Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)
and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) announced today that the Deschutes National Forest
will receive $6.825 million in funding from the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act to improve access to facilities the public needs at the
Deschutes National Forest and create much-needed construction jobs. The funding
will combine with $8 million in existing available Forest Service funds to
build a new joint administrative office facility for the Deschutes National
Forest Headquarters and the Bend Fort Rock Ranger District in Bend, Oregon and
create jobs in the local building trades over an estimated 16-month period.
“These Recovery funds will bring good, family-wage construction jobs to a
part of Oregon that’s been having a hard time,” said Wyden.
“Folks in Deschutes County will have more of the government services they need
under one roof — and the building will run on state-of-the-art energy
solutions that will save money down the line, too.”
“Month after month, the
Recovery Act continues to support working families and move our economy to
solid ground,” Merkley said. “This new facility in Deschutes
County will save money, improve services and, most importantly, create jobs in
Central Oregon.”
The office facility built with these Recovery funds will
replace two existing leased offices with a facility that will house government
offices for the local U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and save more than $1
million per year in lease costs. The building is being designed under the
Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. To
conserve energy and take advantage of renewable resources, a woody biomass
boiler will heat the facility and the building is designed to accommodate
future solar panels. The new facility will provide one-stop public information
services for Deschutes county residents and visitors.
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