South Asheville News

Congressman Chuck Edwards (NC-11) on May 23 announced that he will be hosting a public forum in Haywood County to discuss the future of the Town of Canton with local leaders after the closing of the Pactiv Evergreen paper mill.

The forum, which will be held next Tuesday, May 30, will feature Mayor Zeb Smathers of Canton, as well as Mayor Darrell Hinnant of Kannapolis, N.C., who will discuss the successful transformation of downtown Kannapolis after the closure of the town’s Pillowtex Corp. mill in 2003, which resulted in the single largest mass layoff in North Carolina history.

Edwards released the following statement:

“I look forward to working with our local leaders to figure out new opportunities for the town and residents of Canton. We need to come together to envision a future for Canton without the mill, and learn from good ideas that have worked elsewhere. I look forward to hearing from Mayor Hinnant and seeing if we can apply some of Kannapolis’ lessons learned to Canton.”

The forum will meet Tuesday, May 30 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at Pisgah High School’s Media Room, 1 Black Bear Dr., Canton, NC. It will be open to the public and members of the press.

Original source can be found here.