Craven County to administer grant application for Cypress Bay living shoreline project

The Craven County Board of Commissioners on June 15 adopted a resolution allowing the county to act as grant administrator for a proposed living shoreline at Cypress Bay, a project led by the Cypress Bay Homeowners Association to restore the Neuse River shoreline.

Planner Brody Brown told commissioners the Soil and Water Department and the homeowners association seek a North Carolina Water Resources Development Grant to support stream and shoreline restoration. The project’s estimated cost, including materials, labor and permitting, is about $190,000, Brown said; a location map was included in the board packet. The board asked where the site sits in relation to Havelock and Brown described it as on the south side of the Neuse River between Clubfoot Creek and Adams Creek.

Commissioners approved the resolution to allow the county to serve as grant administrator so the homeowners association can proceed with the application. County staff noted that frontline transit or maintenance review and driver/worker input are part of their review processes and that state and federal rules apply to grant administration.

The resolution authorizes county staff to prepare and file the application and oversee the grant if awarded. The board did not approve project construction funds at this meeting; approval was limited to the grant-administration resolution and application authority.

Next steps: Planning and Soil & Water staff will complete the application, seek grant award notification if selected, and return to the board with any required local-match or construction funding requests.