EP City Council 11/12/24

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good evening call the meeting of November 12th uh 2024 to order Madam clerk first of all welcome to your first meeting and best of Lu and would you please call the role of the council councilman fogy councilman Lawson here Council vice president rioo yeah councilwoman soua here council president Rodricks here let the record show all five members are present thank you please rise for the salute to the flag

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States thank you all and uh bear with me tonight uh to accommodate uh a few uh persons on the agenda May skip the order a a little bit um Madame clerk if you could uh read the first presentation for councilwoman soua at number number one councilwoman if you want to explain we're going to hold that off at their request correct yes sir so um the Girl Scouts troop 108 um democracy badges

will be scheduled for December at the request of the Scout leaders thank you and Madame Clerk and before we do the presentation we want to um move up the an accompanying resolution so without um with um consent if we could move up the ordinance um titled chapter 29 929 um appropriating up to 5,500 for scholarship for the East End theater and Performing Arts so without further objection is there a

motion so Move Motion by councilman lawon seconded by councilman fogy all in favor I I any opposed the eyes have it thank you councilwoman if you want to proceed with your Proclamation thank you yes right we're going to vote on the ordinance okay so the vote was to just move it up is is there a motion to approve or reject oh absolutely motion by councilman Lawson seconded by councilman fogy now to approve all in

favor I you we're trying to get to Quick sorry about that any other comments on the council first before we go to the public I just uh I am a strong supporter of the Arts I think um if we can do ways like this to help Foster the Arts in the city it is a home run between you see the art box coming up the murals going around the Loof has been growing every year um

Heritage Arts bringing the platters so many utilizing the Arts as an economic driver is perfect for a city like East Providence and I I love councilwoman Susa bringing this forward and I'm in strong support strong support thank you um Council CC president if I may just read the ordinance for the public please um on January 9th 2024 East Providence city council adop ordinance chapter 916

appropriating $50,000 for Citywide utility box op project to be funded by federal Opera funds not limited to other op projects um the city council hereby reappropriates an allotment of 5,500 from that Citywide box um art project to scholarship towards the East End theater and Performing Arts the East End theater and performing Arts is a Rhode Island based nonprofit Community Theater located on 1336 Pucket Avenue

here in East Providence with a mission to provide inclusive accessible and professional performance opportunities in art education that will make a substantial difference in the lives of young performers giving them a creative outlet and a chance to participate in arts in a space to gain skills confidence and to succeed in education in the world field um I move or agree with the passage of this

ordinance well said Thank you and hopefully I didn't confuse people I did go out of order if you have an agenda with you but at this time I'll open it up as a public hearing if anyone here wishes to speak for or against this I'll ask one more time is anyone here in the chambers who would like to speak on on this item hearing none I'll close the public hearing motion to close

motion by vice president Rigo to close the public hearing second by councilwoman soua now on the actual uh resolution the motion was by councilman Lawson and seconded by councilman fogy all in favor I I any opposed the eyes have it that's passed if you want to continue councilwoman thank you thank you council president um so the city council has a proclamation here that we'd like to present to the

leaders um of the um Performing Arts who are present with the city council today Jill and Jessica um whereas the East End theater and Performing Arts in Rhode Island based nonprofit theater located at 1336 puet Aven East Providence with the mission to provide the inclusive accessible and professional performance opportunity of arts and education to make a substantial difference in the

lives of young performers giving them that um creative outlet and a chance to participate and gain skills confidence and education I here by um councilwoman Ianna Souza on behalf of the city council we present this Proclamation and recognition of the Arts and theater performings the ladies could come up just want to say thank thank you for all your work and for being here in the city of East Providence um to provide

such an amazing experience to our residents and I'm sure many others abroad

coun president yes I know the next thing on is executive session Mr Reynolds is before the school department tonight he just texted me he's running a little behind so when he gets here so we can skip the executive session for now and go back when he gets here okay and without uh further objection I would like to move up the item on page six under appointments where we have a recommendation that requires Council

confirmation and this is for the position that had been advertised for assistant solicitor the name there's a typo the name is Joel velado that is the recommendation about a week and a half ago or or so I sent out um Mr V's resume I mentioned um that I had met with him and if there were he was available for any of you to reach out contact I don't know if you needed

to do that but he's here tonight um Mr Vado could you come to the podium to my left please thanks if you want to just identify your self name and address for the record did you repeat that for the record yeah Joel velato I live at five Paradise Lane in Johnston Rhode Island thank you and we we all did read resume um any questions or I make a motion to approve second motion by councilman

