On Sept. 18, the Grant School Board 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 Dec. 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 a 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, but 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 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 toward 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.