The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde last week began the third phase of demolition at its 23-acre property, recently named Tumwata Village, in Oregon City. Multiple structures will be razed during the next four to five months.

The site had been home to the Blue Heron paper mill for years until the business closed in 2011. Grand Ronde acquired the property, part of its ancestral homelands, in 2019. The Tribe unveiled the site’s new name last year.

All structures are located on the northwestern section of the property, close to downtown Oregon City. Among the buildings scheduled for demolition are two that housed paper machines – Mill D and one known as the “Butler Building.”

Phase one of demolition took place in 2021, and phase two followed in 2022. This phase won’t be the last; the Tribe anticipates additional demolition will be necessary to achieve its full vision for the site. That includes environmental and cultural restoration as well as thoughtful new development and creation of public access to Willamette Falls.

Since purchasing the property in August 2019, the Tribe has started environmental remediation (August 2019), unveiled its vision for the site (March 2021), launched demolition (September 2021), and secured support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (May 2021) as well as $2 million for infrastructure improvements from Congress (October 2021).

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The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde is embarking on a second round of demolition near Willamette Falls that will bring down four buildings and open the former industrial site to views from downtown Oregon City for the first time in decades.

Elder Demolition of Portland is preparing to tackle the latest work at the ex-Blue Heron paper mill. The next building to be taken down in the upcoming phase will be highly visible: the water filtration plant that once treated fluid used in the paper milling process before discharging the effluent into the Willamette River.

“It’s a relatively large structure, so it will take around three to four weeks to take down,” said Ryan Webb, engineering and planning manager for the Grand Ronde.

The structure includes several large water basins that will require demolition.

The absence of the water filtration plant will allow better views of the falls from Oregon City and Oregon Route 99E.

The entire second phase of demolition will take seven to eight weeks, according to the tribe. The Grand Ronde has secured demolition permits from the city of Oregon City, and is working with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality on remediation.

Remediation work is ongoing, Webb said. Crews in the second phase will take the structures down to the grade level but will not disturb any subsurface contaminants. Workers are still investigating the site to determine the amount of environmental remediation that will be necessary.

The demolition work will have no traffic impacts, Webb said.

“That is one of the perks of this site,” he said. “It’s a large site. There are no public streets in it. … All of the work is contained within the site.”

More demolition is likely to follow as site planners decide which buildings should be leveled, Webb said.

The Blue Heron Paper Co. ceased operations at the site in 2011. In August 2019, the Grand Ronde acquired the 23-acre property from Tacoma, Washington, developer George Heidgerken. A fire damaged some structures in December 2020; they were removed during the first round of demolition. In March, the Grand Ronde pulled out of the intergovernmental Willamette Falls Legacy Trust process, saying other tribes and local governments were needlessly slowing the project.

Now the tribe is preparing the site for future development, with public access and some commercial space planned. Walker Macy and GBD Architects are engaged on the project.

“We’re just always excited to keep cleaning this site up,” Webb said.

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An architectural study of land near Willamette Falls that was commissioned by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde found potential for mixed-use commercial development along with cultural gathering places and ecological restoration.

The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde have expressed interest in reconnecting tribal members with the falls and restoring natural habitat. Yet the 23-acre property that fronts downtown Oregon City has long been regarded as also holding commercial value.

Potential development could include office, hospitality, institutional or educational spaces, along with tribal spaces, public gathering spots, restaurants, retail and a long-imagined riverwalk, according to the tribal group.

“Acquiring the property at Willamette Falls let us reclaim part of our history and allowed us to once again become stewards of the land and the falls,” Cheryle A. Kennedy, chairwoman of the Confederated Tribes, stated in a news release. “Now, we head into the future with a vision for this land that helps heal it and revitalize it while telling our story and sharing our history.”

The group purchased the former Blue Heron Paper Mill property from Washington developer George Heidgerken in August 2019. The defunct mill suffered major damage in a December 2020 fire.

The study, first reported by KGW, envisions both an “urban, city-like setting” set back from the water and a “more natural, restored environment” at the river’s edge. Improvements may include beneficial salmon habitat, restored off-channel alcoves and restored topography of the falls itself.

