Sawmill consolidates plants

Riley Creek Lumber Co. is spending about $1 million to upgrade its sawmill in Chilco, Idaho.

The improvements include the addition of an 18,000-square-foot dry kiln, a fuel storage shed and a cooling shed, according to building permits filed with Kootenai County. Marc Brinkmeyer, Riley Creek’s owner, could not be reached for comment.

Earlier this year, Brinkmeyer said the company would close its Sandpoint finishing plant before the end of the year, and shift about 70 workers to Chilco. Riley Creek purchased both operations from Louisiana-Pacific last year, inheriting what Brinkmeyer described as an extremely inefficient operation.

Logs are sawn into boards at the Chilco mill in northern Kootenai County. Then the lumber is trucked 40 miles to Sandpoint, where it is dried in a kiln and run through a planer. The company also trucks bark and wood chips from the Chilco mill to Sandpoint, to fuel a boiler that generates electricity.

Moving the finishing plant to Chilco saves money and reduces the heavy truck traffic through downtown Sandpoint, Brinkmeyer said in a March interview.

Riley Creek operates two other Idaho sawmills, in Moyie Springs and in Laclede.