Orthodontist in Matthews NC

Scott Stone, a former member of the N.C. House of Representatives, gave these remarks during the public comment of the Feb. 20 Union County Board of Commissioners meeting.

I am just an engineer but I'm here representing a large number of Union County stakeholders. These stakeholders represent hundreds of millions of dollars worth of investment in Union County.

We are here tonight to offer three solutions to help address the sewer capacity crisis. I provided the clerk with a signed petition and supporting data which highlight these solutions and I've sent them to you as well in email.

So three solutions:

No. 1: You have an existing contract with the City of Charlotte for sewer. Use it. Open the flow. Open the valve.

You can send sewer flow to Charlotte's McAlpine Creek Plant today – up to 2 million gallons a day. If you agree to use that contract, if you're actually willing to send the flow to Charlotte through existing pipes, existing pumps, you add 2 million gallons a day to your current available capacity in the 12 Mile Creek basin. You go from 7.5 million gallons a day to 9.5 million gallons a day and you do that immediately.

Well, wait a minute now. Is that an expensive option because that's what some people have said and what the rumors are. Well, here's the actual numbers.

Charlotte charges you $2.46 to treat your sewer. You charge your ratepayers $8.55. You've still got a huge margin in there for profit and it actually might be cheaper to send it there because you don't have the capital costs and the debt service that would go with getting an extra 1.5 to 2 million gallons of capacity.

No. 2: Expand the 12 Mile Creek Plant and expand it with some urgency.

You've already planned ahead. The plant was planned and built for expansion. The more you expand that plant, the more cost-effective it becomes. The layout provides for expansion room, which is less for construction costs. So expanding the plant up to 9 million gallons a day as soon as possible could actually save money for your existing ratepayers now.

You might say that, “Well, that's already underway. We're already in the design. We're already expanding that.”

Well just this week or last week, I've heard that what was supposed to go out for bid this month is actually being delayed and now it won't go out for bid for construction until June. So we've already lost four months in the process of something that's desperately needed.

No. 3: Continue to use the system development fees to protect the existing ratepayers.

We are not here today to ask that you reduce fees. These fees, which used to be called capacity fees, are incredibly valuable tools to ensure that utilities have the money needed to make the investments in pipes, in treatment and in other infrastructure.

We're recommending that you continue to set these rates at a level that protects your existing taxpayers. Let me say that again – protects your existing taxpayers with using those fees.

The cost of expansion should be done by the ones who are doing the expanding and you get $7,400 per house in terms of capacity fees, which is huge revenue.

These are only three options that we're recommending for immediate action. You've got other challenges to face but they minimize risk, they provide value to your existing taxpayers and they provide you a little bit of a runway so that you can evaluate your other needs and get momentum flowing again in Union County.

Union County manager responds to ex-NC lawmaker's wastewater idea

County Manager Brian Matthews responded to Scott Stone’s remarks during the manager’s reports at the end of the meeting.

Currently we actually have a contract with Charlotte where we could send up to 3 million gallons worth of flow per day to Charlotte for them to treat.

I want to make sure that the board actually understands that there are other costs that we pay them that are not necessarily shown in that treatment cost. We pay a capital cost and that usually runs between $300,000 and $400 000 annually. We also pay for surcharges.

Charlotte treats us as an industrial user. They can do that. That's their system. They charge us an additional amount of surcharge for every gallon of flow that we send and we budget about $750,000 for that annually. The more flow we send, the more that surcharge will be.

I'm not saying those aren't options but obviously there are other costs that we have to deal with.

The other thing that I want to clarify is while we have a diversion line that we can send flow from our 12 Mile Creek Plant, we can't guarantee at this point in time that we could send the full 3 million gallons to Charlotte in their system.

We have done some evaluations and worked with the City of Charlotte on that matter.

They've been very clear that they don't have the ability to increase our capacity, so they don't see the ability to if we wanted to go from three to four or five, they don't have that ability.

They say they can serve us from a treatment perspective but what there may be a problem is the actual line sizes to get three million gallons all the way to their treatment plant. We don't know the answer to that, so there could be some capital costs if we said we want to send all 3 million gallons to your plant. We might have to see that there are some additional capital costs. We don't know the answer to that.

We can obviously send flow and have been sending flow in our diversion line and that is an option but I also want the public and the board to understand that when you divert flow, you're not increasing capacity. We wouldn't go from 7.5 to 9 million. That's not how that works.

We're actually reducing the amount of flow in 12 Mile, so what that does is our actual flows would go down and then that would certainly gain some potential capacity in that plant because your actual flows are going down. But you don't realize those actual flows right away because we do a 12-month rolling average. So it takes months before you realize any potential capacity savings from that.

So while it is an option and there are things we can do with it, we treat that more as an emergency valve. We use that for peak flows and wet weather flows. We don't use it as a capacity flow.

Now if the board said, “We want you to do that for a temporary period while maybe going through the expansion process for 12 Mile Creek” because that is a two to three-year construction time frame. If we got to a point where our treatment plant was so close and we couldn't really permit anything, we could look at tweaking out some additional capacity by lowering those flows but again you don't realize them right away. It's over the 12-month period. We would always recommend we use it as a temporary solution, not as a permanent capacity solution.

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dallas-based Reeder Land Development Company ("Reeder"), a division of Reeder Capital Partners, today announced the completion and sale of the first Phase 1 finished lots at Matthews Landing to D. R. Horton, Inc. ("D.R. Horton"). Terms of the sales transaction were not disclosed.

“The relocation and opening of new large manufacturing, science, tech, and related businesses are generating constant demand for new housing.”

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As previously announced, Reeder acquired approximately 348 acres in Harnett County, North Carolina, to develop a new residential planned community within the Town of Lillington ETJ. Reeder subsidiary, Matthews Landing Development LLC, owns the project. Bahama, NC-based Global Construction Group handles complete construction and project management as Reeder's General Contractor nationwide. The Matthews Landing development includes approximately 970 lots, with various product lines, including single-family homes and townhomes, located just north of Harnett Central Road and just east of the US401N and State Road 2215 Highway interchange. Reeder entered an exclusive purchase agreement for the entire development with D.R. Horton, the nation's largest homebuilder.

"Despite the general slowdown in new home sales, this region of North Carolina continues to show steady growth," said Chris Reeder, Co-Founder of Reeder Land Development. "The relocation and opening of new large manufacturing, science, tech, and related businesses are generating constant demand for new housing."

D.R. Horton's Raleigh South Division Vice President of City Operations, Courtney Smith-Gonzalez, stated, "New home demand in this region remains strong. We're grateful to the Reeder team for delivering the lots on time, allowing us to begin construction next month. We are confident that our product lineup will offer an affordable option for families looking to move to this up-and-coming area.”

The Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, a business policy think tank at the UNC Kenan-Flager Business School, recently ranked Raleigh-Durham #4 in their October 2022 Report of 2022's Fastest Growing U.S. Cities, with GDP growth of 3.4%.

About Reeder Land Development Company

Reeder Land Development Company is a wholly-owned division of Reeder Capital Partners LLC, a third-generation family office based in Dallas, Texas. Reeder Land Development was co-founded by brothers Bryan and Chris Reeder, the grandchildren of legendary Texas capitalist H. R. "Bum" Bright. As a master-planned single-family residential community developer and construction manager, Reeder Land Development primarily focuses on acquiring and developing lots for national and large regional home builders in the entry to mid-level homes market segment. Reeder Land Development concentrates on building infrastructure and finished lots for master-planned communities across the Southeast and Southwest United States. For more information about Reeder Land Development Company and Reeder Capital Partners, see www.reedercap.com/real-estate.

Contacts

T.A. "Kip" Hyde, Jr. Reeder Land Development Company (a division of Reeder Capital Partners) Phone: 214.373.7793 www.reedercap.com

February is Black History Month, a time to honor the triumphs and tribulations of African Americans throughout U.S. history.

From creating woven pieces inspired by former slaves, to learning about the birth of hip-hop, music’s most popular genre, there are plenty of opportunities to commemorate the achievements of Black people in the Queen City.

