The plumes of white steam that have filled the sky over the city of Georgetown since 1937 will vanish by the end of the year. International Paper Co. announced Thursday that it will close the mill, which has 526 hourly and 148 salaried employees. "This decision is especially difficult because of the impact on hard-working employees, their families and the surrounding communities," the mill manager, Bernie Chascin, said in a statement. The employees will be offered severance benefits, outplacement services and access to mental health resources, the statement said. The closing was announced along with a review of "strategic options" for IP's $2.9 billion global cellulose fibers business, which has eight mills in three countries. It produces absorbent pulp for personal care products and as a raw material for textiles, construction materials and other items. The Georgetown mill produces 300,000 tons of the material, also known as fluff pulp. Production will be transferred to other mills. The mill also produces "uncoated freesheet papers" for Sylvamo, a company that was spun off from IP in 2021. Sylvamo, which is based in Memphis, Tenn., along with IP, said on Thursday that it was terminating its contract for the Georgetown mill's product, which was about 250,000 tons this year. Sylvamo said in a statement that it had been preparing for the possibility of a shutdown in Georgetown since 2021. The announcement caught local officials by surprise. A statement from Georgetown County said staff were talking with IP to learn more about the closing, which it called "devastating." The county plans to work with other agencies and local business to address the impact and said in its statement that "there will be new employment opportunities coming in the near future." "The shutting down of the mill is unfortunate because of the positive impact it has sustained over the years in Georgetown," Mayor Carol Jayroe said in a statement. "Our hearts go out to those being affected by this closure." Beth Stedman, president of the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce, noted in a statement that the impact will extend to local businesses that supply and service the mill. She added that IP has also been a supporter of schools and nonprofits in the county. "We encourage community members to come together and support one another – especially our friends and neighbors who are most directly impacted by the mill's closure," Stedman said. Source: Coastal Observer