Plans for a New Specialty Sawmill in St. Helena Parish Louisiana Will Not Move Forward

Florida Parishes Forest Products LLC., announced plans in early 2020 to invest $90 million in a specialty sawmill in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana, that would have provided nearly 100 permanent jobs, as well as over 120 temporary construction jobs. Last Tuesday (6-20-21) the company announced that those plans will not become a reality. In an interview with the Advocate Newspaper, Florida Parishes Forest Products co-developer Lindsey McMorris said plans to place the project in Greensburg — the seat of this rural parish stalled after the police jury declined to support the venture. McMorris also noted that his partner in the project Wayne Hagan, succumbed to the COVID-19 virus in early 2021 and with that he decided to withdraw from the project. In a phone interview, St. Helena Parish President Frank E. Johnson explained that the board wasn’t prepared to cover a $40 million sum the developers requested from the parish to help pay for the project.