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Presenters ask county to back federal grant to add kiln, revive second mill and expand forest treatments
Summary
Presenters described grant plans to add a dry kiln and boiler to a local mill, restart a second idle mill and increase forest treatment capacity — seeking county letters of support to bolster a federal Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance Program application.
Presenters identified as the "Reed heads" told the Kane County Resource Committee on April 15 that they are applying to the federal Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance Program for funds to bolster local mill infrastructure.
The presenters said the package would pay for a dry kiln and boiler to treat bug‑infested timber, allow a second idle mill to restart and expand processing capacity. "We're actually applying for a grant to... bolster the infrastructure of our mill," the presenter said, adding the upgrades could increase processing volume "upwards to 300%" and open markets for kiln‑dried lumber.
The presenters said adding a boiler and using excess heat in a cogen arrangement could generate power to help the town of Fredonia address a projected roughly 1‑megawatt shortfall in the near future. They also estimated the project could enable movement of "28 to 30,000 tons of residuals and biomass" from local forests that are currently creating fire risk.
Commissioner Myers introduced the presentation and asked the committee to consider providing a formal letter of support. Committee member S2 described the proposal as "excellent" and noted similar forest‑treatment efforts in other counties. The presenter said that the mill in Pangewood previously received about $1,000,000 through a similar restart fund and that the current application follows that model.
The county approved a prepared letter of support at the meeting and agreed to sign and return it to the presenters for inclusion in the federal submission; the presenters requested the packet be assembled and delivered to their federal contact by April 22. The committee did not vote on any grant spending by the county; the motion authorized only a letter of support.
The presenters asked the county for letters from officials to strengthen the application and said they had letters from some forest service contacts and expect additional endorsements from local mayors and representatives. The presenters also described past litigation and regulatory hurdles that have limited timber removal in places the group said needed treatment.
The presentation concluded with presenters requesting county support and offering to meet further with staff and commissioners to coordinate timber sales, treatments and grant paperwork.