Lawson seconded by councilwoman soua to approve all in favor I I any opposed the eyes have it 5- Z I will guarantee you it's not going to be that easy every meeting I would imagine that council president thank you and you are free to uh stay till midnight if you want or you can you can leave yeah you can switch right you're on the clock now if you want to switch but thank you for

coming tonight thank you and congratulations good luck conat so we'll hold off on the executive session until um the appropriate attorney is present so Madame clerk now that we've totally confused you we're going to go back to the agenda we'll skip the executive session for now and what's that the consent yes we can we'll move to the uh consent calendar and Etc consent calendar for discussion and

possible vote council meeting minutes October 15 2024 regular meeting minutes October 22nd 2024 regular meeting minutes October 22nd 2024 executive session minutes October 29 9 2024 regular meeting minutes make a motion to accept second motion by councilman Lawson second by councilwoman Souza all in favor I any opposed the eyes have it thank you next item I'll make the motion to bundle C1 through

C6 second motion made by councilman Lawson to bundle license numbers C1 to C6 seconded by councilwoman soua any comments all all in favor of bundling I I any opposed the eyes have is there a motion make a motion to approve I have no uh uh discussion items second motion made by councilman Lawson seconded by vice president Rigo to approve all in favor I I any oppose the eyes have it thank you

I'm going to ask um again because it will have some some bearing on the agenda itself that without objection to move up on page 10 I believe just verify that page 10 under letter e number one is is there uh approval to move up this item first well yeah I make a motion we move it up motion by councilman Lawson second by councilman fogy all in favor I I any

opposed the eyes have it Madame clerk if you could just read the title next to number one - chapter 2 adding article 8 East Providence School Department capital Improvement revolving fund sponsor council president rodri thank you so before before that I would um just announce as I think the council I I did let you know this I believe um last night but uh last night was the final meeting of the East

Providence High School building committee and closing out the bond issue the high school is completed on time and under budget and they will be returning a surplus of 3,292 562 which um discussion for another time was a Monumental feat of that that everyone was was very glad about at the meeting last night you know we've as a city have come together between city council school department to take this this

money it cannot legally for people who have asked but why don't you just turn it back to the taxpayers and lower the tax rate it doesn't work that way and it really at that amount of money wouldn't lower a lot of of taxes so it's it's to be used in the city we have kind of collectively proposed that this money stay for education and school purposes so we've crafted an ordinance which um

after we have a motion in a second hopefully then we we can have some discuss there might be a little bit of adjustment in some verbiage but basically um this will do what a lot of us here have been asking to do and is to keep up some capital projects with our school infrastructure so with that little introduction is there a motion motion by councilman fogy to accept the ordinance I um second that

motion with amendments and the motion by Council uh second is by councilwoman Souza I'll give you the floor now for um purpose of adjustments amendments first passage thank you attorney thank you council president um so one of the um discussions that we had or that the council has discussed was regarding the need for a committee um that just seems to be adding another unnecessary layer um to this what we're

wanting this fund to be um pretty straightforward similar to the capital Improvement fund that the city has the city knows what it needs it proposes its needs to the city council the city council then determines whether or not to allocate those funds similarly I believe that the superintendent and her staff know what they need they would discuss it um I'm sure with the approval of their school committee and then

present it to the council and mayor for approval so with that being said um my first um Amendment to the ordinance would be to strike anything that mentions Capital Improvement revolving fund committee which um on page one um is indicated and then on page two of the ordinance it would be section 2- 279 um 297 297 thank you councilman um just striking the word in the title committee and then striking A and B and

then for duties it would be that the superintendent of schools would present to the council and the mayor the proposed Capital Improvement projects related to the school department Michael I believe you have the red version of this can can I interject yes sir so if I look at this it might correct me if I'm wrong if we just completely eliminate 2- 297 and then in 2- 298 management and procedures just change Capital

Improvement revolving fund committee to school department or school department administration MH and so the process will be just like with the myON J Francis boiler they identify the project they vet it through the school committee and then once they determine what they need we receive a resolution asking to enter into a contract with the vendor so eliminating 2297 just keeps that flow going the

school department knows their buildings what the capital needs are this is just creating a fund outside of their school budget that we can keep feeding all right if that makes sense so rather just eliminate 2297 just update 2298 you and and basically you know I I can agree with that what what it's doing is it's not changing the intent it's it's the school department the superintendent of

schools and it has to come to the city council the school committee That's the Law that's the process they just can't say um we are going to replace X Y and Z it costs $50,000 um we cut us a check we have to vote on it now I'm sure we will all vote on these projects because we've all been advocating for them so we're not for anyone out there who may be confused by this the wording

