Mill workers hang up their hats

PABLO — The 51-year-old Pablo sawmill closed for good on Friday, finishing its last business quietly under the supervision of several employees who stayed to close the show.

 Most had finished on Wednesday. Knowing that their hard hats  won’t be needed anymore, the unified workers incited an impromptu ceremony that left behind the worn out, often dented and bruised, hats now lining the outside of the mill grounds to serve as a continuing reminder that more than 87 people are without jobs.

The gesture was simply something the crews decided to do, 29-year mill veteran Terry Anderson said.

“We just all kind of did it right before we had our last meeting,” he said.

Anderson finished last week with a kind of sad relief, he said.

“It was just good to get out of there I think, there was a lot of mixed feelings about that place. I think the majority was pretty much happy to get out of there,” he said. 

Plum Creek officials announced the closure in April, citing continued poor market conditions and the economic performance of each mill as factors in the closure. Company president Rick Holley released a statement at the time stating that the waning demand for wood products is directly related to the troubled housing market.

Company spokesperson Kathy Budinik said last week that there are no immediate plans to sell the site.

“We’re not going to dismantle it right away or anything, if someone is interesting we might consider selling it,” she said.

Ray Miller Jr. worked for 45 years in the shipping department at Plum Creek. He retired in 2007, in his time there witnessing the rise and fall of the mill.

“Before Plum Creek come there was hardly any industry in the valley, so there weren’t any jobs around,” Miller said.  “It was a real steady, good place to work and had some good people working there.

“There were lots of people who took pride in their work and put out a good product and were proud of it.”

The mill started production in 1958. Plum Creek, which according to its website has become the largest private landowner in the state, was established in 1989. 

At one time, the mill was running three shifts and “there wasn’t enough logs to go around,” Miller said. He saw periods of slow downs throughout the years, and the cut back to two shifts, but not any major layoffs.

Miller said he was surprised by the news of the closure.

“I think it will make quite an impact on the economy unless somebody starts it back up again, but there is a more diversified economy now than when there was when it started, so we’ll see.”

Another retiree, Dick Burland, agrees that the mill was a place that provided well for many families throughout years. He began work on Jan. 23, 1967 and retired on Jan. 25, 2008 after 41 years.

“I did enjoy my time at Plum creek and made many, many friends, but the last few years weren’t as good as the first 40,” he said. “But it seems to be the way it is in corporate America these days.”

His main concern now are the “many knowledgeable people and good hard workers who were laid off.”

“I’m settled in really good, but a lot of the young guys are left out in the rain,” Burland said.

For Anderson, who most recently worked on the paper wrap, the end of the sawmill has created a new path for him to pursue. Anderson is enrolling computer programming classes at the Salish Kootenai College.

“It’s been something I’ve been interested in for quite awhile,” Anderson said.

The change is something he sees as a positive, how the rest of the community fares will be something to watch.

“I’m  sure you will see some changes,” Anderson said. “It would be nice to see somebody buy (the mill), but I don’t know if that’s going to happen. The lumber market, the way it is now, it be a pretty hard market to get into.”