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OCTOBER 15, 2020
Smoke Signals
Grand Ronde Road repair
delayed indefinitely
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
First it was smoky skies after
Labor Day caused by numerous
wildfires in western Oregon.
Then it was a lack of potential
bidders.
The scheduled repair work on
Grand Ronde Road has been de-
layed for the foreseeable future,
Tribal Public Works Coordinator
John Mercier said on Thursday,
Oct. 8.
“Polk County sent the project
out to bid and received zero bids,”
Mercier said. “We attempted to
sole source the project, but was
unsuccessful. We plan to maintain
a ‘patch-as-we-go’ process until the
pavers are ready to bid the project.
“I believe the lack of bids was
mostly due to shutdowns resulting
from COVID and wildfires. Polk
called one paver and they answered
with a ‘we are not working at all’
response.”
Tribal Council approved a
memorandum of agreement with
Polk County on repairing pot-
hole-marked Grand Ronde Road
during its Aug. 19 meeting.
Polk County, which has juris-
diction over the roadway, was to
perform engineering and project
management while the Tribe paid
for the estimated $45,000 in repairs
as part of its Long Range Transpor-
tation Plan/Tribal Transportation
Program.
Polk County Public Works Direc-
tor Todd Whitaker said the repairs
involve patch paving to fix the pot-
Photo by Timothy J. Gonzalez
Although white paint outlines the
alligator cracking on Grand Ronde
Road that needs to be repaired, the
work will have to wait until pavers
are ready to bid on the project.
holes and replacing the “alligator”
cracking – interconnected cracking
of the asphalt – to help keep the
road in shape for a few more years.
Road repair work was originally
set to begin in the second week of
September and be completed by
Sept. 30.
Grand Ronde Road was last sig-
nificantly reconstructed in 2009
and completed in 2010 for $4.8 mil-
lion using a mix of Bureau of Indian
Affairs, Indian Health Service and
Polk County funds.
The two main culprits causing the
potholes and alligator cracking are
a combination of moisture issues
with Grand Ronde-area soil and
heavy trucks using the road as a
shortcut to Highway 18. 
WIC visits Community Center monthly
Pregnant? Breastfeeding? Does your family include a child under
the age of 5? If so, you may qualify for the Women, Infants and Chil-
dren program.
With WIC, people can receive answers to nutritional questions and
access fruits and vegetables, whole grains, eggs, milk, cheese, juice,
cereal and more.
A WIC representative visits the Tribal Community Center on the
third Tuesday of the month, which will be Oct. 20.
Walk-ins are welcome between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. For more infor-
mation or to schedule an appointment, call 503-879-2034. 
YOU ARE LOVED. YOU ARE WORTHY. YOU ARE SACRED.
Tribe receives grant to fund
domestic violence efforts
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde received a $789,997 U.S.
Department of Justice grant that will help fund the Tribe’s efforts to
reduce domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, sex traffick-
ing and stalking.
The Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation grant is designed to
enhance law enforcement and Tribal justice practices, expand victim
services and sustain crime prevention and intervention efforts.
The Tribe’s grant was part of the $39.1 million administered by the
Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women.
“OVW’s funding supports Native American and Alaska Native com-
munities as they work across their communities to prevent and respond
to gender-based violence,” said Office on Violence Against Women
Principal Deputy Director Laura Rogers. “These awards represent
the strong commitment that OVW has made to help protect the most
vulnerable members of Tribal communities.”
The federal funds will help Grand Ronde hire a domestic violence
relief advocate, domestic violence-focused police officer at the Grand
Ronde Tribal Police Department and supplement the salary of the cur-
rent domestic violence manager in the Social Services Department. 
Health Authority offers
safe trick-or-treating tips
This year, it is more important than ever to put safety first because of
COVID-19 cases that have increased recently and holiday gatherings on
Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day that led to more cases, says
the Oregon Health Authority.
The Health Authority suggests choosing low-risk Halloween plans that
can help prevent the spread of COVID-19, decrease the impact on Oregon’s
health care system and save lives.
This year, the Health Authority is recommending that Oregonians avoid
traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating because it is a high-risk activity
for crowding among people outside your doorway. The recommendation
aligns with the federal Centers for Disease Control, which also recom-
mends families avoid traditional trick-or-treating.
Some ideas for safer, low-risk activities include holding online costume
contests, watching a scary movie online, carving pumpkins with people
in your household, decorating your house or apartment, or touring the
neighborhood to look at decorated houses with members of your household.
“If you dress up in a costume, be careful to plan a costume that allows
you to wear a face covering,” said State Health Officer Dr. Dean Sidelinger.
“Halloween masks will not protect you or others from coronavirus. Wearing
a cloth or disposable face mask that fits snugly and covers your mouth
and nose is still required while wearing a costume, no matter how scary
or silly your costume is.” 
LISTEN
TO SMOKE SIGNALS
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Grand Ronde’s
COVID-19 Relief
team you probably
haven’t heard of.
Grand Ronde hired Sam
Thornsberry and Stephanie
King as the new COVID-19
Relief Community
Health Representatives
(COVID-19 CHRs). They are responsible for safely assisting the other CHRs
with Tribal Elders’ needs, disseminating up-to-date COVID-19 information
to Grand Ronde and connecting members to the appropriate medical
resources. In their unprecedented positions, King and Thornsberry told
the Smoke Signals podcast they are “here and ready to help.” You can
contact King at 503-879-2016 and Thornsberry at 503-879-1693.
For more information, contact
Kamiah Koch at 503-879-1461 or
kamiah.koch@grandronde.org
WARRIORS OF HOPE provides confidential
supports and resources.
24/7 crisis line: 971 241 .3594
Office: 503 879 2040; 503 879.1487
VISIT SMOKESIGNALS.ORG AND CLICK ON PODCAST
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