Canton secures land for wastewater plant, launches bold bid for economic revival
The Town of Canton will purchase some significant acreage and assets on the west bank of the Pigeon River.
Google Earth photo
In a move more than a half-century in the making, the Town of Canton has announced the pending purchase of a key parcel of land where it plans to construct a new, state-of-the-art flood-proof wastewater treatment plant — ending a long chapter of dependence on a private system operated by the now-shuttered Pactiv Evergreen paper mill and setting the stage for a bold economic redevelopment of the historic site.
“No more will this town have to beg, plead and be under the thumb of somebody else,” said Mayor Zeb Smathers during a June 26 meeting of the Canton Board of Aldermen/women.
Since the early 1960s, the Town of Canton has benefitted from the mill’s treatment of the town’s wastewater at nearly no cost. The surprise closure of the mill in late May 2023 left the town not only grieving the loss of one of Western North Carolina’s largest employers but also grappling with how to provide a critical public utility.
Pactiv’s aging facility had flooded multiple times over the years, including during Hurricane Helene, and its location in the Pigeon River floodway made future operations increasingly untenable.
Now, thanks to a combination of state appropriations and a painstaking site selection process, Canton’s leaders have found a solution that will anchor both public infrastructure and private investment for generations to come.
“It’s no secret that we have wrestled with the future of wastewater,” Smathers said. “You can talk about the future — homes, businesses, whatever — but you cannot do that if you cannot provide the basic needs of your citizens: fire, police, streets, water, infrastructure.”
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The town’s plan involves acquiring approximately 35 to 38 acres on the west side of the former mill site for around $14 million using funds appropriated by the North Carolina General Assembly in the latest Hurricane Helene relief bill. The funds were secured through the cooperation of the entire western delegation of the General Assembly and included in a bill passed just hours before Thursday’s meeting. The bill heads to Gov. Josh Stein’s desk next, so the funding is contingent on his signature, which appears imminent.
Eric Spirtas, the developer who bought the 185-acre mill site for $3.36 million late last year, has worked closely to provide wastewater treatment to the town since he formally acquired the parcels earlier this year. Currently, Spirtas allows the town temporary use of the existing treatment plant at a cost of around $140,000 per month.
The relief bill also provides to the town an additional $2 million in emergency operating support for the existing plant.
A previous $38 million General Assembly allocation for the construction of the new wastewater treatment plant will be used as the project progresses. Construction is expected to take several years. The existing facility will continue to operate while the new one is being built.
“You’ve got this old plant we're going to shrink and then build behind it, so what we think and our engineers back up [is] we can make improvements to the current that can be used,” Smathers said. “So we are saving taxpayer money. Let me say that again for people in the back of the room — we are saving taxpayer money, but we're also saving time.”
The impending purchase ends the long search for an appropriate parcel; Canton’s governing board listened very closely to the concerns of citizens who didn’t want a wastewater treatment plant in their backyard. Putting the new plant near to the old one solves that problem.
The town’s announcement marks more than just a solution to a looming infrastructure crisis — it’s also a major step toward revitalizing the shuttered mill site and bringing new jobs to Canton.
“With this money that was provided for us in part of the purchase, Canton will be purchasing the warehouses down there,” Smathers said, referring to structures also on the west side of the Pigeon River. “It’s 153,000 square feet of great economic potential that did not flood.”
Those warehouses, according to Smathers, will serve as a launchpad for what he repeatedly described as a “new chapter” for the town, a future rooted in economic diversification and independence.
Economic development has long been a priority for the Board of Aldermen, and Canton leaders say this moment provides the foundation for manufacturing jobs to return to the region in a way that honors the town’s legacy.
“We want good manufacturing jobs in there that are job-producing, that are clean, that are open and can pay good wages,” said Smathers. “Let us start our future exactly where we left our past when Pactiv closed. We want manufacturing jobs.”
Smathers said the acquisition sends a clear signal across the state that Canton is “open for business” and that everything is on the table — the town may rent, lease or sell the warehouse parcels at its discretion. Smathers told The Smoky Mountain News that all options are on the table.
“I would put our workforce and our community colleges and our schools [up against anybody’s] — you ain't gonna find a better workforce,” he said. “Come here. You're gonna find the workers.”
Town board members also took turns thanking staff and legislative partners for what they described as a difficult but unified process.
Smathers read off a long list of legislative allies who helped secure the funds, including Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-Macon), Sen. Ralph Hise (R-Mitchell), Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood), Rep. Mike Clampitt (R-Swain), Rep. Karl Gillespie (R-Macon) and Rep. Dudley Greene (R-Burke), along with House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Caldwell) and Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger (R-Rockingham).
“In these polluted times of partisan politics,” Smathers said, “Democrats and Republicans [came] together for Haywood County and Canton, because they know what we’ve been through — not just what we’ve been through, but they know we’re going to do it the best way.”
Canton’s governing board is majority Democrat.
Mayor Pro Tem Gail Mull was uncharacteristically brief in her remarks.
“All I can say is thank you,” Mull said. “Like you said, [it was] non-partisan. They came through for us when we needed it the most.”
Just as deserving of credit is David Francis, president and CEO of the Haywood Chamber of Commerce. When the mill closed, Francis was Haywood County’s economic development director and remains an important economic development figure in his new role with the chamber. In previous discussions with The Smoky Mountain News, Francis said he immediately realized that once the mill closed, the clock was ticking on wastewater treatment. Others involved in the process said Francis has worked incessantly for more than two years to help provide a solution. Haywood County Commissioner Brandon Rogers also played a role as the county’s liaison to the project.
Alderman Ralph Hamlett described the purchase not as the end of the process of recovering from the loss of the 115-year-old mill, but as the beginning.
“This is not the culmination of the dream but the genesis of it,” Hamlett said. “Because the future is ours.”
Board member Kristina Proctor also thanked town staff for their dedication.
“Securing your own future is an incessant and often messy task,” Proctor said. “Ultimately, we get there because we have a vision, and we have a community that unites and really pushes us and continues the work forward.”
Proctor closed with a nod to the generational impact of the board’s decision.
“I have a kid in school in Haywood County,” she said. “I want them to stay in Haywood County. I want them to know that there’s opportunity to be here and live here for as long as our families possibly can.”
Alderman Tim Shepard was on vacation and not present at the meeting.
