5/7/25 EP City Council

the meeting of the East Providence City Council to order uh tonight, Wednesday, May 7th. Madame Clerk, could you please call the role of the council? Councilman Fogerty. Yeah. Councilman Lawson. Yeah.

Council Vice President Rico. Yeah.

Councilwoman Souza, Council President Rodri here. The record show for members uh present. Please rise for the pledge.

Thank you all. Madame clerk, if you want to read the first agenda item. Executive session. The city council of East Providence may meet in executive session pursuant to the Rhode Island general laws 42-46-5 A2 litigation settlement agreement for discussion and possible vote. S Bank East Providence Call LLC versus Sarah Pew Tax Assessor.

Thank you. I I think that we can discuss this right here in in public. We there's one item. We do have the tax assessors Sarah Pu her um recommendation. So I would however there is a question or two from the council.

So, I would ask uh the solicitor Vodelatto if you could give us a little summary of the assessor's recommendation and why this is before us tonight. I know you haven't been working on it too long, but hopefully we you can at least give us a summary. Thank you, Mr.

President. So before the council tonight is a proposed settlement agreement between the city and SBNK or SB Bank East Providence Call LLC for property uh at 95 Ammeral Street. Um the taxpayer has appealed their tax evaluation um and has reached an agreement with the tax assessor's office for a reduction in the appraised value of the property um which would also um result in a tax credit to the taxpayer.

Um, it was the uh it was negotiated through the solicitor's office with Mike Marcelo and the tax assessor Sarah Fru.

You can try to answer any questions. I was given this yesterday. I have read it, but I I'm happy to answer any questions. Council has Thank you. Uh, counselor. So, it the amount of the tax credit if I'm reading this is is that the 74,000 that would be 488. Yeah. So the specifics if you'd like the the original valuation of the property was 14,846,500. The proposed settlement is to reduce that value of the property to

12,500. Um and when sent back uh and adjusted back to tax year 2023 and 2024, there would be a $74,488 credit to the taxpayer.

Okay. So by by agreement and all the research that was done, this tax credit is owed to the owner, but there is a clause in here.

I'll defer to uh Councilman Lawson. you rais a a good point where the it says that they can sell this tax credit or not the tax credit in its entirety. But you I know you had a question about that and yeah it says however for any given tax 26 taxpayers shall have the option to sell any portion of the tax credits remaining. I'm not going to vote to approve that. Can that be stricken?

Uh, I got no problem with the tax credit. We owe them. We owe them. But I the language that they can sell tax credits, I I don't think that's appropriate. So, I think the the tax assessor, right, you weren't part of it.

You defer this to Mike, sir. Right. We weren't part of it either. And I don't believe the tax assessor is is present.

So, uh, let's defer this to the next meeting. Okay. Okay. Without objection, we'll defer. Yeah. I got no problem with Council Vice President. really wish that she needs to be here and explain it because we're going through a whole tax reval. People have gotten their evaluations and I, you know, understand it went to court and everything, but it's not a good look to the public right

here. So, uh, yeah. Well, the the tax refund we owe. I know, but I'm just saying, how did we get here and everything and it isn't fair to the assistant city solicitor to be thrown in on the in the extra I think if I could just add, I think the reasoning behind it is um the tax credit is owed to the to the SBank. If they choose to sell the property and move on,

then they would have nothing to apply that credit to. Um, it is money the city's already received. Um, but I I understand and I I wish I could have given it a little bit more. I was under the impression too that the credit is being applied originally to the SBank's uh real property tax bill instead of the property tax bill. But they do have the option in the proposed settlement to

sell the credit. they have what you just said would be more I'd be more comfortable on that avenue than them having the option. I mean it's you know we owe them the money. We owe them money for whatever reasons you know like to get it more in detail but that's a story for another time but for you know it shouldn't be you know drag it along and everything. Okay. So the matter is is

deferred. Uh I I might explain that uh solicitor uh Marcelo um wasn't available tonight. We changed this meeting a month ago from Tuesday to Wednesday and Mr.

Marcelo let us know a month ago that he was uh committed elsewhere. So we do have our assistant solicitor here. So that explains why um we have a change in solicitors in case anyone's wondering about that. Thank you. Next item. Do we do we need a formal motion to defer or we just Why don't we do that? Um be cleaner.

Sure. Councilman Lawson, is that a motion? I'll make a motion to defer this uh until next meeting. Second. Council vice president seconds. Uh all in favor?

I I Is there anyone opposed? The eyes have that four to zero. Thank you.

consent calendar for discussion and possible vote. A1 regular council meeting minutes April 15, 2025 and B acknowledgement of resignation of Steve Hodcastle from the waterfront commission term ending 57205.

Under the council minutes, there should be an amendment uh to that. Uh, I believe if this is the meeting that we're talking about that Councilman Lawson wants to make sure his vote is recorded as nay and not I. And the vote was for the um renewal of the speed cameras. The renewal of the speed cameras in the city. So, it was a was it 3 to one? I believe there were

four of us here. So, there were three in the affirmative. Councilman Lawson should be recorded as a nay vote. So with that exception, is there a motion to accept? If I a moment, I just want to thank Steve for his time served on the waterfront commission. I served with him. It's uh he's a great guy and it's tough when people are coming at you, but he did a good job and we're thankful.

We're thankful that volunteer their time to be on these boards. Unpaid uh time.

He did did a great job and after a second what Councilman Lawson said, Steve is a constituent of mine and really put the time and effort into it and uh thank him for I thank him for his service. I make a motion to uh accept the consent calendar.

Motion by Councilman Lawson, seconded by Council Vice President Rio. All in favor? I I Any opposed? The eyes have it. License. Can I ask one question?

Yes. Is anybody from Abiv environmental?

Here we have two solicitors for pest control services. Owners location Provo, Utah.

So, I don't know, but I'll make a motion to bundle to pull those three out. That would be 8, 9, and 10. I just want to get some more detail.

I mean active environment maybe the clerk has information maybe not but so the owner is out of state which that by itself isn't unusual but the distance maybe uh what what does it say in the application uh 8 n and 10 on the agenda aptive environmental LLC yeah aptive a t i E three different names. Yeah, eight. Three different names. Yeah. But I just want some more background on the business.

No, I guess some businesses, but they're usually New England based, but Utah's kind of It might be a franchise. Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. It's probably a franchise. So, on Yep. So, so a solicitor, they just they're going to knock on your door and ask you if you want to spray for bugs.

Okay. And this was approved by the cops and anybody that had to those names.

So, it's franchised. All All other approvals are in. All right. I'll make a motion that we uh bundle.

Motion is made to bundle the requests.

Um, madame clerk, is it there are 17? Is it these are 17 total? One's a read and the last one, right? But it was only for a DJ. So, all on the public agenda and some of it is like our own Crescent Park carousel is down here maybe four, five times. So, and and be clear, that's this isn't a city council mandate that we asked them to do these licenses. Well, it is, but I've I've

said from day one we shouldn't have to do this. uh maybe a couple of years ago now I think it was brought brought to us and the council maybe trying to be very transparent said yeah everybody's got to come before us for a license but as as you're saying now and I think all of us have come to agree our own library shouldn't have to come to a city council meeting and say

they want permission to have a puppet show uh carous ourselves shouldn't have to come to us and say they want permission to have a nice public event at the at our park. The the reason it causes a problem is timing because if one of these requests comes in an hour after our meeting is over, they've been denied. And you know that causes a problem. So I I think I'm gonna put it

on the next agenda to clarify this so we can do away with that. I think there's certain licenses that liquor license Yeah. should be separated like we should not be just bundling liquor licenses according to state law. I mean that's that that's a no no and I mean one day license two days license liquor license in general. I agree with you. We don't need to know if uh you know they're putting on you know

a puppet show at the library and a lot of these other like movie night at the park. I mean we don't need that. I mean, right, where we're liable and under state law. I mean, even even to the point cutting down some of these light, you know, people who coming along like the bug men that were just here, if the police and fire uh certify them, they don't have any, you know, obviously they're going to run

their back around to see that they're, you know, clean. Um, it should be good enough just to, you know, have the clerk or, you know, cler clerk sign off on it.

It's no different than getting a driver's license. I've been driving that for a couple years. I I I mean, liquor licenses are different. And uh, if we want to have a puppet show with liquor, well, we we'll have to think about that one. Most liquor liquor events turn into puppet shows. So, yeah. Those puppets. I don't know. But that's So was there a motion to bundle was and yeah and Councilman Fogerty seconded. All in

favor? I I Any opposed? The eyes have it. Is there a motion to approve? To approve by Councilman Lawson seconded.

Also by Councilman Fogy to approve. All in favor? I. Any opposed? The eyes have it. Thank you all. Thank you council vice president for that.

Next item. Madam clerk, communication.

Julia, one second. If you were here for a license, you're all set. Yeah. Those that may have been here for a license, you are excused. Thank you for coming.

You're welcome to stay here till midnight with the rest of us. Good luck in whatever you're doing. Charlie, good seeing you again.

Oh, Charlie, how are you? Good. Good seeing you. Yep.

Thank you.

Next, this will be uh communications.

The clerk is retrieving the uh signin

sheet communications. Julia Dempsey

Are they here?

If you want if you want to collect yourself, we'll come back to you in a few minutes. Okay. You're welcome. Uh, so Councilman Fogerty, what was it? We wanted to move up not here. Is there a is there a group here that wanted to comment on? Um, is it the beach tree? Urban it's under council members urban urban forest. Yeah. Okay. Never mind. We'll proceed. Do council members do that.

What's that? We'll go to public comment first. Anybody sign up? Yes, she has the list. So, we'll continue with uh public comment.

Public comment. Nancy Hail.

Welcome, Nancy. Name and address for the record.

Hello. Is this working? It is. Just get it closer to you. Is there volume on the side? Is there a dial?

Is this work? Okay.

Nancy Hail, 889 Bulocks Point Avenue.

I'm here to talk about geese. About a year ago, a man was here offering to use a gun or a rifle or whatever to shoot geese at Sabin Point.

Bow and arrow. Maybe he did. What? A bow and arrow. Bow and arrow. In any event, maybe he did. The geese have definitely relocated or reproduced enough. There are hundreds in the water at Crescent Park. I'm talking hundreds. I don't mean 10 or 12 or 20. They're up and down from Sabin Point. You can see further all the as far as you can see. So, um, geese are actually beautiful when they're flying. They are

not beautiful or safe or maybe healthy on land. I went to a college that had a lot of geese and I was actually gooseed once, not at college but in a boatyard. So they attack people. I was a child at that time and you know not great. It's not good for the Thursday night concert series. Um, in addition to flying where they look beautiful when they fly south for the winter, they eat and produce the

end results of digestion and it gets everywhere. It's impossible to clean up.

