MyReporter – ‘Provinces of Night’ still work in progress under new name [Star-News, Wilmington, N.C.]

May 28--It's still a work in progress.

"Provinces of Night," the independent feature film starring Hillary Duff, Val Kilmer, Kris Kristofferson and W. Earl Brown was filmed in Wilmington and Pender County from April 15 to May 19, 2009. It is based in William Gay's novel by the same name.

The movie premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Feb. 6, 2010 and was also shown at the Nashville Film Festival on April 17, 2010.

"We changed the name of the film to 'Bloodworth' since that better represents the film," said Shane Taylor, director of the movie. "I couldn't be any more excited with how it's turned out. We've screened it twice at two film festivals (Santa Barbara & Nashville) as a work in progress.

"Since then, I've made a few changes to bring Kristofferson more to the forefront and have been lucky enough to have music producer T Bone Burnett (Crazy Heart) oversee all the music. We start screening it for buyers next week and we'd like the film to be in theatres at the end of this year. I'll keep you posted once we sell it."

-- Amy Hotz

What's the schedule for completing work at the intersection of Wrightsville Avenue and Independence Boulevard?

A contractor is currently working on the Wrightsville Avenue project, says N.C. Department of Transportation spokeswoman Jennifer Garifo.

"They will be completing all the water line and sewer line construction over the next few weeks. There will then be a small amount of storm drain work remaining," Garifo says.

Once that work is done, "motorists should begin to see work on curbs and gutters and finally, the placement of asphalt," Garifo says.

The original contractor on the road improvement project, Mainline Contracting Inc., of Durham, filed for bankruptcy in October, 2009. N.C. Department of Transportation resident engineer Wayne Currie says the contract required Mainline Contracting to provide a payment and performance bond that offered assurance to the DOT that if the contractor was unable to finish the project, the bonding company would complete it.

On Jan. 27, U.S. Bankruptcy Court allowed Hanover Insurance Co. to pursue completion of the project. S.T. Wooten Corp., based in Wilson, was named on March 1 by Hanover Insurance as the new project contractor.

Work began March 8.

-- Ken Little

What's happening with plans for Smith Creek Park?

Construction at the park should begin late this summer.

"We are in the process of securing our final permits," said Tara Duckworth , New Hanover County Parks Manager.

Once those are complete, the project will go out for bids and construction should begin in late summer 2010, with the park likely to open in the spring of 2011.

The park will offer residents access to a lake for fishing and boating, a walking trail and picnic area.

It is is located off of Gordon Road near Interstate 40. The 93-acre tract was used by the state Department of Transportation to mine sand that was used in the construction of Interstate 40. The county later acquired the property and continued to sell sand mined from the site, putting the money aside to help pay for developing the park.

The county received a $500,000 grant from the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund in 2009 to help pay for the park. That will be matched with local money that was made from selling sand.

The sand mining created a basin that filled with water from a spring, forming a lake that covers about 47 acres. Water in the basin was acidic and required applications of lime to make the pH level suitable for fish.

In 2008, local Boy Scouts bundled old Christmas trees that were sunk into the lake to provide habitats for fish. In October 2009, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission stocked fish in the lake, the first in a multi-stage project that should provide fish big enough to catch in about two years.

Plans call for a picnic shelter, playground, restrooms and a 10-foot-wide paved walking trail around the lake, a distance of about one and quarter miles.

A boat launch area is in the plans. No boats with internal combustion engines will be permitted, but park visitors will be able to use boats powered by electric motors, sails, oars or paddles.

Swimming will not be allowed in the lake.

One section of the western edge of the park, near Interstate 40, will remain undeveloped for now, but could provide space for additional walking trails in the future.

-- Merton Vance

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