City wants resident input: Parking lot or ESDA building?

By: 
Staff Report

    City officials want to know how residents want them to spend $40,000 in capital funds; the purchase of a site for additional downtown parking, or seed money for a future new emergency services facility.
    The Wilmington City Council was slated to approve an ordinance authorizing the purchase of a piece of property in the 200 block of North Water Street that will add six to eight additional parking spaces to the shopping district. Several aldermen don’t feel the parking lot, which the city will have to pay to develop, is an appropriate use of funds and are against that purchase.
    They support setting those funds — which came from the sale of the old police station — aside for a similar, public safety use, a new building for the Emergency Services and Disaster Agency. As of press time Tuesday, they were expected to ask to table a vote on the downtown property purchase to gather input from the public.
    They aldermen want to know which purpose is a public priority, and ask that residents contact city administrator Joie Ziller at 815-476-2175, ext. 228, to express their opinion.