Craven County will get a $500,000 state grant to develop the Latham-Whitehurst Nature Park and awards for preserving the pristine coastal land it sits on.

The value of the 133-acre King’s land grant tract bordering Upper Broad Creek will serve as the match for a grant from the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund. The N.C. Coastal Land Trust purchased the land last year from the family that got the property in the 1700s.

The trust donated the park acreage along Upper Broad Creek near Fairfield Harbour to Craven County, with some use restrictions, and the grant makes the land’s initial development for public use a minimal cost the county.

The grant is one of 22 awarded this year of 85 applications submitted to the state totaling $28.5 million. Total funds were reduced from $14 million to $8 million this grant cycle.

“The grant award meeting was later this year due to uncertainty as to how much money would be there,” said Jan Parker, the Craven County recreation director. “We were lucky to be funded. There is actually no cost to the county except a small annual cost to maintain it.”

Parker will receive the N.C. Coastal Land Trust’s outstanding government official award on Friday in Wilmington for her work on the project. Craven County will receive the nonprofit conservation’s annual award for exceptional service by a government agency, with Assistant County Manager Ray Moser named to accept it.

Nearby residents have volunteered to help with minor morning-to-dusk park operations once the park is opened to the public, which may happen as soon as next fall, Parker said.

The county plans to meet with citizens later in October to present an overview of plans for the park.

“We are super excited to have a park that is more geared toward the natural environment and will offer hiking, nature observation, bird watching, and Broad Creek access by way of a boardwalk,” Parker said. “I love this project.”

The boardwalk will provide a tie-up dock, Parker said, but a launch “is not something we’ll be able to offer unless someone is willing to carry or roll their kayak or canoe to the water from the parking lot about a half-mile away.”

“We will have parking for an estimated 30 cars but we don’t want to put a road through the park. We want to leave it in its natural state as much as possible,” she said.

Once the grant is received on Nov. 1, the county has three years to complete the project that includes the parking lot, picnic areas including a shelter, restroom facilities, and a boardwalk.

“The park is going to be mainly for those who prefer a quieter setting,” Parker said. “This is a very pristine, undeveloped tract of land and will offer an opportunity for experiencing the natural elements — the first county-owned nature park here to meet those kinds of needs.”

The park will also be another attraction for tourism, Parker said, and 2,000 linear feet of water frontage along Upper Broad Creek will provide an opportunity for fishing.

“We’re hoping this park will appeal to people who may not be interested in sporting and athletic activities but enjoy the natural environment,” she said.

Sue Book can be reached at 252-635-5666 or sbook@freedomenc.com.