2/4/25 EP City Council

good evening call the meeting of February 4th 2025 to order Madame clerk please take the role of the council councilman fogy councilman fogy is not able to make it tonight councilman Lawson yeah Council vice president Rigo yeah councilwoman soua here council president Rodricks here the record show four members are present one is absent please pleas rise for the

pledge to the flag United States of America stand

na so we will wait the executive session we'll just have items letters a through F but uh we will hold off on that at the conclusion of the meeting we will move there there's nothing couple of the bigger items we have to hold off for the next meeting so rather than delay while folks are here uh Madame clerk we will do the executive session after so if you want to pick up the

agenda at the next the next juncture consent calender for discussion and possible vote a council journals January 7th 2025 regular meeting abatement $493 77 acknowledgement of the resignation of member David oconnell from the East Providence Waterfront Commission to approve consent second motion by councilwoman Suza to approve the consent as read councilman Lawson seconded all in favor I I any opposed the eyes have

that thank you next item licenses for discussion and possible vote I move to bundle the licenses second C1 through C9 yes sir so the motion by councilwoman Souza is to bundle the licenses C1 through C9 seconded by councilman Lawson all in favor I I any opposed the eyes have it motion to approve second motion to approve the Same seconded by councilman Lawson all in favor I I any opposed the eyes have that next

item public hearing type of business transfer of Tennesse applicant marck bin business name aigo Ichigo Ichi thank you address 5 catamore Boulevard does this include the liquor license um all right at this time Mr uh president Madam clerk under Rhode Island state law I need to re accuse myself thank you the record show uh president weo will accuse himself from discussion and Madame clerk um

you that yes um applicant is present good evening and welcome just identify yourself for the reckon Mark bin on behalf of Ichigo ich evening offices representing U managing member uh and and the purpose of of of tonight is to seek the transfer of the liquor license from Ichigo ich ich go ich r i l LC so Mr President I'm just looking at the agenda it looks like that was contained in the consent agenda that

should not have been improved on the consent agenda so we're just going to pull that off and it it'll be it'll be should be under this public vote on this separately separately yeah part of the public hearing yes so noted thank you I'm sorry you can continue um yes the the managing member is Brian Brian Chang Brian Chen was originally uh a co-member of Ichigo Ichi uh with his brother Kenny

Chang uh Kenny Chang is is leaving the relationship and Brian is has has formed Ichigo RI and will be operating in an identical manner to the existing Cho ich seeking to transfer worker license and food licenses to the new entity okay so our the business is remaining the same transfer of yes names yes Mark I'm sorry it's going from like two owners to one basically it's going from two owners to one there there will

be a minority owner of the new entity as well okay Council questions do they have to be on the license minority owner uh the LLC is on the license so whatever that L just the name of the L you don't have to go deeper than that so just to clarify U Mr solicitor we are approving two separate licenses one for the business transfer to Ichigo which is the which is a lior license and

a li that is it's just just it's avicula in I don't understand what the transfer the tency is that wouldn't be a license that we would nor do I think that we we normally just do the liquor license and the uh uh the vula license and just you mentioned it was under consent it was under the licenses not the consent sorry it was bundled yep absolutely it was under the bundle

license we should have pulled that off I'm sorry NOP that's fine just to clarify questions on the council is I'm good the public hearing is there anyone present would like to uh speak be against or for this or have any comments or once again is there anyone present here tonight to speak on this transfer hearing none we'll close the public hearing Council what is your pleasure motion by councilwoman Souza to

approve seconded by councilman Lawson all in favor I I any opposed and the eyes have it three zero thank you sir thank you Rigo you're welcome back welcome councilman I just want to advise you that unfortunately the liquor license uh transfer that we just spoke of was actually under the also listed erroneously under the um bundle licenses so we just recuse yourself from that voce as well I think you should do it

yeah just do it yeah I think you should go to jail if I may con Mr uh Mr President Madame clerk uh for the record want to clarify that I accuse myself for the bundling portion of the LI of the licenses and and just for the clarity so people know if they don't know this is due to your um ownership ownership of a liquor H thank you yes councilwoman um so I was going to ask

the city solicitor as the um person who um made the motion to approve the bundle and the approval um I could just re send that um both of those motions and then redo the call so that we are in the affirmative and the more appropriate manner let's do it the right way let's do it that way that's a good way and so it's going to excuse everything except seven basically do I

have to leave again stand up in the back stand up in the back proceed councilwoman you could read the um the agenda item for us licenses for discussion and posable vote so I make a motion to bundle all licenses in section c 1-9 with the exception of number seven second seconded by councilman Lawson all in favor I I any opposed the eyes have it I make a motion to approve all the non-public um licenses from C1

to n with the exception of C7 motion to approve second seconded by councilman Lawson all in favor I I and he opposed the isap thank you thank you thank you for that thank you for that you said there's no transfer Tennessee thing do we need to revote on the liquor license or that vote's fine okay sorry continue Madam clerk is it Communications yes so I would no nothing was sent in okay there a public comment

sheet okay

thank you I would just mention anyone in the audience who was here for a licensing you have been approved so you're free to go have a good evening thank you good luck thank you thank you the sign up sheet for tonight first person is W Vincent Wang please come forward if you're here no here he is Mr Wang are you here okay sure forward that's okay just please give your name and address for the

record uh good evening L and gentlemen my name is uh W Vincent one call me Vincent that's the you name on my US Passport I'm very glad oh my address is 71 vanderland Avenue E Providence uh the the thing I want talk is my car was total uh in the street of uh just D de I think uh this street is very well known they have the water reservoir form when there's a bigger

rain and that day when I came back back from Boston at midnight I I I I I just know don't know it's three deep three feet deep I saw it's only one feet I can go through but in the middle my car just uh just trapped there and I have to get out of the car and they called the firework department and both police and Firework came there you want to ask me

where to go hospital I said I don't need the reason why it's it has some R why because the negligence of the city they never clean these dirt on the draining entrance and uh this is not new issue it happened almost every year the last time was August 23rd 2022 and uh since then they still don't clean this this the thing if they cleaned it there will be no such a such

