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EDCO reports first year of Jefferson County economic development work; retail‑revitalization grant draws four applicants
Summary
EDCO representatives briefed commissioners and councilors on year‑one activity in Jefferson County, said they are expanding partnerships and reported four or more applications for a county retail‑revitalization grant that pairs county, Madras and Culver urban renewal funds.
Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) staff told the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners and City of Madras councilors that the county’s economic development program marked its first year and is pursuing several recruitment and business‑support efforts.
The EDCO presenter said two major commercial projects are in play — one confidential project and another tied to the county’s agricultural base — and that staff are pursuing aviation leads at the Madras airport. EDCO said it relaunched a Jefferson County Economic Development Advisory Board earlier in the year and will deliver bimonthly reports to elected officials.
EDCO also summarized a retail‑revitalization grant program funded jointly by the county and local urban renewal districts. The county is providing up to $250,000 for eligible projects that convert or create at least 12,000 square feet of retail space that serves an unmet community need. The Madras Urban Renewal District is matching with up to $250,000 for projects within the Madras district; Culver’s Urban Renewal District is providing up to $100,000 for projects inside its district with a 4,000‑square‑foot minimum. EDCO said four applications were received by the grant deadline; the grant scoring committee, composed of EDCO staff and representatives of the two urban renewal districts, will meet to review applications and forward recommendations to the elected bodies for final decisions.
EDCO staff said the county and cities will need an intergovernmental agreement or similar template for disbursing funds and for setting benchmarks and payouts if a project is selected. EDCO added that the grant process is designed to surface multiple opportunities — for example, one applicant may be referred to another program for façade or loan support rather than receive the full retail grant.
EDCO also described separate work on entrepreneurship and startup support through a Business Oregon rural entrepreneurship grant application for Jefferson and Crook counties, work to strengthen the traded‑sector pipeline, and outreach tied to regional events such as the Bend Venture Conference.
EDCO leaders represented at the meeting included Kelsey Lucas, senior director of business development, and CEO John Stark. The Jefferson County economic development program manager (one staff member identified as Brenda/Brenna in the discussion) said outreach includes surveys, postcards to more than 6,600 households and on‑the‑ground engagement at community events; consultants will present preliminary results on Nov. 5 when they meet separately with county and city governing bodies.
The commissioners and councilors said they appreciate the early results and emphasized continuing coordination on incentives such as enterprise‑zone boundary work and school‑district support fees.
Why it matters
Local economic development work drives prospective employer recruitment and community planning for infrastructure and workforce. The retail‑revitalization fund is small relative to most private investments, but the matching approach and committee review are intended to direct scarce public dollars to projects that produce more foot traffic, fill unserved retail needs and leverage other funding.
