- [Announcer] This is a production of PBS Charlotte.

- Just ahead on "Carolina Impact", there's a surge in affordable housing construction across our region.

We give you a closer look at what works in the area.

Plus we head to Lake Norman to explore the thriving boating industry, and how live piano music is turning travel stress at the airport into moments of calm.

"Carolina Impact" starts right now.

(bright music) Good evening.

Thanks so much for joining us.

I'm Amy Burkett.

It's no secret that the Charlotte region is rapidly growing.

You might be surprised to learn, though, so is affordable housing construction, according to a new report.

Our area has the third fastest growth nationwide.

Carolina Impact's Dara Khaalid and videographer Russ Hunsinger give us a closer look at how this is shaping up.

- It's been nearly a year since we were last at this site in Concord that's soon to be known as the sanctuary, and a lot of progress has been made.

(hammer thumping) - I want to welcome you to what is formally the Kerr Street Baptist Church in Concord.

This church is over a hundred years old.

It's been empty for well over 20 years.

- [Dara] You may remember this video when we took you inside the once abandoned church.

We saw chipped paint and graffiti-drenched walls, busted, boarded up windows, and some miraculously colorful stained glass still in nearly perfect condition.

Since our last visit, look at what's been done.

WeBuild Concord, the affordable workforce housing developer, has made great progress.

Completion is expected by the end of May.

- It will have 13 loft apartments that are affordable.

It will have incubator space for entrepreneurs.

The WeBuild's headquarters will be actually in the same place.

- [Dara] Let's take a tour.

- So here we are in one of our two-bedroom apartments.

- [Dara] WeBuild Concord CEO Dr.

Patrick Graham shows us how they've converted empty space that once had cold, wet concrete floors into warm, inviting lofts with high-end appliances.

- It has beautiful quartz countertops, it has really nice shelving.

These are things that provide dignity to a family 'cause when you're talking about affordability, that doesn't mean it has to be cheap.

- [Dara] This nearly $3.8 million development and others like it across our region are helping Charlotte rank as the third fastest growing metro in the country for affordable apartment construction, following only behind San Antonio and Phoenix, according to a report by rentcafe.com, - A one-bedroom could be somewhere around seven, 800 to a three-bedroom being around 15 or 1,600.

But it really depends on the income.

So people sort of flow in between those.

I think that what's great about our model is people are met where they are.

- [Dara] The report also highlights that from 2020 to 2024, our area completed over 6,000 affordable apartments, making up about 11% of all new apartment construction during that time.

While this progress is great, Patrick has seen an alarming trend.

- Here in Concord, I think one of the things too that we've noticed is as these developments have become more prominent, you are also seeing a transference of wealth like we've never seen from private individuals to corporations.

A lot of these corporations are actually the individual entities that own many of these new developments.

So by 2030, it's predicted that about 40% of our housing stock will be owned by corporations, - [Dara] Which could be problematic for the future.

- When you think about that, that means people like you and I, people who are working may not own at the rates that they once did, and that's been one of the keys to wealth.

- [Dara] Patrick and his team at WeBuild are actively working to address this issue.

One of the ways they're doing that is through their pipeline to home ownership.

- One of the things that we do with all our rental spaces is that everyone still gets home ownership and financial training because eventually we want them not to just rent, but we want them to own.

We've been really trying to focus on social engineering communities, that you have younger families that have ownership at an early stage so that hopefully in the future, we'll have communities that are even more stable.

- I'm happy that I'm able to be in a position to buy a house so young.

- [Dara] Meet 26-year-old Shaakira Mierez, - Congratulations.

(audience cheering) - [Dara] giving a speech right outside the brand new town home she purchased through WeBuild.

This year, the organization has seen 57% of new buyers under 30.

For Shaakira, this accomplishment isn't just a victory for her, but for her newborn baby girl too.

- My daughter is now gonna be able to grow up and say, "Okay, my mom was able to buy a home at such a young age.

She worked hard for it.

She did what she needed to do."

So now I hope that would instill in her that she knows she could do it too.

- [Dara] Cuddling her daughter inside their three-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath home, Shaakira has a sense of peace, knowing there's enough room for her daughter to have her own space and that she's paying less for her new mortgage than she was renting a one-bedroom, one-bath apartment.

