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Wolfley explains new Fort Hall Casino project
By Lori Edmo-Suppah
Sho-Ban News
FORT HALL — Ground breaking for the new satellite Fort Hall Casino located next to the Smoke House in Gibson is expected in May said Jeanette Wolfley, tribal attorney.
The contractor will be selected April 21 and 22 and the project cost is $3 to $5 million that is from the general cash flow of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. Wolfley added a name has not yet been selected but the satellite casino will include a convenience store, snack bar, truck stop and 80 to 100 gaming machines. The existing smoke shop will be incorporated into the satellite casino.
She said the land surveys were completed and other geo technical work will be done in the next couple of weeks. Selection committee for the contractor includes Darrell Shay, Marlin Fellows, Steve Hagler, Lance Edmo and Sharon House, who is the attorney for gaming management. Project completion is expected in the fall, Wolfley said.
Fort Hall Casino expansion
The expansion of the existing Fort Hall Casino is in the works. It will include a 200-room hotel, three restaurants, a water park, an events center and the casino area with up to 1,200 machines. There will not be a golf course associated with it.
A Request for Proposal has been issued to banks and financial groups that have an interest in financing the $80 to $90 million project and approximately 11 have responded. She added that it could be up to two years before the project is initiated because of the economy. The timeline depends on the financing. However the architects – KKe Architects can still move forward with designs.
The expansion means that the current Trading Post Enterprises will be torn down however the Clothes Horse will be incorporated into the retail area.
Buildings that will have to be relocated are the post office and the grocery store, if the Fort Hall Business Council decides to rebuild it. Wolfley said she anticipates there will be enough funds to cover the payments once the project is funded. “Most banks give up to a certain amount and we may have to look at bonds,” to finance the expansion.
She also said per capita is still possible that is why they’re looking at financing so no distributions will be impacts. “We’re in the process of financing and looking at proposals.”
BLM consults with FHBC on proposed Gateway West trasmission line
By Lori Edmo-Suppah
Sho-Ban News
FORT HALL —
Bureau of Land Management officials met with the Fort Hall Business Council Thursday, April10 to provide an update on the Gateway West Transmission Line Project that is proposed from Wyoming to Idaho.
Walter E. George, National Project Manager, gave a written report and displayed maps that gave project details. Other BLM representatives were Karen Rice and Joe Kraayenbrink from the Idaho Falls office, George from the Cheyenne, Wyoming office, and Blaine Newman from the Pocatello office. Tribal technical staff from the Fish and Game, Cultural Resources and Energy Resources departments were also in attendance.
The Gateway West Transmission Line Project is a proposal for new transmission lines that total approximately 1,200 miles in length and reach from the Windstar substation near Glenrock, Wyoming to the Hemingway substation near Boise according to the report George provided to the FHBC. The project crosses private, state and federally managed lands. BLM is the lead federal agency for compliance with the National Environmental Protection Act and with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA.) The meeting is the first step in BLM’s government-to-government consultation.
Idaho Power and Rocky Mountain Power companies are proposing the project as a joint venture. Idaho Power is a regulated public utility in Idaho that is responsible for providing electrical service to its service area that includes most of southern Idaho and a portion of eastern Oregon. Rocky Mountain Power is the trade name under which PacifiCorp delivers electricity to more than 955,000 customers in the service area that includes Utah, Wyoming and Idaho.
The proposed project right-of-way varies from 200 to 300 feet depending on the voltage (230kV or 500kV.) The utilities say the project is needed to meet forecasted demands for electricity in Wyoming and Idaho, to enhance the development of wind energy in Wyoming and to improve reliability and efficiency of the companies systems.
George said the consultation is occurring so the Tribes can identify places that could be affected by the project that are of interest. The areas include traditional cultural sites or properties. “We want to understand how these places are important to your Tribes and where they are in relationship to the proposed transmission line,” he continued.
George added they would work with the proponents to adjust the transmission line or facilities to avoid these places if possible and if not to take the areas into consideration during impact analysis. FHBC member Anthony Pete Broncho asked if other tribes that were impacted were consulted. George replied they’re meeting April 24 with the Shoshone-Paiute and have sent information to the Shoshone-Arapaho. He said BLM is also representing the Forest Service and all of the federal agencies are participating together in the preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement. The analysis will cover biological resources including wildlife, vegetation, and invasive plant species, physical resources including water, soil, water and air, cultural resources including archaeological. Traditional cultural properties, traditional land and resource uses will also be addressed, along with recreational resource and social and economic effects.
FHBC Vice Chairman LeeJuan Tyler said there are many archaeological sites along the proposed line. He mentioned “Beulah” – a tribal ancestor who was found near the Hagerman area that was thousands of years old. “We want to assure nothing is disturbed.” George noted that BLM and the utilities intend to conduct cultural surveys and there may be graves, “If discovered we will follow NAGPRA and address in the agreement with the State Historic Preservation Office and the Tribes.”
Joetta Buckhouse of the Tribal Cultural Resource program said the Tribes need to be involved in the programmatic agreement and asked if artifacts are found what will be done with them? George said the initial survey would be conducted this year with input from the Tribes archaeologist.
Nathan Small, FHBC member, questioned whether there will be new or existing substations utilized? George named new substations and also existing ones that will be used.
Richard John Kutch emphasized that green energy is important and the importance of habitats for deer, elk and birds. “It affects our hunting,” he said. George said they will identify sensitive habitats and there will be seasonal construction restrictions.
A formal scoping will be conducted in May after government-government consultation is initiated with affected tribes. Scoping meetings are tentatively planned for Boise, Twin Falls, Pocatello and Montpelier.
In Wyoming, meetings are planned for Casper, Rawlins, Rock Springs and Kemmerer. After the formal scoping period is over, the BLM will finalize the alternatives to be analyzed, finish collecting data and prepare the draft EIS. They hope to release the draft EIS for public comment in 2009. After the 90-day draft EIS comment period has closed, they will evaluate comments, revise the EIS and release a final one. Then after a final comment on the final EIS they will issue the Record of Decision estimated in the year 2010. Project construction is expected to begin in 2011 noting all of the dates are tentative.
Claudeo Broncho noted that the Tribes Treaty Rights exercised on all federal lands are very important, “We’re not like other tribes,” especially when the ceded area is crossed.
Gang retaliation could threaten loved ones
By Roselynn Wahtomy
Sho-Ban News
FORT HALL – Law and Order Commissioner Chairman, Darrell Shay, said according to the provisions of the Law and Order Code, gang activity is against the law.
Ultimately any gathering of two or more people involved in a malicious act against another person is considered a gang. The incident at the Townsend residence has resulted in the Fort Hall Police Department filling out paperwork and working on leads to prosecute. While the response time of the FHPD could be considered sluggish in the matter of the Townsend incident, the community must know that is not the norm.
The FHPD is currently understaffed but is ensuring that more patrolling will be done in the Townsite location, which is considered a high incident area.
The incident also occurred on a night when patrolling isn’t as heavy as it would be on a Friday or Saturday night — the nights most common for disturbances.
The Law and Order Commission does look at and examine the dispatch records to ensure the FHPD is doing their job. Sometimes they come across calls occurring at the same time and in different locations.
It’s been revealed that the root cause of the vandalizing to the Townsend home is a result of family involvement. In this case, it was the innocent who were the ones who have had to pay.
Shay said occurrences such as this could be avoided in the future by knowing what your family is doing. People have to tell their family members not to get involved in gangs. If they do they have to realize that they will have no control over what can happen, either to them or their family members.
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