FAIRMONT, W.Va. — City of Fairmont leadership commits to growth and investment amid the announcement regarding the closure of Novelis’s Fairmont Plant on Monday morning.

While this news is a blow to the community and threatens the loss of around 185 jobs, the City of Fairmont commits to the development and continued investment in projects that diversify Fairmont’s economy and create jobs in other sectors and opportunities for new light manufacturing investments.

“This is a major loss in our community, but we can’t let this stop the momentum we’ve started to build in the last few months. This is not the time to hold up progress, but to double down on our commitments to the residents of Fairmont,” City Manager Travis Blosser said.

The City of Fairmont discontinued the collection of manufacturing Business & Occupation taxes in 2016 to benefit Novelis and other manufacturing operations within City Limits. Due to this, City officials expect this closure to have minimal impact on tax and fee revenues.

“The people of Fairmont have faced challenges before, and we’ve always found a way forward. While this closure is a terrible blow to our community, we can’t lose sight of the amazing projects we have coming to improve our City,” Mayor Anne Bolyard said. “Today, we reaffirm our commitment to our city. We owe it to all our residents to take this news not as a stumble, but as a springboard into Fairmont’s future.”

The City’s core goal remains: to foster an environment that makes Fairmont an attractive location for new businesses and investments. 

“We can’t slow down, not now. We have to charge full speed ahead,” Bolyard said.