The Wilmington City Council held an Agenda Briefing meeting on Monday, February 17, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. in City Hall Council Chambers to review items scheduled for the February 18, 2025 regular council meeting. Mayor Bill Saffo presided, with all councilmembers present (Councilmember Kevin Spears attended via video conference). The meeting covered consent agenda items, public hearings, and ordinances, with additional presentations on the Sister Cities Commission and a proposed Northern Riverfront Committee.
Ms. Marilyn Cantarella, Chair of the Sister Cities Commission, reported on efforts to strengthen ties with Bridgetown, Barbados. She and Ms. Jennifer Fernandez-Villa (Assistant Director, International Studies at UNCW) traveled to Barbados in December 2024 for the 20th anniversary of the twinning. Key points:
Mr. Chad McEwen, Deputy City Manager, presented a proposal to create a Northern Riverfront Development District and Committee. Background:
Councilmember discussion:
Bring the meeting to order. I'm gonna do a roll call at this time. Mayor Pro Tem. Are you here? Councilman Rivenbarg is here. Councilmember Spears, are you here? I am here. Okay. Councilmember Waddell. Councilmember Andrews. Here. Councilmember Joyner. And the chair is here. Everybody's here and accounted for. We have tomorrow night. Consent of agenda C one is approval of the minutes. C two is a resolution awarding a citywide tree removal contract to Lanier Tree Services LLC. For the removal of 27 trees in the amount of 108,000 to 25 dollars. Yes, sir, Mr. Rombar. I don't know who here I talked to, but in in the in the verbiage it was talking about trees that are or dying or whatever. Who pulled who makes that call uh on what we're Sally Sally? Who will answer those questions for us? Good morning. Thank you. Yes, these trees are evaluated by our ISA certified arborists on staff. Who is that? Um so that'll be Aaron Reese, Ben Mesla is our new assistant city arborist, and we have a couple of others who are certified okay. The reason I asked that is in the years I've been up here, it never fails. We'll have people call and they've got a tree that's not on their property or a tree that maybe is on their property, and they've had tree people come out and say this tree's dying, it needs to go, and then our people go out there and say no, we can't do it. There's a there's a real I won't call it a conflict, but it's like we're speaking out of both sides of our mouth. We go out and make a call and and say this tree's dying, we're gonna take it down, but we go and see some of these places, and I've gone, I mean, I'm not getting it just secondhand. I've gone and looked, and the top of the tree is dead, it's got a lot of dead limbs on it, and yet we don't let them take it down, and it's it's in a in a storm, they're worried about it falling on their outbuildings or their house. So I I'd like to just have get that a little become a little more in line so that we can be not uh not so definite in our answers when we go out to these people because I follow up on it, and uh it just kind of goes against my green to have us do this and and then to go out and say no, you can't cut it down. That's all I want to say. Well, Mr. Waddell. While we while we're talking about it real quick, uh just brought something to my attention. Uh while back I had um sent it up the chain for uh stopped by a gentleman who lives in inland greens, and there's a tree very close to one of the properties on Inley Greens. I think it's on city property, but it's uh it's the root structure is going into the sidewalk there and and breaking up the sidewalk. And the gentleman who brought my attention said there's just a lot of elderly neighbors. I wonder if we might just um have somebody go take a look at that tree, and I could follow up with an email, but while it was in my head, not a problem. Thank you so much. Thank you. C three is a resolution authorized city manager to execute a lease agreement with Tova Wealth Management LLC for a portion of the seventh floor of 929 North Front Street. C4 is a resolution authorized city manager to execute a lease amendment with proto-lease USA Incorporated for a portion of the fourth floor at 929 North Front Street. Public hearings, PH1 is an ordinance directing the housing inspector to vacate, close and repair or demolish a dwelling at 804 Russell Alley is unfit for human habitation pursuant to Article 5, Chapter 16 of the City Code, and directing that a notice be placed there on prohibiting its use or occupancy. PH2 is an ordinance directing the housing inspector to vacate close and repair or demolish it. The dwelling at 905 Wooster Street as unfit for human habitation pursuant to Article 5, Chapter 16 of the Wilmington City Code, and directing that a notice be placed there on prohibiting its use or occupancy. PH3 is an ordinance directing the housing inspector to vacate close and repair demolish a dwelling at 909.