Wildfire Recovery Funding is a Huge Win for the McKenzie Community

“The funding is a huge win for the work we’ve been doing.  It is literally the largest fundraising win we have ever got.” Chris LaVoie, Director, McKenzie Community Development Corporation and McKenzie River Chamber of Commerce

It is with great joy that we are able to share some fantastic news this week, reminding us that although the path to recovery has not been an easy one, we are not alone in this fight.

The past days have been very challenging to say the least, as our fire-ravaged river communities had to cope with record-breaking temperatures, an on-going severe drought, and spells of high winds that triggered traumatic memories for many survivors living in a state of high-alert and evacuation-readiness even as they push through with rebuilding their lives and homes.

Which is why it is such a great relief to find that the Oregon state legislature approved a funding package over $600 million to support wildfire recovery efforts, which will be a huge boost to the McKenzie as we continue to work towards building back better.

The recovery funding package includes over $20 million for infrastructure, and an additional $110 million specifically for water and sewer infrastructure projects within wildfire-impacted communities. This means that plans to establish a communal sanitation district in Blue River can proceed, and hopefully become a template of success for other communities by allowing property owners to rebuild in spaces that might not have met current planning requirements for their own septic systems.

Areas that will be funded under these new provisions include:

• $1.4 M for the Blue River O’Brien Memorial Library rebuild
• $150 M for Wildfire recovery housing and land acquisition
• $75 M for Food and shelter for survivors
• $ 8.5 M for a new distribution system for BR Water District.
• $ 4.5 M for a Wastewater system for Blue River
• $ 2 M for septic repair throughout the burn area.
• $ 1.7 M to rebuild the Orchid Health Clinic
• $ 15 M to protect the McKenzie watershed and riparian areas
• $903,520 to McKenzie Fire & Rescue for a Disaster Relief Logistics Center
• $325,000 ARPA to the EWEB for the McKenzie River Finn Rock Restoration Project

Senator Prozanski has said that in addition to the above, there is also second round of federal ARPA Local Community Investments (“ARPA 2”) under which legislators have designated funds for projects/organizations. Those allocations are pending official review to ensure compliance with U.S. Treasury rules, but there are two submissions currently being considered under ARPA 2 which are relevant to the McKenzie Valley:

• $250,000 to McKenzie School District for a new gym roof
• $240,000 to rebuild the Vida McKenzie Community Center

And as we look to this brighter future and continue to deal with the ever-mounting challenges life throws at us in this changing climate, it is crucial to build better resilience against these natural disasters. Hence the legislature also passed a variety of measures to improve prevention within Senate Bill 762, including mapping, forest restoration, building increased fire-fighter capacity, and electric utility planning. 

It’s important to emphasize that these are only preliminary numbers, and the details still need to be ironed out. This is, in fact, only the beginning of a long process which involves making sure that money makes it to the right places where it will have the most impact for the entire community and bring projects to fruition. But it does give us reason to be optimistic and look to the future with hope.

As McKenzie CDC Board Member Chris LaVoie noted on a Facebook post sharing the news, this is the result of over 15 years of hard work by many community volunteers, started by the Blue River CDC (which later evolved into the McKenzie Community Development Corporation) and significantly advanced by former MCDC President Tim Laue.

Indeed, this has indeed been a huge team effort that showcased what our community can accomplish when it works together. Special thanks go to our tireless local representatives such as East Lane Commissioner Heather Buch, Senator Floyd Prozanski, Alex Cuyler, Intergovernmental Relations Manager at Lane County, and Oregon Legislature Representative Paul Holvey who was instrumental in helping get applications and paperwork to the library and other groups to make the funding possible.

Our heartfelt thanks also go to the McKenzie residents who took the time to submit testimonials to the House Special Committee on Wildfire Recovery back in May. The heartfelt perspective of people such as Community Organizer Jamee Savidge really helped to make the case for us getting these important funds.

As Tim Laue puts it, this is really the culmination of the concept of ‘Nothing about us without us’ that the McKenzie CDC has been advocating for since the night of the fire. “In the end that concept seems to have made a difference, because all of these funds address real and pressing needs for all of the McKenzie,” he says.