State and local officials are putting plans into action to try to keep Fibrebond from leaving Minden for east Texas.
The home-grown company threatened to pack it’s bags due to the poor condition of bridges in north Louisiana forcing them to take a 247-mile detour to ship products west. Minden Mayor Terry Gardner says they’ve found a new route that should shave off 170 miles.
“They were going through Arkansas and back around that way because of the load limits on the bridges, so this is going to be a really good route for them.”
The new route will have the company ship it’s 150,000-pound structures down Highway 80, through Camp Minden, and out through Darlene.
Gardner says they’ve pitched the new route and are holding a meeting this Friday with state officials to try to secure the money needed to repair or replace a series of bridges that would open a second route. “We’re hoping to get commitments to send some money up here to north Louisiana, to get some of these bridges rated, because this doesn’t just affect Fibrebond.”
The company says it would only feel comfortable staying if it had two route options, in the event one of those routes had to be shut down.
Gardner says it’s crucial that the state and local powers do everything they can to keep the company in town due to it’s massive impact on the local economy.
“If you take the 750 employees, and most of them are married, and an average of two people to a family, that’s 3,000 people.”
Census estimates put Minden’s population at 12,100 people.
