Price Landing Is Down to Benches and Trash Cans. Here's What Shallotte's River Park Adds.

If you drive down Mulberry Street, you have probably asked yourself when the park across from Mulberry Street Park will open. The site sits where Mulberry Branch meets the Shallotte River. It was supposed to be finished in June 2025. It is now October 2026, the gate is still not officially open, and it's easy to assume the project is stuck.

The town's own paperwork says otherwise. According to the reports filed for the October 6 Board of Aldermen meeting, the work left at Price Landing is the kind you would do in a backyard before company comes over. The contract dispute that slowed everything down is also close to settled. No opening date has been announced, so this is not a promise about when you can walk in. It is an account of how close the park actually is, what it will add to a town that already has one public kayak launch downtown, and what is happening on the river in the meantime.

What the October Reports Say Is Left

The Parks & Recreation department's report to the aldermen this month says the work is in its final stage:

"Continued working with staff to prepare Price Landing for its opening, including benches, trash cans, outdoor classroom setup and other finishing touches."

The same report thanks the town's departments, "especially Maintenance team," for helping organizations install picnic tables. Picnic tables, benches and an outdoor classroom setup are what you add once the structures are built.

That is a big change from spring. In May, WWAY reported that the picnic awning had passed inspection and the kayak launch and children's playground were complete. Several major pieces were still unfinished, including a large parking lot on the north end of the property. Back then, the town had hired an outside company to review the project and decide whether the original contractor would finish the job.

The October report does not list the park feature by feature, so it doesn't confirm whether the north lot, the restrooms or the boardwalk are ready for the public. What it does show is a project that has moved from "should someone else finish this?" to setting out trash cans.

How a June 2025 Deadline Became a Fall 2026 Finish

The timeline helps explain why the park looked frozen from the street for so long:

1. August 2024: The town awarded the project, valued at more than $3 million.
2. June 2025: The original completion deadline passed. Under the contract, a $500-per-day fine started from that date.
3. October 2025: The town approved a six-month extension.
4. April 2026: The town decided to bring in an outside reviewer.
5. May 2026: WWAY reported the fines had passed $177,000.
6. September 23, 2026: The contractor's 30-day window to start the contract's dispute-resolution process closed, and no dispute was filed.
7. September 29, 2026: The town manager met with the engineering firm McGill about the final change order.

The closed dispute window in step six matters most. Once it passed, the town could write the final change order and move toward closing out the contract. A year of open questions became a set of numbers.

The Numbers on the Final Bill

Town Manager Mimi Gaither's September 30 memo to the aldermen lists the figures:

The $181,000 matches what the $500-a-day fine had been building toward since spring. The change order includes the restroom locks, which the town replaced itself. According to the memo, the locks that had been installed didn't meet the contract's specification for timed locking. Detail like that suggests the town is fixing small items on its own instead of waiting on the contract. The memo says attorneys were still working out lien waivers, and the manager expected to share more at the October 6 meeting.

The park was funded mostly through grants. The Brunswick Beacon reported $2.5 million in 2023 state grant funds, a $500,000 grant from the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, and another $500,000 from the state.

What the Park Adds to a Town That Already Has a Launch

This is why Price Landing matters even if you already paddle. Shallotte opened its first public river access downtown last year. A Board of Aldermen packet from November 2025 recorded that the floating dock and kayak launch at the Shallotte Riverwalk, 145 Wall Street, were "now open for public use." Price Landing will be the second launch, and it is a different kind of place.

The Beacon's reporting describes the garden as a mobility or "ability" garden. The phase-one plans included bid alternates for extra parking, a trail and walkway, a trail stub and crosswalk, and a picnic shelter with a walkway pavilion. An additional marsh walk was moved to a possible phase two. The Riverwalk works well for a quick paddle downtown. Price Landing is designed for a longer visit, with a playground, shade and a place to eat.

Neither source describes a trail or path linking the two sites. Until the town says otherwise, plan on them as two separate stops.

The River Calendar While the Last Benches Go In

The Riverwalk is busy this fall whether or not Price Landing opens in time. The September market drew about 80 vendors, according to the Parks & Recreation report, and the town's concert series just wrapped up for the year. Here is what is coming up:

• Spooktacular Halloween: The town lists it as an annual Parks & Recreation event. A listing from Local Housing Reports puts the 2026 edition at the Riverwalk on Tuesday, October 27, at 6 p.m., with candy from vendors and family activities. The town hasn't confirmed those details in anything we found, so check the town's Parks & Recreation page before you go. Staff were already working on the event's layout, map and traffic-control plan in September.
• Harvest to Holiday Market-Fest, November 14: The market runs 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Shallotte Riverwalk, at the end of Cheers Street, according to Brunswick County's tourism listing.
• Shallotte Christmas Parade, December 5: The parade runs Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon on Main Street, from Whiteville Road to Smith Avenue.
• Kringle Market-Fest, December 19: This is the last market of the year at the Riverwalk. The town's Market-Fest page lists local vendors, handmade goods, live music and a children's craft corner.

For days when the weather keeps you off the water, Shallotte has a new indoor option. Net Par Shallotte held its grand opening on October 8 at 4636 East Coast Lane. It has four Trackman golf simulator bays, a bar and food menu, and Sam Cole as its in-house PGA professional, WWAY reported.

The October 6 agenda is public, but the minutes from that meeting had not been posted when this was written. The town's meetings page is where an opening date for Price Landing is most likely to appear first.

A new park two blocks away is good news, and so is knowing what your street and your town have to offer. If you're curious how the changes in Shallotte relate to your own home, Cristina Sullivan is happy to talk it through, with no pressure, in English or Spanish. Let's Connect.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.