Castle Street Sale
Wilmington City Council approved the sale of a brownfield site on Castle Street to a developer Tuesday night for $867,500.
The site was once a public bus station, and the city has struggled to find a public-private or non-profit partnership for the property for over fifteen years; last year, the city put the property up for sale.
Local developer David Spetrino submitted the top bid for the 1.5-acre property at 11th and Castle. Spetrino told WHQR he would build relatively affordable residential buildings there, with some commercial space.
There was also a lower bid from Genesis Block, a Wilmington-based nonprofit focused on minority entrepreneurship which pitched a multi-use project with housing and business accelerators. But that offer would have effectively required council to go back to the drawing board with the property.
City Council voted unanimously to approve that sale, and Mayor Bill Saffo said they’d put the money into the city’s affordable housing fund, saying quote, “since the need is great.”
Giblem Lodge receives historic designation
An old masonic lodge has historic status now thanks to a unanimous vote by Wilmington City Council.
The Giblem Lodge located on 8th and Princess is the second oldest Prince Hall Masonic Lodge in North Carolina, and the oldest in Wilmington. It was built between 1871 and 1873.
During the late 19th century, the Giblem Lodge was a safe haven for Black politicians. In the run-up to the 1898 coup, white supremacists targeted the lodge.
The Giblem Lodge celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2020, and a community task force is trying to rehabilitate it to serve the local community.
A representative of the Historic Wilmington Foundation said that the historic designation will help get a grant to rehabilitate the landmark.
Councilman Clifford Barnett voted in favor alongside his other council members, and said he had been a member of the Masons in King Street, South Carolina in 1980. “I stand behind them, and I’m traveling East,” he said, referencing a Masonic greeting.
Juneteenth now a city staff holiday
The City of Wilmington made Juneteenth a paid city holiday last night.
The holiday recognizes the day the very last enslaved people in the United States found out they were free. That was more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln freed them with the emancipation proclamation.
The federal government recognized the holiday in June of 2021, and numerous municipalities around the state have unanimously adopted policies recognizing Juneteenth.
Budget staff estimates the additional paid holiday will cost the city just over $113,000 a year. That’s primarily the cost associated with holiday pay in the areas of public safety and public services.
City council voted unanimously to pass that resolution.