Here are some ways to celebrate Black History Month in Charlotte:

When: Now through March 1

Where: The Independent Picture House, 4237 Raleigh St., Charlotte, NC 28213

What to know: Throughout the Black Film Series, eight movies will be shown, including classics like “Love & Basketball,” “Talk to Me” and “The Watermelon Woman.” There will also be a “talk back” event each week, where an educator will lead a discussion with the audience about one of the films shown. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased online.

When: Wednesdays in February through Feb. 22, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Where: Naomi Drenan Recreation Center, 750 Beal St., Charlotte, NC 28211

What to know: Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation is hosting this event to empower youth to learn more about their past. Each week, the program will introduce different African American leaders who have made major impacts on society. Registration is required. For more Black History Month events from the county, check out Q City Metro’s guide.

When: Feb. 1 at 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Where: Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, 551 S. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28202

What to know: The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture is hosting Black Charlotte: A Poetic Celebration of Place & Folk, a spoken word celebration of Charlotte history that will feature 15 local poets. The event is free and open to all ages. Registration is required.

When: Feb. 2 at 7 p.m.

Where: Booth Playhouse at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, 130 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28202

What to know: Inspired by a recent exhibition at the Gantt Center, The Men Inside is a live event that will showcase deeply personal stories of Black men in Charlotte. Ticket prices for the event range from $20-$30 and can be purchased online.

When: Feb. 4, 10 a.m.-noon

Where: West Boulevard Library, 2157 West Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28208

What to know: Children ages 12-18 can celebrate Black History Month by designing a button and watching a Black history movie. Registration is required.

When: Feb. 4 at 12-2 p.m.

Where: Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, 551 S. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28202

What to know: At this program, artist Kimberly Turner will guide participants as they trace silhouettes and place them against a scene of mixed media materials, reflecting a place they love to be, where they see themselves in the future, or a compilation of places and objects that make them feel at home. The program is open to all ages and experience levels. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online.

When: Feb. 9, 2-3 p.m.

Where: Charlotte Mecklenburg Library - Matthews, 230 Matthews Station St., Matthews, NC 28105

What to know: Matthews Heritage Museum Director Barbara Taylor will introduce the museum’s latest exhibition, Woven Treasures. The program will feature the work of Mecklenburg County basket maker Leon Berry, who learned the craft from his grandfather, a former slave. The event is open to all ages and registration is required.

When: Feb. 9, 5-6 p.m.

Where: Southview Recreation Center, 1720 Vilma St., Charlotte, NC 28208

What to know: This program for kids will explore the contributions of Black women throughout American history. Children will also be able to create door hangers that will serve as a reminder to walk through any door boldly and fearlessly. Registration is required.

When: Feb. 18, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Where: Sugar Creek Charter School, 4101 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28206

What to know: The third annual National African American Read-In will include meet-and-greets with authors Shaketa Richardson, Harrison Martin, Kristi Cruise, plus raffles, a parent workshop, food truck and youth performances. The event is free and open to the public.

When: Feb. 22, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Where: Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, 551 S. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28202

What to know: New York Times journalist and best-selling author Jonathan Abrams will share stories from his latest project, “The Come Up,” a compilation of the oral history of hip-hop. The program will include a brief reading and book signing. Registration is required.

When: Feb. 23-25, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Where: Charlotte Museum of History, 3500 Shamrock Dr., Charlotte, NC 28215

What to know: The Charlotte Museum of History’s African American Heritage Festival will emphasize HBCUs through performance, panels and a college fair. The Alexander Homesite will also be open for tours, and North Carolina Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green will deliver the keynote address. Admission is free and open to all ages.

When: Feb. 26, 2-4 p.m.

Where: SouthPark Regional Library, 7015 Carnegie Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28211

What to know: Meet successful Black entrepreneurs in the Charlotte area from various fields for an afternoon of information and networking. Registration is required.

When: Feb. 26, 1-5 p.m.

Where: Cabarrus Arena & Events Center, 4751 N.C. 49, Concord, NC 28025

What to know: The festival will feature performances, more than 100 Black-owned businesses, crafts and food. There will also be giveaways and activities for kids. Admission is free.

