Press Releases
05/12/2026
MEDIA ADVISORY: DEEP Unveils Modernized State Sawmill, Highlights CT Grown Forest Products
(HARTFORD) — The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) will hold a press conference to highlight the newly modernized State Sawmill in Portland on Friday, May 15th, at 10:00 a.m.
The sawmill has operated in the Meshomasic State Forest in Portland since the 1930s but had not been updated in several decades. On Friday, DEEP will showcase the modernized sawmill building, which provides Connecticut Grown lumber below market cost that is utilized by multiple divisions of DEEP, as well as other state agencies. Modernizations include a hydraulic-pneumatic log carriage, new rollers, and other safety and productivity upgrades.
The State Sawmill is a unique model of sustainability within a state agency, utilizing a local sustainable, renewable resource that is carefully managed to furnish wood products, such as picnic tables, State Park shield signs, fish ladders, weir boards for dams, nesting boxes, interior building trim and much more.
Who: DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes, Department of Agriculture Commissioner Bryan Hurlburt, DEEP Sawyer Jim Moore, DEEP staff, and invited local and state officials.
What: Press conference, tour, and demonstration of the newly renovated sawmill.
Where: DEEP Sawmill, 163 Great Hill Road, Portland, CT 06480
When: Friday, May 15th, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.- Twitter: @CTDEEPNews
- Facebook: DEEP on Facebook
Contact
DEEP Communications
DEEP.Communications@ct.gov
860-424-3110