Park Falls mill. Image courtesy: WAOW TV
PARK FALLS, WI (WSAU) — It’s not how residents of Park Falls and the Wisconsin timber industry wanted the story to end.
The Wisconsin Examiner reports that parts of the mill were sold over a two-day auction November 16th through the 18th. The winners of the parts began picking up their purchases this week.
The sale of parts and items essentially ends any hope that the mill, which shut down in May of 2021, will ever re-open.
It’s unclear what the news means for Assembly Bill 682, the second version of the mill bill, which provided a $15 million loan guarantee for the mill. That passed the assembly with broad bipartisan support but did not make it out of that chamber in time for Senate consideration until January.
A previous attempt at state funding for the Park Falls mill and Verso in Wisconsin Rapids was vetoed by Governor Evers. That would have used COVID-19 relief funding to help issue loans to groups looking to buy both mills.
It’s unclear what the new developments mean for AB 682. The bill also includes $1 million in funding to help heat the Verso facility over the winter to keep the equipment ready if it can be reborn as a paper mill. WSAU News has reached out to Representative Scott Krug, who has been pushing his colleagues for funding bills for both facilities and will update this story when we hear back.
At its height, the Park Falls mill employed upwards of 800 people. At the time of its closure, between 60-80 people were working at the facility.
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