WASHINGTON (From news reports) -- A Columbia Pulp plant at Lyons Ferry that makes pulp from wheat straw is idling its operations Friday in a decision that affects 80 employees at the site and its Dayton headquarters.
A majority of the production at the plant near Starbuck in Garfield County is going to pause and 14 employees will remain to handle daily business activities while the company considers what it will do next, according to a news release from Columbia Pulp.
Even though the staff is being reduced, "it's highly likely" the plant will restart at a later date "pending evaluation of all strategic options," according to a response from Columbia Pulp to questions from the Lewiston Tribune.
Executives at the business described the factory as North America's first tree-free pulp mill. Its employees turn straw, which had previously been considered waste, into sustainable pulp for paper and packing goods.
"Being a first-of-its-kind application with this type of technology has not been without challenges," said Columbia Pulp interim CEO Terry Ryan in the news release.
"And while this is normal for a company at the forefront in developing a product like this, to continue on we must make hard choices," he said.
Columbia Pulp will provide support to employees during the transition, according to the news release.
"We are acutely aware that this has wide-reaching impacts on many people -- our valued employees and their families, farm suppliers and the communities in which we operate," Ryan said.
The ramifications of Columbia Pulp's changes on Garfield County are hard to measure.
Less than 20 Garfield County residents work at Columbia Pulp and it's not clear how many of them are among the 80 to be affected by the company's decision, said Diana Ruchert, manager of the Port of Garfield County.
Columbia Pulp will continue its lease on a space at 141 W. High St. in Pomeroy next to the port's office, she said. The lease for the approximately 10,000-square-foot warehouse space generates $3,200 a month for the port and is set to expire in June.
"It's going to have a mild impact on Garfield County," said Justin Dixon, the chairman of the Garfield County Commission.
Especially in a small town, every resident is important to maintaining the community's vitality, he said.
Any time a family leaves, it's fewer students in the public schools, using the hospital and supporting area businesses.
"It affects everybody clear to the grocery store," he said.
Dixon and Ruchert have been closely following the progress of Columbia Pulp, the largest new employer to open in the region in about 20 years.
The company offered starting wages of $20 per hour and had invested more than $200 million in its 140,000-square-foot plant.
Its employees navigated a number of issues preparing the plant for its debut in September 2019 and ramping up production. The factory temporarily shut down for COVID-19 in April 2020 and didn't resume operations until June 2021.
"Though we have made significant progress over the last year, we still have some production technology challenges that we have been working through," according to the company's response to questions.
Sales were another area company employees were working to strengthen, according to the response.
"We've moved the needle significantly, but we are in a position where we are still developing the market for a new product," according to the response.
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