Council hears staff plans to tackle widespread park-restroom vandalism as maintenance team is reorganized

WILMINGTON — City staff told the council on May 15 that repeated vandalism at downtown and neighborhood park restrooms has led to extended outages and heavy repair costs, and outlined a new property-and-asset maintenance structure aimed at improving response and long-term upkeep.

City Manager Becky Hog and landscape manager Sally Bigpen described a reorganization that groups fleet, facilities, grounds and property maintenance to create one operational “owner” for parks and city facility upkeep. "We want one-stop accountability for maintenance," Bigpen said, noting the combined team will manage greenhouses, irrigation, playground inspections and riverfront sections.

Why the change: Staff showed photographs of broken plumbing fixtures, vandalized hardware and repeated damage that forces buildings out of service for weeks. Facilities manager Daryl McCall said the most time-consuming problem is recurring vandalism that often happens out of public view — leaving staff to repair the same fixtures repeatedly. "When plumbing fixtures are ripped out, locks dismantled, the facility can be down for an extended period," he said.

Planned responses: Staff outlined a mix of near-term and capital steps. Near-term changes include replacing vulnerable porcelain fixtures with vandal-resistant stainless steel units, installing roll-down exterior closures at selected locations, and improving cleaning and inspection schedules. For higher-impact deterrence, staff recommended piloting exterior cameras (not inside restrooms), improved lighting and vegetation management to reduce concealment. Council members emphasized any cameras would only be exterior and would be used to aid enforcement, not to monitor private activity.

Funding and phasing: Staff said the FY27 budget does not request an immediate, large new allocation for bathroom rebuilds but asked for time to assess outcomes under the new maintenance structure and to return with any targeted capital requests. They reiterated that many repairs are currently covered out of operating funds while larger improvements would be placed in the capital maintenance program if council approves additional CIP resources.

Next steps: Staff will return with data-driven recommendations, performance measures for routine maintenance and updated cost estimates if council wants a broader restroom-capital program. Council members pressed for a resident engagement-first approach for sidewalk and sidewalk-right-of-way acquisitions and backed staff plans to prioritize outreach before using condemnation powers to secure property for pedestrian projects.

The work session continued with further budget items; staff asked council to submit specific follow-up questions in writing so those analyses can be prepared for the next session.