changes we're not changing anything we're eliminating some words like committee the original committee um was in intent to just be very very very open and to get a couple of people from the public so everybody sees what we're doing so okay I agree let's let's just get this done and the votes will be taken at public meetings so public let me I I want to thank you for your leadership on this whole thing you guys

know that I've been very passionate about making sure these schools are taken care of and we all five of us are very supportive but your leadership has been outstanding and amazing and I can't thank you enough council president for championing this through well I appreciate that and as I always say it's it's team team e we're all on the same team and we're we're all um together so I I think you might have another yes

sir okay so can you um let us know the gist of the change so we have everyone should have a copy of bman su's proposed amendment it was attached your part of do okay so the first one is to be striking uh the definition of capital Improvement revolving fund committee on the first page of that ordinance yes 297 we can completely wipe out on page one isn't that oh I apologize that's one

that's that's one Amendment uh and then two- 2297 is striking A and B or the whole day y yep adding uh each fiscal year as part of the budget recommendations to superintendent of schs will present to the council and the may I propos Capital Improvement projects related to the East Province food department should that goove langu shouldn't that go in 298 though yeah just eliminate 297 and just put in 298

under the procedures management and procedures want to move it there that's fine okay um it's up to you we can move it later after but I think because 297 is the committee right and we're wiping out the committee so why would we add something just the word committee you're just saying what the capital Improvement fund does now I see if do you have do you have the her changes propos

changes I did I did see but I'm saying we don't need the word Committee in here at all and instruct instru but there are other Provisions under 2297 that she put in there wait he's saying that we can just as that is a procedural thing and it should just go in the procedural I think is the recommendation of the whatever whatever I was just I don't care you put I just want to make sure

sure so let's just put it under procedures management and procedures or remove the remaining part under 2298 yes okay thank you that's one that's one that first amendment okay so is there a motion to approve this amendment as read this I uh make the motion to approve motion by councilman Lawson seconded by councilman fogy all in favor I I any opposed yeah I have that in the next next

Amendment um We Were Striking under 2-98 um the language that said Capital Improvement revolving fund committee and just replacing that with the school department administration then the other issue that I raised with here as proposed you're you're striking it to do this by resolution Council doesn't appropriate money taxpayers money by resolution by order that needs to my opinion to make this

legal that needs to yeah it has to be an ordinance yeah so then we so not a resolution we're going to eliminate that uh striking ordinance we're going to eliminate resolution and put back ordinance correct they make a motion to with the language being changed to ordinance and then all the other stuff can remain same motion by need a vote or is that just a scrier type no we're we're we're voting on her red blind

Amendment we're just putting that back so as part the amendment of an amendment basically okay whatever whatever you need to get the word ordinance in there motion by Council vice president Rigo to approve second by councilman fogy all in favor I I any opposed the eyes have that change weft this for second passage so everything in 2-29 is approved talk we should vot EXC we should vote as ordance now as amend

right so we have to we have to do this two more times all right I just wanted everybody be clear it's two more times after tonight all right what we need to do now is pass thein as amend amendments the ordinance now as amendment is there a motion to pass the ordinance as amended tonight yes a discussion yep just one last line that wasn't in the original um and I just wanted to clarify with the

solicitor the last line says all ride reimbursements from any um designated project should be deposited into the capital Improvement revolving fund well that doesn't need to be voted on that's just it's part of that section okay I just that um it's spoken C oh I'm sorry we can do that then we have to back top go back to something top yep so in that first paragraph um we're going to keep it excluding versus

including and we'll go back to okay right now it's so I'll make a motion we approve with the Amendments the ordinance with the amend we have one more change after okay so the motion by councilman Lawson seconded by councilman fogy to approve the ordinance with the approved amendments all in favor I I any opposed the eyes have that yes one last change um if you look at the top of page two

um councilwoman propos uh actually you know what we didn't we didn't vote on that because we didn't vote on that change yeah so we'll take care of um for the next meeting get get the new ordinance thank you and ju just to clarify Anna uh section 2- 296 um it kind of says that the money goes into this fund I don't know if we're duplicating Language by adding it well it says this money and any

additional money that you guys want to put in later you could the initial bond fund is the the seed money for this and then at the future date if the council putal money can do so as well so that's why 229 needs okay no I'm saying do we want to add her red line of ride reimburse things going into the capital to 296 that's already there that's all all that's that's the last sentence we

did that all ride reimbursements for any Des project what's the last line I'm just saving you typing if it's already in 296 there in there they thank you so uh Mr solicitor a question so next week's meeting and the first week first meeting in December this would become we we don't do we have an advertising situation so after the after next week so if we pass it next week as amended

then we got is it a five day or a 10 day day so we'll be fine for that first meeting in December 19th hold the ad have next next Wednesday yeah put I mean next being Thursdays of the the local paper comes out on the Thursday so it would be next th you know so where it where good TimeWise as far as that first me in December yeah December third

