Wilmington City Council discusses latest COVID-19 developments

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Wilmington City Council met Tuesday night to discuss the latest coronavirus developments, with city leaders going out of their way to make sure as many people as possible could attend the meeting safely.

The meeting was held at the Wilmington Convention Center in order to accommodate more attendees than the City Council Chambers can handle.

“We’ve beaten down that curve, we’re still under that 70 number, but we still have to be vigilant,” said Mayor Bill Saffo.

Council members got an update from New Hanover Regional Medical Center Chief Physician Executive Philip Brown on the COVID-19 pandemic.

“If we take a chance and lose, it’s going to be worse,” he says.

During the meeting, council voted to join New Hanover County in extending the State of Emergency declaration through the end of the month.

“Things are looking much better than we thought, but it’s because the folks in our community, the people in the region have actually taken heed and listened to what we’ve been telling them,” Saffo said.

During the meeting, Mayor Saffo read from Wilmington city archives, looking at the parallels between this pandemic and the city’s response to the Spanish Flu in 1918.

“Shutting down our businesses, churches, gatherings of all sort. We are using the same process that they used in 1918,” Saffo said.

Council also discussed regular business. One item on the agenda was a resolution requesting the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) to designate a portion of S. 3rd St., from Market St. to Willard St., in honor of Major General Joseph A. McNeil. It passed unanimously.

Leaders voted unanimously on an appropriation of $1.1 million in FEMA reimbursement money related to Hurricane Florence Recovery.

Council also voted unanimously to hire AECOM for engineering and related services for the rail realignment project. The $2.5 million contract will be paid for by a $2 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration and a $500,000 match provided by NCDOT.

When it comes to coronavirus, Mayor Saffo asks the public to keep practicing safe precautions.

“We want to lift all of the restrictions if we could, tomorrow, but we have to be vigilant and get through this,” he says.

Click here to see the full agenda from Tuesday’s meeting.