In March, Chatham County was dealt a huge economic blow when Pilgrim’s Pride, the nation’s largest chicken-processing plant, announced that it would close its Siler City plant, leaving 830 people suddenly unemployed.

Clint Rivers, president and chief executive officer of Pilgrim’s Pride, said the closure was related to increases in feed-ingredient costs early this year.

"The cost burden is already enormous, and it’s growing even larger," said Rivers said in March.

"While the decision to close a facility is always very difficult, we believe the actions we are announcing today are absolutely necessary to help bring supply and demand into better balance," Rivers added.

The closing of Pilgrim’s Pride, the second largest employer among manufactures in Chatham County, sent a shockwave through the community, with nearly everyone feeling the effects.

"Our immediate thoughts were concern for the employees and their families. We were thinking ‘What’s next for them?’" Siler City Town Manager Joel Brower said.

The closure of Pilgrim’s Pride was a colossal blow to Siler City’s town budget. The poultry plant was the town’s largest water and sewer customer, adding roughly $1.2 million to the annual budget.

"The most significant loss to Siler City itself was the $10,000 a month in revenue in water and sewer," Brower said.

To compensate for the loss, the water and sewer billing rates were adjusted in Siler City.

Brower says that individual customers saw an increase of $15-20 monthly, while larger businesses faced an $8,000 to $10,000 monthly increase.

The Hispanic population has been significantly affected by the closing of Pilgrim’s Pride.

Hispanics comprise 60 percent of the population of Siler City. The majority of the workforce of Pilgrim’s Pride was also Hispanic.

"After Pilgrim’s Pride closed, our food pantry saw a 250 percent increase," Ronald Garcia-Fogarty, Director of the Hispanic Liaison said.

"All of a sudden people had no income," Garcia-Fogarty said.

Garcia-Fogarty says that many Hispanics that were employed by Pilgrim’s Pride wanted to stay in the area, but have had to leave in order to find jobs elsewhere.

"But there are a lot of people here still trying to find alternatives," Garcia-Fogarty said.

Though Siler City has yet to find a replacement to fill the massive void left by the loss of Pilgrim’s Pride, both as major employer and a water and sewer customer, Joel Brower remains optimistic for next year.

"Our mission is to hopefully find another industry to offer jobs to our citizens and get our rate structure to back to where it was," Brower said.

"And we are working very hard to find more industries to fill the job needs," Brower added.

The bleak economy in 2008 prompted officials and developers to delay many planned projects.

In October County Commissioners voted to delay projects totaling over $100 million until credit markets improve.

Several school projects are among those on hold for now.

The planned new high school in north Chatham County, which will cost $44.5 million, will be delayed until 2012.

Also delayed is a new middle school at Briar Chapel. County Commissioners agreed to delay the $26.1 million project until the credit market improves. That could mean at least two more years of overcrowding at North Chatham and Perry Harrison.

The new $12.7 library/classroom building on the CCCC campus has been delayed, as has the new Judicial Center in Pittsboro.

The Central Carolina Community College Siler City building, with a cost of $5.5 million, is delayed as well.