The industrial site long structured local employment and the local fabric. Its complete shutdown, now ordered by the court, weighs on the town's prospects.
When one speaks of Saint-Gaudens, one speaks both of the Pyrenees, on the foothills, and at the same time of cellulose.
For residents, Fibre Excellence is part of the town's identity. Seeing the plant at a standstill is heartbreaking.
With no identified buyer, the judicial liquidation opens a period of great uncertainty for employees and for the local economy.
A situation that also worries residents and shopkeepers, who fear the economic consequences for the town.
In Saint-Gaudens, the concern is as much about the town's industrial identity as about local shops.
Shopkeepers fear the consequences for the town's economic activity.
The ruling confirms the request for the company's judicial liquidation. The site's future, already in limbo, becomes more than uncertain.
The November 3 decision closes, for now, the hope of an immediate resumption of operations.
"The town will die if there is no longer Fibre Excellence,"a resident said.