- In my rent, I was paying about 1,240 a month plus, you know, electricity and other bills that I had, and now I'm paying a little bit less than $1,000.

That's great.

(laughs) - [Dara] That monthly savings gives her options.

- [Shaakira] Having that money available to be able to save, do a little bit extra spending 'cause I like to shop, just being able to spend a little bit more for her than I would be able to at an apartment is nice.

- [Dara] For Patrick and the team at WeBuild, this is what it's all about, creating pathways for people to thrive.

For "Carolina Impact", I'm Dara Khalid.

- Thank you, Dara.

If you are interested in applying for affordable housing through the WeBuild Concord, we've got a link on our website that'll take you to the application.

From affordable housing, we turn now to an industry that's making waves in a very different way.

During the month of May, Charlotte's average temperatures rise significantly with daytime highs averaging 76 at the beginning of the month and up to 83 by the end.

Water temperatures in our lakes, ponds, streams, and rivers are rising as well.

Carolina Impact's Jason Terzis joins us with a look at what that means for the boating industry.

- Well, North Carolina's boating industry is a top tier economic driver ranking sixth nationally with over 9 billion in annual economic impact and supporting some 28,000 jobs statewide.

And it all makes sense too.

Between the Atlantic coast, the outer banks, and all the inland rivers and lakes, the state has more than 340,000 registered vessels.

But perhaps no place has done more for the local boating scene than Lake Norman Marina.

It was once filled with rolling farmland, mills, and a few small towns.

- We never knew, my parents never knew it would be what it is.

- [Jason] But once the Catawba River was damned in 1962, some 30,000 acres got submerged into what would become Lake Norman.

- There are parts of the community that are gone, that I loved, you know, that I grew up in.

- [Jason] And with a new lake came a whole new way of living.

- Water attracts people, whether it's at the beach or at the lakes, you know, and if you're sitting there watching it, well, I see all these people running around boats.

I need to be a part of that.

- NC Highway 150, seen here in 1964, featured new bridges over the lake.

Just off to the right, the old Highway 150, which was now partially underwater.

- My mom's uncle had a boat company, a boat manufacturing, and Lake Norman was near and new.

So, and they bought a lot on the lake for 500 bucks.

- [Jason] 500 bucks, that's all it took for Griffin "Dip" Kale and wife Elsie to buy a corner lakefront lot in Sherrills Ford.

Seems like a steal, right?

Well, it wasn't viewed way back then.

- Everybody knew that it was doomed because there was nobody up there and they're like, you know, "What are they thinking?

There's no way it could work ever."

- [Jason] Lake Norman Marina opened its doors in January of 1974, right in the middle of the gas crisis.

- A lot of people come to our place and they're like, "Wow, you know what vision, what planning?"

I'm like, "Nah.

They didn't know, you know.

They loved the business.

We were on the lake and they just leaned into that with their lives and their career and nobody knew, not just them, but nobody knew that it would be what it is.

- [Jason] So it was service, not sales that kept them afloat in those early days.

Dip and Elsie's guiding principles treat people right, regardless of who they are or where they come from.

- Both my parents quit school in the 10th grade, and they just, they didn't have a lot to bring to the table.

But I tell people the two things that drove my parents was they had an amazing work ethic, just amazing, and they loved people.

And they took those two traits and invested those into our business.

- [Jason] In those early days, the focus was on smaller boats, and it was only natural that Dip and Elsie's son Mark would come join the family business.

- I was one of the cool kids 'cause I had a boat, you know.

Not because I was a cool kid, but I just, we had a boat.

So you know, it was a lot of fun.

- As the region grew, so too did the marina.

Massive expansion projects led to huge storage, sales, and service facilities.

And through most of the '80s and '90s, the marina hosted Lake Norman's official Fourth of July firework celebration.

But it got so big, the county shut it down, citing safety concerns.

- See all that as a kid and no responsibility to get to run through the boats and check everything out without having to do all the work.

- [Jason] And just like his father, Logan Kale grew up at the marina.

That's him behind the desk, similar to the one he occupies now.

