One thing about the Neuse River that nearly everyone agrees on is that Kinston has a priceless resource ignored by most residents. Another area of agreement is the river needs attention.

The 22-member riverfront task force, architectural students from N.C. State University and residents met Thursday night to talk about ways to improve the Neuse – ideas and problems.

The initial meeting, the first of three to be held between now and May, was to gather suggestions about how to develop the river and examine problems that need solutions. The next two meetings will be to review suggestions from NCSU landscape architect Professor Kofi Boone and his students.

“Kinston has for years had thoughts and ideas on something else,” Dwight Howard said. “Now we’ve turned back toward the Neuse.”

Proper development of the river and its frontage will bring people to Kinston, he said. He encouraged residents to consider the Neuse as a place to build a home, saying much of the land is buildable.

“So many people have not been exposed to the river,” Howard said. “This group can be informative and let [the task force] know what we are able to do.”

Retired Kinston Fire Chief Tony Kelly tossed out a bundle of ideas: bridges, cable cars, riverwalks, recreational vehicle parking, a small historical village to showcase the city’s strong agricultural history. Kinston is filled with history, Kelly said, and the river can help showcase it.

A brainstorming session brought out other ideas for the Neuse: improving access, mixed residential and commercial development, an amphitheater, a small convention center, bike trails and jogging paths, festivals, dredging the river to allow better navigation, a museum or condominiums and a restaurant at the old power plant. One idea was to divert the river to create an island of the Neuseway Nature Center.

Kudzu, trash and discarded tires and refrigerators in the Neuse River should be cleaned out as soon as possible, participants agreed.

Safety is another concern, with one suggestion being to erect watchtowers and another one to have telephones along jogging paths and bike trails.

Pride of Kinston established the riverfront task force. Pride Director Adrian King believes his organization should help the task force get on its feet, and then exist as an agency independent of Pride.

Funding for developing the waterfront could come from grants and private investments, King said. State and federal grants also can be used for infrastructure, he said.

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