This story was originally published February 1, 2023, 6:00 AM.

A bill that would reduce the number of bids required for the state to contract house repairs after a disaster passed a N.C. House Committee on Wednesday. House Speaker Pro Tempore Sarah Stevens, R-Surry, and House Majority Leader John Bell, R-Wayne, were co-sponsors of HB119, Increase Informal Bid Threshold which would give the Office of Resiliency and Recovery an exemption to the state requirement for competitive bids. In the case of disaster repairs, the office would only have to get competitive bids for work over $250,000, which are mostly homes that have to be completely replaced.

“We just want to see it stop being spent on hotel rooms,” said Stevens. “We’ve spent $15 million in hotel rooms rather than getting these people back in their homes. We want to see the productive use of this money to build a home that people can actually get back into.”

The bill comes after multiple committee hearings uncovered extensive delays by the Cooper administration in recovery for victims of Hurricane Matthew six years ago and Hurricane Florence four years ago. The Office of Resiliency and Recovery (NCORR), set up by Cooper in 2016, is responsible for helping victims get back into homes, either repaired or replaced, but according to witnesses who spoke to the committee of lawmakers, bureaucratic management delays made the process far from efficient.

In legislative hearings in September and December of 2022, lawmakers criticized NCORR because it received $778 million in federal dollars to help people hurt by Hurricanes Matthew and Florence, yet some remain homeless years later. Victims, builders, and managers from South Carolina, where recovery was much more efficient, testified that the NCORR policies, project management, and case manager turnover created the delays.

As of December 2022, 115 families were still without homes from the 2016 and 2018 storms. Sen. Brent Jackson, R-Sampson, said at the December hearing that commission staff visited 60 homesites this fall and found contractors working at just one of them. Stevens said at the meeting that the repair process should prioritize elderly and disabled victims, which it currently does not.

There is a deadline for getting these projects completed. The federal government requires the state to spend the $778 million by 2025 for Matthew and 2026 for Florence.

“Any thoughts about guardrails around this project, about misuse of these funds, or your thoughts about building some systems into this that might stop that from happening?” Rep. Rudow, D-Buncombe, asked on Wednesday.

In addition to oversight from the N.C. General Assembly, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development audits the program.

“There’s a lot of accountability built into this, and the oversight committee is asking the same questions,” said Bell. “I would say, at this point, I don’t think there could be a bigger microscope on this project than there is right now.”

NCORR is scheduled to give another update to lawmakers on March 15.

Here is a preview of the players to watch in the various divisions for boys and girls:

East:

No. 9 Pittsboro Seaforth at No. 8 Beaufort East Carteret

No. 15 St. Pauls at No. 2 Goldsboro

Pittsboro Seaforth junior power forward Jarin Stevenson is ranked at No. 20 in the class of 2024 by Rivals.com, and he has an NC State offer ... St. Pauls freshman Tyson Thompson, a 6-8 center, and versatile freshman guard Josiah Sanders have showed promise. They'll face East Carolina senior commit Ta'Korrie Faison of Goldsboro High.

West:

No. 23 Walkertown at No. 7 Concord Robinson

No. 15 Trinity at No. 2 Reidsville

Reidsville has been dominant with freshmen Kendre' Harrison and Dionte Neal leading the way. Harrison is a 6-7 power forward, who has an NC State offer in football as a tight end/defensive end. Neal is a 5-9 point guard, who also is a standout in football cornerback, wide receiver and in the return game ... Keeping with the football theme, NC State has offered Walkertown sophomore Bryce Baker at quarterback, and he's also a solid shooting guard.

NC State offered Southern Durham High sophomore small forward Jackson Keith on Sunday, after he attended the UNC at NCSU game.

West:

No. 24 Kings Mountain at No. 8 Greensboro Southern Guilford

No. 19 Concord Northwest Cabarrus at No. 3 Morganton Freedom

No. 27 Lake Norman Charter at No. 22 West Charlotte

Morganton Freedom sophomore point guard Amore Connelly is one of the most exciting players in the state ... Kings Mountain freshman guard Bradley Floyd has become one to watch in the class of 2026 thanks to a smooth jumper and high basketball IQ ... West Charlotte will try to get back to the state title game behind sophomore point guard Chadlyn Traylor, freshman wing Markus Kerr and senior center Donovan Raymond, who has come back this season from a torn ACL.

