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Is it curtains for new City Hall drapes? Wilmington council members balk at $140,000 cost

City of Wilmington
/
WHQR
From a presentation during Wilmington City Council's Monday, August 5 agenda review meeting.

During Monday morning’s agenda review, Wilmington City Council heard a proposal to replace the drapes in their meeting room at Thalian Hall. The price tag did not go over well with several members.

City staff told council that the drapes, which are over 20 years old, are falling apart and need to be replaced. After walking officials through some design options, they got to the price tag: upward of $140,000.

That struck some council members as too much, especially considering council meetings will be moved to the city’s new Skyline Center — formerly the ThermoFisher building — over the next few years. The funding for the new drapes has already been set aside, according to staff, as part of a facilities plan that predated the purchase of the Thermo building.

Councilman David Joyner asked if the less expensive cost of treating the existing drapes with fire-retardant material, between $10,000 and $15,000, could hold council over until meetings are moved to the new building.

“I walked in this morning and looked through this [agenda packet] and saw the $140,000 for drapes that we're not going to be using, that we will not be in this room for in five years, my eyes popped a little bit," Joyner said.

Councilman Luke Waddell said that, even though the money was already budgeted, the city should reprioritize it.

“I'm adamantly opposed to this. We've got important facility expenses in a building that we just acquired," Waddel said. "We increased the tax burden on the citizens. We've got, Wilmington Fire Department, Wilmington Police Department, [with] serious needs, and to throw $140,000 drapes up in a room that we're not going to be using in a couple years is a real 'let them eat cake' mentality that I'm opposed to and frankly a little upset at."

Councilman Kevin Spears said he’d rather see the money used at the city’s new building.

“I would just come out on the record and say, I'd rather see us spend $150,000 at 929 [North Front Street] at the Skyline Center before I see us spending on drapes at Thalian Hall. Because if you squint the drapes don't look that bad," Spears said, eliciting some chuckles from the room.

Monday's morning presentation was for informational purposes only, staff said, and the council didn't take a formal vote.

Because the cost exceeds the financial authority of the city manager's office, council members will have a chance to vote on any contract before the drapes replacement project moves forward. Staff also said they'll bring forward a "full update" on costs and plans on unfitting the Skyline Center, including roughly $2 million in efforts to accommodate city council meetings.

Ben Schachtman is a journalist and editor with a focus on local government accountability. He began reporting for Port City Daily in the Wilmington area in 2016 and took over as managing editor there in 2018. He’s a graduate of Rutgers College and later received his MA from NYU and his PhD from SUNY-Stony Brook, both in English Literature. He loves spending time with his wife and playing rock'n'roll very loudly. You can reach him at BSchachtman@whqr.org and find him on Twitter @Ben_Schachtman.