Almost 60 employees of the CertainTeed Gypsum plant south of Fort Dodge have apparently been furloughed and the facility appears to have been idled, at least temporarily, according to local officials.

”My understanding is they furloughed 58 people,” said Dennis Plautz, the chief executive officer of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance.

Mayor Matt Bemrich said he also learned that 58 employees were furloughed and that the plant ”will just be idle.”

A call seeking comment from Ebeth Pitman, a spokeswoman for CertainTeed Gypsum, was not returned Friday.

The employees were informed of the furloughs Friday, according to Plautz and Bemrich.

A furlough of 58 people would impact the majority of the company’s local workforce, which numbered 65 people in January.

Although the plant has been shut down, the company’s mine will remain active. Plautz said the gypsum rock from the mine will be sold locally. Competitors Georgia-Pacific, National Gypsum and United States Gypsum Co. would be potential buyers of the rock. Plautz said the companies have sold each other gypsum in the past.

The plant is just south of Fort Dodge on Webster County Road P59. It opened in 1950. It was previously owned by Celotex and later, BPB.

According to Plautz, the plant, which produces wallboard, is a ”small scale operation.” He added that the market for the type of wallboard made there has recently been soft. The economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic made the problem worse.