WILMINGTON — The City of Wilmington is not looking to keep its 21-year-old mobile sound stage beyond the current season of outdoor events.
Wilmington Mayor John Stanforth’s Executive Assistant Marian Miller said Wednesday an estimate to restore the stage for use and safety is more than $30,000. Any repair to the sound stage, she said, would come out of the City’s General Fund.
“Yes, it’s a community asset. At the same time, it’s becoming an increasing liability to the City,” said Miller.
The thought is the Clinton County Agricultural Society — the Fair Board — might be interested in the stage. If the stage was “not so much a mobile sound stage” and not transported upon roadways, its lifespan might lengthen, Miller said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Miller said she didn’t know whether the Fair Board will be interested, and that transferring ownership would take city council approval. Based on some conversation, council seems receptive, she added.
The sound stage potentially could be given to the Fair Board, said the executive assistant.
Whatever the long-term destiny of the sound stage, the City would finish out this season of reservations, including uses at Relay for Life and at the Banana Split Festival, according to Miller.
The City will limit the reservations for its use, she said, and does not expect to reserve use of the stage for something outside city limits.
“We feel that’s not a risk we’re wanting to take right now,” Miller elaborated.
At an April meeting in front of the Clinton County commissioners, the City of Wilmington Director of Public Service and Public Safety Brian Shidaker said his main concern is whether the stage is safe or not — more of a concern than having the City continuing to pay the labor costs of City workers transporting and setting up the stage.
Since that April meeting, the City has received the repair cost estimate. The possibility of the Fair Board ending up with the sound stage was noted during the county commissioners’ Wednesday morning meeting.
Also at the commissioners meeting:
• Several people representing Caring Citizens’ Congress of Wilmington, Ohio, asked commissioners to consider participation in the United Nations Global Compact to become a Caring Economy County.
“What we need is a caring economy committed to well-being as well as wealth creation,” group Treasurer Karen Reed told commissioners.
Tammy Reed said, “We believe the generational goal of alignment of our mutual endeavors around human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption will help create the system needed to solve our opioid crisis and wealth inequality.”
The attendees said they wished to return in a couple weeks after commissioners have time to read more about it, and see whether the Board of Commissioners will participate.
Some Ohio organizations participating in the Global Compact are the Cleveland Clinic, Christ Episcopal Church in Dayton, Owens Corning in Toledo, Case Western Reserve University and the Empathy Surplus Project in Clinton County.
• The Clinton County Board of Elections has chosen the County Administration Building on East Sugartree Street, Wilmington, as its preferred option to store voting equipment, and for testing and servicing of the equipment, as well as training.
Clinton County Commissioners President Kerry R. Steed said commissioners next week will discuss further the Board of Elections’ (BOE) proposed modifications to the County Administration Building.
All three commissioners on Wednesday questioned some of the specific renovations the BOE asked for Wednesday, including the number of interior walls to be eliminated.
Reach Gary Huffenberger at 937-556-5768.