December thank you C and in a techn technical question the school department will hold this money until we pass this this money is going to transfer immediately to us this money actually is being held by RI rybec held by them right yeah it's not being released until we get all this straight and I had a long conversation with Bond Council today so she knows this is coming I just wanted to know who was holding the we

don't it's not physically in our possession that was my question that's why I I want to keep this thing moving as soon as possible once it's done then they start acre interest and interest on $3.3 million is nothing to sneeze at I agree and once it's in place I'll be comfortable on the other Capital stuff y sooner we can get it in place the better all right well thank you all for coming

together on on this uh let's revert back to the regular oh you had one other you vote on the ordinance as amend yes I'm sorry yes it was a 5 Z unanimous thank you sir thank you Mr solicitor unless we have people here for license I don't know yeah let's stick with the Madam clerk if you can uh go back to where we left off okay making it tough for her public hearing annual renewal of miscellaneous

licenses authorization granting to new to renew subject licenses excluding alcoholic beverages licenses for year commencing December 1st 2024 upon application by LC C and approval by Chief of Police and as required by health inspector and other City officials continued from 1020 to 2024 council president yes councilwoman thank you at this time I want to pull one of the um lenses entertainment

license um separate from the rest of the renewals um that would be the Myrtle license I have no other which pages on the agenda yeah I have five is your pleasure on the other items um I have n um motion to approve except for the one indicated for reconsideration motion to approve all items with the one exception councilwoman stated let a motion by councilwoman souer is there a second second by councilman Lawson

comments from the council first if any right now we come back after and comment if not I'll open it as a public hearing anyone here who wishes to speak yes forward please just give you a name and address for the record hi Natalie Van landingham here from Myrtle 134 Waterman a um that yeah I was just gonna suggest that because um the others were we have no other questions so hang on one second then we

can spend time with with your right that's that's the um can I have a motion to that effect on any all of the items as listed except we did make the motion in second you just have to close public hearing council president if there isn't any okay so we will no comments on that anyone in the public want to speak on any of those other items license is hearing none I'll close the public

hearing all in favor and the councel i i i any opposed the eyes have so those are approved next we will bring up the item listed as the murder okay so you did identify yourself already but it's okay sure um first I'd like to say how grateful we are to be in East Providence where we've chosen to make our home as in addition to the already vibrant and diverse Community

we're so proud to have provided over 700 free shows to our community and be a part of the growth of the East Providence Arts District we understand it is a process to add a unique business like ours to the area and we're so glad and thankful to all of our supporters and neighbors for having patience with us as we navigate the everchanging landscape of our community as you know there have been

multiple closures of music venues just like ours in Rhode Island and we take all complaints and suggestions very seriously and address them promptly so we're able to provide a safe venue for art music and Community for many years to come since our renewals last year we've added additional security staff to make sure doors are closed P patrons aren't being lowed outside the neighbors driveways and access isn't being

hindered staff members are constantly making rounds outside to remind people to keep their voices down picking up trash checking the deciel reader and keeping an eye on all surroundings we've also posted notes on all doors continuous continuously post on social media reminding patrons to be respectful of our residential neighbors we have also worked with the city to add no parking lines to the area outside of

Ivy Street that was causing a nuisance to the neighbors we will continue to comply with all noise ordinances and look forward to continuing to bring a safe thoughtful space to our East Providence Community thank you thank you we may have some other questions for you after anyone else here to speak uh on this issue please come forward gentleman in the back was you you will starting to come

up just uh name and address for the record 168 Ivy Street welcome thank you thank you as as far as uh noise complaints we spoke time before uh October 23rd there was two LD well not L but MD women yelling wearing at each other we let it go on for about an hour then a gentleman stepped in Fu fub so as myself you know I'm the law enforcement I was getting ready to go

outside I I'm not doing that going to call the police the police come they they leave now my neighbor has sent you guys um videos or something I have videos if you want to see them uh I wish you guys could see this and it's the way I see it Is Well w two your W one your W if it's in your W help out the other W you're supposed to be opening out all our communities

far as all the residents so if there's one councilman or Council woman that's having an issue in their W please don't say well it's not my word so you know just let here I have the problem we are residents with you guys too you guys represent all of us so we're asking for all your help not just one coun there's um video in emails that was sent out to you so I hope you meet them

