CONCORD - Gov. John Lynch today said the state will do all it can to assist workers who will be laid off from the Wausau Paper mill in Groveton. Company officials announced today they will be closing the mill on Dec. 31, impacting 303 employees.

“I know this will be extremely difficult for the workers employed by the mill, and their families. New Hampshire state government is committed to helping them through this difficult time,” Gov. Lynch said. “I spoke this afternoon with members of our state Rapid Response team and directed them to begin making plans to meet with workers at Wausau and to provide them with job training and job placement assistance.”

The state’s Rapid Response team will soon take an assessment of every worker at the Wausau mill to determine what their needs may be in order to help them re-enter the workforce. Assistance can include resume writing and job counseling, to retraining. The Rapid Response team includes representatives of the state departments of Employment Security, Labor, Resources and Economic Development, Health and Human Services, the New Hampshire Community College System and NHWorks.

The state Division of Economic Development’s Business Recruitment Team is preparing a plan to attract a new company to the Wausau site. The division has also been actively engaged in trying to recruit new businesses to the North Country.