Mail Tribune News - Zone extended to help out Boise

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Zone extended to help out Boise A state agency has agreed to extend the Medford Urban Enterprise Zone in hopes of encouraging Boise Cascade Corp. to rebuild its plywood mill that was destroyed by fire. The Oregon Economic Development Department extended the zone in response to a request from the Medford City Council. Boise Cascade's mill on North Pacific Highway burned down Sept. 7, leaving hundreds without work. Medford Councilman Bill Moore, who has been working on a task force to entice company officials to rebuild, said the zone will be an incentive to Boise Cascade. The zone can offer short-term tax relief on new buildings and equipment at the site. When the mill burned, more than 400 Jackson and Josephine county workers lost their jobs. The destruction also put a dent in the local economy with the loss of a payroll of $16 million a year. Moore said Boise Cascade officials are probably looking at several factors in their decision to rebuild -- and one of them is the enterprise zone. He also said he hoped company officials were encouraged by voters' rejection of Ballot Measure 64 in Tuesday's election. That measure would have put severe limitations on logging. Moore said he knows that Boise Cascade officials are speaking to the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service about the availability of logs. The Oregon Economic Development Department is a state agency that invests lottery, federal and other funds to help communities and businesses create jobs and improve economic opportunities. About 8 percent of state lottery funds go to the agency. Mail Tribune Copyright �  The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA