Winnsboro, SC (WLTX) - More than 200 jobs are soon to be gone in the town of Winnsboro.
"It's another devastating loss," Roger Gaddy said.
Gaddy is the Mayor of Winnsboro.
Textile company DuraFiber announced Friday that it will be closing their Winnsboro plant along with two other plants in North Carolina unless a buyer is found by September.
Gaddy said it has always been the town's anchor industry.
"It's never been closed. It's always employed people and the loss of this plant is going to be very difficult for the town and for the citizens and for the community," he said. "The Town of Winnsboro sells natural gas to DuraFiber and we will be losing that business."
DuraFiber's closing follows that of Walmart in 2016 and Mack Truck in the early 2000's, but Gaddy said the town and county are working together to make the area attractive again.
"The town has borrowed money and has a bond that we've raised to run a water line to Broad River, so that we can have a very sustainable and large water supply for the future. And the town and the county are in negotiations for setting up a sewer authority to help with that infrastructure, so that we can be more successful in competing in attracting new industry," he said.
We reached out to DuraFiber headquarters for comment, but have yet to hear back.
According to a press release the company's CEO Frank Papa said, "Our team will work diligently to ensure a smooth transition for our employees, customers, and suppliers during the next 60 days, even as we continue to pursue strategic alternatives to keep these plants open."
"We're resilient. We will come back and we will survive," Gaddy said.
Eight hundred jobs are expected to be lost across the three plants. DuraFiber will still have locations in Mexico, France and Germany.