Wilmington City Council approves $1 million for new park, request for review of dredging project

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A potential new park was among several topics discussed during the Wilmington City Council meeting on Tuesday evening.

The council heard details about a possible new park location at 6325, 6335, 6341, and 6345 Greenville Loop Road.

Located near Bradley Creek Elementary School, the property comprises over 25 acres and would cost $9,750,000.

The New Hanover Community Endowment awarded a grant of more than $7.5 million to cover the remaining cost last week, while city manager Becky Hawke said New Hanover County Commissioners still need to approve their portion.

“We expect New Hanover County to consider this at their February 16th meeting and we are under a grant agreement and the conditional purchase contract would have us closing before February 28th of this month,” Hawke said.

Councilwoman JC Lyle said this will help bring more green space to an area that needs it.

“I think that’s part of the strength is that it is 3 organizations coming together for this special piece of property,” Lyles said. “It’s really gonna help out in an area that doesn’t have a lot of park property.”

The city council unanimously approved the $1 million.

As part of the contract, the city would be solely responsible for designing, constructing, and opening a new park on the property within 5 years of the purchase.

County commissioners will hear about their contribution during their February 16th meeting.

And the council also passed a resolution requesting further review of the Wilmington Harbor 403 dredging project by the Army Corps of Engineers.

The project would deepen the harbor and widen channels, allowing larger ships to come into the port of Wilmington.

Several weeks ago, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality paused its review of the project at the request of the Army Corps of Engineers.

City staff and council members have voiced concerns about the environmental impact the project could have, including p-fas levels in the river, along with potential damage to trees, bird nests, and other wildlife.

It’s not known when the city council might further discuss the project.