July 15, 2020 3:40 a.m.

The loss of lottery bond sales has eliminated funding for the Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant and will impact a Roseburg organization.

Information from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department said the sale was cancelled due to lottery shortfalls from the impacts of COVID-19. Without the $5 million expected from the sale or additional action by the legislature, a new round of grants can’t be awarded.

Susie Johnston Forte, Executive Director of The Roseburg Town Center, formerly known as the Downtown Roseburg Association, said the elimination of the funding will “definitely affect some of the work we had planned on doing this coming year”. Johnson said the group, which officially returned to its original name in June, has been hard at work. She said its board of directors just completed a strategic plan in light of COVID-19. Johnston-Forte said one of the strategies was to apply for these new grants to help improve several shopfronts downtown. She said they will redirect their attention to seek funding from other potential sources.

The OPRD release said the change “…is a devastating blow to Oregon’s 93 historic downtowns and organizations that participate in the Oregon Main Street Network”. It said those groups have struggled these past several months to meet the challenges their communities are facing during the pandemic.

The grant program was created during the 2015 legislative session and was placed with the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office. The legislation established a permanent fund for the grant program, and provided an initial infusion from the sale of lottery bonds. While the approved 2019 funding is now unlikely, the fund itself remains and can be replenished by other sources including government and private funds.

To learn more about the program, go to www.oregonheritage.org.