Wilmington City Council Meeting - March 18, 2025
Wilmington City Council Meeting - March 18, 2025
The Wilmington City Council met on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at 6:30 PM in City Hall. Mayor Bill Saffo presided. Councilmember Clifford Barnett was absent. The meeting included presentations, public hearings, ordinances, and resolutions covering airport expansion, affordable housing, drainage improvements, and a resolution to preserve the Flossie Bryan property. The meeting recessed into closed session at 8:45 PM.
Presentations
- Arbor Day Proclamation: Mayor Saffo proclaimed March 21, 2025 as Arbor Day. Amy Beatty, Parks and Recreation Director, accepted and thanked staff and community partners.
- Beauty Spot Outstanding Landscape Awards: Cathy Poulos from the Cape Fear Garden Club presented awards, noting the program began in 2011 and accepts nominations from April 15 to May 15, 2025. Awards are distributed the first week of June.
- Wilmington International Airport Vision Plan Update: Airport Director Jeff Bourk reported the airport received $53 million in federal grants in the past year, serves 28 non-stop markets (40% increase), and expects 1.7 million passengers by year-end. Active construction totals $400 million, with $200 million planned through 2031—all funded without borrowing. The airport has a 35% profit margin, $3.3 billion regional economic impact, and supports over 20,000 jobs. A noise compatibility study is underway. A video showed terminal expansion, a six-lane curb front, parking garage, and cell phone lot, all scheduled for completion by fall 2026.
Consent Calendar
- C1. Minutes: Approved minutes of March 3 and March 4, 2025.
- C2. Banking Services Contract: Awarded a five-year banking services contract to Bank of America, effective May 1, 2025.
- C3. HVAC Maintenance Contract: Authorized a contract amendment with Schneider Electric for $171,804 for HVAC preventative maintenance.
- C4. Upset Bid Process: Authorized upset bid process for two city-owned properties on Woods Avenue.
- C5. Learning Management System: Awarded a five-year contract to Cornerstone OnDemand, Inc. for $220,000.
- C6. Street Rehab Contract: Awarded the 2025 roadway maintenance contract to Highland Paving Company for $5,382,311.
All consent items were approved unanimously (6-0).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jonathan Berger: Spoke in favor of the Creating Friendships for Peace exchange program, which brings teenagers from conflict regions to the U.S. He announced Wilmington will host teens from Cyprus starting July 2025. He also urged support for the Flossie Bryan property preservation, stating it aligns with Ms. Bryan's will to keep the land as green space.
- Trish Rioux: Voiced strong support for preserving the 60-acre Flossie Bryan property as a public park, representing the Legacy Park Committee of Del Webb at Riverlights and River's Edge. She noted a petition with 1,157 signatures and urged the city to work with New Hanover County to make the park a reality.
- Several other scheduled speakers (regarding the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge) did not appear.
Public Hearings
- PH1 – 709 South 7th Street: Chief Code Enforcement Officer Brian Renner recommended denial because the owner has made progress—roof repaired, interior work underway, siding being installed. Council voted unanimously (6-0) to deny the ordinance to vacate/repair.
- PH2 – 1203 South 6th Street: Renner recommended approval, noting the property has been vacant since 2020 with no repairs since a 2023 order expired. There are $4,000 in nuisance liens and $6,000 in delinquent taxes. After discussion, Council amended the required repair/demolish timeline from 90 days to 6 months. The ordinance passed unanimously (6-0). Second reading was waived unanimously.
Discussion Items
- O.1a-d – Wisteria/Clearbrook Drainage Improvement Project: Project Manager Zach Roman presented four items: acceptance of streets in Pond Crossing subdivision (O.1a), acceptance of drainage easements (O.1b), authorization to execute a $1,353,000 North Carolina Land and Water Fund grant contract (O.1c), and appropriation of those funds (O.1d). The project covers the Camellia Heights area to Dogwood Lane, aims to reduce flooding of streets and private property. Construction is estimated at 365 days. All items passed unanimously, and second reading was waived for O.1d.
- R1 – CFPUA Term Limits: Ken Waldroup, Executive Director of Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, requested removal of term limits from the Articles of Incorporation, citing a record capital improvement plan and need for stability. The resolution passed 5-1 with Councilmember Andrews voting "No."
- R2 – Affordable Housing Gap Financing: Gilbert Combs, Community Development Manager, presented a request from Cape Fear Collective for $824,652 to rehabilitate seven structures (four rental, three for-sale, two using a land trust model). These properties must remain affordable for at least 15 years (rental) or sold to income-eligible buyers. After allocation, the Affordable Housing Fund Balance will be approximately $4 million. Approved unanimously (6-0).
- R3 & R4 – Downtown Trail Phase 1: Deputy City Manager Thom Moton explained that design delays added costs. R3 requests $431,200 in federal grant funds from WMPO with a $107,800 local match for design. R4 authorizes a Memorandum of Understanding with NCDOT for the trail. The 1.7-mile phase runs from 3rd Street to Love Road Bridge. Abby Lorenzo confirmed the trail will be on the south side of the rail corridor to accommodate future passenger rail. Both resolutions passed unanimously.
