Although There's An Abundance Of Wood, This 75-Year-Old Mill In Montana Is Closing For The Most Surprising Reason

In the picturesque town of Seeley Lake, Montana, surrounded by beautiful forests, Pyramid Mountain Lumber has been the heartbeat of the community for 75 years. But now, despite abundant wood, the mill is closing its doors for the most surprising reason: the town lacks a centralized sewer system.

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Pyramid Mountain Lumber, the town's biggest employer, has been a family-owned business since 1948. Todd Johnson, whose grandfather started the mill, has worked there his entire life. “I’ve never drawn a paycheck from any other business in my whole life. I started here in sixth grade,” Johnson shared. “This is all I’ve ever known.”

The closure is not due to political battles or environmental issues. Instead, it's because the town doesn’t have a centralized sewer system, which prevents new affordable housing from being built. This makes it difficult to attract and retain workers. 

Johnson explains, “There hasn’t been an apartment, duplex, or fourplex built in this town in over 30 years, so … when you’re talking about entry-level housing for more blue-collar workers, there’s just none available.”

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Missoula County officials explain that developers can’t build cost-effective housing for the mill's blue-collar workers without a sewer system. High-end septic systems are too expensive for the kind of housing needed in Seeley Lake. The town has debated installing a sewer system for years, but residents have consistently voted against it due to concerns about costs and changing the town’s character.

The impact of this decision is now hitting home. Pyramid Mountain Lumber, which cuts various sizes of lumber and has grown significantly over the decades, cannot find enough workers to keep running. “To make the announcement to the crew was probably the toughest thing,” Johnson told ABC News. “I’ve got friends, family, generations of good friends that work here. I had to tell them we’re going to shut the doors.”

The shortage of workers isn't just affecting the mill. Kyle Marx, the general manager of Rovero's Hardware, mentioned they’re “running on a skeleton crew” during their busiest season. “No affordable housing here,” Marx said. “Rentals have diminished since COVID hit, and everybody came up here, bought every rental that was available, and turned them into vacation rentals or moved up here themselves.”

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Dee Baker, who owns the Grizzly Claw Trading Company, said this has been a problem for years. "There could be low-income housing built, but the people in the town cannot come to an agreement with Missoula County," she said.

Dave Strohmaier, chair of the Missoula Board of County Commissioners, explained the irony of the situation. “The lack of infrastructure is a big reason why Pyramid Mountain Lumber cannot find housing for their employees, and hence, change is upon us,” he said.

With the mill's payroll contributing over $6 million a year to the local economy, its closure will change the fabric of Seeley Lake. “You take that out of this economy, it’ll change the fabric of the town. There’s no doubt,” Johnson noted.

Although surrounded by abundant natural resources, Seeley Lake faces a future where its long-standing timber industry might disappear, all because there isn't a place for workers to live.

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