a thing I lost my car just because they never cleaned that one and after that after that I put my complaint and put the reason for why it has the reservoir it's all because this blockage of the of the uh drainer entrance this is on TV uh they had before you know that's 2022 and after I complained they did clean and since then there no any R water reservoir formed since then

everything is going smoothly but before I made the complaint they did not do anything and there are no signs say the Street closed you know I said if there's such a big reason why you should call the street well let people know at least I put a sign they never did but after I made my complaint they put it a sign when the rain people know it won't that day when my car were

trapped there the remain in car want to go there I said no my car stopped in the middle you cannot go SCH hey could you wrap up I have to there's a time limit and we have other people um hang up I W up so my I submit my my complaint and I was only uh said I only got approved for 4,000 but my car was 13,500 and I'm retired I'm 67 each each

month only one less put on income so this is the Big L so I I understand though that you have met with the city you have met with the solicitor and there has been uh yeah the city has done what they can do for it I never had a chance to talk there was an approval already um but that's not it's just not the amount you want but there was an approval no that's

too less because it's 13,000 and if you pay 23 I would accept it okay please reconsider uh for that because really really big it's the really the ne agence of the city I did nothing wrong they did not put sign they did not clean the street for years and that's why the reservoir and I should get reward because I made all these suggestion and they did after I made all these suggestion they cleaned the entrance and

they put a sign there since then no no issue occurred if before me somebody made such a such a suggestion the issue had been already fixed but I help the city fixed the issu I understand you're not happy with the city's no it's but it's been taken do you want to add Mr solicitor so as you know the city council dealt with this claim this was originally sent it sent to our insurance

carrier the interlocal trust they denied a claim based upon the fact that based upon our investigation the police reports that Mr wne drove drove into the puddle and obviously it's open and obvious you drive into a puddle you're not supposed to do that however the um uh so that then when they denied the claim for us we was brought back to the Council as a claims committee I don't

remember the exact date it was more than a year ago I think councilman rioo back me up on that more than a year ago um all these issues were presented to the council uh the initial claim was to deny which was voted upon by believe this Council and then subsequently after some more insistence by Mr Wong we um the council took up the claim again and as a compromise recognizing all the legal

issues evolve um offered I believe it's $4,300 or whatever the price was and we have offer that to Mr Wang upon Him submitting a uh signing a a proposed uh lease that offer is still out there excuse me release that offer is still out there um he has refused to sign the release of all claims and until such time as that release is signed we don't give him any money I understand that

he's here asking for more money it's really not on the agenda other than to address the Council on that issue but that's where it stands from a legal perspective so there are no reason given to me why it's a insurance company denied it and we made a substantial offer and you refuse to accept it that's the end of this case the reason no the reason is the city is responsible it's a

negligence okay if we cannot resolve I will go to the legal matter but the thing is because it's clear it's the city negligent they did not do any cleaning like this after I made the suggestion they did I understand they even so noted Reed so no it's clear now they did very clean now okay okay but I should get a reward but I I was not even paid for my so if it's paid two3 I would

be okay you one you can continue to correspond with the legal department here but this you know we voted already no I I did not have a chance I want to present all the effect okay I do I do have to get to the next few speak this is a negligence okay there are no other reason it's complete Nega if we cannot resolve are you s city thank you

okay next person candy seal with a brand new address no it's not out of the

city it will be I promise to be brief Cy seal 125 South Rose Street East Providence 02914 good evening I want to share with you a letter to the editor of the post that I submitted for this week's issue it will be published on Thursday quote recently ke metac comic Green submitted a research paper for the record to a number of state agencies including ryot Dem the Rhode Island historical preservation and Heritage

commission and the scenic roadways board these folks will soon be determining the fate of the Veterans Memorial pathway whether it will remain a peaceful roadway for the pleasure of the public will become a version of seon's Route 6 our 30-page paper explores three ways in which the parkway is historically significant first as a Scenic roadway designed and built by the Olstead Brothers sons of the legendary landscape

architect Frederick Law Olstead and as a roadway that is designated that's El eligible for inclusion on the national register of historic places and is recognized as such second is Parkway significance at the possible repository of Native American artifacts but identify a site at the place of daily living activities reports have presented credible evidence of such activities to the east west north and south of it

third is it significance as a literal Memorial to Veterans to those who have given their lives in Wartime in the Revolutionary War to more recent times monuments and memorials are present along the parkway from simple stones to the emerald brother's bridge over the Cove in the garden of flags further south the state agencies mentioned above haven't responded yet they may not be

all that interested after all building a roundabout at the Lion Avenue intersection and widening Lanes is a big deal to us in these Providence but to people who aren't that familiar with the Parkway and its cultural and historic importance to our community it could be just another item in a day's work we also sent our paper to the members of the city Council as of this writing we have not heard from any of

them either we have to think that preserving the iconic Veterans Memorial pathway would be of interest to them after all some of them served on the previous Council that voted to limit the traffic on the pathway to its current capacity some of them represent the wards that Encompass the metacomet area including the parkway some are veterans and outspoken advocates for fellow veterans which is admirable they've all

been respectful of the Native American community and were seemingly supportive of the effort to require an arch survey of Medicom for the most part this Council has pretty much washed its hands of the metacomet matter citing their lack of authority since there since the previous Council handed it off to the Waterfront commission to deal with while they may not have authority though they can still

voice their opinions individually or as a group to these state agencies they could share the concerns about the proposed alterations to the Parkway in light of its history and significance through our community they could tell them that a 21t high Monument sign at the development's entrance is not acceptable they could partner with mayor D Silva to move along A Renewed application for the parkway's nomination

to the National register excuse me AMG calls on the members of the council not only to take the opportunity but also to recognize their responsibility reach out to decision makers at the state level on behalf of the community the previous Council gave up the 138 acre open space of metacom to a development of an enormous scale which is the only reason for altering the parkway we urge this Council not to lose

the scenic and iconic Parkway as well once it's gone like metac Comet it's gone forever for more information or to read our paper please see our Facebook page or email to kg4 gmail.com quote thank you thank you Candy a couple of the members are saying they don't recall getting a letter I I I think I do I remember getting it um I think I'll go back and look but hearing from two I

