Those who get logs cut at the sawmill north of Dollar’s Corner will have to wait a few months until new operations are in place as longtime sawyer Pat Lydon announced his retirement late last month.
On Jan. 26, Lydon announced that Dollar’s Corner Sawmill will close at the end of February. Any wood on the property located at 23907 NE 72nd Ave. in Battle Ground will need to be picked up by Feb. 28 or it will be considered abandoned.
Lydon started the operation in 2004, he said, after he was invited to the site by the late Linn “Penny” Dollar. Since then he’s amassed a wide-ranging clientele.
“I’ve had over 700 numbers in my phone, people I’ve cut wood for … from all over, guys from Morton bringing their stuff down here,” Lydon said.
Lydon said his decision to close the shop was because an injury he sustained from a car wreck when he was 5 years old was catching up with him.
“Now I’m 75 years old and I’m worn out,” Lydon said.
Though Lydon is stepping away from the business, another sawyer on the site, Ronnie Montoya, of Lodgepole Furniture, will continue operating at the site after a brief hiatus. Montoya said the sawmill will open back up for public cutting in about three months as they reconstruct the business after Lydon’s departure.
Montoya said keeping operations at the sawmill going in the future has its benefits, as folks can easily locate it. It’s housed just one street north of Dollar’s Corner proper.
“Keeping the Dollar name out there is kind of cool,” Montoya said.
Lydon said he hasn’t changed his prices since 2004. Though some sawyers have mobile operations for those needing their services, he said he’s stayed put to avoid any mishaps such as a tipped tractor from hauling too big of logs.
Lydon said he was never in it for the money.
“This is a hobby, just being able to provide a service to the community,” Lydon said. “If they can be and I can be happy running the saw, that’s all I need, enough money to pay the rent and maintenance.”
