Home Care In Canton, NC

NOV. 13, 2023 - Voluntary water restrictions are at Stage 1 in Canton and Clyde, where residents are being asked to reduce their water consumption and be more efficient with their usage. (Photo credit: WLOS staff)

CANTON, N.C. (WLOS) — As dry conditions continue across Western North Carolina, two Haywood County towns are calling for voluntary water conservation measures.

The voluntary water restrictions are at Stage 1 in Canton and Clyde, where residents are being asked to reduce their water consumption and be more efficient with their usage.

“Every little bit matters,” Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers said.

FRANKLIN DECLARES STAGE 1 VOLUNTARY WATER RESTRICTION EFFECTIVE OCT. 6

Despite some light rain over the past few days, dryness persists in the mountains.

“With the Pigeon River being so low, we have to take every step we can early on to make sure it doesn't spread into something much larger. Fingers crossed we don't see that at this point,” Smathers said.

The Pigeon River supplies drinking water for Canton and Clyde.

Smathers is asking residents to be good neighbors and conserve.

“If you take any steps, whether it's taking showers instead of baths, your dishwasher instead of handwashing, anything that will reduce the consumption of water," Smathers said.

HIGHLANDS IMPOSES STAGE 2 WATER RESTRICTIONS AMID PROLONGED DROUGHT CONDITIONS

“We get our water from Canton,” Clyde Mayor Jim Trantham said.

He said the two towns are working together.

“Don't wash your car unless you really need to, maybe shorter showers -- less bath water, maybe wash -- if you're not using your dishwasher, use it. I would ask everybody to abide by it,” Trantham said.

And remember, wildfire dangers remain, he said.

“Remember that we're in a no-burning alert. The burn bans are in effect,” Trantham said.

DROUGHT PROMPTS HENDERSONVILLE TO ELEVATE WATER SHORTAGE RESTRICTIONS TO STAGE 2 FOR CUSTOMERS

“We have no doubt our citizens will step up, take very small steps just to watch what your consumption is,” Smathers said.

Other steps to conserve water include only watering plants as necessary, not letting faucets run and checking for leaks.

TRYON BRACES FOR POSSIBLE MANDATORY WATER RESTRICTIONS AMID DROUGHT FEARS

Smathers said the combination of efforts can make a big difference in keeping the voluntary measures voluntary.

“Obviously, there's other things that we can do to not be voluntary conservation. But we don't see that at this point. We do believe if you take those little common-sense steps we will get through this just fine,” he said.

Just how long the voluntary restrictions will last will depend on the weather ahead.

CANTON, N.C. (WLOS) — The community turned out Thursday to show their appreciation as the final shifts reported for work at Pactiv Evergreen's paper mill in Canton.

Quitting time came with more meaning. After more than a century, the mill is closing up shop. And on Thursday afternoon, the last major shifts left the chute.

The mill is a paper packaging factory, and, after 115 years of operation, it was a full package of appreciation from the Canton community and workers past and present.

“You look at all the stuff up here, all the people that showed up, that’s a testament of the town and the mill and the people -- not just the workers but the whole community,” said mill worker Will Warren, who is looking for another job.

“We’re expecting another one, so we’re planning on staying here in town,” said his expectant wife, Briana Warren.

'IT'S SO QUIET I CAN'T STAND IT,' RESIDENTS REACT TO FINAL CLOSURE OF PACTIV EVERGREEN MILL

Families have decades of connections to the mill -- like Jessalyn Rathbone, whose uncle has worked at the mill for 21 years.

“We don’t know what to do to help, but we just love our town,” she said.

“I feel sad. This is the end,” Bruce Lovelace said, finishing 51 years at the plant.

As he left for the last time, he displayed his original employee paperwork.

“Well, I’ve got a little farm to keep me busy, I guess,” Lovelace said.

WATCH: AFTER MORE THAN 100 YEARS, CANTON PAPER MILL BLOWS FINAL WHISTLE

Mayor Zeb Smathers was on hand to give the workers, their predecessors and their families a hand.

“That is the very least we could do to say thank you for all the stresses, just what these workers have had to go through here in town the last three months dealing with the sudden announcement of closures and issues with insurance and all the back and forth,” he said.

