Washington tribe contemplating future uses for recently-purchased land

In the western American state of Washington and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation is reportedly cooperating with local officials in an attempt to decide what to do with a 184-acre plot of land it purchased in the city of Pasco.

According to a Friday report from the Tri-City Herald newspaper, the federally-recognized tribe bought the large plot in the spring and is now working on a land-into-trust application in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Affairs agency of the United States Department of the Interior. It is purportedly hoping that the sizeable site will one day be home to a range of businesses including a service station and a convenience store alongside even more grand enterprises such as a casino and a water park.

Deliberate links:

In the meantime, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation has reportedly inked a deal with city leaders that will involve all parties working cooperatively to determine the best use for the land. The tribe is already responsible for the 12 Tribes Resort Casino on the outskirts of the northern Washington city of Omak as well as the smaller Coulee Dam Casino and Mill Bay Casino and is to purportedly also collaborate on a range of local tourism promotion schemes.

Present ambiguity:

Rodney Cawston, Chairman for the tribe’s Colville Business Council reportedly told the Tri-City Herald that he is interested in future developments that will support local businesses although no final determination has yet been reached.

Cawston stated…

“We haven’t made any firm decisions. We want to interact with local officials.”

Extra engagement:

The Tri-City Herald reported that the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation is moreover keen to work with local authorities on workforce training initiatives and hopes that any businesses on the newly-purchased land will provide its members with employment opportunities.

Family focused:

Finally, an additional reason for purchasing the land was to help members from the Palus Band of his tribe to return to their ancestral homelands. He proclaimed that this is to be aided by the launch of an area public awareness campaign highlighting the histories, cultures and traditions of his group’s twelve individual clans.

Cawston added…

“The Palus people lived in this part of the country for millennia and their connection to their historic territory is strong to this day. The word ‘Pasco’ is in fact derived from the Palus place name ‘Pasxa’.”