I have no idea what diseases they may carry. However, they do attack people. So, I believe I feel like this is a I don't know what ever happened. Uh what did the city do about this when it was at Sabin Point? That's one question anyone can answer. But the problem has bred, grown, is be worse, way worse. The more you don't take care of a problem when it is small and manageable, the

worse it gets, the more expensive it gets. So what's next? The the only I I know of no formal program the city has at this moment. The only thing I've seen in the area, if you look over at the Providence Country Day School and and their ball fields, they sometimes have these cutouts big silhouettes of I think they're like black bears. It might scare them away, but they go somewhere. So, they go

somewhere else. Be a problem. It's not good enough, right? What can you do? Uh well, I believe the geese would not be there if there wasn't a river. I'm pretty sure they We're not going to move the river. No, but the river is federal land. They're not going to move it. No, that's not the solution. I'm being funny. So, what is a good solution? I I don't have one other than the federal

government to do something about it other than the black bears. I I don't know. That's insufficient. I'll start looking at some solutions. We're not going to allow hunting. I don't, you know, it's I want you to know that I don't that hunting is not the solution either. Okay. In this case, well, geese lay eggs, there will be more geese, right? Well, hunting would scare them away, but not at a public park. But then

scaring them away is not enough because they're just going to go somewhere else.

They fly over my I live in the northern end of the city as you know, representing Lord one. They fly over my house every day. They go from the they go from the reservoir to one moist country club down to 10 mile and some of it is due to the fact that their habitat as we build and as we do things correct they are miss out uh they need to live somewhere.

Please let me finish. Thank you. They do not I I don't know how many if you're talking about but hundreds and they go they they are going to go they're a water animal so they're going to go down near the water and obviously you live on the bay and it's a natural habitat. We all do. We all live near the bay.

Thank you. I I I did I had geography in college so I understand that. Thank you.

But I mean and clarify it's a river not the bay.

Yeah. Well, it's the Yeah. But I mean it's a it's a problem and it's a problem that maybe we send a letter to I think the best thing is turn it over to the professionals and turn it over to DM because they're going to be the people to solve it and let I'll follow up with that Nancy and I'll I'll let you know when I have It it it it's not a m a minor problem.

Everybody loves the riverside. Even the geese. So that's why you were so popular has it. They are they you don't want kids to get um No, they defecate by a goose. You don't want the the the issues that come along with that many. I mean, if it were five, no problem.

Hundreds at this point. I I'll do some research, see what we can do. You got you next Deborah Perez and Louisis Seiko or Luis.

Hi, welcome. Just name and address for the record. Good evening. My name is Deborah Perez. I live at 3004th Street, East Providence, Rhode Island. and I am here um with complaints of the Met Links Golf Course having not put up any type of safety netting. Um I was here last year August 7th and the title of the agenda was serving intoxicating drinks.

Um I raised the issue of safety at that time but um was I feel that I was not really heard because the agenda was about Met Link serving drinks. So, I'm here just totally and separately about what's happening at at our homes. Um, since that last meeting on August 7th, 59 golf balls have hit my house.

59. Now, I sit in my living room and my house is just getting banged, which is unacceptable. My property has been damaged. I'm unable to go into my front lawn to do my weeding because of the golf balls that come flying. Um, getting into my car, my driver's side door, my daughter was putting my granddaughter in the passenger side to put her in the car seat and the ball ricocheted off of 288

Fort Street and hit my door. That's close to me.

Um, these balls have come in so far since this year, since this season. My neighbors at 288 have golf balls. I know that my neighbor has golf balls. Um, I sent pictures to Councilwoman Souza by email to show her the damage. 288 um, Fort Street. They're unable to be here.

Their windshield was smashed. there. Two little boys were playing in the front and almost one got hit by a ball in the head. Uh my neighbor did go to Met Links. He was told that they're not responsible. They tried to file a complaint with East Province Police Department. They said that they could not take a complaint. Um this person was told that he had to go through his own insurance. Now as fire fire as far as

liability I called all state my insurance because I became you know aware that suppose I have landscapers to do my front yard. If I have somebody working on my stone wall and they get hit with the ball whose liability is that? Do I have to go under my insurance personal injury? So I was told that I could go under the guest um personal injury which I don't think that's fair.

But then I was also told by Wall State that um Met Links should have an insurance policy that covers property damage when the property damage is coming from their dwelling if you will.

Um there I've gone back and forth with Luke who's a supervisor since last year.

He said that and there was representatives from Marshall cont uh Marshall contractor or Marshall building if you will. They were talking about getting a redesign for the golf holes.

That hasn't happened. It's been back and forth with different types of explanations as far as yes, we're going to get a net. No, we're not going to get a net. The net will be put up in two weeks. Well, now we're getting an engineers to look at at the problem. No, we're not getting a net. So, I can't get any straight information from them. The other thing is that they were saying

that that there um that that the golf course was there first before the houses and we all understand that. However, right where all of us are getting hit, there used to be these massive trees that would soften the blow and that was at Metacomt. They had to cut those down.

Met link. I mean that that the trees were getting in bad shape, but they cut those down and they never put anything up, so the balls are just coming and coming and coming. Can Can I ask you um I'm I've been by there often. I'm just trying to visualize where your house is in your opinion, would a net help? Oh my gosh. I mean, is it high enough? Because we had the same it's situation like at

the high school and country day does the same thing. They have a big net up. I know. So if if that's that's probably the best answer. I don't think they're going to reroute the course. Well, that's what they said last year, right?

And if they do, that's great. So I'm going to ask and if there other comments, I'm going to ask the solicitor to either through Mr. Marcelo or through your office could contact um Met Links, the ownership now, and ask officially that you know, are they going to put up a net? cuz I I recall that meeting cuz we were joking around about whether you going to have a beer on a

golf cup and they said they were putting the net up. So, we got to hold their ass to the fire. Oh, let's do it legally.

Fair to these people, right? So, we will contact um we'll contact them starting tomorrow. What's that? I I didn't I'll take her email and I'll email the waterfront commission. Yes. Thank you. I didn't partake in that meeting last night because well because of a conflict with my business. So I, you know, being in the industry, I didn't do it.

But I find this and I, again, I I have two golf courses in my ward, and I find this very disrespectful on the part of Met if it's a subsidiary of Marshalss to be doing this. I mean, uh, when there's issues at the golf courses up near, uh, in in the first ward, they take care of their problem. And it's very rare that it happened cuz the way it's designed, and

I haven't played golf in a long time.

So, I don't know if the nine hole golf course, and you would be able to answer it, councilman for anybody who's golf, not saying it is a is a hole that was originally done by medic. It was the same hole that was there for Meta Comet because even with those trees, you would have gotten golf balls and from what I'm gathering, you weren't getting golf balls. You know, it was slow. It was

softening the blow and then we would get maybe like you cuz you could hear it. It would hit and then kind of crack. Yep.

So, you were able to still sit on your front steps. Yeah. You cannot do that.

Yeah. This I can't do anything. I have weeds. I mean, it's very very very scary. I had um a gentleman who was walking past my house and I heard the golf ball hit my house. I went outside to the front and this man was totally animated. He said, "I saw the whole thing. It hit your house. It hit your house." He said, "I know. This is a uh this isn't I I don't like this. I'm

know fortunately I've been able to travel in my lifetime and there's and there's netting and there's protection even of houses that sit on golf courses and there's no excuse for Met to be treating you people that way and you know tomorrow if they're listening and they do it shame on them if they're not going to take the action. I thank you for that. So what we will do is uh the solicitor uh at least tomorrow morning

will start the process of communicating with um Marshall and Metife and tell them our specific request is netting at this point. I I'm I don't know if they're going to put more trees back.

That'll take time. That'll take time to grow. Don't we own the northern part?

Don't we get two acres out of the deal?

Well, we own a big cleared up. We own a big portion, but evidently not where No, I guess but where the net would go.

Okay. Otherwise, can I get your email and I'll follow up too? Sure. I'll I'll come up. Um the other thing is reimbursement because we don't know how we would get reimbursed um by the golf course. again next door is they're telling Kim that it's the golf the golfer's um responsibility that a waiver has to be signed that I was told by Michael that's not true. So it's not fair, you

know, and I have to wait for the golf ball to come flying through my picture window, you know, because it's right there. I never know. Yeah, that's not good. Now, Mr. Solicitor, do you have any experience with anything like this?

I do. I I think when you're dealing with a private business, their first instinct is always going to be, "We're not responsible. Look elsewhere." Yes. Um again, I'm not your attorney. I don't represent you, but I would honestly believe that it would be the golf courses um responsibility to repair any damage and to take steps to prevent any further damage. Um if I could get your address again just so I can have the

general area. It's 300 Fort Street with an E. F O R T E. No. F O R T Street. East Providence. Um, yeah. We'll make an ordinance that if a golf ball comes from a golf course, the golf course is responsible. We could do that, right? I believe you can. You probably could. I don't know about retroactive, you know. No, no, it wouldn't be retroactive, but common law though, it's a trespass from one

property onto another. I would argue that they're already responsible whether they want to agree to it. Unfortunately, it may come to you hiring a private attorney. I know. And I don't want it to come to that. I can't afford to, you know, we can look into it. Most of the experience I have to this is I have I in my life I had two baseball players that I was fortunate that that I uh you

broken a window that I raised and one of them was notorious for breaking windows.

It would be the same scenario. They threw it from my yard to some the neighbor's yard. It went through. I paid for the window. I you know, so I mean it would be com it's common courtesy, right? And that doesn't happen. What they do is I had people that the ball had hit in my house and they start they started to laugh and chest bump each other and they got really upset that I

would not give them the ball back because the individual golfers know they're not going to be held responsible. Well, and then they started laughing. I said, "I'm going to call Matt Lynx." and and he started laughing and saying they're not going to do anything. So if if anyone is uh and we know that people various people watch these broadcasts of our meetings. If anyone from uh I'll just be direct about

it. Uh Marshall or Metacama is watching.

We're asking you to be a good neighbor to put up some netting or if you have a better alternative. Um, I do know that when I was involved with our high school project and I've talked to people at Country Day, one of the first meetings was with the insurance company, okay, for the school and said, "What happens if a car gets hit by a baseball?" Foul balls because the school the field's

kind of close, right? I know exactly where it is.

However, knock on on wood. Um, there has not been one car hit this year. I think one one last year, but the insurance company said you're not responsible. Don't worry about it.

So rather than be a legal entanglement, I would ask Met to step up, okay? And put the net. Now, we'll still go ahead with the city solicitor making a contact, okay, and checking it out. And we'll we'll take it day at a time. I know that uh Patricia Rosendi from the mayor's office want to say something.

Okay.

