Council approves transporation agreement with Tillamook County district

Tribal Council approved on Feb. 5 a memorandum of understanding with the Tillamook County Transportation District that will soon provide bus service between Lincoln City and Grand Ronde.

Tribal Planning and Grants Development Manager Kim Rogers said at the Feb. 4 Legislative Action Committee meeting that the service will cost the Tribe $15,000 a year in transit funds that it receives from the state.

The service will provide three round-trips between Grand Ronde and Lincoln City Monday through Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, three round-trips between Lincoln City, Grand Ronde and Salem are planned. Currently, there is only weekday service to Salem, Rogers added.

Rogers said the agreement will run through June 2015.

The service is scheduled to start in March.

In other action, Tribal Council:

• Approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Oregon Health Authority for $129,426 to provide education and outreach and to enroll Tribal members in Cover Oregon.
• Authorized a one-year license agreement with Full Gospel Lighthouse Recovery Church to use space at the Chachalu Museum building.
• Appointed Sharon Wattier and Andrew Freeman to the Ceremonial Hunting Board and Annette Ingram to the Veterans Special Event Board.
• Approved the enrollment of eight infants into the Tribe.
• Appointed Tribal Council Secretary Jack Giffen Jr. as the Tribal delegate to the National Indian Gaming Association and all remaining Tribal Council members as alternate representatives.
• Appointed Tribal Council member Denise Harvey to serve on the Chemawa Station Board of Directors.

Also included in the Feb. 5 Tribal Council packet were authorizations to proceed that:

• Approved spending $5,000 to keep the Tribe as a member of the Willamette Falls Heritage Area Coalition.
• Approved Monday, March 24, as the date for the 2014 Tribal Committee Summit.
• Authorized nominating Tribal Historian David Lewis to the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Natural History Native American Repatriation Review Committee.
• And approved working with the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board and Spirit Mountain Casino to host the board's quarterly meeting on June 23-25, 2015.

Tribal Council member Jon A. George and Land and Culture Department employees Eirik Thorsgard, Jordan Mercier, David Harrelson, Jan Looking Wolf Reibach and Brian Krehbiel performing the drumming and singing during the cultural presentation.