BOTETOURT COUNTY, VA (WECT) – It's no secret that Titan America has received quite a bit of backlash in New Hanover County. As soon as plans were drawn for the company to build a facility in Castle Hayne, the proposal took a lot of fire from both environmental leaders and residents, who have cited reasons from pollution and destroying natural habitats to contaminating drinking water as to why the company isn't welcome.
Just five hours from Wilmington, Titan owns and operates Roanoke Cement, a facility in Troutville, Virginia.
WECT decided to send reporter Ashlea Kosikowski to investigate Troutville, the community where Roanoke Cement calls home, to find out just what neighbors and community leaders there really think about the plant.
Jerry Henderson is a fifth generation dairy farmer. Tucked under the side of a mountain, he and his family own a farm where they milk cows and raise calves into future milk makers. From there, the milk winds up on grocery store shelves across the east coast.
Henderson says he ships about 2,000 gallons out each day, and adds that it's crucial his cows remain healthy.
"Every load of milk that leaves here is tested," said Henderson. "It's run through numerous tests and it's never had anything wrong with it."
That may surprise some, especially considering that Henderson and his family live less than a mile from Roanoke Cement, and he says the air and water that surround them are very clean.
"I never noticed anything," said Henderson. "I never even knew [Roanoke Cement] was there for the longest time, until one day, we did see the smoke coming out of the stack. I wasn't even sure what it was. But never any problems."
At a nearby park, Christie Burke, a mother of three, was playing with her children.
Kosikowski asked her, "Do you feel like the air is good in this town?"
"My goodness, yes," Burke said. "I've never seen or smelt anything at all. Even living close to the cement plant as we did – never. Or even down here at the park. I've never noticed anything."
Kim Painter, another neighbor at the park, also hasn't noticed any downsides from the plant.
"I think we live in a good county," said Painter. "It's clean. It's safe. It's a good spot to be."
A picturesque stream in the area attracts many tourists, and the Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian Trail wind through the scenic mountains. Tourism in Troutville is the second biggest tax resource and job generator in the county.
"Titan is, first and foremost, our number one taxpayer in the county," said Jerry Burgess, county administrator. "I really don't think of them [negatively] – I think of them as an environmental partner."
Burgess adds that that Roanoke Cement has worked with the county in efforts to clean up creeks in the community. "They have a huge commitment to environmental protection."
Burgess' sentiment was echoed among other county officials.
"Our experience with Titan America has been nothing but positive," said Stephen Clinton, who serves on the board of supervisors for the county. "For as big of a plant as it is and as big of an employer as it is, it's very innocuous, just in the background. It's not hugely visible in any respect to everyday life in Botetourt County."
Clinton is taken aback when Kosikowski tells him that plans for Titan in New Hanover County have been met with such resistance from the community.
"It does surprise me," he said. "I mean, I understand it. It's the unknown. Folks in Wilmington don't have the same knowledge that we do or the same experience with Titan America."
Back at the Henderson's farm, Jerry's wife, Donna shares some advice she has for the Castle Hayne area.
"For [residents there] to welcome them, welcome them for the product that they're going to produce," said Donna. "They are environmentally knowledgeable. They will not hurt their environment. And they're going to provide jobs and I'm sure that area needs jobs as much as anybody."
Kosikowski made dozens of phone calls, but couldn't find a single environmental group that would say anything negative about the plant. Many wouldn't go on camera, but said that Roanoake Cement has a good record within the community.
When asked about the plant's environmental impact, Bill Bainter, President of Roanoke Valley Trout Unlimited, told Kosikowski, "I have toured the plant several times and have interacted with their management. I find them to be a responsible company relative to their environmental efforts. I really see no reason for an interview."
Wednesday night on WECT News at 6 p.m., Kosikowski will take viewers on an eye-opening tour of the facility.
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The Roanoke Cement plant in Virginia.
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