Council President, members of the council, um we do we did um I know you mentioned that it wasn't uh specific the specifically word. Councilwoman Souza did reach out to us on behalf of one of your neighbors. Uh we have been in touch with um in regards to the police department as well as um in regards to the balls um as well as provided photo they provided she provided some photos

of some of the damage. We immediately uh were in touch with Met Link. That's what I wanted to make you aware of to just bring Joel up to speed. We have been in touch with the property owners. Um we have uh been in touch with our police department. Our police department did provide and this is all in an email um that I forwarded reply in my response to the council woman and I think maybe you

council president. Um and the police department did in fact uh respond. They provided a report. What they said is that they um they could take the report so that way it will go to the man they spoke to the manager on site. Um so they have been in process but that there's a a report number that sorry that I can provide to you too that you can use for your insurance purposes. Um I'll forward

that to you as well. I I forwarded it to the council woman so you have it just to give you that response. But I just wanted to let the council know that we have in fact been in touch with Met Link. They are aware of it. I received a phone call a little while ago as well just to let me to reiterate that they are working on this. But as far as the

the netting, I will make that okay message very specific. But if you want to still go your route as the council through the solicitor's office, that's fine. I just wanted to make you aware that yeah the more theware the more angles the better that we we come at this um and you know in terms of the police my report I'm not an attorney but in terms of the police as much as we don't want this to

happen it's probably not a crime being committed so the police generally like I I know Captain Ferrer is in the audience he might recall from his days as our police captain you know it's very difficult for them somes times unless a statute a crime is being committed for them to do anything. I think we can still talk to them but I think it's more the legal Yes. I actually went on Saturday. I spoke to a

really nice officer uh badge number 81 and he said that he could not take a report because it's not criminal. Right.

That's what I'm thinking. So I did go I made an attempt. He said he was going to call Met Links um to follow up as well.

Are you folks golfers? No. Okay. I don't know if Joel is. If these balls are valuable, we could sell them and you could maybe I need to keep them as evidence. Okay. I collect them, but I don't want to use all the time. I'd like to Yeah. No, I think the point has been made and we we're not going to sit back.

We will we'll we'll move on this. I would just like you to be able to hear.

Sure. Do you want to add something? No, I'm fine with everything she said. Just Yep. My uh my question is I'm sure I have way over $1,000 in damage. Am I going to be responsible for that? I live at 308.

Yeah. Well, we're going to look into all of that. I got a broken windshield Monday. $381.

Is this your I've got a Yeah. Guess what? I got a broken uh window in my bedroom. Broken window frame, a dented garage door. All that costs money.

That's Yeah, it's not right. I I think you certainly have a claim against the golf course. Um or a lot of times what will happen is if your insurance will cover it, they will in turn go after Yeah. the golf course and reverse in some way. You know, I don't have a problem paying for it. Yep. Okay, we will we will be on top of this. Thank you. Thank you. Thank

Thank you for coming out in your time.

Is there someone next on the Patricia Rosendi?

I don't know.

Yes, Mr. Rosendi.

Thank you, Council President and uh members of the council. So, um I did see on the docket that later today there will be uh later during the meeting there will be reference or conversation on a proposed I'm sorry. Could you hang on one second or wait because the microphones are picking up uh back so we'll just wait. You're off there. Okay.

Okay, you can continue.

Okay. Um, good evening, Council President and members of the council.

Again, I just I know that uh on the docket for later on in the evening is a proposed ordinance from Councilman Lawson. Um, but I wanted to just take the opportunity just because I wasn't able to pull all the um comment and all the background. I'm tableing that. Can you Which are you talking about? Cuz that may be tabled. Which ordinance are you talking about? The speed cameras.

The speed cameras. table that I got a couple don't need to comment on that tonight anyway. Well, we just wanted to read something into record to provide you. Uh let's wait. We're going to we're going to uh table it.

Thanks. Thank you. Appreciate that though. Next, Joseph Ballentine.

I think he was one of the licenses, so that's probably what he was here for.

Okay, that's the end of public comment. Frank

Rigo, that's okay. Why don't you go to the mic and uh you your career deserves you to speak without signing the service.

Mr. Uh, hi. My name is Richard Ferrer. I live at 41 Arrow 51 Arrowhead Avenue, Riverside. And I understand the council is going to be wrestling with the comp plan, the master plan for the city initially, but we'll be dealing over the next few meetings. I just want to for the record, I just want to make a suggestion to the council, the honorable council please.

Uh the waterfront has been neglected in East Province for years and the oil companies had most of it and then they gave it up, the railroad, whatever. But the city councils in the past didn't give much attention to uh the waterfront and now they are. My suggestion is that we put a a section in the comp plan um for marinas, boat marinas. Boat marinas generally uh especially the transit slips spend about $150 a day

restaurants, you know, whatever, gas, um visiting, and you'd be amazed how quiet they are. In all my experience, uh, and I was in the Coast Guard reserve, I used to inspect those, many of them. Uh, they're very low maintenance and, uh, you don't get many calls for disturbances or whatever. So, I just like to have that included in the comp plan as a suggestion to the council. No, absolutely. Here's here's

the plan proposal. Anyways, I have not finished going through it. So, this is why we're going to um put this forward for the next couple of meetings. I agree with you. Uh last evening, one of the reasons we switched our meetings. I uh testified at the Rhode Island House subcommittee on finance and we're talking about a tax on boats which unanimously seemed to be unpopular in the in the room and is

probably going to die in committee. the ocean state. But we talked about our East Providence waterfront, which all of us have said just what you said. This has always been ignored by prior city administrations and city councils. And we are now trying I mean, we're not Newport. We know that. We're not Jamestown or Point Judith, but we have a beautiful waterfront and we're starting to utilize

it. We're trying to get some movement down on in Bold Point where there's a closed marina which I wish we could get that owner to do something and get that going. And you're right, as as one who does some boating, we stop in restaurants and pubs and the stores and buy beach gear and it puts a lot of money into the economy. It does. And I I think that's been one of my arguments

with Veterans Memorial Parkway. A lot of it now is much better than when we used to see those tanks you talk about. And I realized then there's some discussion about that and we've got to come to a a compromise, but our waterfront should be utilized. And yeah, this might be a good avenue to, you know, force the hand of future councils and and mayors who may not want to keep going with this. But thank you

for that. And just one last thing, uh, Mr. President, if I could, uh, I to agree with the previous woman's assessment of the golf balls hitting the house. I used to caddy at Metac Comet and I know and I used to deliver papers up and down Fort Street or whatever. I lived in that area.

And uh those trees were there. They would block part of it. But if you go to the Warren 136, Route 136, there's a huge driving range there. Very popular.

I go there because I'm a lousy golfer.

But the nets are there on the side.

Otherwise, it'd be thousands of balls flying over. Yeah. Little side country club. Same thing. Yeah. And there's no reason uh uh Bass River in Cape Cod uh has one there between uh the Greens because the people were getting hit. The golfers were getting hit. So um the the nets work. The four of us here have been to several games, girls and boys at the high school. And if that net wasn't there, there would have been

several cars and people maybe put in danger because in the course of a game, 20 30 balls go up high and hit that net.

But the net works and when they were building the school, they put that in the bond. It was probably a costly item, but it saved a lot of aggravation and it works.

Well, thank you. Thank you, Captain.

Appreciate it. Next, Frank Rigo.

Thank you, Madame Clerk. Uh, well, first of all, I want to uh congratulations.

It's been six months that our clerk has been on board with us already, and you're doing an outstanding job. But that's that's not the reason why uh I am at this point. Um, an issue that's been an issue now gone on almost 7 8 months came unfortunately to myself and Council President Rodri's attention last night through an email from Representative Kazerian back in again July August of last year. We, three of us were

getting complaints about the union, the old union primary complex and what was agreed upon by touchdown developer with fencing. And we were told at that time and the people came and spoke to us and said that it was going to be taken care of and we had assurance. And then winter comes and we had all that ice and snow stuff. And one day as one of the days that I took my uh drives around my ward,

I go over there, I talked to the neighbors, nothing's been done. I went over there, I had pictures, debris all over the place.

Uh the trash section what was all broken broken gates and to the mass credit when he went to them he got in contact with the gentleman from touchdown and said everything was said. Well, last night, Representative Kazerian sends us an email that she got from the constituents, and that's the reason why here I'm letting the people know in that neighborhood that this is going to be addressed. The fence hasn't been taken

care of. The the privacy hasn't been taken care of. If I'm going to sit here and have my constituents have their seven-year-old children get caught underneath the fence, it's not going to happen. So if you're going to be a developer and come into the city, you live up to what you say you're going to do and especially do that in the first ward. So this is notice to touchdown. Do

what you say you're supposed to do. He he I don't want to use the he he told the mayor he gave the mayor his word. Nothing's happened. Well, Mr.

touchdown. It's time to step up cuz this councilman first ward's not going to let this go down. I'm not going to let him take advantage of the people of my ward. You give them the word. You say you're going to do something and it's a public safety. And I tell those people in that neighborhood, that's the reason why it's here because I couldn't put it on the docket because the 48 hour rule. But be

be prepared that we're representative Kazerian. I know my fellow council president here will stay on top of that.

This is not right for a developer to come into this city and think they can be copper baggers and do say they're going to do things and then afterwards don't do things. Do what you say you're going to do, especially in the first ward. Thank you.

Thank you. I was just asking him to shut the doors. Did he have to get keys or something?

Yeah. I think Is that woman ready? We can have her come in now. Did she collect herself?

Yeah. If not, can we just shut the doors and when she's ready, she come in?

Yeah, that's okay. What's in She's got elderly. She's got a mother.

Officer Snow, could you have that that woman at that door tell her that she could be next? We We don't have the name. Is that Jen? Is that No, that's You want to speak on urban forest? Jen, you're doing the urban. Yeah, you can come up now at this time. We had a request to have you come up at this time because you you have a need to leave. So, tell me about your

providing firewood. I'm joking, Jen.

Just give your name and address for the record. Hi, I'm Jen Tierney. I'm at 54 Mary Avenue around the corner.

Thank you. You can proceed. Um, I have a little uh, you know, I like to have a little PowerPoint presentation. So I'm from EB urban forest group of neighbors um trying to protect and enhance the urban forest. We just have a quick issue for you um to consider if you could go to the next slide.

Um basically this is about the um the weaver beach tree. Um you know if you were to look at our um our logo you'd see that it's actually the shape of the weaver beach. It was the reason one of the reasons that we formed. We brought the weaver beach first to um be considered by the Rhode Island Tree Council as a champion tree, which it it is a champion tree. They made it one,

but they noted at that time in 2020 that it suffered from neglect and disease.

So, it started to get some uh attention if you could bring it to the next slide.

