Neuse Riverfront Advocates Call on Congress for Help

Leaders of the Kinston Waterfront – Now! Task Force spent two days (June 12-13, 2007) in Washington, DC briefing members of the North Carolina congressional delegation on their efforts to convert the city’s Neuse River waterfront into an economic incubator for Eastern North Carolina.

Led by Task Force co-chairs Dr. Lyn Turner and businessman Tommy Pressly, the four-person team met with legislative and economic development staff members for North Carolina US Senators Richard Burr (R) and Elizabeth Dole (R) in their Capitol Hill offices.

The group, which also included Pride director Adrian King and Sharon Kanter, consultant for the effort, continued working Capitol Hill with visits to the offices of Reps. Walter Jones (R-3rd) and G.K. Butterfield (D-1st). Rep. Jones personally met with the Pride team, pledging his support to help ferret out federal resources for the project.

At each office, the team reviewed the history of the Waterfront-Now! project noting its inception in 2005 when a special task force was established to develop plans to create a thriving waterfront serving recreation, business, real estate and tourism interests

The team also related the results of an extensive partnership with graduate students in North Carolina State University’s College of Design who spent much of the 2006 spring semester in Kinston surveying river development options and meeting with local residents to gain their ideas and suggestions.

It was stressed at each visit that the priorities evolving from “The Kinston Waterfront – Now! Conceptual Vision” centered on: (a) Construction of a pedestrian bridge over the river, connecting Neuseway Park with the Neuseway Nature Center; (b) Building a river walkway connecting Tiffany West Park area with the to-be-developed power plant area on Atlantic Avenue; (c) Expanding the Neuseway Nature Center into a major outdoor educational center. Other ideas discussed include building an amphitheater on the riverbank and developing a “boulevard” between the Skinner By-Pass area and the King Street bridge.

“We pointed out that a Neuse River development plan along these lines would mean a great deal to the economic aspirations of all of Eastern North Carolina,” commented Mr. Turner. “We were very gratified at the willingness of our Congressional representatives to help us find the resources,” added Mr. Pressly.

The Kinston Waterfront – Now! is a major initiative of the Pride of Kinston, making it a central feature of the organization’s downtown revitalization strategy.

For 3rd Consecutive Year

Harmony Hall to Host Citizenship Ceremony

Kinston's historic Harmony Hall, the 1772 residence which played a pivotal role in North Carolina's bid to be free of British rule, will be the scene of special ceremonies here July 4/Independence Day 2007 when approximately 30 individuals receive their oath of citizenship in the United States.

The 10:00 AM Naturalization Ceremony and Granting of Citizenship in the United States is being hosted for the third consecutive year by the Lenoir County Historical Association on the grounds of Harmony Hall, 109 East King Street. The public is invited to attend.

U.S. Magistrate Judge James E. Gates of Raleigh will preside over the ceremonies, according to U.S. district court spokesperson Amy Petty, staff attorney to Senior U.S. District Judge W. Earl Britt.

Guest speaker will be Maj. Gen. (Ret) Hugh R. Overholt of New Bern. Currently a member of the Ward and Smith law firm, Gen. Overholt was Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Army from 1985 to 1989. He was Assistant Judge Advocate General of the Army from 1981 to 1985. U.S. Congressman Walter Jones, Jr. (R-3rd) will also participate in the July 4th ceremony. He has been a guest speaker since the series began July 4, 2005.

Richard Gottlieb of Charlotte, head of the regional immigration division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, says he expects 30-35 individuals to come to Kinston to receive their oaths of citizenship. The candidates will come from countries around the world, he said.

Harmony Hall was built by Capt. Jesse Cobb in 1772. Shortly after the Revolutionary War against Great Britain broke out, Capt. Cobb joined General George Washington to participate in the 1776 New York and New Jersey campaigns. When Lenoir County's Richard Caswell became the first elected governor of North Carolina in 1777, he ordered all state records to be removed from New Bern and brought to Kinston. He feared that New Bern, the seat of government for Britain's governors, was too vulnerable to British attack.

For four years (1777 to 1781) Harmony Hall was the de facto capitol of North Carolina. The home, subsequently owned on two occasions by Caswell, was the scene of numerous administrative, legislative and war planning meetings in the early days of the battle for freedom.

Lenoir County residents Clay Raines and Joe Wooten will also participate in the July 4 ceremony: Raines will perform the National Anthem and other patriotic songs, and Wooten, an Eagle Scout in Troop 392, Caswell District of the East Carolina Council, Boy Scouts of America, will lead the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. Flag.

MAKING WAY-- Employees of Ernie Everett Site Prep., Inc. continued in mid-June to take down the structures at 106-112-114 N. Queen Street in Kinston to make way for a new Civil War Museum. The museum, when completed, will house the remains of the CSS Neuse now located at the Richard Caswell Historic Site on the Neuse River and Vernon Avenue. Some 8,000 objects taken off the Civil War vessel will also be on display with the vessel. The CSS Neuse, built by the Confederate Navy, was sunk off Kinston in 1865 to prevent its capture by Union troops moving from New Bern to Kinston. Local history buffs succeeded in raising the charred remains in 1963. The museum project is the focus of local and state groups seeking to secure $3.5 million from the current session of North Carolina General Assembly to construct the museum and move the Neuse to a new and permanent home in downtown Kinston.

Herritage Street Retailers Get Organized

Herritage Street merchants met June 13, 2007 at the Pride of Kinston to review concepts for renovating the street to make it more appealing to customers and visitors. Focus of the meeting was a schematic sketch of the street executed Rivers and Associates of Greenville, the firm hired by City of Kinston to produce a pedestrian plan for the community.

The drawing depicts a street with power lines underground, aesthetically pleasing light fixtures, improved landscaping along the street as well as the areas surrounding the CSS Neuse II replica and the Farmers Market.

General support for the concept was expressed by the group which included several existing and new business owners on Herritage, a street rapidly becoming a major Kinston destination by shoppers and diners. The proposed concept was described by Rivers and Associates' manager Myriah Shewchuk.

During the meeting Terry Andrews, president of Modular Technologies, was selected to coordinate efforts to organize Herritage retailers into an organization which can push for improvements along the street.

Shirley Herring, chair of Pride's Design Committee, and Adrian King, Pride director, pledged support of the revitalization agency to help Herritage Street become more attractive and to prosper economically.

In addition to Andrews, the following merchants were president: Debbie Andrews who will soon open Adrianas at 222 N. Herritage; Barbara Rose who will soon open Barbaros at 204 N. Herritage; Teena Williams who runs The Right Angle at 208-210 N. Herritage; Steven Parnell who will soon open a hair salon at 207-209 N. Herritage; Bobby Carraway who runs The Broken Eagle at 220 N. Herritage; Kathy Bass who runs the Briary at 212 N. Herritage; Ike Hines who runs Photographic Expressions by Isaac at 130 W North Street; Steve Wycoff who runs Reflecting You Custom Glass and Mirror at 211 N. Herritage; and Peg Godwin who represented the Farmers Market.

Also attending was Kinston Mayor Buddy Ritch, and City Projects Manager Chris Hill.