ST. MARYS - The Durango-Georgia Paper Company officially closed its doors Friday, leaving some 900 workers without jobs at the Camden County mill that had been one of the area's economic mainstays since World War Two. <br>
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Jim Johnson, who is in charge of human resources, said Friday, ``People are still coming by today, some are picking up paychecks at the main gate, some are doing retirement paperwork and there are others asking questions about benefits. We ceased production of paper over a month ago, so basically our operations have stopped. We're just following through with administration functions.'' <br>
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He said it would take another month or so to finish that up.'' <br>
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Johnson is one of about 30 administrative workers still on the job. <br>
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Most employees collected their next-to-last paychecks Thursday and most said the company had lived up to its payroll promises so far. <br>
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Workers gathered a few blocks from the plant at a union hall and waited to find out what benefits they were entitled to, if any. <br>
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Hundreds of other workers at other businesses in the region on the coast at the Georgia-Florida border could be affected by the closing, according to economic development experts. <br>
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Mexico-based Durango Paper Company purchased the former Gilman Paper Company in December 1999, nearly two years after the former owner, Howard Gilman, died. At the time, Gilman Paper Company was the largest privately owned paper mill in the United States.
