Georgia Pacific closing sawmill due to lack of construction

MARION COUNTY — Georgia Pacific is closing down its Marion County sawmill, effectively putting 65 people out of work.

Georgia Pacific spokeswoman Melody Ruse tells WDAM-TV employees of the sawmill, located just north of Columbia, were informed of the closure Monday.

Ruse says dwindling housing starts nationwide is the reason for the closure. She says in 2010, there were 581,000 new house built compared to two million in 2005.

Ruse says if market conditions improve in the future the sawmill could re-open. She says the Marion County facility is the only Georgia Pacific property in Mississippi scheduled for closure.