Lenoir commissioners approve $800,000 in grants, Riverwalk land purchase
Lenoir County commissioners approved $800,000 in state grants for parks and sheriff’s equipment Monday, Oct. 19, while advancing the Riverwalk project with a $33,000 land purchase and awarding contracts to demolish two blighted properties.
The board also approved business permits, funding for community paramedicine and a state-funded bonus program for sheriff’s personnel.
The three state grants include $400,000 for a new inclusive playground in the Kinston/Lenoir County Parks and Recreation system, $200,000 for improvements to Neuseway Nature Park and Campground and $200,000 for sheriff’s equipment. The grants were included in the consent agenda, which commissioners approved in a single vote.
According to the agenda packet, the sheriff’s allocation can support purchases including patrol laptops, emergency radios, protective vests, swift-water rescue kits, drones and automated external defibrillators.
Commissioners separately authorized County Manager Michael James to execute an agreement to buy about 7 acres from East Carolina Development & Construction LLC for $33,000. The property lies along the proposed Riverwalk route and has an assessed value of $81,715, according to county documents.
Assistant County Manager Adam Short said the purchase would secure property needed for the trail while creating opportunities beyond a narrow access easement. Near the project’s midpoint, the site connects to Vernon Avenue by way of Wake Avenue and could provide parking, emergency access or future park amenities.
Those amenities remain possibilities. The board’s action authorized the land purchase.
Commissioners also awarded Rick Bostic Construction $41,893.50 for demolition work at 506/508 E. New Bern Road and 307/309 S. Queen St.
The projects are the first two demolition awards under a joint city-county program established earlier this year. Kinston and Lenoir County each contributed $200,000 to the $400,000 fund to address blighted commercial and industrial properties along prominent travel corridors.
The New Bern Road demolition will cost $28,066.50, and the Queen Street work will cost $13,827. County documents call for liens against the properties to recover demolition and related expenses.
Later in the meeting, Chair Linda Rouse Sutton emphasized the county’s financial participation in projects with Kinston. During the demolition discussion, Short confirmed that the program’s funding was split evenly between the two governments.
Commissioners approved another city-county agreement intended to simplify development reviews for properties divided between county zoning jurisdiction and Kinston’s extraterritorial jurisdiction.
Under the agreement, the government with more than half of a parcel’s land area within its zoning jurisdiction would generally handle the review. A developer could choose the jurisdiction for a property divided evenly between the two. Staff said the agreement would reduce delays caused by resolving jurisdiction individually for each project.
Following public hearings, the board approved a special use permit for Virgilio Ibarra’s construction storage building at 3196 U.S. 258 N. Planning staff said the building would be used for storage, with no equipment sales or rentals, and that the applicant had obtained state approval for a separate driveway from the highway.
Randy Kelly, speaking for the Lenoir County SPCA, welcomed the proposed neighbors but raised concerns about potential construction damage to the shelter’s private road and underground utilities. County Attorney David Baxter said reimbursement for damage to private property would be a civil matter between the parties.
The board also approved Greg Sasser’s permit for a small used-car sales operation off Skeeter Pond Road. Sasser said he planned to buy vehicles, repair them and sell them primarily online using an existing building on his property.
Commissioners accepted a $91,465 Mobile Integrated Health grant to support the county’s community paramedicine program. Mark Casey said the program helps bridge gaps between hospital care, home health and emergency services by connecting patients with education and resources.
The board also approved $130,929.66 for the state’s law enforcement bonus program. According to the agenda packet, that total includes $121,625 in bonuses and $9,304.66 in employer payroll taxes for eligible sheriff’s personnel.
Earlier in the meeting, commissioners recognized November as National Family Caregivers Month and honored Dorethea M. Branch, a longtime La Grange resident who turned 100 on July 5.
Branch’s proclamation recognized her decades of business ownership and public service, including becoming the first Black member of the Lenoir Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees.
The meeting ends after commissioners voted to enter a closed session to discuss the location or expansion of industries or other businesses.
