The Cameron Family Glass plant at the Port of Kalama shut down Sunday, eight months after a massive glass leak waylaid the production of wine bottles at the new facility, company officials told the port Monday.

Nearly all of the plant’s 100 workers are losing their jobs.

The Pennsylvania-based manufacturer is keeping a skeleton crew over the next few days to help with the shutdown, said Mindi Linquist, a Port of Kalama spokeswoman.

“We’re just disappointed that many jobs have been lost for the community,” Linquist said.

The power was shut down Sunday, the same day workers were informed, said Cowlitz Economic Development Council President Ted Sprague, who spoke with plant manager Frank Busch Monday.

“Our biggest concern is what it means to the immediate employees of the plant and their families,” Sprague said.

Standing outside Cameron’s front door in Kalama on Monday, Busch declined to comment on the shutdown. He also refused to identify anyone with the company who would comment.

Other Cameron officials and employees declined to comment or did not return phone calls Monday.

On Jan. 4, a molten glass leak from the plant’s 470-ton melter halted production and threatened to collapse the entire facility. A team of 40 firefighters worked 16 hours to cool the superheated glass and minimize structural damage.

Since then, the glass plant had restarted bottle production, and nearly all of the employees had returned to work. Most of the bottles were manufactured in pre-production, and few, if any, were sold.

Cameron signed a 50-year lease for the 13-acre plot at the port in 2007 and had planned to begin producing bottles late last year. Port officials are reviewing the lease to determine whether Cameron must continue to pay while the plant is not operating, Linquist said.

The company owes about $50,000 in missed lease payments dating back to the accident, according to the port.

Longview-based contractor JH Kelly completed construction of the facility in late 2008, the first of its kind in 35 years on U.S. soil.

The $109 million plant had struggled to restart production for market after the molten glass leak.

Port officials hope they can entice another manufacturer to the building.

“Once the dust settles, we’ll definitely be able to market the building,” Linquist said.