Minto fibreglass plant never completely shut down, employees say

More than five months after Minto's fibreglass plant was shut down because of a lack of work, it seems the company kept a door slightly open.

About a dozen employees have been called back for several short-term projects at the RPS Composites plant.

Reggie Barton, the plant's quality assurance inspector, said several projects are on the horizon, and a number of employees will be working through to the end of October.

"It feels great," he said Thursday.

"Everybody likes to work and the paycheques come with it, so yeah, it feels real good to be back."

• 'We were speechless:' fibreglass plant in Minto to close in March
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Donald Rhodenizer, vice-president of Canadian operations at RPS Composites Inc.,said the plant is operating on a short-term basis for the next five to six weeks to fill a number of orders.

"As they are short-term contracts, and we have a window to get those [projects] done, we don't foresee a need to reopen the facility at this point," Rhodenizer said Wednesday.

RPS Composites closed its Minto plant March 13, resulting in the loss of about 40 jobs.

• Minto mayor hopeful fibreglass plant jobs can be saved

At the time, Rhodenizer said the closure was due to a downturn in the fibreglass market, and the company didn't seeany projects in the future.

But it didn't take long for the phones to start ringing.

Foreman Robert Farrell said the companybegan calling people back in April, just weeks after the initial closure.

"It's been going," Farrell said. "As long as we can keep a few guys going, it keeps the doors open and gives everybody hope."

While the closure was never described aspermanent, Farrell said the company encouraged employees to seek more secure work.

Greg Boucher, who wasn't off work for long, said he's had opportunities to travel to offer service work to mills inEdmundston, Nackawic and Saint John.

But he said he's ready to have some work closer to home in Minto.

"We definitely need the work here,"Bouchersaid. "There's a lot of stores we need to keep running, and without the work you don't have that."

While many employees are still laid off,about a dozen people were working in the Minto plant on Thursday. They said they're just excited to have some good news in the small community.

"We've had some disappointment, but here again, we're Minto," Barton said. "We always bounce back, and we're bouncing back again.

"If we can get more work in, more work means more money, more money means more spending, more spending is good for the local economy."

When he first heard the news in March, employee Greg Thompson said it wasn't a good feeling. He'd worked at the plant since 1989.

This week, he wasglad to be back working alongside some old friends.

"Everybody scatters and it's nice to get back in the lunchroom and shoot the breeze with everybody and see what everybody's been up to."

While the long-term future of the fibreglass plant isuncertain, Barton said he's hopeful more projects will come along.

"Any work at all in a small rural community is good news. We'll take all we can get."