PORT TOWNSEND — Production at the bag-making plant of Port Townsend Paper Corp. is scheduled to end Saturday after 65 years of operation.
Operations at the plant will cease at about 5 p.m., when the 20 bag-making machines will fall silent.
Company officials plan to be on hand when the last shift of 30 employees cease operations, fill out their final time cards and leave the plant for good.
“It is not a happy occasion,” said Chuck Madison, vice president of human resources for Port Townsend Paper.
Because of scheduling, Thursday was the final day of work for some 30 employees on the plant’s “M” shift.
“It was somber,” said John Galle, who has worked at the plant the last four years as a machine adjuster. “But as long as we’ve been waiting for it to hit, the attitude was, Let’s get it over with and get out of here.
“We’re kind of numb about it at this point,” he said.
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