65 attend Community Input meeting

Sixty-five people, including 20 assigned staff and Tribal Council members, attended the Tribe's 2014 Community Input meeting held Wednesday, June 11, in the Tribal gym.

Tribal Council members Reyn Leno, Jon A. George and Toby McClary attended.

George gave the blessing and Indian tacos were served for dinner, which was followed by a PowerPoint overview of Tribal projects and new programs from this past year, including Phase 1 of the Chachalu Museum & Cultural Center, the women's transition house, Tribal Employment Rights Office and emergency management, among others.

Planning & Grants Manager Kim Rogers requested comments and suggestions on the Tribe's Housing & Urban Development Indian Community Development block grant program and projects, as well as on the Tribe's Administration for Native Americans grants, which include the language immersion program.

The PowerPoint led into an open house session at 14 tables, including Emergency Management, the Police Department, Housing Authority apartments construction, food bank construction, Natural Resources - Parks & Recreation, Education Department, Youth Council, public transit, Chachalu, Medicare, Skookum Health Plan, domestic and sexual violence prevention, TERO - Tribal Career Development, Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation and 477, and Children & Family Services - Foster Care.

Each table featured a color banner with photos or plan drawings and text. Visitors completed brief questionnaires that were converted to additional tickets for the door prizes.

The meeting ended early since many people arrived early and had already visited most of the tables before the meal. At the end of the meeting drawings were held for four $25 Shell gift certificates and for a Pendleton blanket, which was won by Joanne Brisbois.

Rogers said that police, TERO, domestic violence and Housing Authority staff mentioned that they had received good participation, comments and suggestions from Tribal members who attended.

Rogers said the written comments from the several dozen completed survey forms will be summarized and provided to Tribal administration and Tribal Council, as well as to the programs involved.