Charlotte Business
By Kathy Nelson
Friday, April 24, 2009
In the middle of regional water fight
Cabarrus County native Fletcher Hartsell Jr. is serving his 10th term as a North Carolina state senator representing Cabarrus and a portion of Iredell counties.
A lawyer by trade, Hartsell is an active player on a number of economic-development fronts for the region. He’s played a leading role in securing funding for David Murdock’s N.C. Research Campus and recently joined in on the battle between Stanly County and Alcoa Power Generating Inc. for control of the Yadkin River.
Hartsell recently discussed those issues and the future of Concord’s Philip Morris plant — which is closing down at the end of July — in an interview. Edited excerpts follow:
You have introduced a bill to put control of the Yadkin River in public hands. What prompted you to get involved?
I was kind of a Johnny Come Lately to this party. Stanly initiated this issue. Frankly, I thought they were crazy. I read a book about the federal power act. It was fascinating reading.
There are three issues of real substance in this: Water and who controls it; environmental impact; economic development. The governor intervened. It took a while, but that was welcome.
So you see this as a regional issue?
The issue reminded me of the interbasin water transfer fight/debate that Concord and Kannapolis were involved in when the cities wanted to draw water from the Yadkin and Catawba rivers. And that argument isn’t over yet.
A 50-year relicensing permit does no good if you can’t get water. The paramount issue is water and who controls it for 50 years.
For a lawyer, this is fascinating. The jobs at the Alcoa Badin facility played a major role in the last licensing. Those jobs are gone.
This is about negotiating a business deal.
How does your bill affect the process?
The relicensing is a public purpose/public interest fight and I think Stanly County has a good argument.
My legislation gives the control to the public, where it belongs.
How involved are you with helping Cabarrus County and Concord market the 2,100-acre Philip Morris plant site?
I personally have not met with Philip Morris officials. But the state has had conversations with the company.
Finding a single user is going to be a challenge. This is a mega site and there are not a lot of mega users — at the moment. Biotech and automotive are the two areas with companies showing interest.
The value of Philip Morris as an automotive site is huge. There’s a lot of talent in the area. A lot of technology and a lot of skill sets.
What is the future of motorsports in the region?
We always talk about textiles, tobacco and furniture. Motorsports is the fourth cog. Now the future is not just in the redevelopment of the speedway, but in the NASCAR Hall of Fame and how the sport reacts to the changing environment.
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