And um so it did get it got airrated.

you'll see that it there was some a little bit of initial pruning, but there was still some um regular die down that was happening. It um it hasn't been getting the treatment that it actually needs. So, on May 5th, this past Monday, uh Mayor Dilva announced that the tree will be pruned but not cut, which was what was originally suggested that it would just be cut. Um there was a guest

speaker um on Monday who is a mature tree and a beach tree expert. He happens to be in Rhode Island, but he's nationally known for research on beach trees. Um, and he suggested that the that the tree, our tree should get a series of treatments. And, uh, he's also part of um, re he's involved in beach tree treatment research at the University of Southern Florida and the Newport Tree

Conservancy, which is working on these treatments. So, Newport is trying to save its trees. And in fact, there was one at one of the major um mansions that was much worse off than ours and it's responding to treatment. So, we don't have that many beach trees in East Providence. So, this is an important one to people. Anyways, at the meeting, he asked uh he he said that he would donate

the first treatment. He would he would initiate the treatment. Could you go to the next slide? At that at that meeting, there were community testimonies and I think we probably all could give testimonies. Anyone who grew up in East Providence or who moved to East Providence knows this tree. So, one woman said she lives right here on Grove Street. She said that her all her children would wait by what they call

daddy's big tree whenever he came home from Providence on the bus. Um, someone else said that it's part of the family of at the library. It shades everyone in summer events. You know, everybody so many people stood up and said what the tree meant to them and that and we probably could do a survey anyway. At the end of the meeting, Matt Leess said, "Who here in this meeting would like to

do anything we can to save the tree?"

And every single hand went up. So, here's the latest thing that we were that the reason if you could bring it to the next slide. What's next? So, so May 5th, as we said, oh um sorry, next May 12th, um he Matt Leess is supposed to come and do another assessment of the tree just to see exactly what kind of treatment it can get and how he maybe he can include it in some of the research

that he's doing with the universities.

Um May 14th, the city is going to trim some of the that dead wood off the tree.

It's going to look funny and um and some of the arborists said it's going to look funny but at the same time it's going to be a tree that is going to be treated or perhaps it will decline more but I think that we need to give it a chance either way. So the next what what we're ask and then Matt is going to give it the initial treatment. So what we have come

to ask of the city council is to comm is for its commitment to give the tree what it needs. Um I would like to commit um I'm a grant writer. I would love to commit to raise money to help for the tree, but we'd also if if budget time comes around. It looks like it could be maybe $5,000 or less to to to treat the tree. And we're just trying to say that

we think that the people in the city think that it's worth it. We're all Are you kidding? I'm a bottom line person when you're talking before and you and I had to put my glasses on.

$5,000. Shame on us. Um we're all here.

We're all in. $5,000. We you know, can you have Matt email us whats All right. And just just so there's no just so there's no confusion. I mean the city you're not complaining, right? The mayor's office is all in on this. I am not complaining. They're the ones who administration is the one who brought in this expert, right? So I don't want people watching this to say, you know, here we go again. Us against them. No,

we're all in on it. Mayor and council.

Yeah. This was just an update to say that the mayor said he wasn't going to cut the tree and that we are be he did he was a little hesitant about perhaps what he thought was maybe $6,000. But like I said, I think between the public and the private sector, we can we can do what we need for the tree. Whether or not it survives, we don't. Anything over five, Councilman Wego kicks in the

balance. I'm paying too much in tariffs in the last couple. Yeah. And I'll ask around at work, too. Um cuz I know Brown, they I actually saw them. What was it? Dutch elm. They actually injected the trees with stuff to treat them. It's They do have injections for this one. So, yeah. Yeah, it's pretty wild. And we can we can be part of this big research. So, even if it doesn't

fully survive, let's say let's say it's too far gone. Who knows? At least it will be part of to help save other beaches. But if Newport is doing it, I just think he's Providence. We're behind it, right? Yep. Absolutely. Thank you so much. Thank you. Absolutely. Thank for your help.

Madam clerk, we'll ask uh Julia Dempsey to come forward.

got about three minutes. So,

how about it? I'm not ready. This is one of the pages that might be missing in your book.

Thank you.

I know they're not in any order.

Saw a scribble here. Scribble on it.

Well, if you

see Okay, we will something else. Sorry.

Well, I'd really like to move along here. We We can't If you want to wait, we'll continue the meeting, but uh I mean, let's give him 30 seconds. But I mean, you can at least introduce what you want to say. And I know you've had a conversation already with the councilman at length. So, I did. Can you hear me?

Yes. Okay. Yep. My name is Julia Dempsey. I live at 47 Payet Street, East Providence, Rhode Island. Good evening, council members, residents of East Providence neighbors friends and townies.

Um, I'm here for my neighborhood that I live in that I love and also I'm here for the fact that I am being put out of my home on this three street neighborhood is a rich cultural heritage background for generations. The Portuguese families who built this community have maintained traditional businesses and community bonds that make our neighborhood unique and valuable to city culture.

turning to my turning my home or yet when decisions were made about turning my home into a transition home for homeless veterans in a small three- streetet neighborhood in my opinion is appalling. The neighbors who were here decided to leave because I took too long and I apologize. My neighbor, one of my neighbors is a veteran and he wanted to be here. He has a great concern about

the fact of the home being a transition home for homeless debts. I am not against vets. I'll help. I'll volunteer.

I'll do whatever it takes to not have my home be a transition home. Um um again, this was uh at no point were the residents meaningfully consulted about any of these changes, nor were they ever consulted about the student parking lot, nor were they ever consulted about the rec center. This is a three street old Portuguese neighborhood and you are going to bring a city full of people to this

neighborhood. We had an issue with the parking. I went to the school board meeting. Isidor Ramos was out there. The parking lot was shut down. What's going to happen when the rec center comes? The same thing only thing times four. It's going to be the neighbors. I mean the kids go down the street after school.

They fight. They cuss. They swear. The neighbor across the street was yelling at the kids the other day. Yo, stop talking like that. Your mouths are terrible. Gutter mouths. And you know, they're fighting. You whatever they're doing. Anyway, on on Mayor Bob Dilva on April 23rd, 2025 stated East Providence Post written by Ethan Hartley. This was an important project, quote unquote,

this is an important project. We know in East Providence as well as every other community in the state. Affordable housing is a real challenge. Well, by my own mayor's words, it's a real challenge for me as an elderly disabled woman that he wants to displace me to make my one-bedroom home a transition home for veterans. And when we get to the the the stuff I handed out, you'll you'll

see where I'm coming from. And it's retaliation and uh and the what do they say? Uh coincidences and causation.

Well, false causation in decision-m is definitely what happened. Correlation does not equal causation. Whatever it is, no, you got it right. You got it right. However, the reality contradicts this statement. No town halls were held in our neighborhood. No door-to-door surveys were conducted. No representative came to our community's needs or desires at all. The city development plan clearly shows lack of

consideration in planning for the city on the city's behalf. I will tell you with door-to-door knocking that I did myself that this is absolute nightmare that you're bringing the rec center that will bring children of all ages from Rumpford, Riverside, East Providence, this small, quiet three street elderly Portuguese neighborhood.

I I don't want to interrupt you, but along the way if you know if we have a question and I I want to wrap this up soon, but yeah, the rec center community center is coming. That's approved. So, done deal. I know if any of this is a an appeal to stop that. It's not for me, but that's not going to happen. I'm leaving, but my resident my neighbors won't. Well, there there were there were

countless countless hearings about community rec center, but they're old.

They're 80. They don't get on a computer. They don't even know. Just saying that the issue here isn't is this community center going to come or not.

I'm not worried about it. I'm coming.

Okay. Just so we all are clear. All right. So now I guess we can get to your packets where we can show clearly that it laid out as I told you I would the last time laid out complete entirely utter retaliation on the mayor's behalf based on posts that I've made on Facebook. If you look at your number one item, it's a screenshot of You've got just to let you know because I've been

very lenient in the several meetings that you've come here. We we do have to limit this. I know I get 30 minutes.

It's not a It's not a public hearing. It has to be limited. Yeah. Okay. I get 30 minutes, right? No. Yes, that's what it said.

No, that's public speaking. I asked to get on the communication. You get close, but you've already used I'm Yeah, you're fine. All right. Go to number one. I did did reach out to Bob Dilva on February 21st at 8:00m in reference to the tire tracks that you can see it. It's kind of small. The tire tracks driving over my front stairs through my yard. The school bus turning down my road. Okay. So,

there's February. That's all been fixed.

I went there personally. That's fine.

That's fine. I'm not worried about that.

I'm trying to tell you that it's retaliation. You're using time to talk about it. That's That's retaliation on February 21st, 2024. Again, a post on Facebook. And then guess what comes later? The termination of my lease on March 4th. How many days later? 6, 7, 8.

Complete retaliation. The veterans are being used as an excuse. Again, another one. Follow your follow your follow your stuff. March 30th. All of the photos that you see here, I did post online.

And I did not say not bad words about the mayor, but I made the city look bad by doing it. as my landlord, they should take care care of this stuff. See the photos, they're appalling and my damage to my property when uh you'll see there's also a cell phone call in in this paperwork. Um because I I was called at 2:09 in the afternoon to have a meeting at 3:30 in the afternoon with

Mayor Bob Dilva by Patricia Rosendis. I told her that I wanted to consult with the council and or personal counselor of an attorney of some sort that I didn't think I was going to make the meeting.

That phone call you see in there at 3:45 was again a strong armed move when I didn't come and I didn't show and I didn't call back should have been a sign enough. I didn't want to talk to you the first time. I don't want to talk to you the second time. But I did listen and I recorded the whole conversation. So let's skip over the pictures. No need for that. just just just for your own

your own peace of mind to see the dates and the times and the fact that it was retaliation and the veterans are used as an excuse. And if you watch the TVs channel 10 on April 10th, April 11th, April 28th, each and every single time it's changed. The wording has changed.

Want to make it a transition home now. I want to make it a home for available for when a vet becomes homeless. Okay. Um Um Let's see. And then on J April 25th of this year, I received a letter based on my conversation from Michael Marcel, my conversation with the mayor, which wasn't really a conversation. I listened and I recorded it and it stated that he was going to honor the original 5-year

lease to the January 31st, 2005. Yay.

Thought, okay, I'll I'll consult with my attorney and and and the council and see what they think about this. 2026, you mean? 2026. Yes. Sorry. So, I received a letter. No, I went to city hall and Michael, of course, the stormtrooper that he is, came marching out his office when he heard my voice. You going to sign these documents? I'm not signing anything. I thought I was getting a

letter, not signing anything. Well, good thing I didn't. The letter doesn't state anything about the conversation. It's got the wrong date on it. And nothing was talked about amending my lease at all. He amended the lease that ended May 31 that ends May 31st. That's not what we talked about. We talked about the January 31st, 2026 5-year lease. So, the manipulation and the strong almond and

the the brow beating and the oh, it was a clerical error in my opinion is absolute BS. That was trying to pull a fast one over on me thinking that let's get her alone. Let's talk to her by herself. Let's call her back. You know, I mean, I was telling her no, I didn't want to talk to him. She's like, "Hold on, hold on. It's good news. It's good news. Mayor, mayor, mayor, Miss

Dempsey's on the phone." and and next thing he knows, "Hey Julia, how are you?

