PORT ANGELES — It was about 3 months old, but that didn’t seem to matter to Rep. Kevin Van De Wege.
Peninsula Plywood President Josh Renshaw and about a dozen of his employees presented their first piece of plywood to Van De Wege on Wednesday to show their appreciation for the state legislator’s efforts to help the once-shuttered mill on Marine Drive in Port Angeles reopen under new ownership.
“It means so much to me to have these jobs created and to see people working,” said Van De Wege, D-Sequim, who represents the 24th Legislative District, which covers Clallam and Jefferson counties and a part of Grays Harbor County.
The plywood was signed by about 159 employees, Renshaw said.
The mill, formerly KPly, reopened March 1 after closing in November 2007.
Renshaw said it couldn’t have reopened without the help of Van De Wege and Port of Port Angeles President George Schoenfeldt.
He said Van De Wege helped bring public pressure on Sterling Savings Bank, which owned the mill’s machinery, to negotiate with Renshaw and worked with the Governor’s Office to win a state Department of Commerce loan for the mill.
“When support was waning among local leaders, Kevin and George Schoenfeldt . . . kept this operation alive,” Renshaw said.
Van De Wege said he will likely place the plywood on the wall in his garage.
He didn’t pick it up Wednesday because he didn’t have a vehicle big enough to carry it then.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