“In the northern portion of the site, closer to downtown Oregon City and above the flood zone, there is relatively modest benefit of landscape restoration,” architecture firms GBD Architects and Walker Macy stated in the visioning study. “This area appears to have good potential for mixed-use development that can visually and physically connect to restore landscape areas along the river.”

Tribal officials said any new development would reflect the story of the Confederated Tribes and its historical and cultural ties to Willamette Falls.

Since acquiring the property, the tribal group has worked with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to remediate environmental degradation at the site. The group expects to soon begin a master planning process.

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The future of Willamette Falls is moving ahead slowly, with construction of an overlook delayed into a second phase.

Local governments involved in the Willamette Falls Legacy Project agreed at a Feb. 4 meeting to embark on a first phase that would include habitat restoration and public-access improvements at the Oregon City landmark.

An overlook designed in 2020 would be built in a future phase at an estimated cost of $12.5 million, the Legacy Project announced.

The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde has owned the property since purchasing it from Washington developer George Heidgerken in 2019. A tribal spokeswoman initially said she was not aware of a news release issued by the Legacy Project – a group of government agencies including Oregon City, Clackamas County, Metro and the state of Oregon.

“I think we’re seeing the culmination of a true collaboration,” Oregon City Commissioner Rachel Lyles Smith said at the Feb. 4 meeting.

The Legacy Project stated that project staff will work on phase one design and “continue engaging with tribal governments to inform the design, resulting in permit-level drawings.” The local governments also stated they would support “Grand Ronde’s priorities for private development.”

The tribe has not detailed any plans for private development. In response to inquiries from the 91��Ƶ, the tribal government issued a written statement.

“As the host tribe we are a tribal people who are the descendants of the keepers of the falls,” Communications Director Sara Thompson stated Friday. “We’re blessed with a connection to Willamette Falls that has been passed down through generations and are committed to bringing healing and restoration to this place. Our hope is that the Riverwalk project will introduce visitors to this amazing landmark on the Willamette River and the rich history tied to it. Through the different phases of this project, we hope to give people a love and appreciation of this place that will be handed down through future generations.”

Money from Metro’s 2019 parks and nature bond measure, the Willamette Falls Trust and additional contributions from Oregon City and other project partners will provide the funding for a second phase, according to the Legacy Project.

“We’re making really great strides forward for something that’s going to benefit everyone at the table,” Smith said. “And it’s going to benefit Oregon. This is a destination site and it makes me excited.”

A large fire caused damage at the vacant property in December. A man was arrested and charged with arson and other crimes, The Oregonian reported.

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The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde has completed its purchase of the Blue Heron Paper Co. mill site in Oregon City from Washington developer George Heidgerken.

The transaction places the retired Oregon City mill site in the hands of the tribal government, whose members have deep ties to Willamette Falls. The falls were a fishing and gathering site for American Indians for centuries until they were forcibly removed following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855.

“This is a historic day for the Grand Ronde Tribe and our people,” Cheryle A. Kennedy, chairwoman for Grand Ronde tribe, stated in a news release. “Since 1855 the government has worked to disconnect our people from our homelands. Today, we’re reclaiming a piece of those lands and resurrecting our role as caretakers to Willamette Falls – a responsibility left to us by our ancestors.”

The Confederated Tribes declined to release terms of the deal, which closed Thursday.

When the Confederated Tribes’ preliminary agreement to purchase the property was revealed in June, Chairwoman Cheryle Kennedy said some type of mixed-use development was likely at the Blue Heron site. She also said the tribal government has no intention of building a casino there.

Environmental clean-up and demolition must occur at the site before any development can happen, said Sara Thompson, deputy press secretary for the tribal government. “It’s going to take some time,” she said.

The tribal government recently completed a fishing platform at Willamette Falls.

Heidgerken, who is based in Tacoma, Washington, purchased the 23-acre mill property in 2014. He had battled public agencies regarding the site’s future before eventually agreeing to let planning proceed.

Metro, Clackamas County, the city of Oregon City and Oregon State Parks have been engaged in the Willamette Falls Legacy Project, a planning effort to guide future development and ensure public access to the waterfall.

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The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde has reached a preliminary agreement to purchase the former Blue Heron Paper Co. mill site in Oregon City, a tribal leader said Thursday.

