EPA suspends $3.7 million in funding to Oakridge’s WAC, leaving center in limbo

OAKRIDGE — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pulled a significant amount of funding from the Willamette Activity Center (WAC) in relation to cuts happening nationwide under the new administration.

City Administrator James Cleavenger said, “we did not expect it because the money had already been awarded,” in response to the grant freeze that emerged on Feb. 13. 

The EPA Community Change Grant awarded $20 million in funds to resilience hubs across Lane County. $3.7 million from this pot was directly allocated to Oakridge’s WAC.

The cuts have already placed a strain on the essential services the WAC offers to Oakridge residents.

The decision to suspend funding means that the functionality of services offered out of the center will be delayed and limited, said Mayor Bryan Cutchen. 

Resources the WAC typically offers include food banks, emergency shelter coordination during wildfire seasons and numerous social outreach programs. The ability to keep operating at its current capacity is  severely inhibited as the grant was the center’s biggest source of funding. 

 

A safety net in jeopardy

The WAC has served as a critical hub for Oakridge’s residents, particularly seniors, low income families and the unhoused. Through various initiatives, it has successfully provided access to food assistance, temporary housing support and connections to vital social services.

The EPA funding played a key role in supporting the WAC’s operations, helping maintain the facility and providing staff to coordinate assistance programs. Without this financial backing, local leaders fear the center may struggle to function at the speed and capacity required. 

The center itself requires some construction to preserve the roof of the building.

“We’ve got a couple grants that are pretty significant, that were going to bring a lot of revenue to the city and allow us to do some major upgrades to the

infrastructure,” said Cutchen. “But I’m hoping for the best that you know that those grants will get restored or unfrozen.”

Although funds for the center’s programs will suffer, securing the roof upgrade to preserve the center is a priority. 

“We’re still moving forward in hopes that maybe we’ll be able to get this money back and we still have enough funding to start on the roof either late spring or early summer,” Cleavenger said.

In addition to the WAC, the CA and mayor noted that three Oakridge residents have already been terminated from their roles with the US Forest Service. They said this is connected to the federal cuts. 

“We rely upon those folks immensely to not only mitigate some of the fire hazards that are around town, but also in wildfire season,” Cutchen said. “They play a critical role should a wildfire break out, so any reduction in their workforce is of concern.” 

The EPA’s justification

When the EPA informed of the immediate freeze on the funding being funneled to the WAC, no direct reasoning was issued to the city administrator, who received the notification. While seemingly some shifting priorities may appear as the reason for general grant cuts nationally, it remains unclear why. 

The mayor said this is about the federal agency scrutinizing the grants to assess if they are aligned with the new administration’s priorities.

Local officials are conscious that rural communities like Oakridge are often overlooked when funding decisions are made, despite having some of the highest need among residents.

Resilience amid uncertainty

The Mayor and Cleavenger echoed one another’s sentiment that the services the center offers will suffer if the grant is not restored. The WAC services about 1000 people per month, said the CA. They also voiced concerns that losing the center’s functionality will make it even harder for vulnerable individuals to access basic necessities such as the food pantry which was already scrambling to roll out services.

The mayor encourages residents with a personal connection to a loss of revenue or resource shortage to write to their federal representatives and impart some awareness to them of the issues taking shape.

“Make sure that those elected representatives know the impacts,” Cutchen said.

The funding cut also raises questions about the future of social support systems that rely on federal funding in Oakridge and across Lane County. 

Searching for solutions and maintaining hope

With the loss of EPA funding, city officials are now exploring alternative funding routes to keep services running. Smaller grants will still be applied toward the center. 

Mayor Cutchen said he is hopeful the freeze is more of a suspension and funds will be reactivated, however action is being taken to collectively address the EPA across lane county’s mayors and plead for the funding to be restored.

“ I don’t see them as canceled as much right now as they are frozen,” Cutchen said. 

He went on to say the center had ambitious plans for installing community-centered amenities.

“…with regards to a commercial kitchen, a place for citizens to come if there’s a natural disaster where they can sleep in the gymnasium and have access to restrooms and showers; all that nice stuff we will not be able to do without additional funding,” Cutchen said.

In the immediacy, the various mayors, including the mayor of Florence, have unified to write to the EPA, asking them “nicely” if they would reconsider unsuspending the funds, said Cleavenger. 

The CA said the letter containing Lane County mayors signatures was sent to the new EPA Administrator, Lee Zeldin, the week after the funds were paused. A response has not yet been received.

 

Without additional funding the above will be limited, he said.

Local leaders have vowed to explore all avenues to secure aid despite the inevitable challenges andchallenges ahead and uncertainties ahead. 

“We are still on the hunt for funding, and right now, it’s kind of limited to outside the federal area,” said Cutchen. He said state grants and foundation grants are another monetary avenue that is being explored. 

Cleavenger said if the initial effortsactions do not prove a success, the matter will be escalated to litigation in federal court. 

As Oakridge residents face an uncertain future, one thing remains clear: the community and local government are determined to protect the WAC and the vital services it rolls out. 

“If we have truly lost all this funding, we’ll just continue fundraising, if we have to wait another four years before things return to normal then we will,” Cleavenger said.