A new sawmill west of Panguitch is soon to open at the site of the former K&D Forest Products mill which was destroyed by fire last year.
Kings Peak Lumber purchased the mill from the Frandsens and according to Dave Fiala, one of the new owners of the sawmill, they hope to be up and running by sometime in March.
At this time, Fiala’s company has hired 14 workers to help with the reconstruction. Most of the men had worked at the previous sawmill and are pleased to help rebuild the portions of the mill damaged in the devastating fire last summer.
The men are working to rebuild the head saw, resaw, gang saw, trimmer, shop saw, and sharpener.
Also destroyed in the fire were conveyor belts and the waste belt along with hydraulic pumps. Fire of that magnitude destroys electronics and it would take thousands of dollars just to replace wiring, breaker boxes and air compressors.
The workers are quickly welding things that can be repaired and replacing items that cannot be repaired. When completed, this mill will not only have the repairs done but will also have another dry kiln and a new planer added for the lumber.
Kings Peak Lumber will be managed by Randy Stark, one of the partners in the operation. He is overseeing the current repairs being made.
This company believes that wood is a renewable resource that needs to be managed and thinned to help keep the forest healthy. Responsible logging can be a benefit to the community and the forest and can prevent old trees from becoming a danger to hikers and wildlife. Not logging an area can be a danger to the forest through an increased likelihood of disease in older trees and definite increase of forest fires along with reduced water runoff. This also hurts the water supply for wildlife, farmers, and ranchers.
Kings Peak looks at this project as a 20- to 30-year venture. They plan to log for a long time and want to help the community grow by providing jobs that can support a family and a healthy forest for recreation and tourism.
Dave Fiala stated that they hope to be opened by the end of March with a full crew. They plan to increase production employing 25 to 30 workers at this time. Their plans will focus on using larger timber for producing boards that can be sold in the community and also to wholesalers. Unusable ends or smaller logs will be ground and sold as bedding for turkey farms and other agricultural needs. This will be bagged and sold also for gardeners and a variety of other uses.
Barco Logging will be supplying the logs that will be cut at the mill. The logging operation will purchase timber sales in this area but will also bring product from as far away as Fish Lake and the Kaibab Forest in Arizona.
The company also owns property along Highway 89 where a second mill will eventually be in operation. But they will not be developing it for a few years as buying the Frandsen’s K&D Mill will be a full-time operation to restore and keep running.
The community owes a debt of thanks to the Frandsen family for providing jobs for Panguitch when we needed them most. They were also great supporters donating to the schools, church and community projects. For years, they also provided wood for widows to burn. We are grateful for their generosity and years of support for Panguitch.
We wish the new company success in growing a mill that will be a major employer for many years to come.
– by Elaine Baldwin
Elaine Baldwin – Panguitch
Elaine Baldwin is an Editor/Writer for The Byway. She is the wife of Dale Baldwin, and they have three children, 11 grandchildren and one great granddaughter. Elaine enjoys making a difference in her world. She recently retired after teaching Drama for 20 years at Panguitch High School. She loves volunteering and finds her greatest joy serving in the Cedar City Temple each Friday.