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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (May 15, 2020)
sNok signflz MAY 15, 2020 7 Fifty-seven employees attain 661 years of service Other employees who were to be honored at the Smoke Signals staff writer Employee Service Awards The Tribe usually honors its are: employees for years of service four 20 years: Employee Re- times a year. lations Specialist David However, current times are any- DeHart and Compensa- thing like “usual.” tion/HRIS Specialist Becky The first-quarter Employee Ser- Mode. vice Awards breakfast, feting em- 19 years: Spirit Moun- ployees who reached their Tribal tain Community Fund Pro- employment anniversary date in gram Coordinator Angela January, February and March, was Sears. postponed due to the COVID-19 18 years: Police Chief coronavirus pandemic. Jake McKnight, Web Ad- The event, usually held in the Photo by Timothy J. Gonzalez ministrator William Mer- Tribal gym, brings together hun- Records Administrator Kim Mueller receives cier and Tribal Attorney’s dreds of people, which is now a hug from Tribal Council member Denise Office Manager/Paralegal frowned upon in the age of social Harvey after being recognized for her years Kerrina Mishler. distancing and remaining six feet of service during the Employee Recognition 17 years: Post-Secondary apart. celebration held in the Tribal gym in April Education Program Coordi- At the end of the first quarter 2019. Mueller reached the quarter-century nator Joshua Clift. of 2020, 57 Tribal employees con- mark of working for the Tribe this year. 16 years: Portland Office tributed a combined 661 years of Tribal Services Represen- service to the Tribe. tative Lisa Archuleta and EHS Leading the group with 30 years Other employees who notched Home-Based Family Educator of service is Procurement Assistant more than 20 years of service in- Shawn Bobb. Kelly Leno followed by Records clude Gaming Commission Man- 14 years: Cultural Resources Administrator Kim Mueller with ager Julia Papen with 24 years. Administrative Assistant Toni Mer- 25 years. Leno became the third Health and Wellness Payment cier and Full Charge Bookkeeper employee to reach the three-decade Processing Specialist Sunni Ules- Debra Nolen. mark behind Health & Wellness tad was hired in the first quarter 13 years: Employment Specialist Business Office Manager Tresa of 1998 and reached her 22nd year Jesse Powley. Mercier and Groundskeeper Su- of employment with the Tribe. 12 years: Construction Supervisor pervisor Gregg Leno, who is Kelly’s Purchased/Referred Care Specialist Bart Bryant, Day Shift Housekeeper husband. Melody Baker notched 21 years. Rosie Saldivas, Gaming Commis- sion Compliance Analyst Tyrell Soderberg, Natural Resources Senior Administrative Assistant Michele Volz, Employee Relations Senior Administrator Nick LaBonte, Dental Tribal members can contact the Afterhours Health Line for questions Assistant Rachel Clark and Billing about health care concerns you may have when the clinic is not open. and Audit Specialist Desiree Allen. You can reach the Afterhours Health Line by calling 503-879-2002 and 11 years: Hydrosystem Compli- follow the prompts. ance Specialist Lawrence Schwabe, The Afterhours Health Line will coordinate care and communicate with Purchase-Referred Care Specialist Grand Ronde Health & Wellness Center providers. Kayla Leno and Groundskeeper By Danielle Frost Afterhours health line Joseph Grammer. 10 years: Adult Foster Care Administrative Assistant Candi Buswell, Rental Housing Coordi- nator Leon Ramos and Shipping/ Receiving Clerk Seth Mercier. 9 years: 477/Employment & Training Specialist Khani Schultz, Employment Program Manager Michael Herrin, Dental Assistant Shelby Hoyt, Employee Relations Specialist Sean Barton, Chinuk Immersion Preschool Assistant Ha- lona Butler and Dental Hygienist Erin Muchmore. 8 years: Historic Preservation Manager Briece Edwards, Gaming Inspector Dalton Robertson and Teacher Aide/Bus Monitor Alexan- dria Warren-Masters. 7 years: Child and Family Ser- vices Caseworker Shauna Hast- ings, Employment and Training Specialist Tiny Gibbons, Swing Shift Housekeeper Sean Sell, Adult Foster Care Caregiver Brianna Leno, Administrative Assistant Angella Schultz and Risk Manager Patricia Mercier. 6 years: Groundskeeper Joseph Kelley, Tribal Police Officer Tyler Brown, Chinuk Apprentice Jade Colton, Dental Secretary Whit- ney Vanarsdel, Adult Foster Care Caregiver Pearline Metzker and Multi-Media Specialist Jordan Smith. 