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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2018)
PRESORTED STANDARD MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID PORTLAND, OR PERMIT NO. 700 Tribe consults with EPA on water — pg. 11 MAY 1, 2018 Meeting begins process of updating community plan By Danielle Frost Smoke Signals staff writer A lmost 60 people showed up at the Tribal gym to give their input on the future of Grand Ronde and their ideas spanned the gamut from a Tribal swimming pool to a charter school. The brainstorming session was a part of a new community develop- ment plan kickoff held on Wednes- day, April 18. Attendees ranging in age from elementary school to Elders made their voices heard. “I am really happy people are willing to be open about their ideas and suggestions, and share them with us,” Tribal Council Vice Chair Chris Mercier said. “When these plans are done and done right, they really benefit the community. This isn’t about what Tribal Council wants, this is about you, the gener- al membership and what you want. A lot of the stuff you see today was once a part of a community develop- ment plan. Don’t be shy about your ideas and think 10 years ahead.” Other Tribal Council members in attendance included Secretary Jon A. George, Kathleen George, Lisa Leno and Michael Langley. Kathleen George thanked those in attendance for coming out. “You are investing your time in the work the Tribe will be doing for the next 10 years,” she said. “Our Elders made planning a priority and worked very hard to provide what the Tribe needed. We want to earn the opportunity to follow in their footsteps and what you tell us the priorities are, we can turn this See INPUT continued on page 15 Photo by Michelle Alaimo Spirit Mountain Casino revenues have remained competitive since the opening of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe’s casino, Ilani, one year ago. Ilani is located off Interstate 5, 16 miles north of the Oregon-Washington border. Spirit Mountain, Tribe have weathered a year of competition well By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor O n April 24, 2017, Spirit Mountain Casino relinquished its 21-year title as the closest casino to the lucrative and heavily populat- ed Portland-Vancouver gaming market. After fending off efforts over the last decade by other Oregon Tribes to open casinos closer to the Portland-Vancouver market and out-of-state in- vestors from building a privately owned casino in Wood Village, the Grand Ronde Tribe finally saw its geographic advantage disappear when the land- less Cowlitz Tribe was granted a Reservation from the U.S. Department of the Interior off Interstate 5 approximately 16 miles north of the Columbia River. The Cowlitz subsequently opened a casino, Ilani. Portland-area casino aficionados suddenly had a drive one-fourth as long as the trek out to Grand Ronde. Estimates of what the competition would do to Spirit Mountain Casino revenue and the dividend sent to the Grand Ronde Tribe for governmental operations and important programs such as Elders’ pensions, educational funding and health care were, at times, dire. See COMPETITION continued on pages 12-13 Memorial Day event set for Monday, May 28 12 names being added to West Valley Veterans Memorial By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor T he annual Memorial Day event at the West Valley Veterans Memorial on the Grand Ronde Tribal campus will be highlighted by 12 names being Smoke Signals file photo added to the four black granite pillars that represent the major branches of the U.S. armed forces. The event begins at noon with a meal served in the nearby Tribal Community Center. The outdoors ceremony begins at 1 p.m. See EVENT continued on page 7 Tribal Elder Steve Bobb Sr., chairman of the Tribe’s Veterans Special Event Board and a Marine Corps veteran from the Vietnam War era, will serve as the master of ceremonies at this year’s annual Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May 28.
