INTERNATIONAL FALLS — Gov. Mark Dayton heads to International Falls today to try to calm anxiety over the sale of Boise to Packaging Corp. of America and recent layoffs.

Dayton said he called PCA CEO Mark Kowlzan recently to talk about the remaining 580 jobs at the plant and said he’s hopeful PCA will pay down some debt, then invest in the future of the plant.

The Boise plant laid off 265 workers earlier this month in the Canadian border community of 6,400. The pending sale to PCA has added more uncertainty to the situation.

Local politicians, residents and business leaders have been trying to figure out how to diversify the local economy. Dayton acknowledges that it will be difficult to diversify an economy in a town that’s anchored by one large employer.