NATCHEZ &045; Georgia-Pacific just announced Friday it will reopen its Roxie and Gloster plants, and job applications may not be available for several weeks.

But that didn’t stop dozens of people from inquiring at Natchez’s state employment office bright and early Monday morning.

&uot;We’ve had 60, 65 people come in already &045; mostly local, not evacuees,&uot; said Peggy Ballard, manager of the Workforce Investment Network office in Natchez.

A spokesperson at GP’s Atlanta headquarters said Monday it will take 60 days to get the plants ready to open again.

Given that, it could be several weeks before job applications for the plant are actually forwarded to the state’s employment offices.

Until then, Ballard said, when people express interest in GP jobs, a notation is made in their files &uot;that they’ve expressed interest in a GP job.&uot;

She added the employment office will contact local media once the application are received.

GP announced Friday it will reopen its dormant mills in Roxie and Gloster to salvage and process timber knocked to the ground by the hurricane.

GP Chairman and Chief Executive Officer A.D. &uot;Pete&uot; Correll, said Friday the plants could be in full operation by the end of the year. The reopening will bring 500 jobs to the region.

The plywood plant in Gloster and the sawmill in Roxie closed about three years ago because of high production costs.