WILMINGTON — On Tuesday, in its first meeting of the new year, city council plans to approve a pair of high-dollar purchases that total nearly $1.4 million in spending.
For the police department, there’s a $591,930 agreement on the table to purchase a 20-car fleet of 2022 Dodge Chargers from a High Point dealership. In regards to a forthcoming sports park, the city will act on a proposal to buy up to $800,000 worth of athletic lighting equipment.
Police cars are replaced after 100,000 miles of use, or after eight years, and the expenditure planned for Tuesday is part of a scheduled addition to the police department’s fleet already budgeted by the city.
The chosen vendor is Ilderton Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram in the Piedmont Triad area of N.C. The dealership has negotiated a bulk deal with the N.C. Sheriff’s Association that gives discounted prices to law enforcement agencies across the state.
According to a letter from staff to council, there is a need for fast action, since the next available window to order new squad cars will not arrive until the latter half of 2022. “Failure to pass this resolution will increase maintenance costs and vehicle downtime,” according to the city memo. “Replacement vehicles are extremely difficult to order and receive.”
The purchase price per car is set at $29,552, an increase of around $3,000 per unit compared to the last time the city rejuvenated its police fleet in late 2020. (One of the cars purchased this year, apparently designed to be unmarked, was slightly more expensive than the rest, including additional options like the $650 remote start capability and a $355 window tint.)
Council also plans to take action on a resolution to approve a contract related to installations at the forthcoming nCino sports park. Wilmington Hammerheads Youth Soccer previously donated 65 acres of land for the new athletic park, expected to hold 11 fields, and the project is largely bankrolled through the 2016 parks bond. In May, nCino procured naming rights to the park for at least 17 years in a $1.3-million agreement.
Wilmington utilizes MUSCO Sports Lighting, LLC for athletic light needs at all city-owned facilities, and is prepared to contract with the firm for $800,000 worth of lighting at nCino sports park in exemption of competitive bidding requirements. The money will come from the $10-million budget laid out in the 2016 parks bond.
According to Carson Porter, director of Wilmington Hammerheads Youth Soccer, which will manage the sports park for the city, design is completed and city staff are finalizing the permitting process.
The Wilmington Hammerheads organization plans to privately fund two additional light poles that, due to budget limitations, were not included in the original design, Porter said. One of the sports park’s 11 fields will be synthetic turf, and five of them will have permanent athletic lighting.
“The commitment by the city and the taxpayers to this project, by way of the 2016 parks bond, is fantastic,” Porter said. “City staff has worked very hard within the $10M budget to produce a great design, nCino has stepped up to make a major commitment to the park and to youth sports, and we are proud to be able to provide some additional funding that will make an additional impact on the project.”
Council will meet Jan. 4 at 6:30 p.m.
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