U my other neighbors will be here shortly it's going to be more coming out the intoxication part they come down the street all the time it's not a problem where you can say well let me stop myself because then you're G to get into to trouble so they they get into their cars they drive off so we're thinking about calling mad let them let them do their job they have the women stay

outside they watch them get intoxicate in the vehicle follow the police pull them over there you go done it's a done deal and the next thing is ACLU you can't take it anymore it's it's really I wish you had this in one of your WS just so you could see just for a weekend now weekdays my neighbor's right now home with his kid his da his wi is one year old he's

got tape he sent it to you guys the music is way too loud and then after have this meeting it seems like they oh you want you want to complain m goes up again after the police leave then they'll put it down a little bit and they'll play it like till 11:00 or something I got to get up at 4:00 in the morning I'm pretty sure it's the like bands are not supposed to be playing

till 11 12 o'clock at night but that's on you guys you guys make the rules so I just wish you guys could enforce them I appreciate it Mr President yes coun uh I see Chief Francis conone here could uh could you please come to the podium

Chief evening good evening Chief thank you thank you for being here Chief you have an incident report on this location the number of calls that your department has had to respond to this location I do um but unfortunately I just printed this information up a very short time ago I was just notified about this I haven't had a chance to dive into the the calls um in the last six months we've had 10

calls that does not necessarily mean 10 calls we were called there by a neighbor or we have been taken a proactive approach where our officers go there on their own that's logged as a call for service just to check the area so I would need some time to kind of go through all of these call to see you know which were generated by a a complaint in the neighborhood and which

were just an officer calling out that they're doing a check of the area you're saying you only have 10 of those in the last six months that's correct and then overall we have uh since September of 2023 uh 30 okay in uh comparison say to another club or a bar where is that number and not to put you're on sorry if I'm putting you on the spot with the question but I'm

trying to get the field for the number of calls and I'm not going to name locations but obviously you know similar type locations I would be given the um you know obviously what's at stay care I'd be more comfortable if I could take a review of that before giving you an answer on that yeah should have asked for that question earlier but things came to it but I would be more than

happy to do some comparison work yes is it too early to say um and and maybe we'll have you come back and as you dissect that but just quickly is it too early to say with the calls uh have there been any arrests I don't see any arrests here um and I only see in the those 30 calls that I've referenced actually um maybe two reports actually taken um one if I without diving into it

I would venture to guess that it was not directly related to an issue at the Myrtle happened outside um but uh I do not see any any arrests now thank you council president yes councilwoman thank you so um previously had asked uh knowing that the licenses were coming up for a report um on entertainment and uh bars in the area of the center of the city in which I represent um and was

provided that by the then city clerk um and so I do have that information um there were 14 in the last six months at the Myrtle um for compliance checks for loud noise and disturbances there was a transport to the hospital um vehicle stops traffic compliances trespassing um traffic violations um other areas also had other calls to service um they were less than 10 and weren't directly

um couple were uh accidents but had nothing to do with it were just the location not the facility um itself so um we know that there were more than 10 um in the last 6 months they were actually 14 and a majority of them were had to do with either a noise complaint or some type of vehicle or traffic issue um in that area and there may be more um the last updated was

October so I don't know if anything from October 1st to today um has been called in um but those were from April to October 1st um at the Myrtle um and again I you know I've had conversations with um the owners and I've been a supporter of this business um but I do have to take into consideration and hear what the residents that the property unfortunately the business is immediately AB budding residential um

and I believe when the was first brought to the council it was talked about that they were going to be Acoustics and that kind of type of music which is very appealing and not so loud the problem we're having at this location is the amplifying of the music um to the neighbors so if it was not Amplified then people across the street wouldn't be able from their bedroom window to record off their phone and be

able to successfully hear the lyrics of the music that's being sung inside of an establishment that should be providing in my opinion a better soundproofing um for the the residents who live right above the the property so I think there are multiple problems um that we can address so that the business owners can work on addressing and the noise so the um amplifi the amplifying of the music

is probably something that needs to be looked in or how to soundproof right now it's all glass so there's no buffer for the noise that's inside not going outside and then obviously you have patrons coming in and out so opening of the doors lets sound travel outward living in that area myself um the traffic obviously we know that it's an overlay so there were no no parking requirements necessarily so using on

street parking is all that those patrons have but then it becomes a problem when they have amazing events where do they Park and what's happening is unfortunately they're blocking people's driveway they're actually parking in people's parking lots that look like a parking lot but it's actually just an oversized driveway which is something that obviously is not comforting to people right it's a security issue for

people who have small children having people coming in and out using driveways as turnarounds so there's a a safety component to that that we have to think about public drinking has also been reported um on people's property or in front of people's property which again is just another level of concern that the residents have because it's a neighborhood community so there's a lot of small children that live on that