Your story really touched my heart."

Well, if your story if my your story really touched my heart, then why are you putting me out of my house? I feel like the East Providence Housing Authority has failed me as well. I've been in that home for 5 years. I've learned about the FSS program, which is the family self-sufficiency program, which I signed up for on May 1st, which means that if my rent increases because I obtained employment, they take that

money and put it in an escrow account for me. It doesn't matter how much it is. It can be 15,000. It could be 50,000. At the end of 5 years, I'd like to stay another 5 years in my home while I do the self-sufficiency program so that I can move out because I don't care if you give me 9 days, 9 months, 9 hours, 9 years. I still live on

$1,34656 a month. I cannot pay my bills and save a penny in 9 months, eight months, six months and get out of this house. So that it's going to end up a legal battle. It's going to end up with attorneys. It's going to be me being evicted and and of course they'll have the upper hand because it's just little O me against superpower. And he throws around his power. And like I said with

the telephone, the message that she left me, it's kind of hard to read. I can type it out to you later, but um uh did have somebody respond to me as uh somebody online. It says she's a renter to paying tax. She's she is renting taxpayers house. As a taxpayer, I vote to let her stay. I also demand policy be enforced for destroying her property.

And I also and also my employees at highway department secure a proper fence and remove the gravel parking lot. I don't care about that. But what I do care about in our conversation that was recorded, he said he wasn't replacing any of my stuff that got damaged. we're moving forward and told me I don't want to hear another thing about anything to do with the rec center. I want no post,

no nothing. If my stuff gets damaged now because they're bringing in the construction in June, which is in my recording that he told me about. I think my stuff needs to be replaced past and present. I mean, I live on $1,356 a month. Don't you think it took me two years to save up for that fire pit? You bet your bottom dollar it did.

Um, and we could go stop at the words.

Oh, and for as far as homeless, this might be for you. Homeless veterans. The sweet the sweet land house has been vacant for three years. It's still vacant till this day. I took a video of it. Abcaps in there. They're going to be, but there's still a third floor that's not that's vacant, right? So, why why displace me when we can place them somewhere else? There's got to be other

cities that can help them out. Why are we hurting this one individual? So, Julia, I spoke with Mike Marcelo. After I spoke with you, we had a conversation.

Yeah. Where things currently stand and the mayor made a decision he no longer wants to be a landlord to you. And why?

Currently, why? I don't talk to the mayor. So, that's something somebody else needs to ask. So, your current situation is one one at a time, please.

Current situation, your current lease expires May 31st. That means uh no in 2025 2026 2025 May 31st the current lease you were offered an extension.

Mike admitted he made a mistake. It should have been January 31st not the 1st. So they want to offer you a lease extension to give you 8 months to find a place. But that's not what we discussed on the phone. That's between you and the mayor. Right. We're gonna where but I'm just letting you know where things I was told is if you don't sign the lease extension and I'm willing to go to city

hall sit right by your side make sure you get treated with the respect you deserve. Well, so if you decide you do not want to sign that come June 1st, Bob Dilla will evict you. That's fine.

Listen, I didn't have to sign a lease extension when they said we don't want to renew your lease May 31st. They sent me a letter saying that they'll give you monthtomonth and and as long as you need and I got that in a letter. So if you got that that's stuff for you to bring to a lawyer. Why should I sign something again? It's not my agreement. I'm just letting you know what was presented that

your current lease will expire that I signed. Your lease will expire at the end of this month. You are offered an extension until January 31st. It was not an extension in the conversation that we had. I am Michael Marcelo wasn't there.

So there's nothing that he can say.

That's I have the report. Well, a point's been made from both sides. You know, there's no sense redoing it. No, we're not going to listen to a recording. Honestly, at this point, you you may want to look into a lawyer. The stuff you're describing, I have, but I'm just letting They They've backdated letters. It's a clerical error. The city administration makes a clerical error.

The city administration doesn't have an accounting system. I'm willing to come assist you. You need your rental payment history. You mentioned, but it's it looks like a 5-year-old created it. You mean to tell me that? I have I I was told that they're still working on it.

What was it last Thursday, Frank, that we got together? I've got it. I I've got it. He looks like a 5-year-old girl.

Yeah. When we when I was with Marcel, he said they were still working on it. I don't know. I haven't been told it's done. It's on my phone. I got it. He sent it to me. So, but listen, when I go to hand this to a prospective new landlord, it looks like absolute It looks like a 5-year-old created it.

You can't understand anything on it.

This is pink. This is yellow. This is blue. This is brown. This is stretched out this far. This is this big. It just doesn't say. It doesn't say anything.

You paid month. I've been a bookkeeper for 30 years. I know how to go into an accounting system and ask for a report and generate a report for 47 Payet Street and get a payment history. All right. at this point. Hang on. We're not going to play this out in public. Why?

Because this is a personal lease. We've We have played this out in public for several. We want to continue to do that.

Well, but your time is expiring. You You have the councilman who will sit with you. I would like a letter of reference from my landlord and they said no. They told me they will not give you a letter of reference. Give a letter of reference. But what about a landlord?

Any landlord would give a reference.

He's a landlord. Why can't I have a letter of reference? Well, that's something your attorney can ask. Do you not want to help me get out of this house? Do I don't want to. Do you not want me out of this house? I don't think the city should be a landlord. I don't either. And I think that they should raise my rent from 900 to $1,584.

My My point, Julia, is I don't think we should be owning resial property manage the company and being landlords. I'm sorry. I don't think city government should be owning residential property.

power that he has is what he's using cuz I made him look stupid online. So, could I get a letter of reference from my landlord? Not the city. I don't work for the city. The city is your landlord. Bob Dilva sounds signs my lease, not the city. Bob Silva is write my lease. The head of the city government. So, he should be able to write as a landlord.

He should be able to write me. And he's exercising his right not to. Yeah. Well, that's pretty bad. Then you're only making it even harder than you already have. And boy, have you changed your You've got a minute. You guys have you never did. A letter of reference is not an entitlement. It's an entitlement. It's helped me. Julia, you have to help me. You have to have You're making things harder. It's not a

conversation. When you ask a question, you have to listen to the answer. Well, I mean, make it a little easier and then it it might go a lot smoother and I won't be in this situation yelling and screaming at you or calling up TV12 or having them watch this and air it on on TV. I mean, let's end it. Can I I I got till January 26, 20 31st if you sign the

new lease. I already have a January 20 31st, 2026 lease, my original 5-year lease, and that's what we talked about.

Because Michael Marcelo wants to change it is not what we talked about. I had the conversation with the mayor. So what I was told, you do not have a lease till then. You thought you signed a five-year lease that the mayor never signed for some reason. Why not? Yeah. Again, he has he doesn't have the time for every day. These are questions for him. He has all the time in the world to respond

nastily to custo. Okay. So they say about half we can extend you till January 31st to give you eight months.

Wow. How you changed your tune. I'm telling you, you asked me to look into things for you. I'm offering to be right. He's telling you that is the current situation. I did. Well, why is it that the council can't help me? We are We have no authority. Make this easy. What is it? You Well, then why don't we take a vote? Why don't we put it on the table for I second this, I

first, whatever. Because we have a charter that gives us powers. We do not have the power. Help you stay in a house that we shouldn't even own. Julia, what else do I got to do? Why is it that you want to make it so difficult? Your next step is you said you're going to an attorney. That's what you need to do.

Like I have a money for an attorney.

Well, you said it. I'm not Well, I I'm trying to get an attorney, but I got to wait for an eviction to get an attorney.

Who wants an eviction? Who wants an eviction? Do you have any house to live in? Is anybody evicting you? Is anybody ruining your property? Have you paid your mortgage?

Yes, I have. I've paid my rent. I've been a good tenant. I've not had any complaints against me. I've not violated my lease. The only I can ask you for is a letter of reference. This concludes your time. And I want to I want a letter of reference. And if you're going to help me, then you need to do that with me. And we need to do that. I don't have

the power to write you a letter of reference. I've called you. I've texted you. You don't Thank you. This concludes your time. I got the text and my response is right here. To me? Yes. I' I've never seen a response from you. You You talked to me on the phone once. I talked to you on the phone and I responded to your 27 texts you sent and I never I never saw a response. Are you

sure you're sending it to me? Send this text to me. So So um I'm going to ask to be on the council again. That's your right. And it's going to be the same thing, but it's your right if you want to come forward again. Why Why is the mayor not here? That's something for him to answer. Well, maybe we should set it up for next time. Okay. Next, next item.

Madam clerk, on the docket and I want him to be kept. We don't have that power to make him show up. I don't, but I'm going to ask. You can. Council members, acknowledgement of municipal clerk's week, East Providence City Council.

Something else.

Could you repeat that, Madame Clerk?

Acknowledgement of Municipal Clerk's Week, East Providence City Council. Who put this on? I did.

She wants a letter of reference. Listen to her. Go ahead. Go ahead, Frank. I just want to uh again, I posted it on my Facebook page this morning and I know Rick transferred it over to our council thing.

Um you people do a great job and where your office is located.

you.

I said her. Okay. What people? You people. What people?

You people in the clerk's office. Sorry, I'm fighting. You know, you're loving this because of my mouth and science.

The staff of the clerk's office. Clerk's office. The clerks in general. So, you know, let me get that shoe out of your mouth. Okay.

No, you're making a good point. We We really appreciate Yeah, we appreciate everything. And you're you're the first line where your office is that most people in this when they come into city hall, you're there because the welcoming center is tucked in. You walk in, you can go by there and the first offices you go to, you walk in the first floor and it's either this room or you go

across the hall and it's the six or seven office busiest there. You're the greeting and you do you people do things above and beyond and the tasks that you have to do dealing with people who uh who are coming in here that are grieving for death certificates for you know land issues for for disputes with family members in probate to Iate people on Thursday night because they got those they got tickets in the mail

for red lights and they don't understand if they drive the speed limit, you don't get a ticket or if you don't go through a red light and everything that you go through and again and then you have to direct people to other offices in the city. I just want to, you know, I've said it before, you people do an out the clerk's office do an outstanding job, you know, as the basically the f, you

know, first wave of what people see in the city. It is, you know, and it's my three years now in the council and watching watching the court system and everything and the way that your department handles everything is a tribute to you in the past six months and to them in the long time that a lot of them have been there. So, I just want a big shout out to the whole department.

I don't want to name names, but they know who everybody knows who they all are. And uh Councilman, are you offering madam clerk a raise?

Is that where this is going? No, you can't make motions. Sorry. No, that's that's everything. Very good.

