Northeast corner of the future site of Aspen Heights subdivision, looking north across Main Street, Athena, on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022.

ATHENA — Home builder Tim Sprenger managed to fund Athena’s new 27-lot Aspen Heights subdivision with creative bank financing, private investors and, critically, an infrastructure grant from Umatilla County.

The 8.2-acre site lies west of Pambrun Road and south of Oregon Highway 334, which is Athena’s Main Street. Sprenger held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday, Oct. 27.

Sprenger, doing business as Aspen Construction and Development LLC, a family company, since 2008, has built houses throughout the region for 20 years. He has lived and worked in Pendleton and Adams, but for the past 15 years has resided outside Athena on the Helix highway.

The Beamer family sold him land within the city limits on which to build the largest development in Athena in more than 20 years.

“We discussed possible partnership arrangements with the four Beamer heirs,” Sprenger said, “but it proved simpler just to buy the land.”

Sprenger has long worked with Mike Short, regional vice president and agricultural and commercial lending team leader at the Bank of Eastern Oregon’s Pendleton branch.

“I usually build spec houses,” Sprenger said, “but this development is a major undertaking. It took some creative gap financing. Mike came through, but the bank could only finance 60% of the project cost.”

Sprenger found private investors willing to share the risk with him, but they could not have swung the project without a public-private venture.

“We could not have done the deal without a a federal infrastructure grant from the county,” he said.

The Umatilla County grant came from American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 funds and went to Athena for water and sewer construction.

“It was in the amount of $400,000,” Board of Commissioners Chair John Shafer said. “It came from ARPA dollars, a perfect match for the infrastructure requirements on the funds.”

Shafer said there were two meetings to discuss how to allocate ARPA dollars.

“The first meeting was on June 29,” he said. “At this meeting we identified our list of projects. Since we did not put an actual dollar amount to each project, we put the dollar amounts to all projects at the Oct. 5 meeting.”

Sprenger said the three commissioners are good at meeting the needs of the county’s smaller towns and rural areas, not just Pendleton and Hermiston’s.

“Helix recently annexed land belonging to the Bracher family,” he said. “They might develop a smaller subdivision there. Adding 27 homes to Athena will be good for the schools. People will buy things at the markets.”

The project is slated to advance in three phases of eight to 10 house lots each.

“We already have interested potential buyers,” Sprenger said.

The stick-built homes are to be customizable, with optional features such as fireplaces. All are to feature attached two-car garages.