As the town moves forward, faith will play a big role.

“It’s sort of sad going into a town and seeing a mill that’s been shut down. There’s always fears of it being vandalized and there’s fears of what could happen if it’s not used for manufacturing. So, I don’t know. I just trust the leaders to make a good decision on what to do,” Rock Face Baptist Church Pastor Donnie Henson said.

The whistle may be silent, but the clarion call for moving on is grit and grace.

“These are very tough times. We have tougher people,” Smathers said.

CANTON, N.C. (WLOS) — The fate of real estate in Canton remains a big question in the Western Carolina mill town, as the closing of the Pactiv Evergreen paper mill becomes a reality.

Concerns about mill workers packing up and leaving, as new jobs take them elsewhere, and new buyers entering the Canton market looking for possible deals, have come to a town that likely never saw this coming. But, how warranted are the concerns? And, could there be a new chapter for the town that doesn’t negate the town’s responsibility to honor its past?

PANDEMIC, FLOODS, MILL CLOSURE AND AN EARTHQUAKE - CANTON KNOWS HOW TO ADAPT, MAYOR SAYS

We spoke with the owner and broker of Canton’s Better Home and Gardens Heritage Real Estate, Tom Mallette, who told us, “This just came down a few months ago. Obviously, it’s going to be a big transition for the Town of Canton.”

In the 115 years that the mill has operated in Canton, the town has prospered. There have long been environmental concerns brought by the mill's emissions and waste product that may have limited the desirability of the town, but the significant wealth created by the mill has built homes, raised families and led to a solid community, grounded in their commitment to the town, the mill and each other. Now, much of that is in play.

According to Mallette, the town continues to have much to offer, with a village center, homes with views and easy access to rivers, streams, trails and untapped potential. “Canton has one of the cutest downtowns in our region,” says Mallette. “It may be underutilized over the past many years.” But, along with those observations, Mallette comes with a deep commitment to serve the community in a way that preserves the history of Canton and the strong community that, he says, continues to make the town valuable. It is a commitment shared by Canton’s mayor, Zab Smathers. “Already, I have witnessed, firsthand, people – companies – trying to take advantage of the people,” says Smathers, citing examples of speculators determined on acquiring Canton properties from significantly less than market value. “We are going to guard against those vultures,” says the mayor, defiantly.

HUNDREDS GATHER TO MARK END OF AN ERA AS CANTON'S MILL WHISTLE SOUNDS FOR LAST TIME

Home prices in Canton remain a tad below average prices in the rest of Haywood County. The average price of a home there is currently around $350,000, as calculated as an average of the 33 current Canton home listings (homes include condos, townhomes, and single-family residences).

Compared with Asheville, a home that might cost you $550,000 in West Asheville, says Millette, might cost you approximately $325,000 in Canton. But is it possible that real estate in Canton might actually increase in value? Millette says, if more homebuyers discover Canton, it could have that effect. “When that happens,” he says, “things could change and they (prices) tend to go up, if demand goes up.” And demand going up is something the mayor welcomes, as long as it means buyers who want to add to the community, and not just take from the community. “If you are a person, whether it be in real estate or someone who wants to open a business here, we would love to have you. But we want to do it in a way that honors our past, that brings out our best, that doesn’t change who we are.”

CANTON, N.C. (WLOS) — It's a historic day in Canton as the end of an era comes closer.

Hundreds of people gathered in Sorrels Park on Wednesday to hear the final shift whistle from Pactiv Evergreen's plant.

CANTON MILL'S FINAL WHISTLE:

'WE'LL GET THROUGH THIS,' CANTON MAYOR SAYS AS MILL'S FINAL WHISTLE SET TO BLOW THIS WEEK

The whistle was installed in 1908 to signal mill workers that it was time to go to work, take a lunch break or go home.

"It is with a heavy heart, that I can announce, with confirmation from Evergreen, that the last mill whistle will blow at 12 noon this Wednesday," Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers wrote online earlier this week.

Smathers said the town has been preparing for this day for months, but, now that the final whistle is coming, the reality of losing the mill is starting to set in.