street and ab buding that area um so those are just a couple of the things that I would like be for us to think take into consideration and to have the owners try to think of how we can address those issues to make it a better situation for everybody that's involved um in that um the council did receive an email shortly before uh coming to the counil meeting um the gentleman did

reach out also to me by phone call and asked that I read his um email into the record so that um he um could have the owners here he has been very quiet and kind of sat back um for the last year but felt that it was necessary to kind of come forward now um because he has young children in the home and so now it doesn't just affect him personally um

but also affects um his children so um if the council would allow um my name is taog I am writing to express my growing concern as a resident of 136 Waterman Avenue regarding the ongoing disturbances and disruption caused by the Myrtle located right next door at 134 water manav I am a resident of East Providence for 20 plus years primarily at the Warren Avenue um location for 8 years I am not one to complain or ever

have made an issue but I am at my wit's end with this situation and the never-ending issues with no resolution that follow after growing complaints and concerns myself and my neighbors have it is almost like at every meeting they get worse and louder I believe is imperative that these issues be addressed promptly to preserve the quality of life and safety of the residents in our surrounding areas sorry

to bring this all to you in this manner but is the only way I can speak and maybe the location of the bar wasn't the best place and the idea that they could come up with it may be great for everyone else but not for those of us who live in the abing property first issue is excessive noise one of the primary concerns I have is the overwhelming noise emanating from the bar late in the

evening and often past curfew time the loud music Amplified voices and shouting from patrons frequently disturbs the peace and quiet of our home and our neighborhood the noise level becomes intolerable making difficult for myself and other residents including families of young children including my child who is one whose window is right outside the bar who has been woken up multiple times

throughout the night because of this disturbance once having peaceful sleep now no longer drunken and ragged um Rowdy patrons another issue has been the consistent source of frustration is the behavior of intoxicated patrons of the Myrtle bar it is not an uncommon for a large group of people to spill out into the street shouting arguing causing General disturbances they often instant

that where individuals have engaged in disruptive even dangerous Behavior including fighting loitering smoking outside and most importantly stumbling to their vehicles and driving off which endangers everyone and this contributes to a sense of insecurity in our area this coupled with the lack of adequate security or crowd control has created a terrible environment for those who live

nearby parking and traffic issues the parking situation around the Myrtle is always been a significant concern resulting in patrons parking in residential areas blocking driveways and the contributing to congestion on an already Narrow Street this is not only makes it difficult for residents to find parking but also creates a safety hazard particularly for pedestrians and their children excuse me point of order could

we have decorum in this Council room thank you thank you additionally everyone you using my driveway as a turnaround and traffic building up in the area during peak hours exacerbates the problem making it difficult for residents to navigate the neighborhood or leave their homes and parking close to the corner causing a blind spot in near accidents given these ongoing issues I respectfully request that the city

council and the mayor take action on the following items enhance enforcement of the noise ordinance including ensuring that the bar complies with local noise level limits particularly during the late hours increased security or crowd control to prevent disturbances caused by intoxicated individuals and to ensure that the safety and well-being of our community improve parking management

parking management to prevent overflow parking in residential areas to migrate congestion particularly during peak hours I believe it's crucial that the city take this concern seriously and work with the Metal Management to find a solution that balances the interests of the local business with the right and the well-being of the residents I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss

these concerns further and look forward to your prompt attention to this matter as I am not able to attend this meeting please review videos and photos below um that I have shared and many more that are available that is um Mr tyo gello okay thank you reading that I mean it appears there is a lot going on here I'm I'm wondering if we we shouldn't even have a separate session meeting on this yes

councilman first of all um the Myrtle is an amazing business they create a a a phenomenal place for music for Fellowship for people to come together um but it's in that overlay Zone that reduces parking so we can't put no parking on the side streets um we have neighborhood bars you mentioned that because we don't live there we don't care I I grew up in Riverside STDs the Lincoln bar so

neighborhood bars are not unique to City of East Providence these problems we're talking about have we got together the administration and the neighbors and the owner and come up with some kind of game plan it sounds like what nobody's talking to each other you know is anybody sitting everybody at the table and saying these are our concerns how can we address them um yeah that's

