A tornado tore through Barnsdall in May, killing 2 people, injuring 33 and leaving a trail of destroyed buildings.
Among them was the NuCera Solutions chemical refinery, which made specialty polymers for adhesives, cosmetics and other materials.
NuCera’s owner, Chase Corporation, had previously announced plans to rebuild and reopen the plant. Barnsdall Mayor Johnny Kelley said he didn’t know those plans had changed until last week.
“The talk before now has been about the rebuild,” Kelley said. “They actually reskinned all the buildings in our school colors. So everything was really positive and going forward.”
Kelley said he isn’t sure what changed, but he speculated repairs might have cost more than the company expected.
Only 50% of working-age Barnsdall residents are employed, which is already lower than the statewide employment rate of 58%. NuCera is the city’s largest employer, and its closure will wipe out 93 jobs in a town of about 1,000 people.
The plant had been in operation for more than 100 years. It was acquired by a private investment firm in 2020, then sold to Chase Corporation in 2022.
Kelley said he hopes someone will buy the plant and reopen it, or use the land for another facility to employ community members. But he’s taking one thing at a time.
“My plan right now has been trying to get the town cleaned back up so we can get people back in where they can get their home rebuilt,” Kelley said. “Get back some sort of normal life.”
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