(WKYT) – A UPS package terminal in Stanton announced it is closing, putting 51 jobs at risk in the small town.
The facility is set to shut down this summer. City officials say workers are expected to be offered positions in Lexington, Prestonsburg or Hazard.
“We’ve put a real strain on our community cloth because those 51 employees were involved in this community. They were coaches of our T-Ball, they went to our local churches and picked their kids up from school when they got off work,” said Darrell Billings, who owns Tanner Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Stanton.
Billings said his dealership relies on UPS for about six deliveries a day. He said he partnered with UPS because it was part of Stanton for decades and he has had friends retire from the company. His dealership used UPS to ship parts and documents.
“It’s going to force businesses like mine now to look for alternatives and we’ll actually be concerned about the pricing of it now. We won’t be as freewheeling to do UPS since they’ve left us holding the bag so to speak,” Billings said.
Powell County Judge Executive Eddie Barnes said the loss of UPS can be devastating on a community like Powell County. The county will lose tax revenue and 51 jobs. He said it all came without any notice.
Barnes said he reached out to UPS to see if anything could be done but was told the decision was final.
“He just said UPS is a fortune 500 company and there is really no rhyme or reason what they’re doing and so far over the past year and a half he’s already shut two other stations down,” Barnes said.
“It’s really kind of sad what these major Fortune 500 companies think about communities like rural Kentucky,” Billings said.
Community leaders say the UPS terminal was a key selling point for the area’s business park. They say they are trying to figure out what comes next.
The Stanton UPS facility is expected to close June 1.