Public invited to participate in the Duffyfield Community Resilience Improvement Project
The City of New Bern is launching a community-led project to improve the resiliency and sustainability of the Duffyfield area, specifically in Henderson Park, the headwaters of Duffyfield Canal. This area was identified as a priority in the City’s Resiliency & Hazard Mitigation Plan that was adopted last year.
Last week, the city and its consultant partners, Moffatt & Nichol, began developing a public outreach strategy to communicate with Duffyfield residents and other stakeholders about the development of a Community Resilience Improvement Project. Part of the outreach strategy includes a webpage, press release, public input meeting, social media engagement, flyers, and more.
This project will include drainage-related improvements and stormwater enhancements in Henderson Park, located within the Duffyfield Community (901 Chapman St.) and adjacent drainage areas. Historically, this low-lying area which includes a playground, walking trail, workout course, baseball fields, and basketball court has flooded during tropical activity and nuisance rain events. The goal of the project is to create an open greenspace designed to treat and store stormwater runoff, reduce flood risk to downstream residential properties, support recreational activities and sustain a critical community asset.
Design of the project will integrate blue (water) and green (land) infrastructure solutions to encourage the conveyance of water through natural swales and forested wetlands and to allow for water level fluctuations during rain and extreme tidal events. In the end, the project will showcase the benefits of improving resilience with community involvement and innovative solutions.
Planning funds to develop the project concept have been provided by a grant awarded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the NC Land and Water Fund. The initial concept plans will be presented to the City in July 2023, with the final preferred concept plan presentation expected in August.
Community feedback is essential to the development of the future of Henderson Park. Through the project website, located at newbernnc.gov/resiliency, the community can learn more about the project, participate in a short survey, provide feedback on an interactive map, and sign up for project-related emails. The public meeting is scheduled for April 26, from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. at the Jasper G. Hayes Omega Center, located at 800 Cedar Street. The public meeting presentation will be pre-recorded and available for viewing on the project website.
The City’s Resiliency & Hazard Mitigation Plan, which was adopted in March 2022, can be found on our resiliency webpage at newbernnc.gov/resiliency. The plan is organized into six resiliency pillars: economy, infrastructure, natural resources, cultural heritage, housing, and health and safety. Each pillar illustrates goals and the action items associated with those goals. Under the Natural Resources pillar, the plan identifies a goal to improve community resiliency through identification, prioritization, design and implementation of nature-based solutions that support the City of New Bern’s Redevelopment Plan, environmental values, and historic preservation priorities.
We invite the public, and especially residents of the Duffyfield Community, to be part of this important planning process. Contact the project team with any questions or comments.
By Colleen Roberts