PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles man who hopes to reopen the shuttered KPly mill said he is making progress with his negotiations with the bank that holds the lien on the equipment, and sought the support of the Port of Port Angeles at its Monday meeting.
Josh Renshaw has been working with a group of investors to purchase the 19-acre plywood mill on Marine Drive since it was formally closed in April 2008.
Under Renshaw’s plan, the mill, which has operated under different owners since 1941, would revert to its original name of Peninsula Plywood.
Sterling Savings Bank holds a lien on the property, and other portions of the property — such as the buildings — are owned by the Port of Port Angeles, which foreclosed on the assets when Klukwan Inc. defaulted on rent payments.
Renshaw asked the port to support for his efforts to help him close the deal with Sterling.
“We need the support of the port to complete this work,” Renshaw said.
The commission took no action.
Executive Director Bob McChesney, who will leave on Friday for a new post at the Port of Edmonds, said he didn’t think the port staff should voice an opinion at this point.
“We are dealing with our own issues, which we are trying to resolve,” he said.
The port has been trying to recover hundreds of thousands of dollars in back rent for the property.
“We will take what you have told us under advisement, and we thank you very much for coming.”
Port President John Calhoun said he was in support of creating new jobs.
“We are all interested creating jobs from that side,” Calhoun said.
“We have a common interest there.”
Klukwan, which owns the mill’s equipment, permanently laid off 132 employees in April 2008 after closing the mill in November 2007.
Renshaw, a former sales manager for KPly, wants to put 125 to 175 employees to work at the mill, saying it could produce 5 million board feet of plywood a month, he said.
If the mill does not reopen, the port, which owns the land the mill sits on, would clear the site and use it for some other purpose, port officials have said.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
