Chillicothe — With the announcement of the ‘date certain’ of August 10th for the paper mill, the community no longer has to guess when the historic industry will close this year.
Government and agency leaders have been working since the original announcement on April 15th to prepare for all options; search the Scioto Post to see many stories about their effort.
Mill manager Pixelle Specialty Solutions had originally announced a shutdown date of June 13th. Then on April 18th, U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno said he had gotten a concession from the owner of Pixelle, H.I.G. Capital. They said the mill would remain open until the “end of the year.” But, no new official date was set…until yesterday.
Their updated official filing states that August 10th is the new date – and that 780 people will be displaced in this closure. That number is apparently reduced by those who have left in the face of closure, down from the official 830 on April 15th.
The Ross County Commissioners released a statement after the release of the new date. This was only the next day after the local announcement of “Scioto Valley Forward,” an online microsite and workforce hub to assist the workforce in the face of the closure.
The Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce, who has been a partner in the paper mill response team, also released a statement. Read both news releases below.
