WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI (WSAU) –Operations are slowly winding down at the Verso paper mill in Wisconsin Rapids after its parent company announced the idling of the facility effective on July 31st.
Rapids Mayor Shane Blaser says a few hundred employees remain on the payroll as the company fills some last-minute orders and commitments while also idling down and doing some maintenance on the equipment. He couldn’t provide an exact number but said as of Thursday there were still “a few hundred” employees on the job.
Around 125 employees will remain on-site to do maintenance and keep the facility in shape in case a new operator or buyer can be found. Those employees will also have to maintain some infrastructure that’s used to provide services to other plants in the area including the Nine Dragons plant in Biron.
Blaser says the city and Timber professionals are still examining ways to do just that, possibly through a Co-op.
“[I’ve been talking about that] for about the last three days. They are forming Co-ops. The Timber professionals have already formed theirs, and we are also looking at forming a multi-state Co-op. That’s what’s being explored right now,” he said.
That will include discussions with Co-op specialists from the University of Wisconsin and the USDA. Blaser says if the facility is to come back, a feasibility study would also need to be completed to make sure the facility can sustain itself for the long-term.
“We’ll need to know how feasible it is, what products are marketable. All those things will get flushed out throughout time,” he said.
Blaser adds that by bringing the facility back in the form of a Co-op they would bring local control back to the plant, which he says would be another bonus.
Workers impacted by the layoffs at the mill do have access to some resources put together by city and state lawmakers including a job fair on September 2nd and access to job search materials. Blaser says those can be accessed at www.RapidsTogether.com
Other topics Mayor Shane Blaser discussed with WSAU’s Mike Leischner include:
Start of video- update on the city’s COVID-19 response
3:00- update on the Verso paper mill and what’s next for the facility
6:15- the process of canceling the city’s fireworks show
10:30- the closing of the city’s summer facilities such as the splash pad and new aquatics center
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