- I actually started pumping gas at the gas dock when I was 14, and it just so happened the recession in '08, you know, the boat sales went to crap, and so there was nobody around.

Well, I was cheap labor.

- This region especially, and the dealers that are here, they are family oriented.

You know, many of them are multi-generational where you'll have mom answer the phone, you know, the son is working it, and then his kids are learning the shop, you know, just behind him.

It's not uncommon to see that here.

- [Jason] The family vibe at Lake Norman Marina extends beyond just bloodlines.

Many of the 40 full-time employees plus another dozen or so during the summer have been here for years.

- You know, we have some employees that have been there over 40 years, and they just built this amazing culture with hard work and loving people.

It's pretty, the story's really cool, - Your work with people that literally I've known my entire life.

- [Jason] The marina has grown into the area's largest volume dealer selling Bennington pontoons, Cobalt boats, and Malibu wake boats.

The marina now encompasses 10 acres with multiple buildings showcasing new boats, all sorts of water sports equipment, plus storage for 200 boats and another 80 in the water.

- And you definitely feel that in their service.

They'll definitely take care of you and see you through your entire boat ownership experience.

And that's just kind of how the Charlotte vibe is.

I mean, I feel like overall, Charlotte is a very family-oriented region and these dealers are no exception.

- [Jason] Original owner Dip Kale passed away in 2014.

Elsie is still here, still helping out.

Mark is now president and owner occupying the office his dad once held, while Logan leads the sales team.

- Sales manager, I oversee all the sales, the F&I, the financing of the boats, I kind of oversee those departments.

And Dad, he's great at the HR stuff, the marina stuff.

So we kind of have different roles to be able to cover everything.

- [Jason] That's three generations of the Kale family, all at Lake Norman Marina.

- Yeah, and I think it's different because it's a passion.

It's not, you know, if you worked at a factory, the third generation doesn't have the excitement, the allure, but we get to play with both.

We're on the water every day.

- [Jason] And who knows, maybe someday will be a fourth generation.

- I've got four kids, my brother's got four kids, so we've got eight good opportunities.

(laughs) - [Jason] And as for the old Highway 150, which used to run right through the middle of here, well, it still kind of does.

Here's the old road on the marina side and over on the other side which now serves as, ironically enough, a boat ramp.

- Okay, I've got a quick question for you, Jason.

What's been the biggest change on Lake Norman over the past, say 50 years?

- Yeah, I mean it's kind of a night and day difference.

Biggest change has actually been just the overall culture.

Back in the day of the '70s and '80s, most people who had boats had small boats and would throw 'em on the trailer hitch and tow 'em to and from the lake.

These days, you, of course, have the mega million-dollar mansions on the lake with people have personal docks to go along with them.

So basically, to answer your question, the toys, they're just way bigger than what they used to be back in the '80s and '90s.

So that's kind of changed the whole culture of the lake.

- Thanks so much for sharing, we appreciate it.

Well, we've got more local gems to share with you tonight.

From family heirlooms to hidden fines, our ninth annual Carolina Collectibles event brought people to our studio hoping to discover what their treasures were really worth.

With experts from Leland Little Auction, it was a day full of surprises.

Producer Russ Hunsinger gives us our first look.

(brassy music) - To have this opportunity to come and be a part of this today was something that I canceled a meeting with my husband.

I would not travel with him today so I could make sure I was here.

I actually have three of these.

I have two this size and I have one that is a little larger.

And my father, he was a career military man.

He was in the Army, and when he was stationed in Germany, he purchased these.

These are scenes from the Alps of Germany.

It could be around the hundreds.

If I put 'em all together, I could possibly get $800.

But this is something that I will never part with because of the sentiment of it being a part of my family.

- It's a Roseville piece from Roseville, Ohio pottery.

I love the color, it's in great shape, sits in my living room on a stand.

I found this on my birthday, some type of bag at the Salvation Army Thrift Shop.

The six bucks just appraised for 400.

So I feel pretty good about that.

(catchy music) - I like that... - What we have here is a beautiful maple music box from the turn of the 20th century.

It's a Regina, and we have a tune on it called "Youthful Dreams Waltz".

And why don't we just listen to a little bit of that and then we can discuss the machine some?

