The building permit for a new sawmill south of Valemount headlined another strong month for construction in the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George.
In a report going before the district board of directors on Thursday, district building inspector Dana Ferguson reported that the district issued 16 building permits in November with a combined value of $2.74 million – more than eight times the $341,000 in building permits issued by the district in November 2019.
As of Nov. 30, the district had issued a total of 289 building permits with a combined value of $74.1 million this year. By the same time last year, the district had issued 316 permits with a combined value of only $28.3 million.
In addition to the mill building in Valemount, worth an estimated $842,000, the district also issued permits for three new homes with a combined value of $1.45 million.
In April, the Rocky Mountain Goat reported that the Valemount Community Forest had purchased a mill from Edgewater Holdings in Prince George to process wood from the community forest that couldn't be sold profitably to larger producers. The mill was expected to process 35,000 to 40,000 metres per year, once operational.
