Les Prentice, PDC Development Manager, Dead at 49

Prentice first joined the city's development agency as a project coordinator in 1988 to help plan the Oregon Convention Center Urban Renewal Area. He left in 1993 to run his own land use planning and redevelopment business, and returned to the PDC in 1996 as a senior development manager. Most recently Prentice was in charge of the agency's efforts in the Downtown core.

Professionally, Prentice was a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, the American Planning Association and the Urban Land Institute. Personally, he was an avid Harley enthusiast. Prentice served as an officer of the Rose City Harley Davidson Club and often took extended tours around the country with his wife and friends. He also was an active fundraiser and volunteer for numerous women's and children's causes.

Among his myriad accomplishments for the PDC, Prentice helped develop the Eastbank Park Master Plan and the last phases of the Rouse/Pioneer Place project. Most recently, he served as the Downtown Target Area Team leader directing the Commission's involvement in the Mid-Town Park Blocks, planning for the West End district, development of the Museum Place project and general Downtown retail vitality.

Prior to joining the PDC, Prentice served as Director of the Longmont Downtown Development Authority in Longmont, CO. He also served as Director of the Missoula Redevelopment Agency in Missoula, MT.

PDC spokeswoman Martha Richmond says the PDC's development department is planning a meeting for next week to determine how Prentice projects will be reassigned. With as much as Prentice did for the agency, Richmond tells GlobeSt.com that temporary contract help is likely. Recruitment for another full-time employee will begin "as soon as things calm down," says Richmond.

Prentice is survived by his wife, Bonney Eken; his father, Elmo Prentice, of Lake Havasu, AZ; his, brother Stan Prentice, also of Lake Havasu; and his sister, Marcia Fellet, of Auckland, New Zealand. Memorial services are being held on Saturday, April 31, at Coldwell Chapel, located at the corner of NE 14th and Sandy Boulevard. Any contributions should be made to the Community Transition School or the Oregon Humane Society.