Thank you. Appreciate it. And we do want to acknowledge municipal clerk's week and our city clerk is right up there with the best. Um without um objection, I want to suggest if I could move I think the last item in our agenda is something that we're we're not prepared to fully move forward with tonight. And we do have four or five uh department heads here that if if we can just um

discuss quickly the process and then we're going to kind of move it move it forward. Uh and that is item uh excuse me uh officer you might have to come forward. No you don't you don't have to but I've never gotten it. I don't know you make sure I don't want to miss meeting up again. So, we'll move

one.

Okay. Uh, ma'am, we have to conduct a meeting. Thank you. I did.

So on the agenda, the end of the agenda, let's see, letter E, there is um no, I'm sorry, wrong one.

Uh number under letter E, number two, the comprehensive plan. And we do have uh uh directors and planners here. And I I would just say to um to you gentlemen that um council number one had said they want to wait till we have a full council when councilwoman Souza returns in the first meeting in June but we will still go ahead and if um Mr. Burns if you want

to uh at least let us know a a process.

So what are the steps here we're going to review? Maybe the next meeting we would have first passage. There'll be public hearings. Members of the public have full access and can speak. So if you could set out a kind of an adjusted timetable going forward. I apologize. I know you were prepare prepared to do a full presentation, but we we were not.

Um no fault of anybody. We're just it's it's a big document. But if you want to just give us a quick Sure. The um for the adoption of the comprehensive plan, a public hearing needs to be held, right? Um before the city council. So um the the council's decision doesn't have to be the same night as the public hearing. Um so technically the public hearing could be tonight, but a decision

could be at a future meeting. Yeah, we want to wait for Councilwoman Souza even for the hearing of for all that stuff.

Well, that is uh is possible. It have to be continued to a future date. First meeting in June.

First meeting in June. Yeah, she'll be back in June. Okay. And how updated is your information? Would you would if this was a term paper being turned into a professor, would you say this is complete or not complete? It is complete, but it is uh it's taken a while to do. So, some of the information and the data there is uh is a few years old.

I mean I I look through it and relatively a little disappointed representing the people of my ward in the city that we don't have data some data stops in 2021 it's 2025 and I can understand not having 2024 data but not to have 22 23 is there is not not a good Look, as far as I'm concerned, I'm a bottom line person coming from the private sector in the corporate world. I don't I don't find

that to be the best situation. And I look at other things. Uh the dispatch center that the city owns, if you read in that, it talks about it still being in the police station. I mean that's little things but I look at something the comprehensive plan that was long overdue and no fault of your own and kick you weren't here and kicked down the you know kicked down the street before to

change the form of government and if this is going to be the comprehensive plan I wanted to be as comprehensive as possible and to have data that's still not up to date or as close to up to date And I understand no matter if it was private sector or public sector, sometimes you're not going to get total up to date, but not to have 22 20 year 22 23 in a comprehensive

plan. If you were handing this into a college prof, if this was a if this was my thesis for a master's program or for a class, it would be a lot of red in it.

So I ask you in the time that you have between today in the first meeting in June, whatever the date is, that if you could do some work and get some of the information in there to be better, I think it would be fair to the people who we all work for, the taxpayers of the city of East Providence. And this is the plan we're going to use going forward.

That's what what I was elected for.

That's what everybody in this building from the mayor down were elected for is to lead the city and I just ask that for you and for everybody involved in this.

That's good good points and I think what we could do on our end to try to help is as as we go through this ourselves and council vice president mentions a good point about the police station. I mean, it's just a fact that it's the communication center is not there anymore. So that that's an easy fix, but if we see other things like that, let let it be known so that we can

all work on this together. Let let me I do want I do want to compliment you though because something that I've been fighting for for my ward for the last three years goes all the way back and you did say that we need more emergency service and the numbers have risen. So your numbers I love them because they don't jive with what we've been told for three years. So I uh I commend you. I mean

that that part right here I I moved passage on that section right there right now because you're calling for more. Basically you're called for the fourth res. Is that the page you have in red there? Yeah. Thank you. I but I just asked for the you know again for the taxpayers. C can I ask this um so that the public and all all of us can understand a comprehensive plan is are recommendations right? and not mandates

per se. It's not a charter. That's right. It is a document of goals and policies for the city to try to live up to. Um the thing where it has the most teeth is land use decisions by the planning board and the city council when it comes to zone changes and things like that. U but it is a a policy document.

It's not a list of laws or things that you must do. Um, in fact, if you added up all these action items, it would probably cost billions of dollars to do.

So, it is a bit of a wish list when it comes down to it. As far as the timing of it, um, a lot of the information is based on census information, which comes out every 10 years, which would be the 2020 census for the last one.

um to update all of the figures in there would basically be more time and money. Um the plan is uh already overdue and if we don't have a valid comprehensive plan, we're a bit at risk from land use appeals.

So that is part of the impetus to try to get it approved. State law became more strict over time about and we've been we mentioned this over a year ago about getting it approved. So this last minute Oh, we got to do it now. No, we're going to make sure we do it right. No, I I get where you're coming from, but we've been hopping on this for well over a year.

No. to since we before you were even hired here when one of the first things this council took in January of 2023, we asked for first audits and we asked for the comprehensive plan because we knew that was an issue that had been out there and it was prior and it it was also prior to the change in the former government because as you said in your notes it's over 2015 so it's overdue. So

we were asking that so that we could be in compliance as you said. So it isn't something that we just asked for yesterday. We've been asking for it now for almost two and a half years, sir.

Thank you. Can the plan once adopted, can that be amended along the way or is it only a window of it time? Yeah, it definitely can be amended along the way. There's only a limit the state puts on you can't amend it more than four times in a year.

Okay. So if we finally get something in June done and then down the line we find something like that example of you know police station communication center thing but you know other things we could always amend. Right. Right. Right. And you can make changes to the plan before you also as council do as much as we can. Yeah. No as councilman Lawson pointed out too. I mean, in his ward,

the the verbiage, the the apartments in Riverside Square have been open now for a year. You point Yeah. There's some projects in there that they'll say they're in progress when they've been completed for over a year. Little stuff like Little stuff that we just like to Yeah. So, we can clean all that. So, you can amend four times per year as many years. Yeah. Every year. Okay. So that

gives us a lot of comprehens like our northstar. It just kind of says this is what we want to that's the point I want to make. This isn't you know we're not going to lose funding or no things. So now it would this tie in we also have to very soon um adopt the the new zoning. I I see you know our zoning uh officer is here tonight. know the plan is if you need to

comment feel free but that is a document that's we we have to Could you uh Mr.

could you explain what we did? No, we we have to have a an update to the state laws on zoning. Correct.

No, the point. Okay. Planning.

I'm sorry. Could somebody use the mic so it's can be heard? Yeah. I thought that was the beginning of the year. Do that.

No, I'm I've been requested that we need to update I'm I'm sorry. Go ahead. Yeah, the regulatory process associated with updating the zoning ordinance as the planning director said is very similar to the comp plan in that uh is back and forth internally and then it goes through the planning board for recommendations and then ultimately to the council for adoption. There were state statutes right that were adopted

over the last couple of years that are mandatory. So in other words, they supersede our role. So that's what we voted on. Aren't aren't there some we haven't voted on? I that's that's why I would wish there were changes required changes to state law that you haven't voted on right that still have to come before you. We have a consultant finalized. We've hired a consultant that's that's completed his

report and that's if I'm going to be a consultant. Yeah. All the money they make off government. So my my only point is that that those are mandates. State laws were changed. We we have to correct codify them. Reuse the accessory dwelling unit. Yes.

And and there may be more. Yeah. This legislative period right now probably the big one that may fall into our lap is the issue comprehensive discuss. We're at 10% a little bit below. We'll probably be there with the new housing. Yeah. Every year the state legislature makes amendments that flow down to all 39 cities and towns.

Okay. So we'll be scheduling that making uh was it commercial and industrial residential use too? Isn't that one of their pushes too residential and commercial and industrial zoning?

I think we've already incorporated that to our audience about the adaptive reuse, right? So you have commercial building out there, church building, a hospital building. I mean the classic example like memorial hospital you can convert it to residential as long as minimum 50% of it is used for residential. You can convert it all and the density is based on one pocky space per unit. In fact, I think

uh one of the projects that fell under the adaptive reuse is the old nursing home on the trail. Right. Matt. Okay.

Thank you.

Okay. So, we'll plan on working between now and our first meeting in June. At that point, that would be what? First passage, I believe. And then we it'll be a public hearing. First passage. Now, how I forget this is voluminous. Is it online?

It is online. So public could.gov community. Are are there hard copies? I know it would probably be pricey to do, but can the public get a hard copy or can they come in and review one? And yeah, we do have a copy for review in our office. Okay. So, I don't think we could make this available to just everyone in the city.

It was difficult enough just to get a few for all all of us, but anyone in the public can come in and for a few days with however long it takes and review it or go online. The whole thing is there.

Sometimes that's tricky. I would suggest not doing that on a phone. Do it on a computer screen or a laptop for better viewing. And we will have the public hearing also in in June. There'll be a couple of meetings before this is adopted. And remember, it's not a Bible.

It I don't want to sound flippant, but it is a wish list, if you will, but we do want to be accurate with um the the information as much as possible. But it's not a city charter. It's not a zoning law. It's it's a book of proposals and a plan basically. If there are no other questions, we will move ahead. I apologize to the planners and can we printers who are here tonight? Yes. Can

we move up um for it director? Yes.

Thank you. Um Mr. Burns, thank you the planners for being here. Also, without objection. Item three under resolutions.

Can I get a motion to table that? Well, not it's not really a table, is it?

Solicitor, I'll make a motion table on the agenda hearing tonight. So motion by councilman Lawson second table until a meeting in June. Second. Council vice president seconds. It'll probably be the first meeting in June. June 3rd. June 3rd. All in favor? I. Any opposed? The eyes have it. Also, could you repeat that number on um under resolutions item three and um uh this is for the IT department. And

Councilman uh Fogerty is the sponsor of this. I think we're all we've all been made familiar with it. Um can I read it? Yes, if you want to read. Resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into an agreement with E+ to provide engineering work to repair its city blackend systems. Councilman Fogerty, you move passage. Alison, would you like to add anything, sir? Uh good evening, council body. Um, I spoke with

a couple of you directly um, just because this is kind of like a security nature. So, I just wanted to make sure like the a couple of you understood what what I was trying to accomplish beforehands and I greatly so um, thank you for your support in this matter. Um, so, um, you have any questions to any questions? I mean, this in this day and age, this is something that we have to

really be on top of and I want to thank you for all the work you've done since you've been here in getting our systems protected and this is another step.

There are no other questions to vice president. I second what you just said about that. I Yeah. Yeah. Thank you for spending time with me talking about um the goals and plans for the IT department that we're in great hands.

