Mayor: There are no plans to oust Lions Club from Civic Center

The agenda item read: “Discussion and consideration to terminate the lease agreement with Wilmington Lion’s Club and revoke access to the River Street building.”
To the residents who packed the Jan. 9 city council meeting, the wording of the agenda item appeared absolute, indicating the Lions Club would be ousted from the River Street building known as the Civic Center.
Mayor Ben Dietz denied this was the case, explaining that there was never any intent to evict the Lions Club. Rather the agenda item was intended to bring attention to the fact that the Lions Club’s lease with the city had expired. There was also an issue of the Lions Club leaving the building’s doors unlocked upon occasion that needed to be resolved.
“We all agree that the Lions Club provides valuable services,” Dietz said. I don't think there's one city council member sitting up here right now that wants the Lions out.”
Nevertheless, there were murmurs and a general unwillingness to believe that the city council was up to something sinister.
The mayor continued to clarify the intent of the agenda items.
“Background here is we are talking about the lease, which originated in July 2012 with 10-year re-lease. We are more than 10 years past 2012. There is now a month to month lease.”
Sharing the building
Dietz went on to say that the Lions Club and Wilmington Island Park District have been sharing the Civic Center building. The park district already administers programs at the site.  
Kirsten VanDuyne, Executive Director of the park district, and John Persic, President of the Wilmington Lions Club, were both in attendance, and commented that they have a good working relationship and have no problem sharing the building.
Front door
left unlocked
Providing additional background information, Mayor Dietz spoke of an incident that prompted the agenda item.
“This comes after the events of 2024 when the Lions Club allowed a homeless person to live in the Civic Center for months without the city or the police department’s knowledge,” Dietz said.
Shortly after the incident, the mayor asked the Wilmington Police Department to include the Civic Center in daily patrols to make certain all doors to the building were locked.
According to Wilmington Police Chief Adam Zink, officers found the building unlocked and no one onsite. The mayor spoke of liability, stating he believes the Lions Club may not have sufficient staffing to manage the building.
At one point, the mayor mentioned leasing the building to the park district with the Lions Clubs as sublessors, as the park district would have sufficient staff to man the building. The comment resulted in a ripple through the council chambers.
“Let me be crystal clear, I don't want to see this community ever without a Lions Club,” Mayor Dietz said. “My intent on placing it on the agenda was to address the immediate safety concern, nothing more.”
Meals on Wheels
As the mayor had opened public comment throughout the discussion of the Lions Club, several residents had something to say. The majority were Lions Club supporters, and residents who participate in activities in the building.
Cheryl Spangler, a volunteer with Meals on Wheels, said she has used the Civic Center building for the program for approximately 10 years and has never felt unsafe.
“We serve at least 35 to 40 families in Wilmington and beyond,” Spangler said. “So it's integral to keep that space there.”
Therapist Janice Berg spoke about the wording of the agenda item.
“The main thing here is the verbiage,” Berg said “If safety was an issue, safety should have been somewhere in that agenda. And “consideration to terminate,” and  everyone knows what terminate means right?”
In a follow up email, Mayor Dietz acknowledged Berg’s point, and said he should have requested modifications to the verbiage of the agenda item.
Other comments involved ways to assure the building is locked. One attendee mentioned an phone app capable of locking doors remotely. Others mentioned keeping a lockbox on the property or the use of key cards to gain entrance.
A place for the kids
The final comments came from Persic, speaking of his work relationship with the park district.
“Kirsten and I have worked together many times,” Persic said. “All we want is a place for the kids to do what they want to do. That’s all we care about, really.”
Alderperson Marty Orr’s motion to table the issue was unanimously approved.
In the meantime, representatives from the Lions Club, Wilmington Island Park District, and the City of Wilmington have agreed to form a committee to discuss issues broached during the city council meeting.
“For the town and the Lions Club, I hope they feel reassured that all eight Aldermen, as well as myself, are 100 percent supportive of their mission and are an integral part of Wilmington,” Dietz said. “I am also grateful that a committee has been formed to explore how the city, park district, and Lions can better serve our community through the Civic Center.”
Inspection fees waived
The board agreed to waive inspection fees of $1,030 for 20 inspections of the school district’s building trades home that is being built by students.
The school district superintendent Kevin Feeney noted that such fees were waived in the past.
However, the city now utilizes the services of B&F Construction Code Services for inspections rather than city staff.
Ultimately, the city council agreed to waive the fees.