Business leaders praised the Harley-Davidson contract approval on Wednesday as "great news" for the community, but lamented the pending job losses.

"I really want to applaud both the management and workers of Harley-Davidson for keeping their eye on the ball," said Mike Smeltzer, executive director of the Manufacturers Association of South Central Pennsylvania.

The contract approved overwhelmingly by union members on Wednesday was also approved by the company's board of directors on Thursday.

Keeping the plant in York is great for the community, Smeltzer said.

Impact: "There's a huge supply chain in the region around York that provides products and services to the Harley-Davidson operation," he said. "While they may have been able to continue to be a supplier to Harley-Davidson (if the plant relocated), eventually their ability to maintain that relationship would have been strained."

Plus, Smeltzer said, the local economy benefits from thousands of tourists the plant draws.

Although the pending loss of jobs is unfortunate, Smeltzer said the manufacturers association would work with other community organizations to help employees who are laid off. The goal is to either find those employees new work or help them obtain training in new skills.

"It's our job to reach out to them and help them find other opportunities," Smeltzer said.

Good news: Also lamenting the job losses was Bob Jensenius, executive vice president at the York County Chamber of Commerce.

But he said retaining some jobs is better than losing them all.

Had the plant relocated, it could have had a detrimental psychological impact on the community.

The reduced consumer confidence could have made people more cautious about spending money, he said, and hurt the economy.