WILMINGTON — There was standing room only but not much new to be offered when concerned residents took to the New Hanover Library Tuesday night. They were there to discuss their grievances regarding Project Grace, a New Hanover County development that could potentially relocate the Cape Fear Museum to downtown.
The project gives New Hanover County Commissioners four different options to choose from when it comes to Project Grace, but the one which has garnered the most public concern would move the museum downtown, attached to the library.
Before making a final decision, the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners has announced two public information sessions for next week to gather public opinion.
The group calling itself Renovate, Not Relocate the Cape Fear Museum held its own meeting Tuesday night at the library. County Commissioners Jonathan Barfield Jr., Skip Watkins and Patricia Kusek as well as Chairman Woody White and County Manager Chris Coudriet attended the meeting to listen to residents’ concerns and even answer questions.
Stewart Moon, who lives on 8th Street right next to the Cape Fear Museum, helped to organize the meeting and acted as the moderator, allowing those in attendance to ask questions and express their concerns.
Several questions centered on financial issues surrounding the proposed relocation. According to the group, in the past two years the county has spent $700,000 on the Museum Park as well as the Story Park; they want to know how the county can justify the waste of that investment.
Coudriet said if the property were sold, the money would be recuperated by the sale of property.
An overall theme of the meeting by both county staff and commissioners was the fact that no decision has been made yet.
Moon and other residents in attendance suggested the county could be more transparent when it comes to Project Grace; an argument Coudriet rejected.
“Everything about this project has been easily and readily available since day one,” Coudriet said.
All of the information the county has provided as of now can be found online.
Residents continued to ask questions, but since no decision has actually been made, county leaders were unable to provide exact answers to many of the questions.
Residents are invited to attend public information meetings to learn more about Project Grace. The first meeting will be from 6-7 p.m. on Sept. 18 at the downtown library. The second will take place on from 6-7:30 p.m. on Sept. 19 at the Cape Fear Museum.
Michael Praats can be contacted at [email protected]
