CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (From news reports) -- The Pixelle Paper Mill, a longstanding fixture in Chillicothe, officially shut down Sunday, August 10, leaving nearly 800 workers without jobs.

The closure marks the end of an era for a city that has been synonymous with paper production for decades.

Workers first heard about the pending closure in April. Days later, Senator Bernie Moreno held a press conference and told workers the closure would be put on pause until the end of 2025.

But in the weeks that followed, Pixelle claimed staffing levels and customer demand were just not where they should be to carry on through the end of the year.

"Can't do it for very long really without knowing that it's a tough job, and there's a lot of folks that are walking off to an uncertain future," president of Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce Michael Throne said.

Gill Garza, who worked at the plant for 31 years, said it was sad to see it go.

"It's disappointing," he said. "It's going to have a big impact on our economy."

Garza drove by the plant on its last day to bid farewell, reflecting on the friendships and livelihood he built there.

"Made a lot of good friends there and made a decent living. Raised a family," he said.

A mural downtown has a depiction of the smokestack as the central letter spelling out Chillicothe.

"Well, we actually planned the mural in the wintertime and we had no idea what was about to happen," Throne said. "Smack dab in the middle and one of the most iconic fixtures in our town."

But now, the Pixelle Plant's smokestack is notably barren.

The plant's closure, announced in April, has left the community grappling with uncertainty.

"Just about everybody in this town has either themselves worked there or had a family member work there," Throne said. "It's like a funeral really."

The Chillicothe Chamber of Commerce is exploring future options for the 400-acre site, with possibilities ranging from demolition to repurposing for new job opportunities.

The mill's parent company has received multiple bids. Whether the site sees new life depends on how quickly a buyer takes over -- or if the property sits idle.

The city said they are open to the site being used for jobs other than paper production, but with this historic past, they hope whatever production comes to town brings with it a bright future. Throne said best case scenario is new production coming in to get these displaced workers jobs as soon as possible.

"That's like catching the prom date at the last minute and she happens to be the prettiest girl in town," Throne said. "We're trying to catch lightning in a bottle. I think we need more variety and diversity of our next opportunities there."