Tribal Council approves purchase of Sheridan Inn

By Danielle Harrison

Smoke Signals assistant editor/staff writer

Tribal Council approved purchasing the 3.5-acre Sheridan Inn property during its Wednesday, May 17, meeting.

The $1.8 million sale is expected to close by June 18 and the property is located at 1330 West Main St. in Sheridan.

During a Legislative Action Committee meeting on Tuesday, May 16, Tribal Lands Department Manager Jan Reibach said the purchase was part of a Health & Wellness Department project and completely funded by a grant.

Executive Director of Health Services Kelly Rowe said the property will be used for programming and housing for Tribal members suffering from behavioral health diagnoses. The property has 20 rooms and a common area with a kitchen. 

At the same meeting, Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy said the project is essential.  

“I just want to express my gratitude to Jan and his team for the good work that they've done, not only through this property but the many properties that have been worked on and all the increased acreage that has been added to our Tribe because of this work,” she said. “This project specifically, I know that I’ve said this before, but it is so essential to meet the needs of our membership (who) are caught in the web of addictions and the lifestyle that they've been trying to deal with and overcome. This is a step in the recovery (process). I'm so pleased that we’re able to address these kind of issues.” 

In other action, Tribal Council:

• Approved a contract amendment with GBD Architects of Portland for $622,000 for master planning and design services for the Tumwata Village project in Oregon City;
• Approved applying for an Environmental Protection Agency Performance Partnership Grant for $375,960 in 2024 and $370,063 in 2025;
• Approved a credit card for the Social Services Department with a $2,500 credit limit;
• Approved a professional services agreement with MCA Architects of Portland for the design of a 20,000-square-foot resident and recreation center across from Tribal Housing Department offices;
• Approved a resolution declaring Friday, June 9, as the quarterly per capita payment date;
• Re-appointed Jerri Schmidt to a three-year term on the Grand Ronde Gaming Commission that expires in June 2026;
• Approved a resolution for a construction phase amendment to allow Scholten Construction of Willamina to complete the work for the $8.8 million Grand Ronde Fire Station remodel and expansion;
• Approved a limited waiver of the Tribe’s sovereign immunity to allow the city of Salem to litigate if any action arises out of an emergency reporting systems services contract so that the Tribal Police can enter into a contract with the city for 911 services;
• Approved a cash out and credit consent decree and authorized a limited waiver of the Tribe’s sovereign immunity to allow any litigation resulting from the Portland Harbor confidential settlement be conducted in U.S. District Court;
• Approved re-appointing Richard VanAtta to the Veterans Special Event Board with a term ending on March 31, 2025;
• Approved an agreement with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for off-reservation and non-trust land hunting, fishing, trapping and gathering, and for cooperative management of natural resources between the Tribe and state of Oregon;
• And enrolled four infants into the Tribe because they met the enrollment requirements under the Tribal Constitution and Enrollment Ordinance.

One approved authorization to proceed also was included in the May 17 Tribal Council packet to conduct a supplemental budget process to establish $2 million in additional funding for the Tribal Sponsorship Program (Tribal member grants), which will be funded by the gaming dividend.  

To watch the entire meeting, visit the Tribal government’s website at www.grandronde.org and click on the Government tab and then Videos.