Orthodontist in Stallings NC

Justin Nicolette can’t escape the stench.

Opening a window is not an option. Air fresheners won’t work, either.

Going outside to catch a breath of fresh air is out of the question when the air itself is the problem.

For years, Nicolette and the residents of Stallings, a town mostly in Union County, have been forced to endure a distinctive, pungent odor from the privately owned Aqua North Carolina wastewater treatment plant in Country Woods East. The company, Aqua America, operates privately owned plants in North Carolina and several other states.

“There is no way to deal with it,” said Nicolette, who has lived in the area since 2020 and struggles to enjoy nice fall evenings outside with his daughter. “I mean, it’s just overpowering. It just creeps into your house, and that’s the worst part.”

Ray Kirby, who also lives in the neighborhood, said the odor “smells like rotten eggs as soon as you step out the door.”

Stallings Town Manager Alex Sewell said the smell that “comes in waves” predates his stint in local government. It’s been the subject of consistent complaints among residents. So, Sewell wasn’t the first public official to familiarize himself with the odor. The town’s residents have lamented to anyone who would listen.

April 2018 Stallings city council meeting minutes show John Martin, a city council member, mentioned that he “had received many complaints regarding the odor and noise from the Aqua Waste Water Treatment Plant behind Country Woods East.” In response, Stallings officials have contacted Aqua North Carolina over the years to troubleshoot the odor coming from a wastewater treatment plant, which serves a small portion of the Charlotte suburb.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality says the company hasn’t yet responded with a requested plan to address the issue. Aqua, though, told the Observer it’s tried to rectify it.

Joe Pearce, the company’s state operations director, first looked into odor concerns in January 2021, according to a report provided by the company. Pearce reportedly used hydrogen sulfide odor loggers in and around the wastewater treatment plant along its sewer collection systems.

The company later hired an environmental consulting firm to complete outdoor ambient air screening for odorous chemicals around the Stallings site, the report said.

Pearce’s investigation, which stretched until April 2021, indicated the primary cause for the odor was an undisclosed discharge originating from the nearby Hawthorne pump station owned by Aqua. However, the report did not detail the extent of the work.

“To date, conditions have significantly improved based on data, review of customer complaints, and field observation by Mr. Pearce,” the report stated.

Aqua North Carolina President Shannon Becker reassured town officials months after the investigation finished that the company was working to resolve the matter because Martin, the town council member, continued to express concerns, according to an email obtained by the Observer.

“I can assure you that we have already made several improvements as a result of Mr. Pearce’s findings,” she wrote in the July 2021 message. “We will continue to monitor the odor issues in an effort to identify and make other improvements as deemed appropriate.”

The lingering odor prompted Stallings Mayor Wyatt Dunn to write a three-page letter in March 2022 to Aqua North Carolina and state water quality officials with the subject line: “Aqua Sewer Treatment Plant – Terrible Odors.”

In the letter, Dunn outlined complaints the town received and charged Aqua North Carolina and the state with rectifying the odor nuisance under N.C. statute 15A NCAC 02D .1806, which requires commercial businesses, including municipal wastewater treatment plants, processing facilities and agricultural operations, to control and prohibit odorous emissions.

“The state has both a duty and the power to hold Aqua accountable. Aqua is required by law to prevent objectionable odors beyond its facility’s boundary,“ Wyatt wrote. “If not, the state must require Aqua to implement maximum feasible controls for control of odorous emissions.

“It is time for the state to fulfill its duty under the law and ensure the issue is fixed for our residents of Stallings.”

A N.C. Department of Environmental Quality spokesperson told the Observer the agency has known about odor complaints since 2018 and conducted an inspection at the site last month. The agency indicated that the odor at the Aqua facility “is likely coming from an equalization basin” at the Aqua site where raw wastewater is pumped and held in aeration until it is treated.

NCDEQ has requested Aqua North Carolina provide a plan to remedy the issue, such as constructing a biofilter to address the odor, though the agency has yet to receive one.

Asked by the Observer about efforts to fix odors, Heather Vail Keefer, a spokeswoman for Aqua North Carolina, said the company installed chemical feeds in 2021 to reduce bacterial levels in its wastewater collection systems.

Upon receiving a residential complaint this year, Aqua conducted an investigation but has been unable “to identify an odor issue on our site,” Keefer told the Observer in a statement.

“We brought in an engineering firm to further evaluate the facility to identify if an issue exists,” she said. “If the engineering firm determines the source of the issue is our facility, we will ask the firm to propose ways we can resolve the issue, and Aqua will take appropriate action.”

