By Megan V. Williams
Wilmington, NC – The federal government says Wilmington's plan to re-use the reserve center at Greenfield Lake raises more questions than it answers.
The military is in the process of decommissioning the Adrian B. Rhodes center and handing it over to the city of Wilmington. Federal law requires cities to prioritize helping the homeless when deciding how to use surplus military facilities, but allows them to select other uses if there isn't enough of a homeless need.
Earlier this year, Wilmington's city council voted to turn the center over to youth and senior programs and sent that plan to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which oversees the process.
Federal officials say the plan they received lacks many required elements, including information about the scope of homelessness in Wilmington, notes from public hearings on the center's fate, and the rejected proposal crafted by homeless service providers.
Gary Hamburg is gathering that information for the city, "reviewing the plan and trying to substantiate the reasonings behind the decisions made."
Hamburg says he hopes to present the fleshed out plan for city council approval next month. After that, the federal government has sixty days to approve or deny the city's suggested future for the reserve center.
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The City's original documentation: