Pulp Co. to Open Dayton Office this Summer

DAYTON - Columbia Pulp LLC has announced that it will open an office on Main Street in Dayton later this year. The firm has entered into agreement to rent the former Betzler Chiropractic office at 164 E. Main Street, beginning in June.

"We will be working to get the office ready, and hope to open sometime in the summer," said Columbia Pulp President John Begley.

Columbia Pulp has acquired 450 acres of land on Highway 261 in northwestern Columbia County near Lyons Ferry Marina. On a 40 acre portion of that property, it plans to construct a processing facility that will convert wheat and alfalfa straw to pulp, which will be used for making paper products.

The company is working with local farmers to acquire the straw, and it projects that approximately 220,000 tons of straw will be used each year, once the plant is up to full production. The plant will produce more than 400 tons of pulp per day. The firm says it will hire at least 130 fulltime workers.

Columbia Pulp expects to begin ground preparations at the site late this year and start construction of the plant in early 2015. The facility is expected to begin production in the fall of next year.

On Friday, a public hearing was held with the Columbia County Hearings Examiner to address a Conditional Use Permit that Columbia Pulp applied for. The hearing was an opportunity for members of the public to express either support of opposition to the project. Five people spoke at the hearing, and all were in support of the project.