like to see if
the Tribe did go into the telecommunications
business.
“We’re here to talk about whether Grand
Ronde should establish their own telecom-
munications company,” said Mercier. “There
are only about 10 Tribes that have established
their own telecommunications companies.”
The Tribe would offer Internet and tele-
phone service in an effort to provide faster
broadband Internet and improved telephone
service at better rates than those of outside
providers.
People in attendance were asked to fill out
a survey that asked questions like, “Do you
have Internet service? If so, what speeds do
you have and how would you rate the quality
of your service?”
The survey also asked if people had land-
lines. People were asked to provide infor-
mation about how they felt about the cost of
their telephone service and rate the quality
of the service.
The survey asked if people had satellite or
See TELECOM
continued on page 11
Community Fund grant to help Willamina students
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
O
ne of the largest grants given out by
Spirit Mountain Community Fund
on Wednesday, Dec. 21, will poten-
tially help local Tribal students attending
Willamina School District by creating a
room for special needs students.
The Willamina School District received
a $50,000 challenge grant, which means
the district has to put up matching funds
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
to receive it.
During a recent Willamina School Board
meeting, district officials reported that enroll-
ment continues to increase and has reached
924 students with 492 in the elementary
school, 150 in middle school and 282 in the
high school. The student surge represents
an increase of 18 students in the last month.
See FUND
continued on page 12
Tillamook County Women’s Resource Center Executive Director Kathleen Marvin receives a check
from Spirit Mountain Community Fund Board of Trustees Chairman Sho Dozono during the fund’s
fourth-quarter check distribution held in the Governance Center on Wednesday, Dec. 21.