Sykes Enterprises Inc. will close its customer call center in Milton-Freewater by Dec. 11, according to City Manager Linda Hall, who spoke with company officials Wednesday.

Hall was told, however, the center’s 240 employees will be given the option to keep their jobs working from home after Sykes purchased home-based service provider Alpine Access in 2012.

“The jobs won’t be lost, per se,” Hall said. “We’re thankful for that, though we’re disappointed in the closure. Sykes has been one of our top employers.”

Calls to the company’s Tampa, Florida-based headquarters were not immediately returned.

Sykes last announced the Milton-Freewater call center would close in 2004 before new contracts kept the facility alive with a reduced staff. More than 300 employees were laid off in 2010, bringing the staff to its current level.

Much of the center’s business relies on contracts with other companies, which has led to fluctuations in employment over the years.

The city hopes to work with Sykes on the future of its building, Hall said.

“Coming on the heels of the PGG store closing, it feels like a double blow,” she said. “But Milton-Freewater has a history of bouncing back from blows, and I feel that this will be no different.”

Contact George Plaven at gplaven@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4547.