Erie, Pa., Community Leaders Plot Next Step with International Paper.

Byline: Peter Panepento

Oct. 18--As International Paper Co. moves ahead with plans to close its Erie mill, Erie economic development leaders and elected officials are joining forces for an effort that they hope will persuade the company to sell its East Lake Road property.

International Paper, which announced Tuesday that it will close its Erie pulp and paper mill by next June, has yet to indicate whether it plans to sell its 213-acre manufacturing facility or whether it will simply leave the site vacant.

But a coalition of economic leaders and elected officials is looking to force the company's hand to sell its local assets to an outside buyer -- a move that it hopes would provide new jobs for some of the 760 workers who will be unemployed once the plant …