East:

No. 9 Spring Lake Overhills at No. 8 Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons

No. 14 Durham Hillside at No. 3 Raleigh Millbrook

No. 15 Raleigh Sanderson at No. 2 Rockingham Richmond County

New NC State junior commit Paul McNeil and Rockingham Richmond Country will be trying to make a run to the state title game. Former NC State assistant coach Roy Roberson is the coach at Sanderson High ... Raleigh Millbrook sophomore Colt Langdon has been productive throughout the season and Wildcats play an up-tempo style of basketball ... Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons freshman point guard Aiden Smalls has turned a corner the last month and a half. He's scored at least 15 points in nine games since Jan. 4, with a season-high 30 against Matthews (N.C.) Carmel Christian.

West:

No. 17 Charlotte East Mecklenburg at No. 1 Charlotte Myers Park

No. 20 Charlotte Ardrey Kell at No. 4 Greensboro Grimsley

No. 14 Huntersville Hopewell at No. 3 Huntersville North Mecklenburg

No. 7 Unionville Piedmont at No. 10 Charlotte Chambers

No. 18 High Point Southwest Guilford at No. 2 Winston-Salem Mount Tabor

Charlotte Myers Park entered the season with championship aspirations thanks to senior post player Elijah Strong, junior point guard Bishop Boswell, junior wing Sir Mohammed and sophomore power forward Sadiq White. NC State has offered Mohammed ... Greensboro Grimsley had three players that NC State has offered in football — wide receiver/point guard Alex Taylor, a junior, sophomore defensive end/forward Bryce Davis and freshman quarterback/wing Faison Brandon. Sophomore wing Zacch Wiggins is a high major prospect in hoops ... Also on the football side, Winston-Salem Mount Tabor sophomore wing/wide receiver Shamarius Peterkin has an NC State offer ... Huntersville North Mecklenburg junior small forward Isaiah Evans is ranked in the top 50 by Rivals.com, and has an NC State offer ... Charlotte Chambers junior power forward Maurio Hanson Jr. has a mix of mid- and- high-major offers ... Charlotte East Mecklenburg sophomore guard Jonah Lawrence is averaging 20.6 points per game.

NCISAA 4A boys title game

No. 1 Matthews Carmel Christian vs. No. 2 Arden Christ School, 7 p.m. at Lewisville (N.C.) Forsyth Country Day.

Matthews Carmel Christian junior guard Jaeden Mustaf has moved into the state and is gunning to help them repeat as NCISAA state champs. Christ School is led by Wake Forest junior wing commit Bryson Cokley, and senior center Anthony Robinson, who has signed with South Florida.

NCHSAA 1A:

No. 18 Danbury North Stokes at No. 2 Kernersville Bishop McGuinness

NCHSAA 2A:

No. 15 Hertford County at No. 2 Bethel North Pitt

NCHSAA 4A:

No. 11 Charlotte Catholic at No. 6 Waxhaw Marvin Ridge

No. 24 Indian Trail Porter Ridge at No. 8 Charlotte Independence

NCISAA 2A semifinals Thursday

No. 3 Southern Pines O'Neal School at No. 2 Sanford Grace Christian

NCISAA 3A title game Saturday

No. 2 High Point Christian vs. No. 1 Concord Academy, 2 p.m. at Winston-Salem Calvary Day School

NC State has offered junior power forward Sarah Strong of Sanford Grace Christian, junior center Blanca Thomas of Charlotte Catholic, junior point guard Zamareya Jones of Bethel North Pitt and sophomore wing Adelaide Jernigan of Kernersville Bishop McGuiness ... Charlotte Indepedence sophomore guard Kamryn Kitchen has also been emerging as an ACC target ... High Point Christian sophomore forward Kylie Torrence is averaging 14.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game.

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