Rep. Hendrick: Smurfit mill closure will be 'devastating'
by John Q. Murray
Rep. Gordon Hendrick (R-Superior) said Smurfit-Stone's announced closure of the Frenchtown mill is "devastating to the people of this valley."
Noting that many Mineral County residents commuted to work at the mill from as far away as Superior and St. Regis, he said "the loss of one more mill--the big one we were all counting on--is just going to be devastating."
Rep. Hendrick successfully sponsored HB 78 during the 2009 session, which sought to help Montana's timber industry by increasing the size of salvage timber operations up to 500,000 acres.
Since the session ended, he helped launch a new non-profit organization, The Mineral County We Care Foundation. The Smurfit announcement shows that there is even more reason to get involved, he said.
The turnout for the group's second meeting on Thursday was overwhelming, he said, with many participants coming from Fish Creek and Alberton, as well as Superior and St. Regis. Jim DeBree of the Mineral County Community Foundation was the guest speaker.
Gordon said the group is working with the Community Foundation so that they can start collecting donations while obtaining their own 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.
All of those attending were very positive, and the group has already given food to a needy family in dire straits, he said.
"It was just fabulous," he said. "It made me realize why I'm here and what I'm doing. This is the answer."
He learned that Jim DeBree's son runs a similar organization in Wyoming with a similar title, and has been having great success getting grants in Wyoming.
He said the Mineral County group will look to reuse as much as possible of their bylaws and their materials. "If everything is already done, why reinvent the wheel?" he said. "We don't have to spend all that time reorganizing."
"This is just one that is out of the norm--what the whole county needed. This organization doesn't stop with just Mineral County. It needs to be organized in every county. Instead of sending out surveys, I want to go straight to where these people need help."
And in the near future, many of those people needing help will be in western Montana, he said. The closure of the Smurfit-Stone mill shows that government efforts to increase timber supply were just not getting the job done. "The wilderness bill, the Plum Creek land legacy--[the supply] is just not there," he said.
Given the economic downturn and a looming battle over the state budget, Gordon said he has been asked by Montana Republican Party leaders to reconsider his decision not to run for re-election to a fourth term.
The next legislative session will be cut-throat. He has decided to stay the course and seek his fourth term, which would be the last consecutive term in the state House under term limits.
"Sure, it's my last term. I need to be hitting the ground at 90 miles an hour," he said.
Gordon said he also called Democrat Judy Stang last week to tell her about the decision. After Gordon said he would not be running in 2010, Judy announced her intentions to run for House District 14.
"I called Judy and I talked with her last week. Judy is a very good friend and I do believe she is still going to run," he said. "Even though I did tell everybody I didn't want to do it again, never say never, because we need experience."
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Rep. Gordon Hendrick (R-Superior) said Smurfit-Stone's announced closure of the Frenchtown mill is "devastating to the people of this valley."
Noting that many Mineral County residents commuted to work at the mill from as far away as Superior and St. Regis, he said "the loss of one more mill--the big one we were all counting on--is just going to be devastating."
Rep. Hendrick successfully sponsored HB 78 during the 2009 session, which sought to help Montana's timber industry by increasing the size of salvage timber operations up to 500,000 acres.
Since the session ended, he helped launch a new non-profit organization, The Mineral County We Care Foundation. The Smurfit announcement shows that there is even more reason to get involved, he said.
The turnout for the group's second meeting on Thursday was overwhelming, he said, with many participants coming from Fish Creek and Alberton, as well as Superior and St. Regis. Jim DeBree of the Mineral County Community Foundation was the guest speaker.
Gordon said the group is working with the Community Foundation so that they can start collecting donations while obtaining their own 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.
All of those attending were very positive, and the group has already given food to a needy family in dire straits, he said.
"It was just fabulous," he said. "It made me realize why I'm here and what I'm doing. This is the answer."
He learned that Jim DeBree's son runs a similar organization in Wyoming with a similar title, and has been having great success getting grants in Wyoming.
He said the Mineral County group will look to reuse as much as possible of their bylaws and their materials. "If everything is already done, why reinvent the wheel?" he said. "We don't have to spend all that time reorganizing."
"This is just one that is out of the norm--what the whole county needed. This organization doesn't stop with just Mineral County. It needs to be organized in every county. Instead of sending out surveys, I want to go straight to where these people need help."
And in the near future, many of those people needing help will be in western Montana, he said. The closure of the Smurfit-Stone mill shows that government efforts to increase timber supply were just not getting the job done. "The wilderness bill, the Plum Creek land legacy--[the supply] is just not there," he said.
Given the economic downturn and a looming battle over the state budget, Gordon said he has been asked by Montana Republican Party leaders to reconsider his decision not to run for re-election to a fourth term.
The next legislative session will be cut-throat. He has decided to stay the course and seek his fourth term, which would be the last consecutive term in the state House under term limits.
"Sure, it's my last term. I need to be hitting the ground at 90 miles an hour," he said.
Gordon said he also called Democrat Judy Stang last week to tell her about the decision. After Gordon said he would not be running in 2010, Judy announced her intentions to run for House District 14.
"I called Judy and I talked with her last week. Judy is a very good friend and I do believe she is still going to run," he said. "Even though I did tell everybody I didn't want to do it again, never say never, because we need experience."
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