Tribal headquarters moving to Snoqualmie

The Snoqualmie Tribe is moving its administrative headquarters this week from Carnation to Snoqualmie, the city that bears its native name.

The move puts the tribe only a few minutes from the site of its new casino off Southeast North Bend Way, near Snoqualmie Valley Hospital. The casino project, which received federal approval last month, is expected to break ground in June and open in fall 2007.

"Snoqualmie has incredible significance for the tribe," said Matt Mattson, tribal administrator. "Certainly, it's the heart of tribal territory."

A new energy has taken over the tribe as it pushes ahead with its long-awaited casino plans. Officials have been in a whirlwind of meetings, refining the project's design and getting financing in order. The tribe has been fielding calls from job seekers wanting to work at the casino. A newly designed Web site lays out details of the tribe's history, along with information on the project.

On Thursday, plastic sheets, unpacked boxes and construction dust littered the floor, as workers rolled fresh paint onto walls of the offices at 8130 Railroad Ave.

The tribe plans to operate out of the new space by early next week, Mattson said.

"With the gaming project on the horizon, it will be helpful to have administrative offices closer and more accessible to the [casino] site," he said. "It gives us a presence in Snoqualmie."

Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson said the city welcomes the tribe.

"I think it's a positive thing," he said. "Having their headquarters a block down from City Hall is only going to improve our communication. And it's great for the downtown because it brings more people" to the main street.

The tribe moved after city-owned property where its social-services office sits in Carnation was sold to King County to build a new wastewater treatment plant, which is to begin construction in late June.

The social-services offices moved into the tribe's administrative building across the street on Tolt Avenue. That office was getting too cramped for the tribe's main operations anyway, he said.

"We were bursting at the seams," Mattson said.

"But everything seems to have fallen into place. The stars seem to be aligning."

At 7,300 square feet, the new space is double the size of the tribe's former offices. The building, located on Snoqualmie's main strip, was vacant for the past three to four months, said Mike Kirkland, agent for landlord Admiral Enterprises in Issaquah.

The tribe put about $40,000 worth of improvements into the building, such as putting up walls to build private office spaces, Mattson said.

The move marks the third city the tribe has operated out of in the past five years. At one point, its headquarters was based in Fall City.

In 2002, three years after the tribe regained its rights as a sovereign nation, it moved to the Tolt Avenue building, a converted gas station.

The tribe waited for five years to get approval from the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs to move the 56-acre parcel of land off of Interstate 90 into reservation status, so it could build a casino, which would serve as its economic engine.

Carnation city officials say they're hoping the tribe's move to Snoqualmie isn't permanent.

"I know the City Council values having a tribal presence," said Gary Long, interim city manager.

Mattson said moving back to Carnation is a possibility.

"Historically, the tribal chief maintained his village at the confluence of the Tolt and Snoqualmie rivers," he said. "By no means are we abandoning or letting go of that long-term vision."

Sonia Krishnan: 206-515-5546 or skrishnan@seattletimes.com