Comments by "Rimrock300" (@Rimrock300) on "Montana town in crosshairs of changing economy" video.

  1. Existing housing for sale, yeah, largely. Highest bidder.
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  2.  @jamesheuer5139  Could be anyone. but majority individual familes I guess, wanting to move to a smaller quieter area permanently, or for vacation
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  3. All prices are up, also for lumber naturally. But the main issue here is rich outsiders moving in pressing up property prices, and in addition have no particualr interest in seeing the town expand (help pay for a new sewage and water system) as they have come there for peace and quiet. Happens many places.
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  4. The problem is very few, if any, new housing are allowed being built in the city due to they need to invest in a central sewage and water system basically, which the city has denied to spend money for. And existing housing is majorly being bought up by richer outsiders
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  5. it was mentioned generally that due to rising operation costs they had compensated for that by constantly enlarge the operation in order to keep competative. Now not able to enlarge more due to lack of people willing to take job openings. Rising timber cost into this yes
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  6. They are not vacant, not for rent, so it doesn't help. Does not matter if the owners are home or not.
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  7. I was thinking the same, expanding by more automation, keep the same number of staff. I sure they have looked a lot into this, have quite some automation as of today, but possible sees it as a too big investment to take it a step further with automation, like a need to fully replace everything. The owners see better profit putting their money other places.
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  8. Main problems are the county/state allows very few new homes, if any, to be built in the city, as it lacks a central sewage system, which the city and it's habitants do not wish to spend money for, in addition to rich outsiders moving buying up exisiting homes at highest bid. these are people may working from home, or do not to work at all.
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  9. Supply and demand. It's capitalism. So you will sell your home under market value, just to be nice?
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  10. Owner choose to shut down as operating costs have gotten too high. Into this is living costs of the town, salary needed to live there, has risen much steeper than the income of mill. The mill too small to compete with larger operations. Mill has been saved for shut down 3 times last 20-25 years due to new investors and fresh capital, but at this point owner sees no possibility to further expand in order to keep going.
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  11. Many wishes for no change. But sometimes change comes around, and there is nothing one can do about it. One adapt to a new reality, or go under.
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  12. What you get paid for your produc is one side. But have you heard of the other part of the equation of running a business; operating costs?) No matter the sales price of wood, one need to have a certain size, production voulme, to make a profit. The owners do not see a possibilty to further grow the bsuiness in order to stay profitable. So it's over.
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  13. In this city a main problem is very few,if any, new housing are allowed built due to current sewage and water system can't handle it, and outsiders moving in vote against building a new system as they do not want the city to expand, they want peace and quiet
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  14. Smaller saw mills like this are shutting down, as they can't compete on price, while larger more modern saw mills expand, replacing the production falling out. High volume automated saw mills can keep costs lower per produced board feet of lumber
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  15. Basically they are a too small operation to survive in the current strong competition. Too high production costs compred to more modern and larger operations, mainly in Oregon
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  16. I wouldn't mind, but nthing lasts forever, the world change and one need to adapt to new realities, new sources of income. Or go down.
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  17. Take jobs in nearby towns, or move somewhere else in the region. Yeah, 2 of them retired to Mexico, the beach.
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  18. If it was that easy, they would have done it years ago
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  19. Yes, one could do that 100 years ago in the 'wild west'. But it's not how it works today. The general pricelevel of the region will soak into that company town
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  20. The city are not allowed to expand until they replace the existing sewage and water system, that can't handle more. Not enough votes for a new expencive system and higher fees for everyone. Many of the residents are now outsiders, rich people moving there for peace and quietness, taking oer exisiting properties, not interested in the city expanding
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  21.  @robertbowman9108  New homes with septics are not an option for towns in Missoula county. City managemanet needs to have a new sewer system built in order to have new homes bult, but do not get the votes and money for it. A 20 year old story
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  22. Their operating expences have soared more than the lumber prices, which means they have had up their production volume to keep the same profitability. Operating costs keep rising further and this mill see no opportunity to further inrease their volume, so it's over
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  23. Will continue to exist, but in another form. Will be a expencive high income town, with little room for blue color work places and workers. Things change, nothng lasts forever.
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  24. Kind of not lack of people, but lack of new housing being allowed built.
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  25. The enviromental laws is nothing new, the mills have lived with it for years and kept their heads above water. As more challenges piles up, many in addition to enviromental laws, one in the end meets the wall.
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  26. Nothing lasts forever. It's sad naturally. The business has supplied well for the owners and their employees & familes for many decades. time change, one move on to something new
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  27. Problem is they are not allowed to build
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  28. Many of those are working from a home office, have inome from investments and so on. They are 'working', or getting in money, but you won't see them with brooms in the streets
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  29. Democrats do not manage the supply and demand of lumber products. The market does. All in all this mill have gotten too small to compete, and investors sees better opportunities elsewhere than to put more money into this mill operation
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  30. Would think it is supply and demand that sets the prices, whoever owns the rentals If no one can afford the prices set, there will be no income. Would think this is self regulated.
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  31. It's not the 1880's anymore, and a main problem is new housing is not allowed due to the current sewage and water system can't handle it. Rich outsiders have no interest in the town expanding, they have come there for peace and quiet, and vote against joining paying for a new expencive system
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  32. Wow..... 'Just raise prices on lumber and pay the workers'...This mill sells it's products in a highly competative market, where prices are set by supply and demand. They can certainly not 'just raise prices', they would gone bust immidantly, many years ago. They compete against among else much larger modern mills with a higher degree of automation. The owners have not had the capital to step up the mill to a higher degree of automation, but has kept afloat in the strong competition by having more manual labor, located in what used to be a relative low cost city, where workers could live okay on a 'none top level salary'. The later years rich city folks have moved in, pushed up the property prices and general cost of living in the city, and they are not interested in the town to expand, building out a larger sewage system in order to allow more housing, they are there for peace and quiet, the nature, vacation and permanent stay. Got nothing to do with the owner's private economy, most of his wealth are locked in the mill operation, machinery.
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  33. The mill has been saved at 3 occations from shutting down the last 20-25 years due to this current owner did not gave up but found new investors to join in. He could cashed out a couple of decades ago and had a easier life, but he wanted to keep the family business and work places going. At this occation there are too many problems going, no one want to invest as it is concidered to flush money down the toilet, so it's over.
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  34. ..that could not afford the raising property taxes.
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  35. Problem is they are not allowed to build anything. The city is required to upgrade the sewer system, but has not manged to get the votes and money for it
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  36.  @tonymurray814  Honestly, prison would vote against him. They would need to house all his secret service agents and so on.
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  37. the town is just not allowed to expand without expanding the public sewage system. The town likely have argued that private septic systems are good enough, but the answer is 'no' from the county, state.
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  38. Asmentioned in the video; they are not allowed to build anything
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  39. it's not so much about red or blue state. The town leadership wants to expand, have new homes buitl, but does not get enough votes for new seage system, which they have to built before thinking of expanding. Newcommers moving in taking over exisiting properties are not so interested in seeing the town expand, they want to live in a quiet resort town.
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