The odor remains a quality of life hurdle for residents, said Sewell, the town manager, who said Aqua North Carolina has not planned any further meetings with Stallings officials to discuss the smell.

“From what we’ve heard from residents, it has hindered their ability to use their homes,” he said. “The town isn’t in a position to offer recommendations because we’re not experts in running a wastewater treatment facility. The smell is threatening the ability of the residents to just live in peace.”

This story was originally published November 29, 2023, 6:00 AM.

Developers and landscapers are working to fix sinkholes in a Stallings community, but is it helping homeowners feel safer?

More Videos

STALLINGS, N.C. — Homeowners in the neighborhood of Stallings are being told that pressure grouting is the solution to fixing the ongoing sinkhole issue, but will that ease their safety concerns?

For the latest breaking news, weather and traffic alerts, download the WCNC Charlotte mobile app and enable push notifications.

Stallings Mayor Wyatt Dunn heard community members talking about their issues with the sinkholes during the latest town hall meeting in November. "Your home should be your sanctuary and we all want it to be that way when we get home. I promise you the town will be the facilitator in this we’ll try to find a solution," Dunn told the concerned citizens at the meeting.

After months of digging for answers, Anna Gaddy, who lives in the area, began seeing a response to the sinkhole problem from developers with Ryan Homes.

Gaddy told WCNC Charlotte that she spoke with some developers about their solution to fixing these issues.

“They said they were going to do pressure grouting where they put a fillable material, it's not actually grout, they said but a combination of materials, they're going to put in the ground," Gaddy said. "And supposedly it's supposed to go as far down in the ground as it needs to.”

RELATED: 'Somebody's accountable for it' | Stallings neighbors worried about sinkholes forming near homes

When asked if the solution eases Gaddy's mind, she said, “I don't know that they're really addressing it, I really don't have the competence level that I feel like I need to have with this whole process.”

WCNC Charlotte reached out to Ryan Homes for comment but did not get a response.

Dunn told residents that the town's role with the issue is to be a "facilitator," in the process.

“This is somebody's probably the largest investment. And so in your home, and so you want your home to be structurally sound. So you don't have to spend money to correct it. So, so we certainly are concerned. And that's why we reached out to Ryan Homes, and they met with us immediately."

Gaddy is hopeful the latest effort will fill the sinkholes for good.

You can stream WCNC Charlotte on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV, just download the free app.

“I am optimistic that I can feel safe, I would want to see not just like the words, but like, reports or some type of guarantee, like, Hey, this is what we did," she said. "And this is, you know, like, on paper, this, this was what happened, and this is what guarantee we can give you that you won't have issues."

Developers told both Gaddy and Dunn that they hope to finish filling the sinkholes before Thanksgiving.

As soon as you step into Bill and Bob’s Coffee Bar in Stallings, you’ll feel pretty quickly that you’re making a new friend. You might even recognize the gregarious owner behind the counter, Albert Jeanniton — better known as AlFliction from Season 1 of “Ink Master.”

Jeanniton also owns the shop next door, AlFliction’s World Famous Tattoo. So when you park yourself at the penny-adorned bar to drink an espresso and soak in the chitchat, you’re likely going to hear about tattoo ideas and industry conventions. You’ll also hear Jeanniton greeting folks as “Bob” when they come in the door. It’s a not-so-secret code, if you’re in the know.

There’s a sobriety circle and triangle symbol fastened outside the door of Bill and Bob’s, named after Alcoholics Anonymous founders Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith. Photos of them and odes to their work hang on the coffee shop’s walls, and a pulpit is tucked in a corner with a screen showing the serenity prayer and 12 steps hanging above it.

The coffee bar also holds Alcoholics Anonymous meetings on Wednesdays in the space from 7:30-8:30 p.m., set up to evoke the feeling of a bar to help people making a transition out of that setting. Jeanniton, a man with a mission who’s never met a stranger, will readily share that he’s among them.

He opened the tattoo shop in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the tattoo conventions where he makes a living as AlFliction were shut down. He also ran a bar in the Bill and Bob’s space. But, eventually, as the tattoo artist balanced a heavy workload and travel schedule along with personal and professional conflicts, he knew he had to make a change.

Jeanniton closed the bar and found sobriety, holding AA meetings in the space. He began to sell coffee there, and the idea grew into Bill and Bobs, which opened earlier this year.

