BELVILLE — Belville Mayor Mike Allen made a promise to Brunswick County commissioners to enhance Riverwalk Park if its ownership was deeded back to the town — and he’s well on his way to fulfilling that agreement.
“There were a few people who doubted it and said, ‘No, they won’t do anything with it,’” Commissioner Frank Williams said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday morning. “You proved those people wrong, so congratulations.”
County commissioners voted unanimously in 2013 to transfer the park to the town, which originally deeded it to the county almost 20 years ago.
“We agreed to make changes and improve it,” Allen said. “We’ve been continuing that process ever since.”
RELATED: County deeds Brunswick River Park to Belville; town to proceed with planned ‘riverwalk’ project
Allen welcomed city and county officials, as well as residents to the ceremony, signifying completion of Phase 1 of Belville’s Vision 2030 plan to enhance the town’s waterfront. Park-goers will enjoy added amenities, including two boat launches: a replacement for one previously destroyed and a new ADA-accessible boat ramp.
The town is partnering with Smart Moves Consulting of Wilmington to carry out its vision.
Smart Moves owner Adrienne Harrington, also Belville’s planning consultant and grant writer, said the community made it very clear that a top priority was the ability to put in canoes, kayaks, jet skis and rowboats. As a result, an ADA-accessible boat dock was installed perpendicular to the current Joseph A. Breault Fishing Pier, increasing accessibility. The town plans to implement ADA-accessible amenities on future improvements as it extends the boardwalk farther north up the river.
“There is a market for people with disabilities to be able to get out and recreate,” Harrington said. “That can be kind of limited based on the terrain, so we wanted to put this here so you could easily get on your kayak, even if you are in a wheelchair.”
The original boat launch, first constructed in the 1980s, was destroyed by two hurricanes, Florence and Isaias. It was further damaged by first responders working to access the water during the storms. There was an urgent need to replace it for future emergencies.
To ensure its longevity, the replacement non-motorized boat launch is made with 50-foot pylons and raised over the 100-year flood plain, a term used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to explain that an area is highly likely to flood, even from small storms.
“It’ll be used for a long time in the future, no matter what storm shows up,” said Jeff Harvell with contractor EZ Docks. “It’s a very durable dock.”
Funding for this project came from a $191,550 public access grant from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management.
“To put it into perspective, for this year’s grant cycle, the Division of Coastal Management had about $800,000 to award,” NCDEQ DCM’s Mike Christenbury said. “This project represents about a quarter of the money available for the year – for the entire coast.”
The Town of Belville contributed roughly $65,000 of its budget to the $255,000 project.
Leland residents Charlie Hines and Trish Farnham attended the ceremony, and see the park as a great contribution to the town — so much so, they even held their pre-wedding reception at the park. They said they continue to visit almost daily.
“It’s very much a place of spiritual renewal for us,” Farnham said. “It’s a place of community for our area, and it’s a place that recognizes the incredible natural resources we have.”
Hines remembers the poor condition of the park prior to it being deeded back to the town.
“You didn’t come here,” he said. “It was bad; run-down, broken-down playground. It’s just not somewhere you wanted to go. But now it’s got a beautiful walking trail and boardwalk; they reconstructed the playground, and it’s a wonderful place to come.”
The couple is also eager to see the water taxi come to fruition.
Part of the Vision 2030 plan includes the possibility of launching a water taxi service from Riverwalk Park to downtown Wilmington.
“With the traffic and everything, getting back and forth, we’ve said how great it would be to go over and have dinner downtown and ride the water taxi back,” Hines said.
The Vision 2030 plan outlines future development for the park and mixed-use development north of the park to serve as Belville’s new downtown.
In June, the N.C. Department of Transportation deeded about 7 acres of wetlands of its 36 acres of land along the Brunswick River to Belville for its expansion. The town will use it to add roughly a 1/2 mile to the park and 2,400 additional linear feet to the boardwalk. Riverwalk Park encompasses 11.52 acres currently and includes a fishing pier, Riverwalk Trail, observation deck, boat ramp playground, covered picnic shelters, restrooms, outdoor classroom, a Veterans Memorial, event stage, farmers market and a large parking lot.
“The plan calls for taking this whole space and creating park space along the riverbank up to the bridge,” Harrington explained.
The next step calls for extending the current boardwalk north toward Old River Road and begin enhancing downtown. The plan is to bring in amenities, such as a convention center, hotel and restaurants.
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