WILMINGTON — The City of Wilmington has closed out a successful year in 2017, Mayor Bill Saffo said during his annual State of the City speech Monday.
Financially, the city has once again completed the year with a balanced budget, which is good since the law requires it. The city has also maintained an AAA bond rating, Saffo said.
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Saffo touted the accomplishments of the City of Wilmington, the projects that are in the works and those that have been planned for the future.
“The Riverwalk is a fine example of a legacy project,” Saffo said. “This city and its leaders made a commitment many years ago to make the river accessible to the citizens. Because of the hard work and the perseverance of many councils, the last section of our award-winning Riverwalk was completed last year, it will be enjoyed by many generations to come.”
Like last year’s State of the City, Saffo again recognized bringing the Embassy Suites hotel to Wilmington as one of the accomplishments of the city.
“City leaders 10 years ago made a decision to move forward with a convention center, but part of that project included a full-service, top of the line hotel for our community … Today I am proud to say that the City of Wilmington has a full-service, top of the line Embassy Suites Hotel attached to its convention center,” he said.
When it comes to preserving green space in the city, Saffo said the Northern Riverfront Park is in the design process and has been “thoughtfully planned as a place to be active, or relax and enjoy the view of the river.”
In the last year, Wilmington Downtown Inc. brought 45 new businesses to downtown and brought more than 300 new jobs to the city, Saffo said.
Transportation infrastructure in the city is making progress in Wilmington, Saffo said, citing the NCDOT plans to build overpasses at Martin Luther King Parkway and Kerr Avenue, as well as at Military Cutoff Road and Eastwood Road.
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Saffo said one of the goals of City Council was to build positive relationships and help prevent youth violence. The Police Activities League, as well as the city’s Super Girls program, are being used to help at-risk youth, he said.
Crime in Wilmington, according to Saffo and Police Chief Ralph Evangelous is down by 8 percent.
“This is our success story and is due to the efforts of the men and women of the Wilmington Police Department,” Saffo said.
Saffo acknowledged the ongoing opioid epidemic and admitted the issue was not going away.
“This is a public health issue, not just a criminal issue or police issue. We all have to work together to address this reality now,” Saffo said.
Wilmington’s history with the film industry is one that Saffo hopes to see return, and said the $30 million in annual field grants will help support the industry in Wilmington.
Looking forward
Moving toward the future, Saffo said the city will continue to work with New Hanover County to increase affordable housing in the area.
“With much input from you the citizens, we’ve completed the recent Comprehensive Land Use Plan, which hasn’t been updated since the 1980s,” Saffo said.
Discussion on short-term rentals in the Port City has been a point of discussion for several years, but Saffo said the city will be implementing recommendations soon.
“The future of Wilmington looks bright and we are in a position to continue the process of leaving legacies for the next several generations,” Saffo said.