And um are there other needs beyond this that we can start to plan for or are you We are trying to like apply for uh federal grants to get those projects done. So hopefully I'll be coming back to you um later on this year with some more good news that we got federal money to fix some of the other issues. Sir, great. Uh so the motion was made by Councilman Fogerty. Who is the second?

I'll second it, Frank. Councilman Lawson. All in favor? I. Any opposed?

The eyes have it. Thank you, sir.

So, madame clerk, you have the task of reverting us back to Is that it for the city staff? We don't need them. Believe so. There's no other. Don't want them to hang around. Tower truck playgrounds. No, I don't see anything.

No, I'm going to revert. If your boss is okay, we're all set.

You're dismissed. I think we're ask you can ask your boss if you can be dismissed.

Yeah, we we don't have any further questions.

Thank you for coming. Yes, madame clerk.

Go ahead, council members. Number three, request for update from the administration on the following.

Councilman Lawson, request to move forward with the event tent. Temporary storage solution for the train for the season. Update on concession/sto building. So, this is just a request for an update where we're at.

Thank you.

Um, chief of staff will give us an update.

Uh, so yes, Councilman, uh, Councilman Lawson, there really is not too much to update from the last council meeting because it's just been two weeks and there really there hasn't much been it's been since January, Patricia, that these bids came back. I'm just going to provide an answer. Um so in terms of the concession storage building so we've been working as you know with getting a

lower bid uh or with the lowest bidder I should say and um we're focused on value engineering the project. So that's where we haven't had an opportunity to review it just came back so things take time.

We've been on it um put it on the agenda for next meeting. Unbelievable. Thank you. Did you want me to answer anything else? Is there an update or is it this matter of letter B this train? Do we have a train this train in the city? Do we I mean I'm not the I'm not the biggest fan of the purchase. You know I went along with the council but I'm just saying okay that answers that. So,

and storage billing. We're just going to have to wait.

Yep.

Madam clerk, continue. Number four.

Stop signs between Vanderland Avenue and Woodward Avenue. Irving Avenue/watchchair Avenue four-way stop.

Make Irving Avenue, Blanch Avenue three-way stop. Council Vice President Regal. Okay. Again, this was put on I was contacted by the residents there numerous times and the last time was the day before uh the document planning meeting for this.

I going to need to send this up to uh legal to write this. Uh this is an ongoing situation. And I think Council President Rodri, you've received some emails on this uh on the in this neighborhood. It's only unfortunately not going to get any better anytime soon because it doesn't look like there'll be, you know, the bridge obviously the timetable and this is what has uh made this matters worse

as people cut down all these streets to try to get over to Henderson, especially when traffic's backs up. So, we really going to take care of the neighbors in this neighborhood and, you know, make safety a important thing. There's times when they can't back out of their driveway and uh it's just, you know, again, answering the needs to our residents. Thank you.

Thank you. Do do you want us to have DPW the however they set the process for stop signs do the study or yeah they they can start it and you know just you know I know a couple of times they've come back and we've had a you know they said maybe not but you know uh I don't want to be on a council where we hear that we didn't hear what the people were

saying and god forbid a child or anybody or anybody gets hit by a, you know, get in a hectic area, a fatality and something I don't want to I don't want to be on the news for that sort of stuff. Well, with with both bridges, you know, having difficulty at days, I know that neighborhood gets a lot of cutthroughs. People's yards are getting crossed over on a corner. So, um, Patricia, could you just, um, just

refer to, um, Director Bour just for his opinion on this area and what he thinks.

Thank you. Thank you.

Number five, subdivision of the Cross Realy LLC property, 11 Mwood Drive, map 402, block 15, parcel 027, East Providence Zoning Board, a review decision of July 21st, 2022.

Council Vice President Rio, thank you. Uh, are you up to speed on any of this stuff, Mr. the solicitor as as much as I could be with the day's notice I had before today's meeting.

Yes. Thank you. Um you do pretty good with the day's notice. I do my best. You know, I think we're going to keep Don't go don't go there.

No but uh cross insurance. Again, prior to myself getting on the council, I guess they asked for a piece of property to be put into the property that they own.

They said at the time they told the neighbors that they needed this property to they needed this piece of property so that they could maintain the business there.

Well, two years later, Cross has decided that they couldn't. For whatever reasons, the foot the uh footprint didn't work there and now they're located in Providence and neighbors are concerned and C uh solicitor Marcelo said something that the property can't be subdivided. Uh, this has really taken on a whirlwind in the ward because it's next door to the most one of the most famous addresses in in in the

city. No, you know what I'm talking about. The the property that we have a gag order from a judge on. So, uh, and drove by there two today two day yesterday, Tuesday, and they just left the building.

Now, people know they're not there.

There's carriages being left there.

Uh and this this property is getting blighted, you know, it's going and it's going to continue this way.

Um I I would love I would like to see if possible about obviously they own the property, but even divide it. I'm just trying to get the answer for the neighbors because the neighbors are under the impression that as soon as they didn't live up to the end or moved out that this property was going to go back. So, if you could fill me in a little bit more on this or if there is a

process, you know, sure that we can go through. So, it's my understanding that in 2022 there was an administrative merger of those lots. Um, I understand there was a a dilapitated house on the lot that was taken down. it was turned into parking.

Um, unfortunately, I think the once that those lots are merged, they become one. I I don't know. I don't believe the city has the authority to force a subdivision back to two lots.

That would really be the prerogative of the property owner.

Um, I believe it's still cross realy.

Um, I haven't run title to know for sure if they've conveyed the property.

But I I think it's really whoever buys that property um would it would be up to them whether or not they decide to subdivide that back into two lots or not. So it's not city property at all. Right. The lot privately owned and the two lots is it for sale to your knowledge? Is it up for sale? I I don't know that. So basically it was a misinterpretation unfortunately from the people in that neighborhood at

that time thinking that it could go that it could revert back. Yeah. So the way the administrative merger works and you know Mr. Pimental is here if he wants to correct me but once the zoning board of review allows the merger it those two lot become one and they travel together.

or whoever buys or sells going forward, there is the opportunity as long as it's a conforming lot, a current owner or future owner can seek to subdivide and separate those again, but it's private property and it would be their prerogative to do that. And is that an overlay where they could put residential? No. No. So, the situation is that the lot the lot that contained the home was residentially zoned and the

property that we'll refer to it as cross insurance. It a bigger entity purchased it and that's why they brought more people in and they needed more parking.

So, they've got parking on site. They've got the adjacent parking lot across the side street which is next to the other property that will remain silent. And then they needed Yeah, they needed this this as a parking lot. So because it was residentially zoned and you cannot use a residentially zoned property for commercial purposes, even accessory purposes like parking, they sort out the

permission of the zoning board and got a use variance. I mean, right now the the lots are technically still have their own lot classification. What's happened is is because, not to get too technical, you can't have an accessory use sitting on a property without a principal use.

What does that mean? Parking is an accessory component to something. What does it serve? It serves the insurance company. As an operation of zoning law, those two lots have been merged. Could somebody could Could the owner convey it out and reuse it for residential? Maybe.

Obviously, he got permission to do use that parking to serve the needs. But to speak to respect to the neighbors even during that hearing because the neighbors were concerned what if the usage of this building reverts to something that's even more ownorous. So as one of the conditions of approval was that that parking will always continue to serve that building but it can only serve it for office purposes and I think

they were concerned is what if something more intense comes along or what if it's something that's more transitory because you know like retail in and out in and out where's office they're there all day right so that was one of the conditions too. So, as long as that building is used for professional office purposes, that back lot can be used to serve it for accessory parking. Otherwise, the

lot cannot be used. It'll sit there empty. Uh, but that was one of the conditions from the board and that was to appease the neighborhood that this would be, like I said, much less intense and much less transitory because an office complex is usually 9 to5, right?

And so forth. They were worried about overtime hours, people going in out of that parking lot, and that condition runs in perpetuity with the property.

So, the only way you can vacate a decision of the zoning board is to go back to the zoning board and get an alternate decision. And maybe something else will come along, reuse of that building that will need their approval that may be even more appropriate for the neighborhood. I don't know. But that would have to come from the owner, right? The city couldn't initiate.

Correct. Correct. Correct. Yeah. I I don't I I've heard rumors, but I don't want to spread rumors on the You're going to sell it to the in speechless, huh? Yeah. But so if if it if it becomes if some for instance, somebody wants to put condos there, that that would be a situation where they would need to come back to you on that.

Well, that's that's another interesting question. So you're talking about maybe the adaptive reuse and so forth. Yes.

So, the adaptive reuse, and this now this is where I'm going to bounce back to the the legal veagal and the attorney on this. The adaptive reuse ordinance supersedes local zoning. In other words, you can take a commercial building in a zone that does not allow residential, but you can put residential in it because it supersedes local zoning. So, if that parking were to serve an adaptive use, does that mean it too

supersedes zoning? That's a question I'd have to refer back to legal counsel to look that would require research. Um my gut feeling is it would that lot would then be used um for the adaptive reuse but that would require some research just because the adaptive reuse statute is so new, right? And because because the the principal use supersedes zoning, would an accessory serving it supersede?

That's a legal question. But to answer your question, if it were to be used for something more ownorous that's commercially oriented, if it were to go to retail or some other use that would otherwise be permitted in the C1 district because remember the office building is in a C1 zone. So you have to put a use in there that's either supersede zoning like adaptive or it's a use that our zoning code would allow.

But if it's something other than office, they would have to go back to the zoning board to get permission to use that parking lot. So la last year when I heard rumblings and I was, you know, very adamant about C1s having no hotels in them. There'll be no hotel there. There can't be an expansion that because we we put in C1's that there'd be no hotels in C1. When we when we did our passage last

January. Yeah. Please forgive my ignorance because I have to look at the youth schedule. But if in fact council admitted that if that's correct if you said that hotels and motel are not permitted in the C1 they couldn't they couldn't go in that building. Okay. At least at least people can be calm about that. And the adaptive reuse would be for a a condos or things like that. Not

a hotel or a motel 5 over 55 living in you know adaptive reuse would have to be p pure residential. No short-term rental. and that owner sell just that lot that was changed years ago and a house be put there. The property is still the property has still maintained its residential zoning classification. So if they wanted to convey that lot out and put another home on it. Yep. That could

be done by right, but that's at that's at the property owner's discretion.

Right. Right. So you could contact them tomorrow and say I want to put a townhouse, you know, two I mean sell it. We don't tell them what to do.

No, I'm just saying. No, I'm saying if I if a contract I didn't say I mean okay somebody called them tomorrow and said I want to put you know a duplex there and sell that piece of property. The the other than the parking serving that other building as an office the only permissible use in the R3 district would be a single family. Okay.

