CHEROKEE, Iowa (AP) – Leaders in the northwest Iowa town of Cherokee would love to see another company make use of the former Tyson Foods plant just outside town, but they say the food company is making it hard to find a new tenant. The Des Moines Register reports Tyson continues paying $130,000 rent on the building and refuses to allow anyone it considers a competitor to use the building.

Tyson spokeswoman Caroline Ahn says the company has been in talks with three food companies about the plant. She says those deals fell apart, but it was not because of competitive concerns. Cherokee City Councilman Chad Brown says it feels like Tyson is holding the town hostage because it won’t release the plant.