Governor to visit troubled St. Marys paper mill

ST. MARYS - Gov. Roy Barnes is heading to a troubled paper mill in a last-ditch effort to keep the plant open for the 900 people who work there. <br> <br> Barnes planned to visit the Durango-Georgia Paper Co. mill in Camden County on Wednesday. <br> <br> The governor promised to help ``any way possible under the laws of the state&#39;&#39; to keep the mill open, said state Rep. Charlie Smith, D-St. Marys. <br> <br> The paper mill has been one of the largest employers in this coastal town since it opened in 1941. The company announced the closure earlier this month, saying all 900 employees would be let go. <br> <br> Mexico-based Durango Paper Co. purchased Gilman Paper Co. in December 1999, nearly two years after the former owner, Howard Gilman, died. At the time, Gilman Paper Co. was the largest privately owned paper mill in the United States. <br> <br> After the purchase, Durango officials said they had no plans to lay off employees, but eventually hundreds of workers lost their jobs while the company struggled to keep the plant open. Fifty workers were laid off in August. <br> <br> ``The prospects of continued operation of the mill are bleak, but we feel that strong efforts should be made and are being made to keep those jobs in the community,&#39;&#39; Smith told the Florida Times-Union. <br> <br> Durango spokesman Jim Johnson said management and union representatives met about 90 minutes Monday and ``had a very good meeting.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> ``I don&#39;t think Durango-Georgia is reluctant to listen to good ideas,&#39;&#39; Johnson said. <br> <br> Even if negotiations at the Durango plant don&#39;t work out, the governor can point to signs of hope this week for the job market in south Georgia. Barnes was in Thomasville on Monday for the opening of an American Signature Furniture distribution center that plans to employ 400 people. <br> <br> The same day, a customer service company announced plans to open a call center in Sumter County in southwest Georgia. Atlanta-based Support Technology Inc. plans to hire 150 people for jobs at a new industrial park.