Thank you. Thank you. ADU that I cannot stop either. That's that's and that super once again that supersedes well the house with the ADU is almost you know that supersedes our regulations I can't that's the point thank you you think you're welcome thank you appreciate it thank you councilman for bringing that forward next item number six city council veterans advisory committee update right so we

had our benefits fair um not a great turnout but we have a saying as long as one veteran gets what they need is a success So, it was a successful event.

Um, coming up, uh, Memorial Day parade.

Uh, Patricia was very kind, gave me some flags. We do have a flatbed for veterans with mobility issues. Um, we'll try to get creative and decorate it like a nice float this year. Um, 10:00 it steps off from the former Roadham School. Anybody has questions, they can reach me at ward 4 counsel eastrovincidence.gov and um everybody's invited. If any veteran wants to come walk with us, it's it's a fun time. Um

May 31st, the Elks are holding their expo at Pierce. It's um they got all kinds of vendors that provide veteran services and um I encourage any veteran out there to come along and visit. And I'm sure it was a typo or a mistake, but out of these 14 proclamations, not one for military appreciation, but I'm sure it was an oversight. But I did want to mention that May is military appreciation month.

So, everyone who served is serving. I love you and God bless. Thank you. Thank you, sir. And you and Councilman Fogerty and keeping that committee going. And I I stopped by that day at the senior center and like you said, there weren't a lot of people, but there were some. And then later, we got a call. A gentleman had stopped by after the program and he was later helped by

the committee and he he needed a lot of information and help. So we we helped a few people, few vets. Listen, the VA is a government agency and it is confusing.

As we know, working with government, it's tough. And I have to tell you, I I have some close friends working the VA and right now they're topsyturvy because of what's going on in Washington. So the more we can do to help out with veterans benefits, the better. Absolutely. Thank you. Next item, Madame Clerk.

Public hearings consideration of update of the city of East Providence comprehensive plan 2025 to 2035. So that that was um deferred.

I need a motion for this. I think we we did that. No, you did it for the ordinance. Now I need it for the public hearing. Okay. Motion to uh table.

Motion by Councilman Lawson to table till the June the first meeting in June.

Seconded by council vice president Rigo.

All in favor? I I. Any opposed? The eyes have. Thank you. New business. Mayor Communications Chief of Staff Patricia Rosendi.

Thank you, Trisha. And um once again, you don't have to read the body of each one, just the headings, unless there's one that you have to describe more.

Just read the 2025 commemoration of Armanian Genoc Proclamation. 2025 World Lupist Day proclamation. 2025 municipal clerk's week proclamation. 2025 National Skilleds Nursing Week Care Nursing Care Week Proclamation. 2025 National Emergency Medical Services Week Proclamation. 2025 Teacher Appreciation Week Proclamation. 2025 National Police Week in National Peace Officers Memorial

Day proclamation. 2025 National Public Works Week Proclamation, 2025 EDS and Hypermobility uh Spectrum Disorders Awareness Month Proclamation, 2025 Community Action Month Proclamation, 2025 Asian-American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month Proclamation, 2025 Mental Health Awareness Month Proclamation, 2025 ALS Awareness Month Proclamation, and 2025 Jewish American Heritage

Proclamation. Thank you. Sufficees to say, May is the busy month of the year, I guess. Thank you for that. And you know, we're reading the headings, but we know that nice proclamations were put together and distributed. Thank you. Next item, Madame Clerk. Report of school committee liaison. Councilman Lawson. Yeah. So, um, couple things going on. We're going to vote on one. It's called the craft

bill. Um, basically Bradley Hospital, preeminent children's psychiatric hospital, housed here in East Providence. When kids join the craft unit, which is children residential, I forget the acronym. Um, we end up picking up the bill for them even though their home of record may be a different community in Rhode Island. Once they're transferred to Craft, Craft is in East Broward, the school department has to

pick up the tab. We get some compensation from the state, but it's barely half of what it costs to put these kids in the school. So, that is one thing. Um, upcoming budget season, like I said, we got to keep an eye. We don't know fully yet. The state budget hasn't been approved yet, but because the medium income in the city of East Providence is going up, that means our state aid's going to start going down.

because our state aids going down doesn't mean our expenses at the school department are going down as well.

They're staying the same and going up.

So, I'm just being the canary in the coal mine that, you know, we got to recognize a lot of this aid we're getting from the federal government, from the state. We got to be very cognizant of that may be drying up. And the other thing is next meeting we'll be honoring the um cast and crew of newsies with proclamations.

Um we're going to be writing a lot.

There's a lot of them. So get ready to write your name on a lot of them. Order.

Yeah. If we had stamp that'd be great.

But luckily I used AI. I took the digital program and I told AI pull the names of the cast and crew and they did it perfectly. So technology is kind of cool. Scary, but cool. So that's it. The sports teams are doing well. Girls lacrosse is still undefeated, Bob. Yes.

Yeah. Um baseball's doing well. All the other teams. And um school year's close.

What do we got? Another month. What do they go? Mid June, I believe. If if and if that. So um that's it. That's it.

Just like I said, budget season's going to be rolling up. And I just want us to be cognizant that, you know, aid that we're counting on, you know, we got to be prepared just in case, God willing, it comes. I'm not trying to be negative, but I'd like to be prepared. We we definitely have to uh double our efforts on all budgetary matters. I mentioned uh that last night. I was at the House Finance Committee

and they are talking about um spending is exceeding revenue everywhere. The state uh the days of all of those COVID and other monies and grants are long long gone. the uh spokesperson for the Rhode Island Public Expenditures Council was there and painted a painted a pretty dire picture. So, um I think we're moving along well. We keep in touch with our school department. I I do with the chair of the school committee

every week. Um, woe

activity. Um, and we're doing pretty well, but that we have to keep our guard up and thank you for keeping on top of the liaison business with the with the schools. Thank you. The next item, resolutions for discussion and possible vote. Number one, resolution in support of 2025H57 46 and 2025-S0113 related to the residence of children for school purposes. Council President Rodri, as was just discussed a

little bit and we we've all talked about I won't read the whole resolution. We we have it in front of us. Uh Rhode Island Senate President uh Lawson has has asked ours support of this as has the rest of the delegation. uh with that craft program at Bradley Hospital, uh the city of East Providence is bearing the a burden of a lot of the expenses and this will hopefully I'll just see if there's a summary

uh explanation. And this would require minor students school district of origin to be responsible for paying the full cost of any specialized educational needs while they reside or enrolled in the craft program which is an overnight program at at Bradley Hospital. And make no mistake about it, it's an excellent program.

I think a lot of us are familiar with it, but we we need some help with the funding. So, this is nothing that u binds us, but it it gives some support to our state delegation who's trying to help us with funding. Is there a motion?

I'll make a motion. Motion by Councilman Fogerty to approve and pass this along.

Is there a second? Second by Council Vice President Rigo. All in favor? I.

Any opposed? The eyes have it. Thank you. Next item. Number two, resolution authorizing the mayor to execute the solid waste and recycling services agreement between Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation and the city of East Providence. Council President Rodri, is there an appetite to table this till next meet? After reading the post article, I I got some questions about the recycling part and I I just if

we could postpone it doesn't need to be done tonight. Can we postpone it till next meeting? I don't I don't see why not. Is there any minute danger by anyone? I'm just reading through it. Um we're good until the end of June, I believe. Yeah, it's a it's a standard agreement that allows municipalities to send solid waste to the Rhode Island Recovery Corporation. I guess the Johnston you know the landfill

and then there's also the recycling and the recycling it sets the disposal tipping fees for same. So if if we want to uh send along some specific questions I I just want to look at the recycling part again. I mean the the rest the tipping fees are $63 a ton for the next couple years. Um, I just people are getting hit with fines and they they may not be the ones putting uh stuff into a

rec, you know. So, I just got some questions if we could just table this till next week. Yeah, I I can I can go along with that. I I do think though that definitely next meeting. This is the only choice in Rhode Island, right?

If we let's just say we were to say no, we're not doing it. Well, back to Forb Street. Well, we don't have to recycle.

Yeah. So, yeah. Is there a motion to table till next meeting or do we have I'll make a motion table till next meeting. Motion by Councilman Lawson. Is there a second to table for the next meeting?

Second by Councilman Fogerty. All in favor? I I Any opposed? The eyes have.

Thank you. Number four, resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into an agreement with Greenwood Emergency Vehicles LLC for the purchase of a tower ladder truck for the fire department.

Council vice president Ria. We passed this or this came up during the during the budget budget year. So, this is just now to uh fully implemented. The bids have gone out and this is just authorizing the mayor to uh get the uh new tower truck for the city of East Proidence.

There a motion? Yeah, it's coming out of capital. Capital already approved.

Capital. Second Frank's motion. Motion by council vice president Rigo, seconded by Councilman Lawson. All in favor? I.

I. Any opposed? The eyes have it. Thank you. Number five, resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into a contract with JR and Suns construction for the Glen Lion Park and Lyall Born Bourne Park Improvements. Council Vice President Rio, thank you. Uh we've had discussion on this during the budget and a lot this is all the opera money. Uh the bids have gone out and work had already started on

the on both fields and uh just just the finalization of the basketball courts, the tennis equipment as well as the new pickle ball uh venues at both locations and uh much needed and I thank the administration and I thank you the fellow council people for uh supporting these issues in my ward. I move passage.

Motion by Councilman Rio. Is there a second by Councilman who was that Lawson in Fogy? Second. And these are two great recreational areas that people should really visit if you haven't been, especially Lyall Bourne. I think it's one of the lesser known ones. All in favor? I. Any oppose? The eyes have.

Before we go, our buddy Ben Nassamento just uh sent me a message. Unified Basketball is in the championship game.

Uh I believe he's saying Hendrickken and I'll get the date and time and I'll post it up. But congrats to the unified basketball for being in championship.

Yes, they they're playing and they they play serious basketball. This that's not just a a pickup game. Uh we do have another item though that we probably have to table. Oh, I'm sorry. That's okay. I think it's your item, Councilman. Uh, go ahead, Madame Clerk.

Introduction of ordinance for discussion and possible vote. Number one, an ordinance in amendment of chapter 2 entitled administration adding article 11, East Providence School Zone Speed and red light camera funds. Councilman Lawson. Yeah, I'd like to table this uh until Ann's here and um a couple more things, but basically the gist of it is camera money going into the school building fund so that way the school

department can focus their budget on actual teachers and education purposes and you know the city we can take care of these buildings. So motion by Councilman Lawson to table next meeting. Uh um it's going to be tabled to June 3rd when Councilwoman Susan Yeah, I'll let you know when it's ready.

Second. You may want to throw some of that towards roads and sidewalks, too.

Is there a second on that motion to table?

Second.

Councilman Regal second. All in favor? I I Any oppose? The eyes have Is no other business? Is there a motion to adjurnn? Motion to adjurnn. Motion Councilman Lawson, second by Councilman Fogerty. All in favor? I. Any opposed?

Meeting is a journ. Thank you all.