5 years: Children and Family Support Services Specialist Zoey Holsclaw, Community Health Driv- er Stephanie King, Senior Records Clerk Emma Leno, Administrative Assistant Lacy Leno and Tribal Police Sgt. Rod McAllister. The employees will be honored at a later day when large gatherings are once again permissible. ‘I have always been on the sovereignty piece’ FIRE continued from front page which might provide an “increase in external funding opportunities.” Fullerton also was directed to oversee the transition plan and re-organize the Emergency Man- agement Program now located at the Grand Ronde Tribal Police Department to assume fire station operations. The authorization to proceed also established a $50,000 operating budget for the 2020 budget year for fire station management. The Tribe and West Valley Fire District signed an intergovern- mental agreement in July 2009 to build and operate the fire station in Grand Ronde. The fire station subsequently opened in June 2010, cutting response time for fire and medical emergencies in the Grand Ronde area substantially. Throughout the last decade, the Tribe has budgeted hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to fund operations at the fire station. The West Valley Fire District lo- cated in Willamina recently joined two other fire departments – Sher- idan and Southwest Polk – to form one district for fire and emergency medical services. The intergovern- mental agreement took effect on July 1, 2019. The new district covers 535 square miles and includes eight fire stations, including the one in Grand Ronde. The district has 23 paid staff members and approxi- mately 50 volunteers. According to the Yamhill County News Register, the combined bud- get for the three districts is about $4 million. In a Voters’ Pamphlet statement supporting the West Valley Fire District levy on the May 19 ballot, West Valley Fire Chief Fred Hertel said the Tribe taking over operation of its own fire department will pres- ent challenges. “Financially, this contract provid- ed funding for the three firefighters/ emergency medical technicians and the three firefighter/paramedics that staffed the CTGR fire station in Grand Ronde,” Hertel wrote. “The medical incidents handled by this staff also generated revenue for the West Valley Fire District. “As this great partnership evolves, the funding from the contract and the calls will change with it. Operationally, the contract provides facilities and apparatus in the Grand Ronde area. The facilities and some apparatus are owned by CTGR. West Valley Fire District will need to adapt its response coverage in order to provide service through and after this transition.” West Valley Fire District Board member Chris Greenhill was quoted in the Yamhill County News-Regis- ter as being in support of the Tribe operating its own fire department even though it will financially affect the district. In preparation for taking over Grand Ronde firefighting respon- sibilities, Tribal Council approved applying for an almost $1 million firefighting grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security during its March 4 meeting. If received, the federal grant would fund a new fire engine, 20 portable radios and other fire en- gine equipment, 20 self-contained breathing units and 40 sets of pro- tective clothing for firefighters who would be stationed in Grand Ronde. During its May 13 meeting, Trib- al Council also approved applying for two grants that would help fund a Tribally-operated fire station. The first would purchase vehicle extraction equipment, including a spreader and cutter because aver- age daily traffic in the area exceeds 22,000 vehicles along highways 18 and 22. The second, to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, would help pay for three staff mem- bers at the fire station. Planning and Grants Manager Kim Rogers said the two grants, if received, would help the Tribe develop its own firefighting assets and staff its own fire service. Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy said during an April 21 interview about her record-setting years of service that the Tribe operating its own fire department is a continuation of its pursuit of sovereignty. “I have always been on the sov- ereignty piece,” Kennedy said. “I’m very dedicated to making sure we stand as a sovereign nation. … Some of the latest things, of course, is our ability to manage our own fire department.” Developing Tribal public safety was a goal adopted in both the 2010 and 2018 Grand Ronde strategic plans.
