Cassian town board forwards sawmill operation CUP application to Oneida County

The Cassian town board during its Jan. 12 meeting voted to forward a conditional use permit (CUP) application from Twin Forest Products.

If ultimately approved by the Oneida County board’s planning and development committee, the firm, based in Marathon, would build another sawmill operation in Cassian along U.S. Highway 51.

“I’m looking forward to those guys having another business out there on Hwy. 51,” town chairman Ed Phebus said of John and Jeff Lawrence, the twin brothers who began their business, according to its website, first as a part-time venture in 2001 before going full-time with establishment of Twin Forest Products, LLC. 

“They’re looking at doing some clearing this spring and probably start building in 2027 as far as their processing and stuff,” Phebus said. “Their facility in Marathon is run very well. It was really clean and I’m looking forward to having them do the same kind of thing up here in Cassian.”

Phebus is excited about business prospects regarding Hwy. 51 in Cassian. 

“There’s just so much opportunity to keep businesses out there (on Hwy. 51) instead of back in the woods ... that’s just a really good spot,” he said. “We need more stuff like that.”

Phebus said the town board at its meeting Monday learned of another business, Oneida Roof and Chimney in Lake Tomahawk, that has submitted a CUP application to the Oneida County planning and zoning department to relocate from Lake Tomahawk to Cassian at a location on Hwy. 51 that was a canvas business. 

He said Oneida Roof and Chimney has “three crews and they’re all over the place here in the county and in Vilas County.”

“So, that’s a pretty big group of employees,” Phebus said. “It’s the same thing for Twin Forest Products. They’ll probably have 20 or 30 people working there when it’s all said and done. That makes it kind of attractive for people to come and live here full time.”

Oneida County planning and zoning director Karl Jennrich said the Twin Forest Products CUP application “for a sawmill-type operation south of Rocky Run Road and on the west side of Hwy. 51” had been re-zoned from residential and farm use before it was sent for review by the Cassian town board and will be on the planning and development committee’s Feb. 18 meeting agenda.

Brian Jopek may be reached via email at [email protected].