would just say to you excuse me um you know I didn't I think I recall reading it and as you just read it I I didn't don't recall what there was specific questions per se but it wasn't ignored I just you know we have I have answered you often and I kind of took it as information but I'll reread it and if I have some more thoughts I'll send it along to you thank you council president

iate that I did send it to each member individually and I sent it to the city clerk with a reford is it 1725 that when you sent it January 7th or recently it could have been January 7th okay yeah I have it I thought you got it I thought you just sent it you said no it was January 7 several weeks ago a month ago I'm sure we we all got

it they they don't always catch up to their emails I mean no I thought it was the letter to the editor and everything oh yeah no thank you for that this letter will appear in the post I just want to read it into the record tonight yep thank you all thank you next uh person a little difficult to read the first name I don't know if that is arindo it's Gonzalez a lot last

name looks like Glenda Gonzalez there somebody here last name Gonzalez from Lewis Farm Road in Green Rhode Island okay uh not not too clearly well if they're not here we'll move on to uh Evo via he left okay lesie Pereira she left okay oh so they put down to speak and they didn't have to okay before we go on to the next item I would ask the council do you want to as a

courtesy to our fire chief who was here and he certainly had some busy days on on page eight motion to approve probably here for that um if we want to move to that um motion well we'll just uh we better talk to to move the item up to you don't really need to have a motion we'll just without objection um I will move that I believe it's on page8 number four Madame clerk if you

could uh read the title of that resolution number four resolution authorizing the mayor to Pur a new Rescue for the fire department sponsored by Council vice president Rico thank you um Madame clerk Mr President um obviously as the city continues to improve uh equipment for First Responders this is another tool that we need uh also look forward to the day that this rescue is working 247 for the

entire city so that we will get get this is the fourth rescue so I move passage of this item this is going to Riverside not R second motion made in second any other questions for the council so this isn't replacing any this is addition to the fleet correct uh but the chief has we buy we recycle okay thank you Chief carry good evening good evening so this is a new Rescue that

will be replacing the Riverside rescue rescue two and Riverside I I withdraw my motion no I'm your rescue councilman is coming it was supposed to be here8 December yeah because of the hurricane this past summer yep they bumped up two two months and literally s in the line last week okay so we're looking at the end of March beginning of June for that delivery uh when the new Rescue comes in

it get it'll take rescue 2's Place rescue 2 will then be renumbered and go in reserve these trucks do 2,000 miles a month double that for engine hours because of idling time both on scene and at the hospital they're good for four years in service four years reserve and then it's time to send them someplace else because they're they're done um but that's typically what we're doing now great thank you for the answer

thank you motion made in second uh did you get the motion in the second okay all in favor I I any oppos the eyes have it thank you Council vice president thank you Chief we revert back to page five in the agenda Madam clerk I believe we're at appointments reappointment of Elizabeth Ingram to the East Province Public Library trustees council president Council vice president weo Council vice

president that wasn't that was wasn't a coup or anything that was just a friend thank you so at this time uh want to reappoint a very dedicated member of the library board Elizabeth Ingram for for another term is there a second to that motion second seconded by both councilwoman Souza and councilman Lawson all in favor I I any opposed the eyes have it thank you next item council members number one

effective potential state and federal executive order impounding grants and allocation and effective fut on future city finances council president rodrix thank you madam clerk I I just wanted to start the conversation that is my recommendation my my thoughts that we as a council need to be very cognizant of Finance I I think we have done a a very good job the to date the city is

on sound financial footings with all uh credit ratings and and other other ratings that are given to municipalities we have spent we talked about at the last meeting I think uh we took advantage of almost $30 million in combination of federal grants and funding and some State funding and have made a lot of improvements in the city going forward we we know that the climate is is changing you know the the

uh pandemic monies have pretty much been used up there is a a few dollars left uh there is a a new federal Administration where we we know that even some funds for the George Washington Bridge Project were put on PA we we're hearing positive comments as much as possible that because those funds do not attach to uh green climate legislature and things like electric cars that the money will still be coming

however we we just need to be careful uh going forward we know we have two expensive school bond issues that will have to be repaid we've already started that process something we all wanted the public wanted and we have a school system that's in pretty good shape with infrastructure and thankfully um we all agree that we're helping to make that happen so I I think each of us going

forward have to just be aware that if there are any projects we have and we we need to I'm sure the mayor's office is thinking along these same lines uh funds are not going to be forthcoming as much as they have been the past several several years so we the public all of us need to be very very a aware of this and keep our Good Financial footing as much as possible that's

all next item discuss safety measures in our public spaces councilman Lawson well this is just to get a conversation started we've had a couple violent events at um our Parks a couple people reached out with their concerns um the last thing we want is for any County to feel unsafe especially in a public space uh um we've also had issues with like people dumping furniture and trash like

a saving point and stuff so this is just the start of a conversation that I want to be proactive Ure that you know we have measures it's not feasible to have a cop at every park at all times um we want to look at other things that could deter people or help Laur enforcement catch people who commit these violent acts um again just to start the conversation give people time to think

about it and then we can Circle back um but when I get an email from someone saying that that they fear going to a public park we got to take action and I'm not saying our parks are not safe at all please don't take it that way but I believe in being proactive so that's it for that one y thank you I I just want to agree with you that um there were a

couple of isolated incidents uh 99% of our Parks or recreational facilities uh have been safe and safely used but you know one bad incident is too many so we'll and I know that's the one people remember not all the good times that one yep thank you next item number three discuss Street Scapes in our commercial corridors and reestablishment of the city council beautification advisory

commission councilman Lawson so this year I'm going to be laser focused on our commercial carers the Aesthetics of them I firmly believe one way to help small business is to make the place their business is at as attractive as possible to help bringing customers um we have some really good stuff going on you look at Waterman a crook Point brewery roses Jeffs the Myrtle you know I'd like to see what we

can do whether it's adding Greenery widening sidewalks um um commercial cars were looking at like water manav waren a Tav Riverside Square going up through Newport um and also by extension our public parks playgrounds and do we have like a master plan or are we just throwing things in um and when I started discussing this with some various folks it was mentioned to me how about

bringing back the beautification and and I I firmly believe in we got to talk to our fellow townies and get an idea of what they're thinking as well so um so this kind of goes with bringing back beautification they can advise us on some ideas um we can just keep pushing and um I just think it it makes a lot of sense to really work on the Aesthetics of the city so that really going to be

my focus this year thank you for that councilman I I just wanted wanted to add to the discussion um so when the prior to that beautification being dismantled by a previous Council um there was funding that was put into by the councils on a yearly basis that helped with that Aesthetics so they had there was a fund and then they could go and plant flowers in like different pots around the city or added some areas I

recall we added those big pots and then throughout the season our BPW would change them out similar to how they do here at City Hall and even City Hall you know making this these flower beds more robust um not just the mulch and the beautiful trees that are there which are the woman who does do it is an amazing does an amazing job um but it was to build on that um I would be

interested in also seeing because I know that our planning department has various buckets of funds to help businesses right and um I know they go through an algorithm of you know what people have to meet in certain criterias and I think maybe looking at what we currently have in those pools of funds and maybe making some adjustments um to then help this particular cuse so I know we have been helping um businesses as

like startups so getting from the inside out and sometimes they don't get to the out right um because the the funds um they go fast when you're starting up a business and depending on the extent of the business um things get very costly just each vac and plumbing you know those things alone can become very um encumbersome and so maybe looking at that pile of money that we use in a

rotating fund that we maybe set aside a subcategory for just the outside Aesthetics so businesses or that may need something as simple as a nice visible sign at their establishment to like Millers had used their funds for um might be something that would help those corridors well we still have that money available for oper right for the plac makers as well as to sign we still should have

some right but I think are you saying expand on the sign to include like the front walks and stuff yeah I get what she said yeah yeah I think there's yeah more absolutely um that we can do and and I think maybe having a workshop um on an off night with businesses um and then maybe you know I know we have a handful or less than a handful of businesses who are on the business

committee and I know they haven't gotten that up and running because they don't have a large amount I think there's probably three or four people on that committee currently ly so again I would recommend anybody who has or may have any business owners in their Ward to encourage them to apply so that we can put them on that board I'd really like to focus on in addition to getting that

committee up and running and meeting because they have reached out but there's only a few people on it I don't think it's it's might be a start talking about us yeah anyone El I don't think so I will get on that I apolog so thank you for uh bringing this up I think that there's definitely some um some good work that yeah I mean down in will it have you know we got it's like a

food court now you know um but things like making it pleasing for people to want to walk from their neighborhood over there um are we sidewalk safe enough to walk you know a lot of people are talking bikes and stuff like that so just getting this going and just I think that will do so much for the city so that's set for that one do you want to vote on the beautification now or we

can wait doesn't matter to me we can vote on it now since it's the topic so sure without objection is there a motion I'll make a motion to approve oh sorry yeah I move fast do you have it or I don't it's a resolution establishing yeah resolution establishing the prent city council beautification advisory commission um let me see if I

have there we go uh whereas city council we support uh enhancing the Aesthetics of East Providence Public areas and streetscapes and whereas city council believes strongly an input from the community when it comes to enhancing our public areas and streetscapes whereas city council believes strongly that one way to assist small business owners to ensure we are creating an environment that is warm

open and inviting in our commercial cards and where City strongly believes in crafting a strategic plan to enhance our public playgrounds parks and Fields and Commercial cers um therefore there'll be a commission uh five residents we get one pick on it and um they'll serve a term of three years and they may be reappointed any number of times by a majority of a council vote and they'll have to follow all the

OM and stuff like that is there a second second second by councilwoman Souza all in favor I I any oppos I have that thank you i' like the table number four without objection sure four is tabled number five discussion on maintenance of the railroad tracks within city of East Providence Council vice president rioo councilman thank you Mr President um this has come to my attention predominantly in the neighborhood

of the railroad tracks are budding Al ganin Road uh a lot of the railroad tracks most of the mileage of the railroad tracks go through the first Ward as well as the second ward um and what is happening here is the railroad company is not what I would consider being a good neighbor for the taxpaying citizens of the city I will have pictures coming up but along Al ganin Road trees are falling on

people's fencers they're falling on people's sheds uh they uh constant constant problem uh one time a couple weeks ago I guess they did go by and they cut some trees and they didn't notify them and thank God the people and the Animals weren't on the outside because the machine going by was just like throwing up throwing the wood into the yard One landed in a person's pool uh it's been numerous problems all along

the the corridor that comes up uh Broadway and Wilson Avenue the streets like Duncan and Mayfair uh continue to have problems with the railroad I don't know if we need to further draft something to our state delegation to get them involved because I solicitor you can correct me but is technically the railroad state property or is it the or is it the railroads property I'm assuming that the railroad

easement where the railroad is is is is either property of the railroad or a federal easement but most likely the railroad so maybe we can find out the owner of that Railroad and figure out um send a letter expressing their concerns about the cleanup around it there's also a a federal agency that governs um railroad um still Yes governs railroad um stuff like stuff like this I can't

think of the name off the top of my head but there is an agency that might be able to look into yeah I mean obviously in other parts of the country like Michigan and Illinois railroads are pretty uh uh still very run a lot of uh roads in here too yeah here too but not as much but uh uh is it Providence and what are they still in business they are not um it's

somebody took jiz in Wyoming I think they called it's a different company they bought out okay but all right so yeah whoever is the we'll look into it and maybe draft a letter for you to send or have the council send okay it's just it's I've got when when you get one phone call and then you get numerous phone calls along the way it becomes an it's an issue obviously so I just wanted

to address it for my constituents thank you thank you very much next item number six veterans advisory committee update councilman Lawson uh just give you guys an update we're getting ready to start up again after taking the um holidays Break um we're going to meet tomorrow um one of the topics we're going to talk about Tori Jessa brought for tor's Awesome by the way um brought forward a program it's

called Hometown hero banners and I believe barington has it where they have some banners Lin in some streets with various veterans um so she's going to present that to us tomorrow and then I'll follow up with you guys and um Bring It Forward see if it's something you'd want to support and then we'll probably start planning our next um like event for getting veterans to understand

you know various benefits uh Tony Balano uh he's awesome giving us um you know that guidance you know cuz it's not easy navigating the VA system and um and then we're going to do do our usual um you know stuff throughout yes so but that's it I mainly want to give you guys the heads up on the hometown here obana and uh Troy will give us a good update and then I'll present it to the council

seeon does it all does2 signing around Memorial Day they have them the the the fellow female a male you know War veteran and everybody yeah we we got some we got a lot of vets that we really us to uh honor throughout the whole city not just the memorial Parade route so and that's it for the VAC thank you councilman for keeping that active oh absolutely s warming Center update council president rodrix I just want to

quickly uh thank a few people in in the city uh we we all are aware of the news whereby we've had some um extremely cold weather and the annual problem of uh people that are homeless or unhoused is one of the terms being used now and need a place to go or the state really has lagged behind in getting anything going at that level there is an update okay and then um we'll get that

update and then East Providence uh did Step Up uh it was not a fullblown uh shelter per se but it was an overnight warming shelter and to make sure I don't forget anybody but um from the mayor's office Andrea Vargas I believe was the coordinator and with about a day's notice uh she put together uh a a program at the senior center along with um Laura Jones the director Diane Sullivan of course uh mayor's

office Patricia rendi um and they provided a great emergency warming Center mostly for East Providence residents but certainly weren't going to turn away anybody I stopped by there the first night only two people did take advantage of it but it was a young couple and at least they had a warm place that night and lot of donations came in to the point where I know um Andrea and Laura Jones said to me uh because I was

getting calls from people wanting to send more stuff over and they said really if we get any more we're going to have to turn around and donated it out because we we have a lot so it whether it was two people or 30 people the city responded and and we made something available hopefully maybe next year there'll be more of a permanent set up somewhere and hopefully the step

will the state will step up do you have an update on the state uh yeah um speaker saki he spoke I think it was today about the pallet shelters um apparently zoning of various things kind of was holding things up they're ready to go it's just a matter as usual the state can't get out of its own way to get things done um but they're ready to go so that hopefully will alleviate

people out on the streets people out in the cold um I thought when I heard pallet that they would wood structures so I was like whoa fire but apparently they're very safe they're very um they they're not bad looking you know so before people freak out um so it looks it was the fire suppression that was the delay right which we know after the station fire everybody and their mother

had to buy a sprinkler system which put a lot of VFW Halls out of business um but you're right you do want to be safe absolutely but sometimes the regulations can be a little bit too honorous at they stop things that I needed so it looks like that will probably be hopefully done where those shelters are set up sooner than later um Winter's almost over but you know and a on that note in

regards to the pallet pallet houses a nice shout out should go out to East Providence resident uh Laura jski who has spearheaded that and has put in numerous hours she's just an amazing woman and now that I just said amazing woman she should be at the top of the list for amazing women when we have that uh ceremony ceremony so Lara would be outstanded I mean she's a she's a

constituent of mine but take that away I mean for what she's done and the Blood Sweat and Tears that she's put up to get this thing up and running is amazing thank you so in in closing uh we just want to extend our appreciation to the staff and when I say they were there they stayed overnight you know they stayed they slept there uh there was supervision a police officer would come in and check occasionally and

EMS occasionally so it was very well done so uh uh director rendi if you could pass that along to the rest the staff thank you uh without objection I would like to before we start any public hearings go to page seven item number two if there is no objection in this resolution and this is a resolution sponsored by councilman Lawson I have uh do you want me to read

the resolution you mind if I read it say a remark and then hand it off to you not at all okay please all right let me pull it up all right so this came about um you know we we got an awesome City and we're growing we're bringing in so many new Towes and it's awesome and amazing but we also got a history here too and you know part of what I'd like

to do is make sure that people know about the area that they're coming into that's why you know we work to rename the part crescent part um that's why we're fighting to keep old and to make sure it's used as community space business incubator this is just another step in that direction so um I will read the resolution and then I will let council president he can wax eloquently so much better than I can

on these things but as a kid growing up in the 80s Big Al if you played any you sport you know who he was um so this resolution establishing the Big L Alfred D Santi Recreational Park currently known as the Riverside athletic and Recreation Center or more affectionately the wreck whereas city council desires to recognize the contributions of the late Al D Santi known as Big Al to thousands

of Youth in East Providence and particularly in Riverside Big Al was a beloved coach and mentor to local youth in football baseball and basketball leagues for more than 40 years whereas Big Al was a lifelong resident of East Providence and a graduate of the East Providence High School he is an East Providence High School Hall of Fame induct and whereas Big Al served the nation as a United States Air Force

veteran see an active duty during Vietnam and whereas Bill a excuse me Big Al was a dedicated employee for the city of East Providence Water Division for 25 years before retiring in 1992 whereas Big Al is fondly remembered for his dedication enthusiasm and loyalty to the future of Riverside Youth Sports since it says since should that be up until his untimely death passing in 200 well he's

been remembered since oh okay I'm sorry I'm sorry I stumbled over that no problem um whereas an annual scholarship in the name of Big L is offered to College Bound students by the Riverside Little League now therefore be it resolved the East provent city council hereby declares and establishes the alpha D Santi Big Al recreational park at the Somerset Street Sports complex in Riverside Rhode

Island thank you uh councilman I think you pretty much cover covered it it all and just to uh illuminate a little bit on on the entire area we all know it's called the wreck it was always called the wreck it will still always be called The W but it does need to have some formal recognition we're really recognizing two people with this uh we're recognizing Big Al which many people in

Riverside have been uh asking for for a few years I also coached at that time I was on the other side of the field because he had his teams I had my teams and uh Big Al was ever present on football field baseball field and the basketball courts um and not only in Riverside but all throughout the the state as his teams traveled and the original complex which was basically just that corner of the large baseball

field and that it was named and will remain named in honor of Mr um Frank delin there's a large bowler at the corner of the park and some Somerset Street and you'll notice um and that was provided by the deline family and I I let them know that uh you know this this is going to be a nice partnership it's it's Big Al it's Frank delem who used to be supervisor of a pox

in the city a long long time ago and that we're going to enhance that too because there's no real signage up on that fence so the the boulder stays it'll be in blazed with Mr Del's name and since those years the park has expanded there's football there's soccer there's girls softball way in the corner as you head towards Riverside Middle School and there is a field in some parking now behind the school not really

a part of the wreck but it's all one it's all one complex and connected so by this way we will acknowledge Big Al and still remember uh Mr doem which will specifically be that big baseball field there's basketball courts other things that are associated with him and and Big Al will kind of be uh o overall in the the park and the complex and we'll work with public works and parks on getting some

signage uh done so it's what I'd like to do with the is get creative and maybe have a fundraiser where we have like either whiffle ball softball or some kind of games to honor big out but also has a benefit to raise money to buy nice signage for that maybe an interpretive signage of what he did and just something but I think that'd be a cool way to bring back the folks that

remember him through you Sports have a fun fundraiser you know that's a good good idea it'll be fun to get everybody together uh this is not unprecedented excuse me we also have in Rumford the Kim Rock complex which has three or four Fields with other names on it and also at uh in Riverside Providence Avenue playground behind the old oldum school which has brown and Connor's fields and yet it's under the

name of Providence Avenue in piercefield which has two Little League fields um one is the Bob Amal field Bob in instituted girls softball in the city and the other one is is the Rodrick field which set the record straight yes was a field named in 1974 for my dad who was active at the time I was certainly not in politics had nothing to do with it you were five

years old I don't know if Anna was born yet you were not born yet NOP not and I can attest there would be no little league in the city without your great late dad well thank you sir and the Rego family was there at that at that time so had nothing to do with me I was a proud young teenager with this that was named so in that vein that's how all of this

has come to fruition and Riverside has a passion about Big Al so I'm sure I've heard today from many of them that they they were happy and so with that said uh councilman Lawson that's a motion is there a second by councilwoman Souza further discussion all in favor I I and he opposed the eyes have it thank you passes unanimously thank you councel thank you councilman and now Madame

clerk we've confused you enough back to the regular agenda page five is it public hearings ordinance for second and final passage for discussion and possible vote number one an ordinance and amendment of chapter 18 of the revised ordinances of the city of East Providence Rhode Island 1998 as amended entitled vehicles and traffic the Council of the city of East Province hereby ordains Section 1 article 10

entitled stopping standing and parking of chapter 18 of the revised ordinance of the city of East Providence as amended by adding a new section 18-31 17 which set Municipal parking lot regulations and signage introduced by council president Rodricks thank you there was some initial discussion at the last meeting I've talked with councilwoman soua about this and I think you have some ideas to

um get a little more specific and if you want to uh bring that up and maybe we could put this off a bit yes so I think the intent is still to do it but we want to correct clear it up this would be for one and two um on the docket so after reading the ordinance um when it came for first P pass message and thinking about it and looking at what um it says

I think that there is definitely some reasoning behind it giving the um police some teeth and some um power over taking actions on very on on the parking concerns but I think that um restricting or not knowing um which Parks uh parking lots that we're going to be using ahead of time and just leaving it to the distri discretion um of the director of Public Works without coming before the council

and making it known in a transparent way like all of the other signages across the city especially when it comes to having a monetary amount of money being attached to a fine I think is not in my mind reasonable I think it's you know there should be language that supports having it like the other signs where it comes before the council it's made public the public is aware they have an

opportunity to speak or against it um and have an open discussion um secondly I'm not looking and I don't think anyone I would hope is not looking for it to be a money grab and just another way to tax a resident um that's using a public space that they already paying taxes to use um I know that it in my mind is potentially something more for safety um and enforcement um but again I think

that are other things that we can put in before we start Towing and adding additional fees um to help someone that may have potentially left the car overnight because they were unable to drive safely home or they had an incident with their vehicle that it was non-operable and they just didn't have the means at that moment to get it out of that specific location so I think that there are variables that we can

consider um instead of automatically just Towing people we know with the snow band the parking band we had with the snow um that the officers were out and um enforcing that ordinance which I would say 98% of the community was happy about because it got our streets cleared um and safe for people to to drive um but for those who did not move their vehicles and were it with the fines for

the violation they were sub substantial in their minds um and and they were decent amount of money that people had to pay um and so I'm again not trying to put um another Financial barrier on people but I think it's still something that should be done it just needs a couple of more tweaking before I'm comfortable and I think should be sure and and I know my my intent is certainly to um avoid abuse

es uh not someone as the councilwoman said who maybe had a legitimate hardship for one day or one night but people not using Lots uh in an abusive way and without a full councel tonight um Mr solicitor can we just hold put this one and two off till the next meeting if you want to continue the public hearing to the next meeting yes extent that any council member has any suggested changes it's

the first passage we need to get those yep okay so the councilwoman will get those changes in and uh we'll continue this without objection to the next meeting no because we're setting the date so it'll be continued to the next Council date which be when 18 we have the Amendments by then by the 18th we have to go back to First passage anyway yeah by the 18th so the this this public hearing on

um let's just do this on a formal vote Contin public hearing on both of these ordinances to um the February 18 is there a motion to continue the public hearing on both of these ordinances numbers one and two this clarification if we're going back to First passage we don't need advertised correct it's still second passage you might have public comment as a result of the Amendments that she has okay people

themselves might have I'll make a motion second motion made by councilman Lawson second by councilwoman souer all in favor I I and you oppos the I thank you next item number three an ordinance in amendment of chapter 18 of the aides ordinance of the city traffic section 18 J 307 entitled parking prohibited at all times of article 10 entitled stopping standing and parking is amended by adding th to

the following Ivy Street West Side for a distance of 40 ft from the intersection of Waterman Avenue introduced by councilwoman Susa thank you um so this is um for second passage um so this is essentially just um in line with where the current sign is um it wasn't at the it wasn't in our ordinance book as 40 feet um but it is necessary because that corner is congested with the local

businesses and it is become on both both sides of the corner a safety hazard for vehicles and pedestrians um utilizing that general area so I move um for final passage motion by councilwoman Su final passage is there a second this isn't a public here it is yeah I'm just going to have a second oh yeah I'll second second by councilman lost in any Council discussion hearing none uh it's a public

hearing is anyone here present to speak on this Ordinance one more time anyone here present are seeing none I'll close the public hearing we have a motion in a second what is your pleasure all in favor I I any opposed the eyes have it unanimously second passage thank you thank you next item new business mayor communication Chief of Staff Patricia

