Home Care In Efland, NC

For some there is concern, and for others, it's all excitement.

MEBANE, N.C. — Buc-ee the beaver has its eye on the Triad and many are all ears after the proposal was announced that a corn field could become a Buc-ee's.

For some, there is concern and for others, it's all excitement.

The Buc-ee's buzz really started in 2021. That is when Efland was supposed to obtain a travel center, but that fell through.

Makenzie Bollinger lives in Mebane, but grew up in Efland and even works there.

Bollinger said the interstate is what keeps drawing Buc-ees this way.

"Buc-ee's kept saying that the I-85/40 corridor was really their main draw to the Efland exit, just because they can really maximize two main interstates at the same time," Bollinger explained.

She voted against it coming to Efland because she takes that exit every day for work and didn't think the town could handle all the traffic.

Not only that, but she was concerned it would be built on a watershed.

Buc-ee's was considering a 104-acre development known as Efland Station, adding 120 gas pumps, 64,000 square feet of retail space, and add up to 200 jobs that pay a minimum of $15 an hour.

After reaching out to the Orange County Commissioners about why Buc-ee's didn't go through with building the mega-gas station, Chair Jamezetta Bedford said she recalls that the board of commissioners was concerned about the number of gas nozzles in the project.

She said it would have been located in sensitive water areas and there were possibilities of leaks from the nozzles to the cars.

Bedford also said they asked about reducing the number and that's when the applicant withdrew.

Buc-ee's sent a letter to the Orange County Planning Department stating that the area is "just not a good fit," according to our CBS affiliate, WNCN.

Now that two years have gone by, Buc-ees has its eyes on a new spot.

According to the city of Mebane, the potential location for the store would be near Interstate 85/40 in Mebane on 1447 Trollingwood-Hawfields Road.

Bollinger now lives about two minutes from where the new Buc-ees will be. She said she uses this exit daily as well.

Her concern now, the exit won't be able to handle the traffic.

"Right now, Trollingwood, out of all three of those exits, is the easiest one to navigate. Despite having all the distribution centers there and the two travel stations that are there, despite all of that right now, it's the easiest one to navigate. I can't imagine having a gigantic gas station come in there," Bollinger said.

Annette Kimery has lived in Mebane for more than 50 years. She said she's concerned about traffic as well.

She lives close to where the gas station would go. Not only is traffic a concern, but she worries the local gas stations and businesses will go out of business because they already struggle with hiring.

"This exit right now is not horrible, it's tolerable, but with adding something as big as Buc-ee's and as popular as Buc-ee's is, and the traffic and stuff that will come, it's going to get as bad as Mebane Oaks Road," Kimery shared. "We've got businesses here that can't stay open for their normal hours because they don't have the help that they need."

She said there are tons of places that are not able to operate under normal business hours because there's no help available.

WFMY News 2 reached out to Love's and Pilot to hear how they are feeling about the possible addition of the gas station.

Love’s sent a statement saying "Love's has been a part of the Mebane community since 2017 and we’re excited to see growth in the town. We’ll continue to focus on getting customers, including professional drivers, back on the road quickly and safely, setting the bar for customer service."

Others in the community are celebrating the possible addition.

On a Facebook post asking about how people in Mebane were feeling about the news, Sisi Rose said "Think it's a great thing! It will bring more jobs to the community as well as something new for us to enjoy! I'm excited to taste all the Buc-ee's signature snacks!"

Danielle Shepherd said "Cannot wait!!! The jobs alone they will bring are exciting! Plus, BEAVER NUGGETS!!

The Mebane Development Director, Ashley Ownbey, said it is good for the area.

"We know there is a lot of traffic off the interstate," Ownbey shared. "It is exciting to think of Buc-ee's bringing more people to our positively charming city."

All of this is still a fluid situation and anything can happen, but people who live in Mebane hope for transparency.

"My hope is that they listen to the community that they want to build in and listen to their neighbors," Bollinger said.

