Lyman Meade, left, and Hall Van Ortwick hoist straw bales to be used as seating for the 20-year anniversary celebration of the Coquille Indian Tribe’s 1989 restoration. The tribe describes itself as a ‘change agent’ for the South Coast, with education as its No. 1 priority. World Photo by Lou Sennick

Coquille Indian Tribe members have a lot to celebrate at this weekend’s 20th anniversary event, including their culture, their history and prospects for a plentiful future.

Tribal leaders say they hope to keep building on the tribe’s success, by maintaining an unwavering focus on the same goals they began pursuing when the tribe was restored in 1989.

One of the most important is self-sufficiency.

“That we can take care of our tribal members, supply them with jobs, medical care and their basic needs,” said Ed Metcalf, long-standing chairman of the tribal council. “Education is our No. 1 priority.”

The tribe consists of 905 members. Coos County is home to 295 of them, and another 165 live in four surrounding counties. Their median age is 29 — more than a decade younger than the median age for Coos County as a whole.

According to a list of 2009 federal legislative issues for the Coquille, the tribe considers itself a “change agent” for the South Coast. Improved safety, human services, cultural heritage, land planning and fiscal health are among  the tribe’s top goals.

“Our goal is to create a sustainable economy that can both mitigate and adapt to changes in global economics, needs of our Tribal members and surrounding communities and changes in our climate,” the document states.

The tribe’s most visible post-restoration holding — The Mill Casino-Hotel — definitely makes an impact on the local economy. According to a 2005 study by ECONorthwest, an economic research company in Portland, it brought approximately $72.7 million into the local economy.

That year, the casino and hotel created 520 direct jobs and another 420 in other local businesses. It paid $16.1 million in direct wages and benefits, and it made about $800,000 in donations, charitable contributions and mitigation fees.

Employment has shrunk somewhat during the recession, but The Mill remains a key local employer. Meanwhile, the tribe also has been busy finding new ways to reach its aspirations.

The tribe’s business arm, the Coquille Economic Development Corporation, operates The Mill, Coquille Cranberries, Heritage Place Assisted Living and Wellness Center, and ORCA Communications.

The Mill and its RV Park currently have 490 workers, down 28 from 2005. Seven more work at CEDCO offices, seven at ORCA, and four at Coquille Cranberries. Because Heritage Place is managed by a contract operator, its workers aren’t CEDCO employees.

The huge majority of employees in CEDCO ventures are not tribal members. Spokesman Ray Doering said 46 tribal members or their spouses work at the various CEDCO operations.

Last spring, the tribe and Coos County agreed to pursue a proposal to transfer management of the 59,000 acres of federal Coos Bay Wagon Road forests to the tribe. Timber revenue would be split evenly between the county and the tribe, with management costs taken out of the tribe’s share.

Greg Aldridge, CEDCO’s executive director of development, said an idea to build a marina via a partnership with the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay is still in the works. He said he believes a business plan — to determine the need for additional boat slips — will be completed in early to mid-August. If constructed, it would be near The Mill.

“We need to see if there is a business case,” Aldridge said.

He noted that a marina would be an amenity to the community, tourists and boaters who also could use The Mill’s RV park.

Aldridge said the Ko-Kwel Wharf project, which would construct a 35- to 38-acre mixed retail development north of The Mill, isn’t dead despite a last-minute pull-out by Home Depot last year. The home improvement store was intended as the shopping center’s cornerstone.

Home Depot, he said, remains one of two or three retailers interested in opening stores in the area.

“No one should assume, because they don’t see dirt moving, that nothing is happening,” Aldridge said. “We continue to work on our vision of developing this property into an amenity for the community and we have never given up on that.”

CEDCO’s new CEO and chairman, Cal Mukumoto, took over from Brady Scott on April 1. He said he plans to keep CEDCO’s projects on track but wants to move slowly to weather the economy.

“The Mill Casino is holding its own but is facing a lot of challenges,” Mukumoto said. “I think our overall goal is we want to be a South Coast leader. ... We want to be one of the most desirable places to work.”