Council uh by law they can go until 1:00 right with music their uh their entertainment license can be concurrent with their liquor license okay so we can look at maybe asking Natalie if they could work on reducing I don't know how late they play till at night um people leaving the bar um causing disruptions maybe we got to look at some kind of security guards out there there is a

solution without throwing the baby out of the bath water we have to understand these people deserve to live in their home without these um things that are being reported but at the same time we also have a very cool business that's adding to the quality of life in the city so my suggestion is have the administration the chief Anna get everybody at the table and let's talk let's look at each other in the face and

say okay these are the issues how can we solve them you know rather than show course here all this stuff let let's just have the adult conversation first I'm pretty sure we can come up with a solution that satisfies an awesome cool business in the city and these people being able to live comfortably um but I suggest we have that conversation for because it doesn't sound like we've had that step

yet of all the people together right well I know there's emails that go back and forth and stuff but that's my suggestion right I think there's been individual conversations but not a Roundtable discussion um with with the parties that are involved or affected um which I I think is a a great thing to do if people are available and make themselves available to do that um but I would say everybody needs to come with

an open mind an open heart be flexible to different ideas and not argumentative um and this is definitely not a showca hearing um by any means this was an opportunity for um us to have a discussion um and bring awareness and and hear from the residents um but like I've mentioned to the owners I am willing to do whatever ever it takes to help support the business but we ALS I

need to also think of the residents that live there so how do we build that bridge to get us together um and because we're in this middle of renewing licenses this is the time where we can now come together and say you know these might be stipulations or areas of improvement action items as we consider renewing the license you know like we've done with other establishments where

it's maybe on a six month versus a year and during that six months we have this table discussion we try to work out some of the Kinks um and see how it works and then at that six Monon marker we evaluate for the renewal of the next six month or entire year and just to be clear this is only on the entertainment part of the licensing of the business

this has nothing to do with any of the other licensing um for the establishment thank you Chief did you want to add something yeah before I to Echo councilman Lawson's sentiments that's what I was going to we'd be more than happy to kind of spearhead this and have our community police unit meet with the residents um meet with the owner this is the first I'm hearing some of this stuff the

solicitors sent me that email just a short time ago which wanted me to start printing some of this stuff up so um I had to play a little bit of catchup but I'd be more to more than happy to facilitate this yeah I think let's rather than Bel this anymore tonight you know there let's let's do that would um through um you Chief could you start the ball rolling and contact you know

Administration and anyone on the council other the less than three people so obviously councilwoman souer and um put together a a meeting sit sit down at the table and was certainly not at any point tonight where we're looking at any kind of a hearing um so let's too let's do that and keep keep us in keep me informed I'll let the council know when something and let we'll let the

councilwoman know with her schedule and Mr solicit do you want to add something no just um I think when our next meeting we should just continue this issu the license till the next yeah that was my next thing what do we doing tonight then with they're still valid and we're still have a license I think the renewal is I'm assuming it's either 11:30 or 12:30 I'm not sure so more than

likely this is not going to be resolved by that time so we have to grant them a temporary license if this is where this is going it was a question I was going to ask because today is the what's today's the 12th of November we meet the 19th well mentioned a six-month review yeah I'm I'm good with um providing a six-month license um with a review and in that six

months uh approval we come together at a round table and have this discussion to try to work out some of the issues that everybody has um in concerns and then similar yeah that's your call chair yes councilman fogy first of all you had a couple more speakers um my opinion on this would be uh the annual license granted have the community get together satisfy the residents satisfy the business six months later we get

together see how they did instead of coming back for a six-month added license just renew the whole year now would be my opinion the renewal now and then have the community get together and work out their differences so you're saying uh standard renewal yeah because we got the power to if something the license is granted you have less power because you you've got then you got to have a showc

course hearing and all those issues so the time to put restrictions or any kind of compromise is now my opinion so I would I would I would just suggest that we put this down for the TW the next me next Tuesday's meeting maybe in the week's time we could get a meeting together with the with the individuals if not we can put it down for December I think it either expires 12 12:30 or

11:30 I can't remember the date these licenses expire but that gives us time but we can we can do that yeah there more if they're different and haven't spoken yet right um so but you're saying you you think there's time between now and next Tuesday to meet well at least with the police chief and what not yeah I think I'm sure the owners are willing to meet and some of the neighbors council is

usually good about yeah okay that's fine with me that's up to you I mean yeah no everyone's willing to do that and I because we're going to um wait till next next week I'd rather not you know continue the discussion because if people have already spoken um can you be very quick because we're going to revisit you know yeah I just wanted to clarify since we were talking about the police reports I do have all

of the reports um we had three noise complaints I have the dates the rest of them um were for parking which we worked on with the city to like put the parking uh lines on the side we've had a lot less problems with that the trespassing warrant was something that we issued um for somebody that was acting out of line and then the ambulance uh taken was because the man

we saw a man who wasn't a patron fall asleep on the sidewalk in front of our place and I called to make sure he ambulance so I just wanted to clarify no and it's part of what you can discuss over these next yeah I just want on to clarify that that was what the Cs good point not just all noise complaints and absolutely that's that's why with once the chief has a chance to get a little

more indepth then we can verify all of these cases and we're like we said before we're always happy to meet with anyone The Neighbors and all of you and okay thank you sir you haven't spoken yet do you want to say something his name and address for the record uh sure I'm Jacob Hower I live at 561 public Street Providence um I just wrote a statement um I've been trying to get out and about

more this year and one of the first shows I went to was at Myrtle since then I've braved the Washington Bridge a number of times to see someone play there sometimes multiple times a week and when I released my sixth album Myrtle was my first choice for the CD release party on social media and in person I have seen Myrtle emphasize the importance of being considerate to their neighbors and when