The tribe has signed a purchase and sale agreement with George Heidgerken, the Tacoma, Washington-based investor who owns the property, Grand Ronde Chairwoman Cheryle Kennedy said.

Council members on Wednesday discussed a supplemental budget item to fund the purchase, but did not take a vote.

“We are currently in a due diligence process, which is expected to take some time given the complexities of the site,” Grand Ronde spokeswoman Sara Thompson said. “The Tribal Council is expected to make a final decision when that has been completed.”

The tribe does not intend to build a casino at the Blue Heron site, Kennedy said. There is “no plan like that whatsoever,” she said. The tribe will continue to invest in its Spirit Mountain Casino, she said.

Commercial development is a leading possibility for the ex-paper mill site, Kennedy said.

“It’ll eventually probably be mixed-use,” Kennedy said. “We want to continue to communicate with all of our partners and come up with the best use for the property.”

Heidgerken purchased the 23-acre property in 2014. He would not confirm the purchase and sale agreement with the Grand Ronde tribe, but said he’s pleased to work with a buyer who will make something happen on the site.

“I want (purchasers) who want to be there the best,” he said. “If that’s the tribe, great – I’m all for it. It’s really up to them to be the guiding light if they want to do it.”

Heidgerken praised the tribe’s business acumen.

“I do like the way they work and the folks they have running the show,” he said. “They’re good.”

The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, particularly the Clackamas, has deep historical ties to Willamette Falls. Tribal members have fished at the site for generations, up to today. The Grand Ronde recently constructed a fishing platform at the site.

“We’re just thrilled that we’re able to consider the purchase of the property because of our cultural connection,” Kennedy said.

The tribe is also weighing the potential purchase of another riverfront parcel, Kennedy said. The parcel has 1.5 miles of river frontage a few miles upstream from the ex-mill site.

Metro is leading a multiagency effort to develop the Willamette Falls Legacy Project, first with a public Riverwalk. The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde has been involved in stakeholder discussions, along with the Umatilla, Warm Springs and Yakima tribes.

“It is our hope and expectation that we would continue to have a good working relationship with Grand Ronde should they purchase the property,” said Brian Moore, Metro’s project manager for the Legacy Project.

Metro has sought a construction manager-general contractor for the Willamette Falls Legacy Project. The agency recently issued a notice of intent to award the contract to Lease Crutcher Lewis.

A Metro parks bond headed for the November ballot will include $20 million for the project.

The Grand Ronde tribe’s interest in purchasing the site was first reported by Willamette Week.

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The Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde are preparing to invest in an overhaul of their casino, hotel and entertainment complex at the foothills of the Coast Range.

Spirit Mountain Gaming Inc. on Monday issued a from firms to renovate and upgrade dozens of hotel rooms as well as other amenities. The work is part of a push to upgrade the Spirit Mountain complex following the debut last year of the Ilani Casino Resort in Southwest Washington, , Smoke Signals.

“Right now, we don’t have as many suites as we could be filling with customers,” Tribal Council member Kathleen George said in March during a Tribal Legislative Action Committee hearing. “This is really part of our sustainability plan at the casino.”

Project plans call for improving 156 guest rooms. These include 105 rooms on the first through third floors of the West tower, 14 suites and 29 rooms on the fifth floors of the East and West towers, and eight rooms on the second through fifth floors of the East tower.

The first phase of construction will also include upgrades of the lodge lobby and all lodge corridors, elevator lobbies and elevator interiors on all five floors of both the East and West towers. The Hall of Legends exhibit area will be remodeled.

The architect for the project is I-5 Design of Lacey, Washington. The firm specializes in casino and gaming projects.

A mandatory pre-bid meeting will take place at the casino at 11 a.m. on Oct. 9.

Sealed bids for the upcoming project must be received by 3 p.m. on Oct. 24. They can be sent to: Ron Reibach, Spirit Mountain Gaming facilities director, at 27100 S.W. Salmon River Highway, Grand Ronde, OR 97347.

Bid documents may be purchased for the cost of reproduction from the Contractor Plan Center in Milwaukie by calling 503-650-0148. Direct questions or requests for clarification to Project Manager Michael Marino of MMarino Consulting at 541-325-1510 or mike@mmarinoconsulting.com.

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