NATCHEZ &045; The impact of International Paper’s closure of its Natchez mill is reverberating in many ways around the community &045; but it is also making area leaders focus on the economic future.

&uot;That’s the reason why we &045; all of us &045; have done everything we can to support efforts to save the plant,&uot; Natchez Mayor F.L. &uot;Hank&uot; Smith said.

International Paper will close its 53-year-old Natchez mill for good Thursday. It shut down production on July 18, and since then the 400 or so employees left have been cleaning up at the mill and shipping the last of the chemical cellulose product.

A small team of IP workers will remain on hand for the final cleanup effort, which could last as long as two years.

That is, unless someone else takes over the mill.

Almost since IP announced in January that it would be closing the mill, a group of employees, union representatives and consultants has been working on a plan to establish an employee stock option plan to buy the facility and keep it running.

To do that, officials say, IP would need to &uot;mothball&uot; the equipment while negotiations continue for the transfer of the property.

But in addition to assisting with efforts to buy the mill &045; including the ESOP plan &045; local officials are also looking at other plans for the economic future of the community.

Even Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, stumping for his re-election campaign in Natchez last week, focused on the need to help Southwest Mississippi out of its economic slump, calling the area the &uot;most important&uot; for the state right now.

&uot;We are fortunate to have the tourism base we have,&uot; Smith said. &uot;Sometimes we don’t do as good a job touting that. We are fortunate to have that &045; a lot of communities don’t. We’re going to continue to be a tourism destination.

&uot;We can’t overlook that &045; the many assets this community has aren’t going away. We’re just going to have to continue to exploit those assets.&uot;

Having an economic development authority &uot;back in working order&uot; helps, Smith said, referring to the streamlining of the EDA board and last year’s hiring of an executive director.

&uot;It makes us in better shape than we were three years ago,&uot; Smith said.

Adams County Supervisors President Lynwood Easterling said the community is &uot;No. 1 on one list and No. 2 on another list&uot; for companies taking a close look at expanding to the area.

&uot;Right around the corner are good-paying jobs,&uot; he said.

Easterling said the county has told prospective industries it will match anything another county will do.