"If the county does decide to do this, I hope they open up a public discussion to let the community voice their opinions on the pros and cons of having it here," Kimery said.

Mebane officials and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) are currently reviewing a preliminary site plan and traffic impact analysis. Once those are completed; it will move on to the Mebane Planning Board.

The Mebane Planning Board will consider the two requests and make recommendations to the Mebane City Council.

Public hearings will be scheduled before the City Council, and they will make a decision to approve or deny the requests.

If it does break ground, this would become the state's first Buc-ee's.

The hype behind the gas station comes for a few reasons. There are more than 100 gas pumps, their bathrooms are named the cleanest in America, and the gas station is considered the largest one in the world.

EFLAND, N.C. — If you ask Ben Lloyd how old he is, he might just use a tractor to let you know.

What You Need To Know

“It and myself are two of the oldest things around this farm. This is a 1967 Oliver tractor," Lloyd said.

While the tractor is still running at 56 years old, Lloyd is approaching his 93rd birthday.

“Other than the time I was in school, and four years in the military, I’ve been here all my life. Farming sort of becomes a way of life," Lloyd said.

Getting around a 700-plus-acre farm isn't easy at his age.

So these days you will see Lloyd on "Ben’s Buggy," his trusty golf cart that roams the land that was once home to a one of the biggest dairy farms in central North Carolina.

“It was a full-time operation," Lloyd said. "Milking 150 cows, twice a day. That’s 300 milkings a day.”

Today, the farm produces hay for a nearby horse farm and soy beans.

Lloyd is still very much involved in the operations and making the man who he bought the farm from proud.

“My dad lived to be about 89 when he passed away. One of the best farmers, and one of the hardest working people I’ve ever known," Lloyd said.

Taking a ride around the land, you will see the original farm buildings that have stood the test of time.

Lloyd says there's so much history here. In fact, "American Pickers," the famous historical TV show, has visited four times to search through the collection.

North Carolina recognizes the dairy farm as part of its century farms, an accolade only given to those with 100 years of continuous agricultural heritage.

“Not all farms stay in operation for 100 years. But this one has," Lloyd said.

Keeping a farm like this in operation for that long doesn't come without innovation.

Lloyd's children have used agri-tourism as a means to continue its history, including turning the barn into a wedding venue.

“We actually had a local lady that said she would like to have a wedding here," Craig Lloyd, Ben Lloyd's son said. "So that was really our first event that we thought about. Then we started to look at other opportunities like special events like the antique festival, the haunted house and other events throughout the year, and it’s been very successful.”

Everywhere you turn, from the old milking stations to the outfitted bridal suite, the farm's history is all around.

Looking back on those who opened the farm generations ago, to the man who runs it now, it's something special.

“If my dad were alive today, and bales to look at it, he would smile and lay back down," Lloyd said. "He would be delighted that it’s been kept productive, and we have weathered some of the economic storms and come out of here thus far.”

Spurned by Efland & Orange County, co. sets sights on Trollingwood Road exit on edge of industrial park

Buc-ee’s is back, this time with a proposal to build a travel plaza on 32.49 acres along I-85/40, at 1447 Trollingwood-Hawfields Road, which is within Mebane’s jurisdiction.

Headquartered in Jackson, Texas, Buc-ee’s has filed a preliminary site plan with the city of Mebane, seeking rezoning to build a 75,440-square foot store that would have as many as 120 gas pumps and eight diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) pumps.

UPDATE ON SIZE: At 75,440 square feet, the Mebane location would, at least temporarily, become the largest Buc-ee’s in the nation. A 74,000-square-foot Buc-ee’s recently opened in Seiverville, Tennessee, and a 75,000-square-foot site has been announced for Luling, Texas. But all will be eclipsed by an 80,000-square-foot store also on the drawing board for Ocala, Florida.