rendi evening Council welcome thank you um so just briefly if I may um just I'll go very quickly um so we Elizabeth Kinder is um listed as an appointment to the tree commission just as a courtesy we wanted to alert the council she is a former ESL teacher she's been attending the tree commission meetings um and getting involved um in terms of her background I just wanted to make you aware uh she currently has a tree

growing business um called Samuel Kinder and Brother Inc in Rhode Island uh she hires and trains employees she supervises plantings and cares for nursery stock so she's well vered in working with um our planning Department in the tree Commission on um on our on our Eda grant for the 750,000 that we received to plant trees moving on if there are no questions if uh if the council could

bear with me while I read into record um there's three proclamations all of which I would say are uh equally significant um one as many of you as all of you know we lost Marlin Davis uh to gallbladder cancer on Christmas morning um and I know that this was very important to her uh when the mayor wanted to Proclaim this month as gallbladder and bile duct cancer awareness month so she always

said if if I could help educate one person you know to look at this earlier then then you know then it's important that's all it took for her so whereas if I may whereas gallbladder and bile duct cancer are relatively rare affecting countless lives with an estimated 12,350 people diagnosed with gallbladder cancer and 8,000 diagnosed with bile duct cancer each year and whereas these

terrible diseases often get past early detection leading to challenges in providing timely and effective treatments and emphasizing the importance of increased awareness Education and Research whereas the city of East Providence hopes to shed light on the struggles faced by those affected by gallbladder and bile duct cancer recognizing the impact on individuals families in the community as a whole and

whereas th this awareness month we strive to welcome compassion and understanding offering support to those in our community battling these cancers and encouraging preventive uh measures early detection and advancements in medical research whereas the city stands in solidarity with those affected and those who have lost their lives to gallbladder and bile duct cancer and the city is committed to the fight against

gallbladder and bial duct cancer thriving for a future where no one has to endure the pain and suffering caused by these diseases is therefore on behalf of Mayor Bob D Silva in the city of East Providence we here um hereby Proclaim February I skull bladder and B duct cancer awareness so if you could share that with one person we'll make our dear friend marleene who's probably watching

the city council meeting from somewhere else now um aware of this that will make her happy and um this month is Black History Month I know I don't have it on the mayor Communications but on February 12th at noon we will having we will will be having our black history month event um we just solidified some of those details so the council will be receiving that from from our office so Black History Month whereas

the city of East Pro Providence honors the history and the achievements of black Americans and calls on the members of the community to reflect on the centuries of struggle that have brought this time of Reckoning Redemption and hope and whereas it is long past du to confront the Deep racial inequities and the systemic racism that continue to plague the nation and whereas the city of East Providence

honors the history made by the Black Americans in our community and Promises to continue the good and necessary work to achieve racial Justice and Equity within the city whereas the history of Black Americans has been silenced for too long we shall continue to raise and uplift the voices of our black community members and their ancestors and as and whereas excuse me President Gerald for

officially recognized Black History Month in 1976 I ask the citizens of East Providence to continue this tradition and seize the opportunity to honor the too often neglected accomplishments of black Americans every in every area and Endeavor throughout our history just as President Ford did whereas After experiencing tragedy Across the Nation East Providence Works endlessly to acknowledge and teach the next

generation of East Providence citizens the history of Black Americans in order for us to shape a better future for the community and therefore on behalf of Mayor Roberto D Silva and the City of East Province we proclaimed February as Black History Month and we encourage all residents to join us in celebrating black history month on February 12 here at City Hall at noon and lastly um as

many of you know the mayor wanted to make a proclamation to emphasize our diversity Equity inclusion and accessibility in the city of these Providence which is a sensitive and um timely topic currently whereas president Donald J Trump signed an executive order in January 2025 that aims to end diversity equity and inclusion programs within the federal government the administration and the City of Prov of

East provinces a welcoming Community which Embraces diversity and whereas the administration supports diversity Equity inclusion and accessibility in our Workforce and throughout our community whereas the city currently addresses and mandates diversity in our Personnel code and affirmative action ordinance and whereas the administration reaffirms its commit to adhere to ordinances and

policies as set forth in article or section 11- uh 136 affirmative action plan um I won't necessarily read the um verbiage but whereas our Administration through several uh executive orders has established a mayor advisory Council on lgbtqi plus Affairs are the mayor Community Advisory board and the mayor advisory Council on indigenous Affairs to advocate vate for a culture of respect and progress towards equality

and therefore I on behalf of Mayor Roberto El Silva and the City of East Province we airm diversity Equity inclusion and accessibility in the city of East Providence and if I just may relay we had a recent meeting where councilman uh lawon and council president were in attendance and this was um a subject that was brought up and there was there was concern from residents and we are working with we'll

work with the council and others to have a community meeting to be able to continue this discussion and support fairs from our community and that is all for me unless the council has any questions or comments questions of for staff well thank you very much information sure thing okay Madam clerk you want to continue the agenda C report of school committee Leon acknowledgement of both ward two and

Ward three seats won by Anton Deus and David Louise voted in as Vice chair and chair we were just going to welcome the the school committee but yeah we'll acknowledge those um we just wanted to let the school committee know the new members and those returning that um we're here and I hope you saw by our actions over the last couple years how much support you have from this city council when it comes comes to making

sure our schools are I believe every school building should be a palace education our teachers should be well compensated and um we just want to acknowledge the new guys coming in and let them know that we're here we're ready to talk we're ready to listen I pay attention to everything going on and um we're here to assist anyway we can thank you in line with that I've U pretty much set up an informal

conversation with the chair of the school committee on weekly basis just to uh keep in the loop thank you next item D resolutions for discussion and possible vote on resolution number one without having a full committee here going to also continue that until the next meeting without objection

that' be the the 18th we've done number two and number three and number four so Madam clerk if you want to continue with letter e introduction of ordinances for discussion and possible vote an ordinance and amendment of chapter 18 of the revised ordinance es of the city of East Providence Rhode Island 1998 as amended entitled vehicles in traffic article 10 entitled stopping standing and parking is amended by

adding there to the following section 18 J 317 residential Park resident parking only a the following Street shall be designated as resident parking only Ivy Street from Waterman Avenue to Blanding Street both sides from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. weekdays and Saturday and Sunday all day introduce council president Bob rodri and councilwoman Anna Souza thank you thank you councilwoman

