Proceeds from Thunder Valley Casino will help Newcastle buy a firetruck.
By Art Campos -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT
For years, Ray Vega, the late chief of the Newcastle Fire Department,
made it a point to look in on the American Indians living in an
impoverished village on Indian Hill Road. His compassion has been
repaid.
The United Auburn Indian Community, owner of the Thunder Valley Casino
near Lincoln, has donated $50,000 so that the Newcastle Fire Department
can buy a firetruck.
"The fire department was there for the tribe when it needed help the
most," said Doug Elmets, a spokesman for the United Auburn Indian
Community, which opened the casino in June 2003. "Now the tribe has the
resources to be there when the Fire Department needs help the
most."
Mike Davis, the new fire chief, was excited about the donation. He said
the department has been trying in recent years to replace a 1976
firetruck.
"This gift will go a long way in helping our department purchase a new
fire engine and make much-needed upgrades to the station," he
said.
Davis credited Vega and the late chief's wife, Sharon, for cultivating
the relationship with tribal members at the 20-acre Auburn Indian
Rancheria.
"This was not an affluent area, but Ray and Sharon established a good
rapport and worked closely with them," Davis said.
Vega, Newcastle's fire chief for 35 years, died Dec. 16 of congestive
heart failure. He was 64.
In July, the fire department received a surprise visit from several
tribal administrators, Davis said.
"They came to one of our board meetings and said our department had
provided service to them when they didn't have much," Davis said.
"Now things had changed and they were in a more favorable financial
position, they said. They wanted to show us their gratitude for the
sincerity they'd gotten from Ray and Sharon."
Neil Anderson, chairman of the department's board of directors, said,
"I'm tickled pink to get this money."
"We have run on a very tight budget," he said. "We've been using a lot
of used equipment."
Jessica Tavares, tribal chairwoman, said she appreciated the fire
department for offering a high level of safety and service to the
people of Newcastle.
She said Vega and the department gave "unwavering support" throughout
the years.