Buc-ee’s had unsuccessfully sought to build a travel plaza in western Orange County, along Mount Willing Road in Efland. The company ultimately withdrew its application for conditional rezoning in early 2021 amid vigorous opposition from neighbors.

“The site plan is likely to change before the project moves forward to [the] planning board and city council,” Mebane development director Ashley Ownbey told The Alamance News Wednesday. “A Special Use Permit is also required, but we have not yet received that application. A Traffic Impact Analysis was also submitted to the [state Department of Transportation] and city of Mebane…It is still under review.”

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Given the site’s location within the North Carolina Commerce Park, there would be a three-way split in revenues among Mebane, Graham, and the county, if the project is approved, Mebane city manager Chris Rollins confirmed for the newspaper Wednesday.

The site along Trollingwood-Hawfields Road is adjacent to I-85/40 and is technically part of three separate parcels owned by Sarah S. Bradley of 917 Arrowhead Lane in Mebane. The property, which is vacant, spans a combined total of 89.89 calculated acres and has a total tax value of more than $5.2 million, according to Alamance County’s tax department.

Buc-ee’s however, is looking to develop a 32.5-acre portion of the property that Bradley owns, based on materials that the city of Mebane furnished Wednesday to The Alamance News.

Plans submitted in Mebane show 75,440 sq. ft. store, 120 gas pumps

Buc-ee’s earlier plans to build a gas station and retail store in Efland had divided northern Orange County residents into two factions: opponents, who worried about potential traffic congestion and environmental impacts; the proponents had hoped it would bring an estimated 200 jobs paying an average of $15 an hour, which proponents had said at the time was “equal and above the Orange County living wage.”

Opponents later formed a group, called “Voice for Efland & Orange,” circulated a petition that garnered signatures from some 6,000 purported opponents, and lobbied the seven Orange County commissioners to reject the rezoning request. Buc-ee’s voluntarily withdrew its application in 2021.

Buc-ee’s claims to have “the world’s cleanest restrooms,” citing a survey conducted in 2012 by the business supply company Cintas. The company has dozens of locations throughout the Southeast, including in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Tennessee, as well as its home state of Texas.

The newest location opened earlier this month in Sevierville, Tennessee, just over the state line, about an hour from western North Carolina. Buc-ee’s describes that travel plaza – which also features 120 gas pumps – is the first store to open in a planned commercial development called “The 407 – Gateway to Adventure,” according to a news report that ran earlier this week.

There’s a potential threat to wildlife and plant security roaming the woods — a tusked, furry and to some eyes cuddly one.

Orange County Animal Services is seeking the public’s help in finding the home of a large wayward pig in the woods of Efland.

“We are hoping to find the owner of this pig that is currently loose in Efland, NC,” Orange County Animal Services wrote in a Facebook post. “Our officers are working to safely confine the pig, and hoping that someone has been missing a pig so that it does not have to enter a shelter.”

Animal services says they got a call from an Efland resident who spotted the pig hanging out in their yard last week.

They made attempts to confine the swine, but the “pig appears to be somewhat fearful of humans and clever at avoiding confinement,” said Orange County Animal Services spokeswoman Tesille Fox.

The owner has not yet been found, but Fox says many pigs end up loose in the wild when they grow up and their owners underestimate the responsibility of caring for pigs.

we do know that many owned or pet pigs end up in this situation (and end up at rescues or animal shelters) due to people not understanding how big they will get and how much work is required for proper care,

This furry beast was lauded in Facebook comments as an “adorable baby,” “a big boy,” and “one happy dude!”

Another Facebook commenter said it was reminiscent of Falkor, the big white dragon of “The Neverending Story” fame.

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But don’t be fooled: These pigs, feral hogs or wild boars can be destructive to wildlife habitats and are responsible for causing an estimated $1.5 billion per year in damages to crops, landscaping and cultural sites across the U.S., according to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

The hogs also carry a variety of diseases that pose “substantial risk” to livestock, wildlife, humans and even pets, the commission says.