Now, you can snack on a bagel or a piece of cheesecake while you’re sipping coffee at Bill and Bob’s But if you really want to start your day off with a buzz, Jeanniton encourages customers to try his Bacon Waffle Latte, made with mini waffles, a strip of bacon and powdered sugar. It’s a creation that blossomed from childhood memories of when his mom made Cafe Bustelo coffee in the mornings before school for her children to dip their waffles into.

“That was natural for us — that’s what we had in the morning,” he said.

When he’s off at the tattoo shop or an Ink Master convention, one of his three other employees takes over. In addition to holding AA meetings, Bill and Bob’s also sells sober-themed merchandise with proceeds going to local nonprofit Beyond Sober. He’s working on starting a prison ministry with Elevation Church, and other community groups use the space for meet-ups and game nights, too.

“I’m all about the community and giving back,” Jeanniton said.

Location: 2701 Old Monroe Rd, Stallings, NC 28104

Instagram: @billandbobscoffeebar

The leaders of Stallings-based SteelPoint, Micheal “Mick” and Deborah Edwards say they’re proud to be in the Union County town and they’ll keep it that way with a little help.

The manufacturer of heavy-duty trailers has been in Union County for 13 years. An $822,500 incentive grant over five years from the Monroe-Union County Economic Development Commission will ensure they’ll stay even longer. SteelPoint is using the money to add a 100,000 square-foot production facility by the existing building on Beltway Boulevard near U.S. 74. by the end of 2024. Officials noted that an investment up to $35 million is anticipated with the project.

About 90 people are employed at the facility, and the expansion project will bring another 25 jobs paying an average of $25 per hour.

“In a town like Stallings, it’s very important to make sure you get industrial places in this location,” said Mick Edwards whose official title is chief executive officer. “It’s not just about putting up apartment buildings. It’s good for the local community that you have a company that helps with progress.”

It wasn’t always a certainty Steelpoint would stay put.

The Edwardses looked at vacant properties and existing buildings around Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Gaston and York counties. They started looking for land before the pandemic, which would eventually delay their search and result in higher prices.

“While our company is growing, it seems like all of those prices are going up faster than what we can catch up to,” said Deborah, senior vice president and chief administrative officer. “Union County was committed to keeping us here and this helps do that.”

They purchased a piece of property adjacent to the current location at 200 Beltway Blvd. in Stallings for the expansion.

Union County commissioners Vice Chair Melissa Merrell, who supported giving the incentives during a September vote, said the company has provided strong career opportunities since 2010.

“Their decision to grow here proves Union County has one of the best business environments in North Carolina and we are proud to provide our support through the economic development incentive grant,” Merrell said in a news release.

The company’s modern history dates back to 2010, when Mick Edwards sold his rental and equipment service business and purchased one of its small vendors “as a turnaround opportunity,” the company’s website says. He brought his vision of turning SteelPoint, which was formerly named MMDi, into a high-end trailer manufacturer. After retiring from her career, Deborah Edwards joined Mick in 2016.

The Edwardses have lived in the area for about 40 years and met in graduate school at Wake Forest University.

Members of the county’s economic development team began working with SteelPoint more than a year ago.

Chris Platé, executive director of the economic development commission, said the organization provide companies help with matters such as workforce training and being the liaison for permit processes with state and municipal government officials.

“We provide a lot of help to save them time and money so they can get back to what they’re doing — making products and hiring people,” Platé said.

Since July 2022, there have been seven expansion projects in Union County totaling $157.65 million. Along with SteelPoint, the companies are AquaLogic, Coca-Cola Bottling, ATI Special Materials American Wick Drain, Charlotte Pipe and Foundry - Plastics Division and Pilgrim’s. Big or small, bringing companies to Union County is big for business, Platé said.

“Industrial recruitment provides high-paying jobs locally and offsets the demands associated with residential development, so Union County can provide superior K-12 schools and other government services to our residents while retaining an affordable tax rate,” he said.

And for local businesses like SteelPoint, it’s meaningful when officials who control the public’s pocketbook commit to give incentives..

“It’s great to go out and recruit companies, but sometimes you have diamonds already existing that you need to help nurture,” Mick Edwards said. “And that’s what they’ve done.”

This story was originally published October 9, 2023, 6:00 AM.

It all started with the Wolfpack Club.

Charlie Stallings graduated from NC State with a degree in business management in 1977, and to maintain his connection with his alma mater’s athletics teams, he became a donor soon after.

