Wagner Lumber's Owego saw mill to have a new era

ALBANY (Scrap Monster): Wagner Lumber held a ceremonial groundbreaking in Owega on Tuesday, commencing its rebuilding process of the fire-damaged saw mill on Gaskill Road. The company plans to spend over $10 million and expects to have the new sawmill in operation by spring next year.

Earlier in February, a fire from air compressor room had damaged the sawmill facility. 17 departments were deployed at the site to bring the massive fire under control. Out of the 85 employees, 40 remained working in the facility. The remaining 45 were deployed at other locations. With the commencement of the new plant, these workers are expected to return to the mill.

According to the company, the sawmill had machinery worth over 20 years during the time of fire. The old machinery will be replaced in order to increase the productivity and efficiency of the mill. The upgrades will increase the production capacity of the mill by 50% from 100,000 board feet per day to 150,000 board feet per day. The new mill is expected to turn out to be the finest sawmill in the whole of Northeast.

Wagner is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of Hamburg-based Baillie Lumber Co. It has three saw mills in Owego, Nineveh and Cayuta. In addition, it also has a log yard located in Belmont, NY.