- R5 – HAWK Signal Scope Modification: Traffic Engineer Denys Vielkanowitz explained that updated 2023 Federal standards now allow pedestrian-activated HAWK signals at intersections, eliminating the need to convert 21st Street to one-way southbound. The change saves staff time and money while preserving current traffic patterns. The signal is expected to be operational March 19, 2025. Approved unanimously.
- R6 – Flossie Bryan Property Preservation: Councilmember Andrews introduced speakers from the Alliance for Cape Fear Trees and read the resolution supporting public preservation of the 60-acre property at 3990 Independence Boulevard as a park. Councilmember Waddell clarified that no rezoning is pending—the developer withdrew months ago—and thanked Commissioner Dane Scalise for raising the option. The resolution passed unanimously (6-0).
Reports
- Appointments Committee: Councilmember Rivenbark presented recommendations: Downtown Parking Advisory Committee – appoint Gary Coleman (term to 1/16/28); Parks and Recreation Advisory Board – reappoint Alexa Fritz (term to 4/19/28); Zoning Board of Adjustment – remove Jess Johnson as Alternate 1, appoint Deirdre Carroll. Approved unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Approvals: All consent items (6-0), PH2 ordinance as amended (6-0), O.1a-d (6-0), R2, R3, R4, R5, R6 (all 6-0), reports (5-0 due to absence), and closed session motion (6-0).
- Denied: PH1 (6-0).
- Split vote: R1 (5-1, with Andrews opposed).
- Closed Session: Council entered closed session under NCGS §143-318.11(a)(6) for a personnel matter. Upon return, Mayor Saffo reported direction was provided to the City Attorney on potential legal claims.
- Next Meeting: The next regular meeting is April 1, 2025.
Adjournment: 8:45 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Call the meeting order of the Wilmington City Council. I'd like to welcome all those who are with us here this evening and all those who watching us at home. Thank you for taking an interest in your government. This time I'd like to introduce Joe Michael James of the Wilmington Fire Department for our invocation. If everyone will stand remaining standing for the invocation and the pledge of allegiance. Joe Michael here. Okay. Mr. Robin Barrett Bow your head, please. Dear Lord, thank you for this wonderful opportunity to gather here with all the citizens we see out in the audience that come to let us know they're watching us. Just grant us the wisdom, God, just to get through this meeting and always know in our heart that we're doing the right thing as it comes to running our great city of Wilmington. We're glad that the astronauts have landed. Thank you for guiding them home safely. And Lord, we just ask this in the name of Jesus our Savior. Amen. Amen. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. We have several presentations this evening. Our first presentation is a proclamation naming March 21st, 2025 is Arbor Day. And our forestry management supervisor, Mr. Aaron Reese, was going to receive this award, but he is under the weather, so I'm gonna ask Miss Amy Beatty, who's the director of our parks and recreation department, to please come forward to receive this City of Wilmington, North Carolina proclamation reads whereas in 1872, Jay Sterling Morton proposed to the Nebraska Board of Agriculture that a special day be set aside for the planting of trees. And whereas this holiday called Arbor Day was first observed with the planting of more than a million trees in Nebraska, and whereas the Arbor Day is now observed throughout the nation and the world. And whereas trees in our city increase property values, enhance the economic vitality of business areas, and beautify our community, and whereas trees, wherever they are planted, are a source of joy and spiritual renewal. Now, therefore, I build Saffle on behalf of the entire city council. I do hereby declare March 21st, 2025 as Arbor Day in the city of Wilmington, North Carolina. And I want to turn this over to Amy Beatty, who runs our department for the trees and everything that you do to maintain them. So thank you so much for all that you do. Thank you, Mayor and City Council for all of your support for the department for personnel that maintain and preserve our trees equipment, new tree planting budget lines over the years. And even more importantly, I think we have a lot of supporters in the audience tonight. Coincidentally, I believe we have members of the Alliance for Cape Fair Trees here. They're a wonderful partner. They go out and get grants for new tree planting, tree giveaways, training programs that that help us to get out and take care of trees when we're doing other things. And we also have the Cape Fair Garden Club members here today as well. They just recently had a tree planting in Greenfield Park to commemorate the hundredth anniversary. So if y'all folks who are here that I mentioned want to stand, we also have Evan, one of our tree trimmers standing in the back. Evan, raise your hand. And yeah, the Alliance and Cape Fair Garden Club members, if you would stand. Thank you. Thank you very much, Amy. Thank you. This time I'd like to recognize Ms. Kathy Poolis of the Cape Fair Garden Club, who's going to be presenting a presentation of the beauty spot outstanding landscaping awards. Kathy, welcome. Thank you so much, Mayor Sappho and Council members for having us here tonight. Um we're just very grateful to have a chance to talk about this program. I would like to thank uh I'm Kathy Poolis with the Cape Fear Garden Club. I would like to recognize Pyan Robinson who put together this PowerPoint presentation. She's also a member, and our presidents here, Dolores Halls, sitting here on the first race. So thank you.
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