“I enjoyed football games and wanted to continue to get tickets, but then it became about doing more for the university,” Stallings said of his evolving motivation for support.

“More for the university” has taken many forms. In the 1990s, Stallings worked with the Alumni Association to organize the NC State Club of Richmond, where he and his wife Jeanne still live. One of the club’s first projects was launching an NC State-branded Virginia license plate. To help promote the initiative and increase recognition of NC State in his home state of Virginia, he donated funds so area alumni could get the plate for free.

As Stallings’ involvement with NC State deepened, his giving has expanded to include endowed support for strategic priorities. When he was approached about supporting scholarships at the Poole College of Management, he reflected on his own experiences as a student. “I recognized how important it was to have some assistance,” he said.

In 2012, he and Jeanne endowed a scholarship of their own, the Charles E. Stallings Family Scholarship that will support students with financial need in perpetuity. The Stallingses understand that while their annual giving was important to the college’s immediate needs, endowments forever link donors and their families to NC State and Poole and unite a shared vision. In this case, that vision is for Poole College of Management to be recognized as a world-class, innovative college of management that advances business and society. The recruitment and support of diverse and talented students will continue to be a major priority for the college’s long-term success.

We have all benefited from what NC State did for us … from the time we spent there, what we learned, the social interaction, the group involvements, and all of this contributed and helped form who you are today. Honor that gift that NC State gave you and give back. Let others enjoy this same gift.

For Stallings, a senior vice president with BB&T Capital Markets’ Institutional Fixed Income Group, the fact that an endowed scholarship will help students not just for one academic year but for generations to come is crucial. He knows that the importance of the university having funds to invest in order to generate income for uses such as scholarships in perpetuity might not make for the flashiest pitch. However, endowments are critical to NC State’s goals. “That’s what’s going to make this university even greater: having the funds available to attract and retain the best faculty and the best students,” he said.

NC State’s Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign has created multiple opportunities for the Stallings family to increase their impact. They have given back to the university in three vital ways: providing annual gifts to the Wolfpack Club and the Poole College of Management, strengthening their endowed fund and making a documented estate gift.

As a strong proponent of planned giving options, Stallings has ensured a legacy that will continue to pay forward and strengthen his endowed investment in NC State. He recently created a perpetual trust that will benefit the Wolfpack Club and the Stallings Family Scholarship Endowment. “Giving from your estate is pretty darn easy,” he said. “People hear the phrase ‘planned gift’ and they think they’ll have to change their estate plans, use their attorneys.”

Planned gifts establish the roots for the university’s future growth and development. These gifts create a lasting impact that will extend the benefits of the donor’s generosity far into the future and on a much broader scale.

Stallings explains, it can be as simple as designating NC State as the beneficiary of all or a portion of a life insurance policy. “It’s a smart way to give, and it’s long-term giving that the university can count on. I think this is so important, and I hope others will join me to include NC State in their estate planning.”

As the Stallings family understands and models, the innovative spirit of Poole doesn’t stop at the classroom door. An extraordinary university requires alumni, students, faculty, staff and partners to shape through philanthropy a new generation of leaders who make outstanding contributions, globally and locally.

In addition to his philanthropic partnership, Stallings has established a record of dedication and leadership to the university. He has served as president of the NC State Club of Richmond, as a member of the NC State Investment Fund Board of Directors, and as former vice chair and current chair of the NC State Foundation Board. He enjoys working with his fellow board members and connecting with people who love NC State and are passionate about setting an example by giving back.

Giving back through his involvement with students at the Poole College of Management has also been a gratifying experience for Stallings. He is excited by the college’s innovative approach and many accomplishments. “Every time you look at the news about Poole College, you see a positive trend,” he said. “Being part of that is important. Between the online MBA program, the Supply Chain Resource Cooperative and the Entrepreneurship Clinic – there’s so much going on.”

At a recent showcase event, a first-year student expressed an interest in meeting Stallings to learn more about investing, credit markets and bond sales. They’ve spoken by phone several times since. “That thirst for knowledge is just fantastic,” Stallings said. “It’s such an honor for me to be able to help.”

The impact of Stallings’ commitment to serving current and future alumni through leadership and philanthropy can be seen across NC State. What began with wanting to stay connected to NC State athletics has grown into campus-wide support and a legacy that will endure for years to come.

“As my mother would say, those who give have all things,” Stallings said. “I’ve learned how true that really is through my involvement at NC State.”

Note: This story was written by Amy Rossi, NC State Development Communications and Stewardship