(light music) It does work, and I would like to hear a little bit more about this, please.

- This belonged to my aunt.

She acquired this in Denver, Colorado, then she gave it to my father, - Mm-hm.

- and then my father passed to me.

I hope to continue to hand it down through our family, but it's a very treasured piece and I love the wood.

- Oh, yeah.

- The sound of the music box to me is incredible.

I have 25 of these discs that go with the box, and a lot of them are listed on this directory.

It's really a beautiful thing to listen to.

- I think it's probably the best-sounding thing in this room.

- Thank you.

- Yes, ma'am.

(lively music) - Hi, Sue.

Thank you so much for bringing this painting in today.

Can you tell me a little bit about how your family acquired it?

- Sure, so this has been in our family for three generations.

My husband's grandfather took over a business.

The man who originally owned the business owned this painting.

We knew it came from Italy.

That's all we knew.

And it has been passed down and now it is ours and we love it.

- The artist is Carlo Fachinetti.

He was an Italian painter, born in Florence in 1870.

And this, from what I've been able to decipher, was likely painted around 1912, 1913.

When we were looking at the back of the painting, it has an exhibition label from the National Academy of Artists that was shown at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence.

And it's known that he definitely exhibited there in 1913.

I'm not certain that it was this painting, but it's very possible that it could have been.

Fachinetti was very well known for these very intimate genre scenes, and most of the time, they incorporate mother with her children.

This is a garden scene, just a really sweet scene of just a domestic moment.

And another thing that I find interesting is this painting, compared to some of his earlier works, he was working in a more realistic style, in a more academic style.

This particular painting kind of skews more towards an impressionist, post-impressionist treatment - Okay.

- where you can see all the little individual brush strokes to kind of capture that fleeting moment in time and the light.

And it's amazing, the expressions that he's able to capture with just so few brushstrokes.

I think it's just a tremendous painting.

You know, I love the fact that it's been in your family for as long as it has.

It looks like the frame, like you were saying, is probably original to the work.

And where do you have it on display?

- In my guest room.

- In your guest room?

- Yes.

- Yeah, well, it's definitely a very nice treat for everybody coming to visit.

- Yes.

- And at auction, you know, his works have been selling in the 1,000 to $5,000 range.

- [Sue] Okay.

- I think that this is such an appealing painting that it would probably sell in the three to five.

So I would expect it to bring a little bit more than some of his other scenes.

- Great news.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

So thank you again for bringing it in and sharing it with us.

- Thank you.

- And I hope maybe it makes it out of the guest room.

- Oh, yeah.

It might now.

- Yeah.

- Carolina Collectibles is always one of my favorite days of the year because it's when we invite the public in to visit their public television station.

And when you hear about all the fines that people have hiding in their basement, it's pretty exciting.

Thank you, Russ, for sharing that with us.

You can see more of the antiques, heirlooms, and memorabilia brought in that day when this year's Carolina Collectibles airs in June, right here on PBS Charlotte.

Wrapping up tonight, with more entertainment, most people move through an airport with their eyes on the clock, chasing gates, carrying bags, and thinking about where they have to be next.

But at Charlotte Douglas for 23 years now, volunteer pianists have been offering something a little different.

A pause, a melody, and a little grace in the middle of the chaos.

Carolina Impact's Chris Clark tells us more.

- [Chris] On screen, a piano can do almost anything, could turn a toy store into a playground.

(moderate music) It can shake a room loose with a little rock and roll.

♪ Goodness gracious, great balls of fire ♪ - [Chris] It can bring back a memory someone trying to leave behind.

- Play it, Sam.

Play "As Time Goes By".

♪ You must remember this ♪ ♪ A kiss is just a kiss ♪ - [Chris] But at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the piano doesn't need a movie scene, just needs a traveler with a minute to listen.

- When she started playing, I was over there and I thought, that's awesome.

I just thought, that's awesome.

We're tired.

It's relaxing.

- [Chris] For decades, volunteer piano players have been part of the rhythm here.

They don't always know who needs the music, they just sit down and play.

- When I was tall enough to reach the keys, that's when I first started and I haven't stopped since then.

- [Chris] Emily doesn't just play a list, she watches the room first.

