Superintendent hopes to expand state park
Ed Wilkerson has plans for expanding Cliffs of the Neuse State Park, where he became superintendent 13 months ago, and he laid out those plans for the Rotary Club of Kinston on April 26.
“The State Park Service, as an agency, is ever evolving,” Wilkerson said. “The new administration (of Gov. Pat McCrory) has singled out customer service as being one mission of state government. It’s always been a mission of the park service.”
That thinking is in line with Wilkerson’s hopes to add five miles to the Wayne County park’s hiking trail and improve access to the Neuse River, which flows for two miles through the park.
“Our goal is to get up to at least six to seven miles of hiking trails,” he said.
Currently, there is no put-in point for boats in the park, something Wilkerson wants to remedy since he thinks the view of the cliffs from the river offers the best perspective on geological formations dating back 75 million years ago.
The cliffs stand 125 feet above sea level, an anomaly in generally flat Eastern North Carolina, and were formed by plate tectonics and volcanic activity. The area was designated a state park in 1945, now one of 40 in North Carolina. An 11-acre swim lake was added in 1955 and a new visitors’ center opened in 2011.
State parks draw about 14 million visitors a year, Wilkerson said, with Fort Macon the biggest attraction in the east. Attendance at Cliffs of the Neuse in 2012 totaled 180,000, which was up about 20,000 from the previous year. Attendance at state parks is growing overall, he said.
“We’re trying to figure out if it’s because of the economy — people staying closer to home — or if they are just getting out doing more.”
The Rotary Club of Kinston meets at 1 p.m. each Thursday at King’s Restaurant.
Veterans groups plan Saturday events
The Veterans of Foreign Wars will hold their annual Memorial Day remembrance flag raising at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Lenoir County Courthouse. The public is invited to participate.
Immediately following, the group will lay a wreath at the Korean/Vietnam Memorial at the Richard Caswell State Park on Vernon Avenue. The American Legion, Marine Corps League, Vietnam Veterans of America and AmVets, along with the VFW, also will place American flags in local cemeteries to honor the men and women who have served this country.
At 2 p.m., the VVA Chapter 892 will hold their annual cookout at Pearson Park near the Lenoir County Vietnam KIA Memorial. The public is invited to attend and spend a few minutes with the veterans.
