<p>Merck & Co. has announced plans to close its Albany plant in about a year, a move which could claim 350 jobs in southwest Georgia.</p><p>The announcement is part of the pharmaceutical giant's plan to cut 7,000 jobs and close five manufacturing plants.</p><p>The plant's employees were told Monday that if the building is not sold before October, the plant would be closed by December 2006.</p><p>"It's a surprise," said Judith Corbett, who leads Merck's corporate public affairs.</p><p>The company is talking with state officials and suppliers to find a potential buyer, said Randy Hall, a Merck vice president.</p><p>A local team of politicians and business leaders has started to scout possible suitors, said Jeff Sinyard, who chairs the Dougherty County Commission.</p><p>Sinyard said the 1,000-acre plant's access to rail lines and waterways and its base of well-educated employees could make it an attractive site for chemical or drug companies.</p><p>But he worries that other businesses with local offices, including Procter & Gamble Co. and Miller Brewing Co., may also leave the area.</p><p>If the plant closes, it could cost the local economy $75 million each year, or 1.5 percent of the city's economy, said Amit Singh, an associate business professor at Darton College.</p><p>"That's still a good dent, but it will not be devastating," he said.</p><p>The plant, which manufactures less-potent compounds, no longer fits in with the company's vision, Merck officials told employees. "It wasn't a decision reached in haste," Hall said.</p><p>Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor, an Albany native, said he thought the city could depend on the company.</p><p>"These are difficult times in our economy," Taylor said. "This is not a problem isolated to Southwest Georgia. It's a Georgia problem."</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x1cdbdc0)</p>
