Wilmington City Council holding its final regular meeting for the month of August with several items on the table.
First up, a presentation honoring several city employees for their outstanding service to the community.
“You saved a life, and I heard about this story through this building many times, and I’d like to say thank you for doing that and thank you for taking immediate action because we could have possibly lost an employee in the City of Wilmington,” Mayor Bill Saffo said to David Blue who is credited with performing the Heimlich Maneuver on a choking coworker. Blue’s quick thinking earned him a STARS Award.
Next, council approved a contract for the demolition of the former WAVE maintenance facility located at 1110 Castle Street.
Next, the City of Wilmington will enter into an agreement with the non-profit Wireless Research Center of NC to create a modern educational program.
“Digital Bridge,” as it will be known, will focus on teaching the digital skills needed for today’s job market to the city’s underserved populations.
“It will place more residents in a stronger position for economic and educational success and improve the resilience of our local economy,” Jerod Patterson, the city’s communication director, said of the program.
Council also approved the purchase of two properties needed for traffic improvements at the intersection of Pine Grove Drive and Oleander Drive.
Construction is scheduled to begin on this voter-approved bond project early next year.
“Right now, it’s a sharp skew. We’re going to square it up better with a realignment and base it will be two signals that will operate together to help the traffic flow and make the intersection a lot safer. Citizens shouldn’t see a big impact during construction. We’ll keep traffic going on all the routes,” said Jason Pace, senior project engineer for the city.
Finally, council voted to join the Eastern and Central North Carolina Clean Fuels Coalition.
Joining the coalition will help Wilmington meet its clean energy goals and greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets.
“Our clean energy goals are , by 2035, to have 50 percent of our municipal operations powered by clean energy. And by 2050, to have 100 percent of municipal operations to be powered by clean energy,” said David Ingram, sustainability project manager for the city.
There is no cost associated with this resolution.
City Council will meet again on September 6th at 6:30 pm.
For more on this meeting, visit WilmingtonNC.gov.