thank you uh council president so um as many have known and we've discussed in the past that there have been Community meetings regarding uh parking concerns and issues along very tight Road streets in the center of the city that have been up and coming and developed with businesses which we are extremely excited about because it brings uh life to the neighborhoods um but with that

also brings more traffic and less room for on street parking um so one of the outcomes that we discussed at the community meeting was implementing this parking residential parking only passes or permits um so this ordinance lay out the um guidelines for how a resident who lives on the street of Blanding would be able to submit a permit only application for parking on that road um so that

would include showing their uh registration for the vehicle um year making model um bin number it would come with a cost for the permit um that permit obviously should be visible on their vehicle window so that if um there is parole uh patroling going around that their car then does not subsequently get removed at owner's expense um accidentally so that is um one of the things that um was a result of that

community meeting um additionally signage indicating that it would be residential permitted parking only similar to what our neighboring downtown area has for overnight parking in Providence um along those same lines there are restrictions on the hours in which that pocketing it parking is allowed with the permit um and that's laid out in the ordinance um so first passage um for all those residents who

may be watching or listening at home um next council meeting February 18th will be public hearing so certainly um come out and voice your approval or not um on the matter um I would also encourage anyone to reach out to me personally um or any council member for that matter to discuss this in more detail if you um would like it's an open door policy for all council members including myself um I look forward to

the discussion and um get this right the first time I know sometimes our intentions are well and then once implemented there are some things that could have should have been done a little bit differently so obviously public input is of the most important and that's why we encourage anyone and everyone to reach out with any input um either for or against so that we can make the changes necessary um for the area thank

you I move I'm going to support moving this forward my only concern is um you know Grandma and Grandpa come and visit on the weekend um and this is Saturday and Sunday all day resident only that's the only thing just just plain little devil's advocate here um how do you handle visitors you know and you know family get Sunday dinnner are big with my family just just throwing it out

there I'm voting to move it forward that came up with the uh that neighborhood meeting in the neighbors pretty much realize they have to just adjust because they it's important enough but we can talk about it further we move it forward anyway right because they could maybe be in the the road and then their family could be in the driveway you know or whatever parking so yeah that is at

their their discretion off they're having a big family gathering and there's you know 10 cars well maybe they'll have to do some walking so there did someone make the motion I did Council so um thank you council president vice president um in looking at this ordinance and listening to um K Mass's comments I was thinking about this actually I was driving here today um I do think we need to specify in the

ordinance where the permit needs to be placed so I'm wondering if you would entertain an amendment on section c so we don't have to go back to Second passage first passage on the second passage that the uh after the after the says the period the the permit shall be valid for a period of 24 months from the date of the issuance and shall be placed on the driver side front windshield that that's a good idea I

rear most people and I'm just kind of like throwing it out there when you get your oil change they put that little sticker on the right corner that's on the front windshields right yeah so if you put the if you put the sticker yeah well it's definitely on the driver's side because you have to park with the Wheels to the passenger so it would be it would definitely be the driver's side either

front or rear going to I'm going to ask officer snow who is a veteran police officer um could you come forward then do you have an opinion on a parking ticket now you were how several years a police officer before here can you use the mic and uh he's an expert witness now yes this is an expert witness so as a police officer not you were aware Warwick was it sir yeah um

and if you were trying to enforce a policy that had a parcking sticker per se where would you think it should be on a car what would you be looking for we know the inspection sticker is the lower right of the windshield so we don't want to inhibit that area if if it's if the passenger tires to the the curb you you'd put on the outside of the driver's side right up on the windshield just

above the uh on the left so you could drive by and see it really easy that's what I'm thinking so the officer driving the street could look and see it if they if it's if you're alive if it's a oneway street you're allowing parking on both sides might be a little more difficult but it should be up on the driver's side just just below the uh the windshield top so so the officer has no trouble

seeing it and left and change colors every year if if you're doing it every year every two years so upper left hand corner of the front windshield it should be placed on the upper upper upper driver side windshield driv saying the oil change you're going to have to move it below oh a couple inches below just make it a special design with whatever you want to do so it's it's obvious the city seal that

make that Amendment so um like to make the amendment to the ordinance that I don't have it in front of c c would um indicate that the assigned sticker let me let me state it so we can just repeat uh so you would be added after the issu is removed striking the pre perioded add a comma and the following language and shall be placed on the uh upper driver's side windshield that's where the per on the

left up driver's side dver yeah yeah unless you're in England true so if you just make that Amendment councilwoman it be great yep so um I make the amendment so that's an amendment is there a second to that councilman Lawson so council president can I make the amendment before you rush me you are great thank you just do it quickly so I make the amendment as read by the cicor now we can move the vote and

you'll second that okay uh uh can you say that no I second that all in favor of the amendment I oppose the I have now we have to vote on the on the actual orance as amended ordinance as amended motion to approve the ordinance as amended first passage first passage all in favor I I any opposed the eyes have thank you officer snow are you going to send us a bill for your expert testimony

tonight you can uh do that if you want just send it into the mayor office next item you know when people complain but make a motion I think we have to go executive session uh Mr solicitor now we're going we're not going to discuss yeah we should go in execu the last item should go Council Susan wanted to go in ex okay so at this time we'll recess the executive session and return

back to public session need to make a vote on two so that was a motion by councilwoman soua seconded by Council vice president R I'm sorry to go just make the record to go executive session Council yes go in executive session the statute because you have state that you know and the statute Island general laws is 42- 46-5 a and two L litigation I all in favor I we will return shortly to report out

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you Council vice president I'm reading out the claims report as you know the council just met an executive session on a claims report uh the claim of uh Drew Tasco for the amount of $2,223 64 was tabled for a second estimate claim of Mr OCT Octavio Kuna in the amount of $1,192 was uh denied the claim of Brianna melli of $327 18 was motion was made to refer to the state for payment because

it was a state road sewer charge basements in the amount of $1,124 78 of Lana Ferrera was approved sewer charge baits for Miss Kathy and Galant an amount of $399. 70 was approved and Marcus Lopez SE charge AB bement in the amount of $833 excuse me $833 and5 was also approved unanimously my claim report thank you motion to adjourn second all in favor I poos