Grant School District #3 requests funding for Malheur Lumber Company
By Logan Bagett on Friday, December 13th, 2024 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
JOHN DAY – Grant School District #3 has issued another letter to community partners and agencies, expressing the district’s concern for the closure of the Malheur Lumber Company sawmill in John Day. The first letter includes a recent analysis from the Oregon Employment Department who reported that with the loss of 76 direct jobs and 106 indirect jobs, the estimated economic impact of this closure would be over $58 million each year in Grant County. The letter signed by Board Chair Will Blood says that, “Whenit comes time for theevaluation of funding opportunities, we believe that the impact of funding for the continued operation of Malheur Lumber would have a measurable and significant impact on our community.”
Read the full letter below:
(Letter from Grant School District #3)
On September 18, 2024 we wrote a letter expressing our concerns regarding the closure of Malheur Lumber and the extreme impacts it would have on the local economy including the school district. As of December 10, 2024 the mill has greatly diminished production and approximately 40 people have lost their jobs. By the end of the year we have been told that the mill will shut down completely and another 36 individuals will lose their jobs thus impacting the economic stability of Grant County.
As follow-up to that letter, we want to continue to convey our interest in the return of business and industry in light of Malheur Lumber’s closure. We recognize that federal funding and granting agencies must balance public and private funding priorities and goals, as a public entity we want to remind decision makers of the community impact and long-term impacts that the loss of a large employer will have on Grant County as a whole.
As stated in our first letter, a recent analysis from the State of Oregon Employment Department reported that the mill supports 76 direct jobs and 106 indirect jobs. The estimated annual total economic impact of this closure would be over $58 million in Grant County. When it comes time for the evaluation of funding opportunities, we believe that the impact of funding for the continued operation of Malheur Lumber would have a measurable and significant impact on our community.
This summer our region experienced one of the worst wildfire seasons in recent history. It should be noted that in addition to the economic impact, the continued operation of Malheur Lumber would maintain the ecological health of the forest in the region due to the ability to actively steward the forest.
We continue with the same goal, to shed light on the overall impact of the closure of Malheur Lumber on our community, school district and county as a whole. The infusion of public funding to work towards a solution would be in the best interest of the entire community, county and region. We remain hopeful that, with collective effort, our community can navigate this challenging period and emerge stronger.
Sincerely,
Will Blood, Chairman of the Board Grant SD #3
Grant School District #3 Board of Directors
