A project that would bring in some upgrades to the Gutchess Lumber mill on McLean Road was sent to the Cortland County Planning Board for an aquifer protection permit by members of the Cortlandville Planning Board Tuesday night.
The project consists of a small addition to the sawmill’s sorter building located at 890 McLean Rd. that would help automate some functions for mill operators, said Ryan Marrs, an engineer with the company.
“This project will help us continue to modernize our sawmill,” he said at the Planning Board meeting Tuesday. “One of the projects I am working on is adding new, modern equipment that has more automation to make our work easier. One of those projects is to put in a new stacker that will allow us to automatically lay stickers on the lumber itself when it comes out of the sawmill.”
(Photo Source: Gutchess Lumber Co., Inc. website)
(Photo Source: Gutchess Lumber Co., Inc.)
The new addition to the sorter building would have 2,500 square feet of floor space and would streamline work at the mill.
Marrs noted over the phone Wednesday morning that employees will still be needed “to operate the equipment that’s doing the automation.” He added that the project is more of “an advancement in technology.”
“This would (get rid of) the need for individuals to stand all day performing manual labor. That is a position we really struggle to keep filled,” Marrs said. “This will help us stay sustainable in the long term.”
Technology will allow Gutchess Lumber “to remain in business,” Marrs said Wednesday.
“If we don’t get a handle on labor struggles, we’ll continue to struggle,” he added. Marrs mentioned that once the equipment goes in, “nobody is losing their job.”
Planning Board member Ann Hotchkin asked Marrs about potential environmental impacts of the buildout.
“There has been pretty good handling of the water in the floodplain where that probably wasn’t the case in the not so distant past,” she said. “This isn’t a gigantic building, but have you consulted with the State Department of Environmental Conservation if this is going in there and has an environmental impact?”
Marrs noted the environmental impact of the project should be minimal.
“We are placing this expansion on the edge of the existing sorter building. The whole area around it is already paved,” he said. “We are shifting the pavement up and we will continue to handle the drainage the way we currently do.”
The project was moved unanimously to further consideration with the County Planning Board. It will then be revisited at the Cortlandville Planning Board meeting for March.