“I just got a pit in my stomach," Smathers said. "So, even for someone who has tried to prepare himself for this day, to see it really triggered some really just feelings of just, you know, sadness.”

It was announced March 6, 2023 that Pactiv Evergreen planned to close the Canton paper mill. The plant, which has been in operation for more than 100 years, employs about 1,000 people in the county, 915 at the Canton plant, and is one of the largest employers in Haywood County, Smathers said.

SOON-TO-BE UNEMPLOYED CANTON PAPER MILL WORKERS, FAMILIES SEEK HEALTH INSURANCE HELP

A helpline is available for those impacted by the mill's closure.

Those seeking help with employment, training, health insurance, healthcare and financial assistance/guidance are encouraged to call the Haywood County Resource Center telephone helpline at 828-356-2023. The helpline will operate between the hours of 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday and is intended to assist callers with both Health and Human Services and Community Resources.

Resources are published online as well HERE, and on the Facebook page "Canton Mill Community Resources."

On Wednesday, Senator Ted Budd (R-NC), Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Congressman Chuck Edwards (R-NC) released the following joint statement after the Pactiv Evergreen Paper Mill in Canton, NC shut down operations:

Our teams have been following the heartbreaking situation in Canton since the initial announcement. We have engaged with the Department of Labor to fast-track existing federal dollars for dislocated worker grants for those who have been impacted by the Canton plant’s closure. DOL has been slow to respond to this situation, and we remain committed to pushing them to act in a timely manner. We will continue to advocate for the people of Canton, and make sure they receive the assistance they need during this difficult time.

CANTON, N.C. (WLOS) — After the devastating flooding event in 2021 and the closure of the Pactiv Evergreen plant in June 2023, Canton has finally caught some good news. Its fish population in the Pigeon River around the mill is on the rise. The news is casting some hope for the future.

Not only are fish populations increasing, but Haywood Waterways Association says so, too, are micro-invertebrates.

“We're after the bugs in the waters... see the health of the stream through time. We have seen those species and those populations, the bugs, flock back in,” said Preston Jacobsen, executive director of the Haywood Waterways Association.

He said that's a good sign the Pigeon River is beginning to repair itself after the paper mill closure about two months ago.

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF WNC LAUNCHES FUND TO AID CANTON'S RECOVERY FROM MILL CLOSURE

“From the water quality standpoint, we saw conductivity drop like a rock, which is an indicator of dissolved minerals in the water,” he said.

According to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, the fish population in the river around the mill is also returning, with lower water temperatures playing a key role in some species even doubling.

Jacobsen is paying attention to the numbers.

“We are excited to see species across the board grow, and in particular, the Olive Darter, grow in that site as well," he said. "We have a great Tangerine Darter population here in the Pigeon."

“We want outdoor recreation,” said Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers.

He said the town's future is tied to the river.

WHAT NOW? FUTURE OF CANTON’S REAL ESTATE MARKET

“I do see wildlife, especially fishing, being part of our economic recovery,” Smathers said.

“You're seeing a lot of small mouth; you're seeing a lot of blue gills,” said Nate Troxler, an avid fisherman in the area.

Troxler told News 13 on Thursday, Aug. 3, that he's already seeing more activity in the water, and, in turn, catching business for his workplace at Bearwaters Brewing Company along the river.

“It makes people want to come out, and once they're done fishing, they come in and have a beer,” Troxler said.

Jacobsen said whatever direction Canton sets for itself, Haywood Waterways is along for the assist.

CHESTNUT MOUNTAIN PARK TO GET $145,000 UPGRADE IN BID TO BOOST CANTON'S ECONOMIC RECOVERY

“What we're doing is guiding them on any potential grant opportunities to revitalize that site. Of course, we are focused on water quality first and foremost," Jacobsen said. "It makes sense, we think, for them to lean on that outdoor recreation component."

The return of those micro-invertebrates and fish remains a hopeful sign.

“I can't wait to get a fishing pole myself,” Smathers said.

There are countless variables to what Canton will look like post-mill operations, but Jacobsen said a clean Pigeon River will be integral.