Funds help Union County build forest firefighting facility

City: La Grande, OR

Business Oregon helped Union County secure funding to construct a dispatch and cache building at the Union County Airport. The U.S. Forest Service was in need of a facility in Union County that could be used to support its national and regional fire and other air operations. Union County had already provided funds to pay for the design of the facility. Business Oregon then provided construction funding of $2,184,388 that was used to construct a new 23,100-square-foot dispatch and cache building with a 35-foot communications tower.

The U.S. Forest Service will consolidate staff from Umatilla and Union counties at this new facility. The county was able to negotiate a 10-year lease with renewal options for up to 10 more years. Rent will provide adequate cash flow to meet the county's direct and indirect costs.