Contractor Steve Severin, left, and local business owner Melanie Stanley, right, pause outside an area of Blue River that's getting rebuilt after a devastating wildfire.
Brian Bull / KLCC
The McKenzie Corridor community of Blue River, Oregon, continues to rebuild, nearly four years after a wildfire leveled most of it.
As traffic zipped by on Highway 126 earlier this week, construction crews operated hand tools and heavy machinery on several buildings. Thousands of charred and spindly trees covered the hillsides, a reminder of the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire which destroyed more than three-fourths of the downtown area, and burned more than 173,000 acres.
Permitting, rezoning, and right of way adjustments have been challenging, as longtime resident Melanie Stanley knows. She lost her general store and liquor shop to the fire, and has been back and forth with zoning officials.
Stanley told KLCC that she hoped to have it rebuilt by this winter.
“I’m very much looking forward to having our bench back out in front of our store so that people can gather together there again just have a spot to meet,” said Stanley. “Right now we’re lucky enough that we have the small coffee shop (up the road) that has been able to kind of take that role on. But I will be very happy to have our spot back.”
Related: Rural Lane County clinic to be rebuilt following wildfire
Stanley added that while the new store will retain many similar elements from the previous one, this one will have a second floor which will have at least one apartment dedicated to affordable housing.
Nearby stood Steve Severin, a local contractor who’s working on the new health clinic as well as Stanley’s store. He said he’s hopeful they’ll keep on schedule.
“We have the plans submitted right now and we’re waiting to get those back,” said Severin. “They say three weeks...but that’s the county.”
Blue River residents will have a rebuilding block party this Saturday, to mark the completion of their new fire station and other developments including a library, the Rose Street Affordable Housing Project, and Blue River Park Recovery project.
The event is hosted by the McKenzie Community Land Trust (of which Stanley is a board member), McKenzie Locals Helping Locals, and The McKenzie Long Term Recovery Group.