The future of Wairoa milling company Clyde Lumber seems still uncertain a week after its last train of sawn timber left town amid the mothballing of the Napier-Gisborne railway line.
Sources in the town say the plant closed last week for a Christmas break and staff were told the position would be reassessed early in the new year.
Company owner and Tauranga businessman John Ebbett was unable to be contacted yesterday by Hawke's Bay Today.
The uncertain future for Wairoa was highlighted by Mayor Les Probert at a meeting of the Regional Transport Committee in Napier yesterday, when he spoke of the potential loss of up to 25 jobs and a million-dollar wage bill in a town already struggling, and losing people regularly to jobs in Australia.
His council had worked to help Mr Ebbett establish the business in the town in 2010, as it could with other businesses, but was still left wondering what the future may be.