So, Orange County authorities do not want to let this pig roam freely.

This self-willed swine has the appearance of a wild boar due to its size and two big tusks protruding from its mouth. But all pigs grow tusks, regardless of whether they are wild or domesticated, according to petpigworld.com.

Most female pigs grow tusks that don’t grow large enough to stick out, which means our double-tusked pig on the loose may be a boy.

“Sometimes otherwise gentle pigs can appear aggressive when they’re scared or feel threatened,” Anna O’Neal, founder and primary caretaker at Jenna and Friends Animal Sanctuary in Chapel Hill, wrote in an email. “I sure hope they can capture him and get him to safety and either find the owner or get him to a sanctuary.”

As to the origins of the hog? Maybe a lost friend of the Carolina Hurricanes’ signature pig, Hamilton? It might have been a domesticated pig released illegally.

“All domestic pig breeds are descendant from the Eurasian wild boar, and when allowed to roam wild, can quickly revert to the habits and physical characteristics of their wild ancestors,” the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission explains.

If you’re the pig’s owner or have any information about it, Orange County asks you to call 919-942-7387, and choose option 1.

The saga of a wayward pig that captured the attention of Orange County over the weekend seems to have come to an end.

The large hog — tusked, furry, and to some, cuddly — was caught Monday after being spotted in the woods and shaking up a social media storm.

“We’ve been getting calls about it all day,” said Tenille Fox, spokeswoman for Orange County Animal Services, on Monday.

Fox told The News & Observer that Animal Services caught the large, pot-bellied pig after a resident in the western part of the county called in a sighting before noon.

But the pig now needs a new home.

An owner came forward after a Facebook post with a photo of the animal went viral over the weekend, Fox said, but could not reclaim ownership of the pig.

“We will work towards the best possible outcome for the pig, hopefully a good home,” she said. “We will seek to rehome the pig with a rescue or placement partner.”

The pig is not up for public adoption. Fox declined to say how the pig got loose when it was first seen in a resident’s yard in Efland.

Attempts to confine the swine were made previously, but the “pig appears to be somewhat fearful of humans and clever at avoiding confinement,” Fox said.

The pig is currently sheltered, eating and “is tired from the whole ordeal,” she said.

Many pigs end up in the wild when they grow up and their owners underestimate the responsibility of caring for them, she added.

“We are hoping to find the owner of this pig that is currently loose in Efland, NC,” Animal Services previously wrote in a Facebook post. “Our officers are working to safely confine the pig, and hoping that someone has been missing a pig so that it does not have to enter a shelter.”

The furry beast was lauded in Facebook comments as an “adorable baby,” “a big boy,” and “one happy dude!”

Another Facebook commenter said it was reminiscent of Falkor, the big white dragon of “The Neverending Story.”

But don’t be fooled: These pigs, feral hogs or wild boars can destroy wildlife habitats and cause an estimated $1.5 billion per year in damages to crops, landscaping and cultural sites across the U.S., according to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

The hogs also carry a variety of diseases that pose “substantial risk” to livestock, wildlife, humans and even pets, the commission says.

This self-willed swine looks like a wild boar due to its size and two big tusks protruding from its mouth. But all pigs grow tusks, regardless of whether they are wild or domesticated, according to petpigworld.com.

Most female pigs grow tusks that don’t grow large enough to stick out, which means the double-tusker is probably a boy.

“Sometimes, otherwise gentle pigs can appear aggressive when they’re scared or feel threatened,” Anna O’Neal, founder and primary caretaker at Jenna and Friends Animal Sanctuary in Chapel Hill, wrote in an email.

As to the origins of the hog? Maybe a lost friend of the Carolina Hurricanes’ signature pig, Hamilton?

“All domestic pig breeds are descendant from the Eurasian wild boar, and when allowed to roam wild, can quickly revert to the habits and physical characteristics of their wild ancestors,” the wildlife commission explains.

This story was originally published February 5, 2023, 3:50 PM.