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december 15, 2020
Community Fund
nears $85 million
mark in giving
Blue Heron fire
By Danielle Harrison
Smoke Signals staff writer
pirit Mountain Community
Fund, the philanthropic arm
of the Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde, has awarded millions
in nonprofit grants since it was
formed in 1997.
In total, the
Community
Fund distrib-
uted $697,323
in grants to
15 nonprof-
its and to
eight of the
nine Oregon
Tribes for the
Michael Cherry
fourth quar-
ter, bringing the total giving in the
past 23 years to $84.97 million.
In accordance with the Tribe’s
gaming compact with the state of
Oregon, the fund awards 6 percent
of net income from Spirit Mountain
Casino in grants. It is governed by
an eight-member Board of Trust-
ees.
The number of grants awarded
since 1997 is 2,908. Grants have
been distributed to nonprofit orga-
nizations in 11 northwest Oregon
counties for the purposes of sup-
porting education, health, arts and
culture, environment, historic pres-
ervation, public safety and problem
gaming, and to the nine federally
recognized Tribes in Oregon under
a Tribal Grants program.
Due to the pandemic, the in-per-
son check presentation ceremony
on the Tribal campus has been
canceled until further notice. Com-
munity Fund Director Michael
Cherry has said she is confident
that the giving will continue in
2021, although it may look differ-
ent due to Spirit Mountain Casino
being closed for 74 days in 2020.
The casino sets aside a portion of
its annual earnings for charitable
donations through the Community
Fund.
Going forward, the focus of the
Community Fund and its board is
on marginalized communities who
already faced struggles and lacked
access to services before the pan-
demic hit, although it will continue
to provide support to nonprofits
responding to challenges created
by or worsened by the pandemic.
S
See FUND
continued on page 3
Man arrested
for allegedly
starting blaze
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
O
REGON CITY – Less
than 24 hours after a
three-alarm fire started
at the former Blue Heron Pa-
per Mill site on Saturday, Dec.
5, police made an arrest.
Enrique Omar Mejia, 29,
was booked on three counts
of felony second-degree arson
and misdemeanor disorderly
conduct and trespassing. He is
being held on $100,000 bail.
Oregon City police were
called to the vacant property
around 1:40 p.m. Saturday on
a report of trespassing, law
enforcement officials said.
The initial report was of a
person throwing items from a
window of a Blue Heron build-
ing. When officers arrived,
they also saw items being
thrown out and soon smoke
was coming from the same
area.
The Grand Ronde Tribe-
owned site was the scene of
intense firefighting activity on
Saturday, Dec. 5, as fire crews
sprayed a large volume of water
to stop the fire from spreading.
Contributed photo
Firefighters used large aerial ladders to fight a blaze at the Blue Heron
Paper Mill site in Oregon City on Saturday, Dec. 5.
Photo by Timothy J. Gonzalez
See BLUE HERON
continued on page 8
Smoke rises from one of the buildings on the Tribally owned Blue Heron
Paper Mill site on Sunday, Dec. 6.
Tribal Council OKs budget to buy
property adjacent to Blue Heron
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
ribal Council approved a fifth supplemental
budget for 2020 during its Wednesday, Dec.
2, meeting that will allocate $1.235 million to
purchase an approximately half-acre plot adjacent
to the Blue Heron property in Oregon City.
T
See PROPERTY
continued on page 9
Photo by Timothy J. Gonzalez
The Grand Ronde Tribe is in the final stages of closing on
the property located at 450 Main St. in Oregon City.