As the next step in leading an ongoing exploration of creating a Municipal Service District (MSD) in Wilmington, Wilmington Downtown Inc. (WDI) has arranged a field trip for local property owners, business owners and civic leaders to learn how MSDs function elsewhere in North Carolina.
 
The site visit, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 26 and 27, consists of stops in Winston-Salem, Durham and Raleigh to meet with community leaders in those cities. The group leaves Wilmington Monday morning and spends Monday afternoon in Winston-Salem with downtown officials, including Jason Theil of the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership.
 
On Tuesday morning, the group meets in Durham with Geoff Durham of Downtown Durham Inc., along with another downtown specialist, and spends the afternoon in Raleigh with David Diaz of Downtown Raleigh Alliance and other representatives. Return to Wilmington is scheduled for about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
 
Cost of the trip, according to WDI’s release, is $150 per person, which covers transportation, hotel and incidental costs. Space is limited and reservations must be made by 5 p.m. Thursday. For more information, click here. www.wilmingtondowntown.com
 
WDI has been charged by the City of Wilmington to evaluate the feasibility of establishing an MSD that “could provide extra services to help Downtown businesses and residents,” the release stated. Organization of next week's site visit follows an information-gathering effort by the MSD Task Force to determine service priorities of area property owners.