Morning Lookout: Bureaucracy stifles Holiday Farm Fire recovery

Good morning, Lookout Eugene-Springfield,

Five years after the Holiday Farm Fire, McKenzie Valley residents still face bureaucratic roadblocks in their quest to rebuild, even after the government allocated millions for housing. Some residents, weary of the slow pace of recovery, launched a nonprofit organization of their own. Ben Botkin reports, and his is the first piece in a series of Lookout Eugene-Springfield stories examining the fire and its aftermath.

The Springfield city council needs to fill a vacancy, and Lillian Schrock-Clevenger explains the process. The council will appoint an interim councilor by the end of October, and then voters will cast their ballots for a permanent replacement in May.

John Tapogna, the former president of the consulting firm ECOnorthwest, says Oregon faces five big challenges: a housing shortage, poor K-12 schools, wildfires, over-reliance on income taxes, and ambivalence about growth. Our partners at Oregon Journalism Project talked to him about these issues.

In case you missed these stories published Wednesday…
• UO to cut 60 employees this fall, including some faculty members
• Fire sparked at Spencer Butte, likely by lightning
• Welch: As another summer fades, it’s time to let go and, dare say, relax

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Holiday Farm Fire survivors endure a long slog to rebuild homes

By Ben Botkin

Five years after the blaze, McKenzie Valley residents still face bureaucratic roadblocks in their quest to rebuild, even after the government allocated millions for housing. Some residents, weary of the slow pace of recovery, launched a nonprofit organization of their own.