- Have you been through Charlotte before?

- I have.

I have.

- Yeah?

I come in to match the mood of what I notice around me.

- [Chris] Travelers do leave money on the piano, but the notes that mean the most to Emily aren't folded into the jar.

They're written in a book she keeps nearby.

- You know what one of the best tips is I've ever gotten?

"You don't know what a difference your music has made in my life today.

I just lost a loved one."

- [Chris] And that book isn't the only place Emily sees what music can unlock.

(upbeat music) Away from the terminal, she plays for seniors where a familiar song can reach places conversations can't.

- They may have come in and not said a word all day, but she play that song and they will, you'll see a totally different person.

- [Chris] Emily has seen one song changed the room.

- When that music took place and I started playing and singing it, it was like something lit up within him that they had not seen in years.

- [Chris] At the airport, the setting changes, the search doesn't.

Find the song that reaches someone.

Ron Brown learned that on a different road through clubs, oldie shows, and stages with musicians whose names still make people turn their heads.

- I was very fortunate.

I used to play with the Temptations, I played with a couple of oldies groups.

I've been on stage with Chuck Berry.

- [Chris] Music wasn't some grand plan, it just kept opening the next door.

- I was on the road, I started playing my first club at 13 years old.

It was just something that evolved.

- [Chris] At Charlotte Douglas, the stage just looks different.

- I didn't realize how much fun it was.

You know, I treat this as this is a lot of fun.

- The request changed by the crowd, Sinatra, Alicia Keys, "Piano Man", Ron learned somewhere in time because people kept asking.

And then one day, the leading lady found her melody.

- Jane Seymour come floating up to the piano.

(laughs) She says, "Oh, that's from my movie."

I said, "Wow, I better learn how to play.

I better play it right then."

You know what I mean?

(stirring music) - [Chris] After all those years on stage, Ron still says the airport can surprise him.

He may know the song he's playing, but he doesn't always know the story walking toward the piano.

- Never know what effect I have on people.

I'm just playing.

- [Chris] Then someone stops and the music suddenly has a history.

- People come up to me, they say, "Oh, that's my grandmother's favorite song, and it just came from her funeral."

Or, "That was our wedding song."

- [Chris] That's what keeps him at the keys.

- I like to be able to bring joy to people if I can.

- [Chris] The piano bench draws all kinds of musicians, including Josh King, who may look familiar to some viewers.

♪ That don't matter anymore ♪ - [Chris] He's already had the lights, the cameras, and the national audience.

- Watched you on "American Idol".

- Really?

- It's awesome.

- Thank you.

- But this stage asks for something quieter.

- There's a difference 'cause one crowd is infinitely hyped up more, and one crowd is a little more irritated.

(Josh laughs) - [Chris] After the spotlight, this is a different kind of performance, less about being watched, more about changing the room.

- Most people here, they're just, they're passing, they're listening to the music in the moment, and it's kind of a background.

It helps build ambiance to the atmosphere.

- [Chris] And for a few minutes, the terminal becomes more than a place to pass through.

- It's always a goal of mine that each and every time I come in to play, that I make people's days better in whatever way that is, whether it's the music, whether it's the conversation.

- [Chris] At Charlotte Douglas, most people are only passing through.

The flights, faces, and destinations all change, but for decades, these volunteer piano players have offered something steady in the middle of it all, a familiar song, a lighter moment, and a reason to smile before the next flight.

For "Carolina Impact", I'm Chris Clark.

- Thank you, Chris.

I love the piano playing at the airport.

I always sit in the rocking chairs and it just feels like a nice little moment of zen before you get on your flight.

Well, what began as a piano tucked inside an airport restaurant has become a soundtrack for thousands of passing passengers.

Before we leave tonight, I'd like to thank the Scout Troop 321 from Charlotte who came and were a part of our studio audience and they ask great questions.

And I just love getting to know these amazing young people who, it's no doubt in my mind that they will do amazing things for our community.

Well, thanks so much for joining us.

We always appreciate your time, and I look forward to seeing you back here again next time on "Carolina Impact".

Goodnight, my friends.

(bright music) - [Announcer] A production of PBS Charlotte.