By: Richard Myers, Lincoln News Messenger
9:30 AM PDT
Thanks to the United Auburn Indian Community, Lincoln's Police
Activities League will again be able to offer its summer camp
program.
The United Auburn Indian Community owns Thunder Valley Casino.
Placer County's Indian Gaming Local Community Benefit Committee
recently distributed more than $375,000 to local governments. Among the
beneficiaries was the Lincoln Police Department, which received $10,000
for its PAL program and another $50,000 for a records management
system.
"I think it's fantastic, the $10,000," said LPD Lt. Paul Shelgren, who
wrote the grant for the funding. "It will allow us to build on that
bond of trust and understanding between police officers and the kids in
our community."
Shelgren noted PAL's operating yearly budget is between $35,000 and
$40,000, money that comes mainly from grants and donations.
Lincoln's PAL program services about 900 children, Shelgren said.
Each month, the PAL program schedules a different event, including ball
games, museum trips and camp-outs. PAL also sponsors the week-long
summer camp program for 75 to 100 youngsters.
"I was a little bit disappointed, but also happy," said Lincoln city
councilman Ray Sprague about the donation. "I was happy PAL got some
money, but I wish it had been more."
Sprague sits on the LCBC committee and he was pushing for the Lincoln
PAL program to receive grant money.
"I made about three speeches to the committee," Sprague said. "I guess
I finally wore them down."
Sprague noted the committee received 16 grant applications totaling
about $750,000, and it had to decide which applications to fund. Some
were more important than the PAL program, Sprague said, like the
$77,000 grant by the Place County Air Pollution Control District to
reduce motor vehicle emissions.
"The good news for PAL is that it was the only youth organization that
received any funding," Sprague said.
The $50,000 grant for the records management system will allow the LPD
to communicate with all of the other police agencies in Placer County,
Shelgren said. Immediately LPD will be able to communicate with Rocklin
police, he said, and eventually with all county agencies. They will be
able to share and transfer records and information between
agencies.
"In choosing the recipients, we focused on the most important service
impacts, and attempted to balance the needs in the surrounding city and
county communities," said Julie A. Huff, tribal vice chair and vice
chair of the LCBC.
The Indian Gaming Special Distribution Fund is based on assessments by
the state on tribal gaming machines that were in place prior to 1999.
Lincoln's Thunder Valley Casino did not open until 2003.
"The United Auburn Indian Community and its members understand
intimately the needs of Placer County, in part because the vast
majority live in the cities of Rocklin, Lincoln, Roseville and Auburn,"
said Doug Elmets, spokesman for UAIC and Thunder Valley Casino. "The
fund from which this money is generated is designed to mitigate the
impacts that may occur from the Thunder Valley Casino."
