Rebuilding process begins at Cedar Log & Lumber
The summer season was expected to be a good one at Cedar Log & Lumber. The Millersburg business, which employed 35 people, had a lot of orders to fill, and had been running two 10-hour shifts, before Monday evening.
?We were looking at a very, very good summer,? said owner Dave Storms. ?It won?t be that good.?
That was before fire swept through the lumber company?s complex at the intersection of Millersburg Road and Freel Highway.
In a matter of minutes, sparks from a conveyor belt turned into walls of flames.
A once thriving local business is now a disaster area. But this is not where the story ends, it?s where a rebirth begins, as Storms heads into the unfamiliar terrain of trying to rebuild his business.
One of the first steps is get a new post peeler, but it will not be available for at least two weeks.
Two were lost in Monday?s fire. The newer one was purchased for about $200,000, but the replacement cost is now $240,000. The new post peeler is being constructed in Winn, Michigan. ?If we get one here, it will help out a little bit,? said Storms.
In the meantime, Storms has farmed out some of the work to Prell?s Sawmill in Hawks. Other customers have said they?ll wait. On rebuilding the five to six structures on the property, Storms said, ?We?ll have to wait and see how good the insurance company is to us.?