State funding meant to help the Eugene YMCA build a new headquarters is in jeopardy.
Oregon lawmakers last year approved $15 million for the project, which is set to break ground in 2021. The source of the money was a bond backed by state lottery dollars.
But Oregon Lottery revenues have plunged during the coronavirus pandemic, and the state now says it might not be able to issue the bond.
Brian Steffen, the CEO of the Eugene YMCA, said the news didn’t come as a surprise. "We’ve been having conversations with our legislators during COVID, to understand what the potential implications of COVID’s impacts to state revenues and lottery bond dollars might be,” he said.
Steffen said the final decision about the lottery bond won’t come until early next year. He said the Y is exploring alternate funding options for its new building, which is estimated to cost around 37-million-dollars.
