FORKS — The Quileute tribe completed purchase of the 110 Business Park — now renamed the Kit.la Center — in January.
But what the tribe will do with the site at 100 LaPush Road — the former location of a historic Forks sawmill — hasn’t yet been determined.
“The Quileute Tribal Council understands the curiosity surrounding the Kit.la Center,” the council said in a statement from its offices on the tribe’s reservation in nearby LaPush.
“We look forward to sharing the vision of the center with our neighbors and our community as it unfolds and as it evolves.
“We do appreciate the interest the purchase generated, but for now things will remain status quo.”
‘Blend of cultures’
The group of red and white buildings, including the unique “roundhouse,” where lumber used to be processed, and the property they sit on has a shared history between the Quileute and those who settled the area, according to James Jaime, enterprise manager for the tribe.
“We are seeking more ideas to develop the plans that fit,” he said. “There is a blend of cultures on that property.”
Of the site’s 23 acres, 8.5 acres are now developed, and the planning process will address future development, Jaime said.
“Whether [all of the site] will be fully utilized remains to be seen,” he said.
Jaime said there is no plan to displace facilities now there.
The property has been used for weddings and conferences. Current businesses include Old Mill Archery and the Old Mill Trading Post consignment shops.
A U-Haul business and propane sales at the business park will continue to be operated by the tribe, and existing leases with current tenants will be honored, the tribe said.
There are also meeting areas, storage units, recreational vehicle hookup sites and other amenities.
In the Quileute language, “Kit.la,” pronounced kate-lah, means “upstream” and is an abbreviation for a longer word that translates to “upstream prairie place,” the tribe’s traditional name for the location.
Management
The Kit.la Center is currently being managed for the tribe by Susan McMichael.
Rosmond Brothers Sawmill operated on the site from the late 1940s until 1983. It employed about 50 workers.
The Rosmond family sold the mill to Loth Lumber Co. in 1983, and Loth sold the mill to Car-Win Lumber around 1990.
Two Forks entrepreneurs, Bill Sperry and wife Kitty, purchased the property in 2008 and transformed the mill site into the business park.
They announced at the end of 2014 that it was being sold to the tribe. The purchase price was not disclosed.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
