73 workers to lose jobs when Pinkham mill shuts

NASHVILLE PLANTATION – Just a day after Fraser Papers Inc. announced the temporary shutdown of its Ashland sawmill, officials at J.D. Irving Forest Products said the Pinkham Sawmill in Nashville Plantation would be closing its doors in about two weeks.

The Pinkham closure will put 73 people out of work.

“This is an indefinite closure at this point in time due to market conditions,” Mary Keith, spokeswoman for Irving Sawmills, said Thursday evening. “The slump in the U.S. housing market has hit a lot of companies hard. … So unfortunately we had to meet with the employees this afternoon and tell them the news.”

Keith said the mill had already been operating on a “reduced shift,” which means the facility was running only three days per week.

“We are working to place as many of the affected workers as we can at our other sites,” Keith said.

U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud of Maine’s 2nd District called the announcement “terrible news” and said he had contacted officials from the state Department of Labor’s Rapid Response Team to discuss the implications of the shutdown on the sawmill workers.

“In the days and weeks ahead, my office will work to provide whatever assistance is necessary to help these workers to get back to work,” he said.

Thursday’s announcement was another significant blow to the industry.

Fraser Papers announced Wednesday that it would be shutting down its Ashland sawmill for about four months because of low lumber prices caused by a weak U.S. housing market. The mill will close once current log supplies are processed. Company officials said the return of about 70 workers would be dependent on market conditions.

Fraser’s sawmill in Masardis is unaffected by the announcement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report