Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 2018)
PRESORTED STANDARD MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID PORTLAND, OR PERMIT NO. 700 2018 Contest Powwow special section — pgs. 11-15 SEPTEMBER 1, 2018 Tribe selling former Greyhound Park site in Wood Village Bonamici tours Chachalu By Dean Rhodes and Danielle Frost Smoke Signals staff members W OOD VILLAGE — The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde announced on Tuesday, Aug. 28, that it will not develop the 31 acres that were home to Multnomah Greyhound Park after two and a half years of Tribal ownership, and that the Tribe will put the property on the market in the hopes of making a profi t. The decision, which was made a couple of weeks ago, was announced publicly when Tribal Council Vice Chair Chris Mercier, Secretary Jon A. George and Tribal Council mem- ber Denise Harvey met with the Wood Village City Council in the early afternoon before a scheduled evening meeting in Grand Ronde to brief the membership. “After careful consideration, the Tribe has decided to sell the property,” Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez said. “We obviously have it primed for development and right now the real estate market is still looking up, so we’re really hoping to take advantage of that.” “The opportunities for this site are truly remarkable,” Mercier said in a press release prepared by the city and Tribe. “However, they are not the best fi t for the Grand Ronde Tribe at this time. We’re excited to work with the city of Wood Village to fi nd a new buyer that will make this vision a reality.” See WOOD VILLAGE continued on page 5 Photos by Michelle Alaimo U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, left, listens as Cultural Resources Department Manager David Harrelson, right, talks about the stone bowl on display at Chachalu Museum & Cultural Center during a tour of the museum on Thursday, Aug. 23. Also on the tour, in the background, is Tribal Council member Denise Harvey, second from left, Tribal Council Secretary Jon A. George, middle, and Tribal Council member Brenda Tuomi. Tribal Council Vice Chair Chris Mercier also was present. After the tour Bonamici, Tribal Council, Harrelson, Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez, Tribal Attorney Rob Greene and Tribal Deputy Press Secretary Sara Thompson talked briefl y about Tribal police funding, Chemawa Indian School and an invitation was extended to Bonamici to attend the Tribe’s 35th Restoration Celebration being held Nov. 18 at Spirit Mountain Casino. Veronica Montano takes helm at Member Services By Danielle Frost Smoke Signals staff writer V eronica Montano’s new job as the Tribe’s Member Services Depart- ment manager may seem very dif- ferent than her former position as Cultural Collections coordinator, but she says the two are related on several levels. “It’s all history and research,” she says. “We did a lot of taking care of records at Culture, and so a lot of the information I learned down there was helpful in this posi- tion, to have that family and Tribal history. … I was responsible for taking care of and preserving the Tribe’s history.” Montano, a 32-year-old Tribal member Photo by Michelle Alaimo and longtime employee, was named to the position in August after serving as interim director for fi ve months. “I felt like it was time to move on (from Culture) and for someone else to step into my job and put their touch on it,” she says. Montano’s new position as Member Ser- vices manager isn’t an easy one to step into given the division that enrollment issues have caused over the years. However, she’s not one to back down from a challenge. During her eight-year tenure in Col- lections, Montano worked on high-profi le See MEMBER SERVICES continued on page 9 Tribal member Veronica Montano is the Tribe’s new Member Services Department manager.
