More than 100 years old, the Mosinee paper mill is often called the heart of the city.
"Many generations it's supported here," Mayor Al Erickson said.
But that heart may soon stop beating.
"I was disappointed," Erickson said. "Because the latest news was they were adding and expanding and everything was going well at the mill."
The mayor learned Friday that Wausau Paper was selling the mill. The company did not comment on the timing or any transactions, but says it's going to look for potential buyers.
"Maybe somebody locally or within the state will buy it," Mayor Erickson said.
This isn't the first time a major employer has left Mosinee recently. SNE shut its doors this summer, a move that left around 250 people without a job. It also isn't the first time Wausau Paper has stopped production in north central Wis. The historic Brokaw mill closed last winter, hurting 450 workers. Now, another 400 or so people at the Mosinee location could be affected, depending on who the buyer is, or if it's even sold.
"Starting over is no fun the older you get," current mill employee Gina Tresedder said.
"It seems a lot of people they hired lost their jobs somewhere else," she said. "I was one of them. I lost my job at SNE four years ago and got hired there."
All that's left to do now is wait, and hope this mill town doesn't lose its mill completely.
"There's always the worry of not knowing what the future holds," said city admin. Jeff Gates. "That comes with change."
"It's a good investment for somebody to buy it," Tresedder said. "But who knows who's in the market for paper mills."
"Do we want the mill to close? Definitely not," Erickson said. "If it does, are we going to be moving forward? Yes we are. We're not just going to say, we're going to close our doors."
Wausau Paper is also selling two other mills, one in Rhinelander and one in Minnesota.
