Vermont’s Britton Lumber Hopes To Rebuild Sawmill

Almost two weeks after a four-alarm fire leveled the sawmill at Britton Lumber Co., officials there announced their intentions to rebuild the sawmill and continue the company’s other operations as usual.

“That’s what’s taken two weeks is, can we even get to the point where we can contemplate rebuilding the sawmill?” company president Robert Moses said in an interview at the site on Friday. “And the answer is yes.”

Moses cautioned that there are still “a few more cards (that need to be) played” before company officials can be certain of the sawmill’s return, which they said could take up to two years. Unanswered questions include how much of the rebuilding costs will be covered by Britton’s insurance company and whether any potential coverage gaps could be overcome with financing or grants.

However, Moses said employees, government officials and community members have been eager to learn Britton’s intentions, and those are now clear: pursuing the sawmill rebuild. “I cannot say definitively that we are rebuilding it today, but we are going to do our best to get a new sawmill in Fairlee,” Moses said, calling it “the right thing to do.”

Layoffs were not completely avoided. Moses said the company eliminated one administrative position and let go of 11 other employees on Friday, mostly based on seniority. They included some of the 20 employees who had worked directly for the sawmill, as well as a few workers from other divisions.

From Valley News: vnews.com.