COURTLAND, Ala. – An iconic economic provider for Lawrence County for about half a century will soon no longer stand.
International Paper announced it was closing its doors in September of 2013, affecting the entire area. Now, it’s being torn down.
As tractors and construction crews occupy the parking lot of the once-busy paper plant, the community, including former employees, took notice.
“All the time since the plant shut down, I was optimistic maybe it would come back,” said 35-year IP employee Joe Hill. “Now that it’s coming down, it’s really hard, it’s sad but it brings closure also.”
The loss of IP took 1100 jobs, and serious economic reinforcement for the area, from the employees, to the surrounding businesses, all the way up to the county’s bank accounts.
“I compare it to ripples in a pond,” said Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jason Houston. “The ripples have included the loss of TVA In Lieu of tax money, the loss of Property tax and Use tax. It’s a knockout blow, when you lose an anchor industry that’s been around 50 years, it’s not something you can just recover from.”
Houston says that when it closed years ago, people often feared the ‘effects down the road,’ and he says the county is currently ‘down the road.’ He says the county’s financial struggles are a culmination of a number of issues: not only did IP leave, but many people moved away, so the sales taxes have dropped, and Lawrence County residents voted down new revenue streams, such as new taxes.
So as the county struggles to recover, officials say the site has environmental challenges that may make it hard to sell.
“It’s owned by IP, it will probably remain owned by IP, it will probably remain there unused for the foreseeable future,” said Houston.
Officials say International Paper has been decommissioning the building in phases, but this week they’ve just started the exterior demolition.