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County grant advances Riverwalk Phase II but Kinston warns of conflicts with sewer project
Summary
Lenoir County's $2.7 million Carbon Reduction Program grant advances Riverwalk Phase II, which will connect the community center to Atlantic Avenue; city staff warned overlapping schedules with a $4.5 million upper Neuse sewer project could require sections to be rebuilt, increasing costs.
Lenoir County’s $2.7 million grant from the North Carolina Carbon Reduction Program will fund Riverwalk Phase II, but Kinston city staff told the council on March 17 that coordination challenges with a large sewer project may increase costs and require rework.
Public Services Director Steve Miller said the Riverwalk Phase II project — intended to connect the Kinston Community Center to Atlantic Avenue — is in design and that the county secured the $2.7 million grant with required matching funds already approved. Miller warned that the city’s $4.5 million upper Neuse sewer project occupies many of the same narrow corridors behind riverfront buildings; the projects’ overlapping schedules could force sections of new riverwalk to be removed and rebuilt after sewer construction is complete.
Parks and Recreation Director Scott Alston said the county is developing complementary improvements near Caswell Park and noted Phase III could extend from Pearson Park toward the African American Music Park once funding is secured. Interim City Manager Ralph Clark said staff are working to coordinate schedules to avoid duplicate construction but acknowledged the risk that grant timelines could require the riverwalk to proceed first, with potential additional costs to rebuild.
Council asked staff to keep the council informed of coordination efforts and potential cost implications as design and bidding proceed.