I go to Myrtle I usually grab a bite to eat nearby as well though other local businesses are benefiting from their presence they are also wheelchair accessible which can't be counted on everywhere and they have a selection of mocktails which I appreciate as a non-drinker this year has seen a lot of beloved Rhode Island venues close which is a real shame for a state that with so many great musicians and artists in the

best of times running a successful bar is difficult and the pandemic and the Washington Bridge situation have made it even tougher I hope that the city of East Providence sees their way through the renewing myrtles license so that they continue to thrive and grow that's it than you thank you sir appreciate that Mara you've already spoken but can you be quick okay that's all right just be

quick cman lost and I understand that my sister Liv iners side to I understand about the bars near near the near the houses and when you have loud bands it's it's not like a bar it's not like Riverside so they got bands too yeah this is loud loud I mean I'm three o down and you can hear the drums the the saxophones I mean everything the guitars especially when they open the

doors they open the doors forget about it and then you know I don't want to be a pain when they open the doors it's all the way down the Blendon Avenue Central Avenue that's not right those are some of the solutions I definitely want to speak to them as far as the other thing well ambulance called the lady from the middle that came out and fell on last being was here he fell in the street six

inches in six inches more she could have broke her neck on the curb and she left your estage now we already have that document so so there is other callot we we will get to the bottom of this this is so the Mr siss the business of tonight I would continue to 12 uh 1119 to the 1119 this is by the way this is only the entertainment license right

just in do we need a motion to do that so I'll entertain a motion to continue the entertainment license till the November 19th motion by councilman Lawson seconded by councilwoman Souza all in favor I I any opposed guys have thank you thank you all who who came out to speak next item Madame

clerk annual Al alcoholic beverage license renewal please refer to exhibit a for business listings continued from 10222 24 Council vice president Mr President Madame clerk in compliance with Rhode Island general law 36-1 14-6 I here hereby recuse myself from this particular discussion thank you will will you return I know there's a PC game and they're losing I um I'll make a motion to approve just to get it started

I don't have any discussion second motion by oh we have to wait for you to okay can't you move any quicker all right well I'll say you can come back councilman Lawson made the motion to approve I think councilwoman suar seconded and what item numbers was liquor licenses this a public hearing renewal of liquor right renewal of liquor licenses uh comments from the council first if if not at the moment

I'm sorry next okay so we're on item number three Madam clerk the uh application for additional hours if you want to continue reading that please do we want to wait for we we we can start application for additional hours to open between the hours of 1 a.m get councilman rioo Tom Tom snow did you get councilman go please wake up Tom Blinded By the

Light motion to approve the application motion we have to have a few light moments up here motion by councilwoman soua seconded by councilman fog to approve public hear any other discussion before we go to a public hearing any other discussions public hearing close the public hearing hearing none all in favor I I any opposed eyes have that 4 to zero next item danc and entertainment new

applicant Dennis leet business name East 33 business address 33 Veterans Memorial Parkway oh God bless you bless you is Dennis here what can you come up just tell us what the business is I just I'm not familiar with these 33 just the name and address of the record uh hello my name is Jess Brown I am at 33 veteran Memorial Boulevard it is currently um an HVAC company with

Rory Miller um I think his is 33 East and we are stepping in with his the he has another commercial space attached to his space and along with Dennis uh legit we are doing a creative arts and wellness space here in East Providence so there's going to be uh permanent tenants as well as just general membership where we're providing different art design and wellness activities for the community okay so

what's the dance and entertainment for well just because we want to do a various types of programming so it's not just Visual Arts there's actually a gallery that we put in place that the Mayors come by and seen we have commercial space and we also have a large garage space that's going to be used as a flexible multi- Center so we have areas where there can be shop space but also we want to allow dancers Dennis

is actually a nationally renowned Crump dancer and so um and he dances internationally so we want it to be a space if people want to do dance performances we're also going to be having sort of a blackbox uh theater space there as well we're inviting community members to come in and do professional development and just various different types of programming and we want to host events so we wanted

to make sure that we were getting the proper licenses in place to do that do I yeah it sounds good do we do they need a license yeah she said performances and stuff apolog I uh I'll send this memo to you tomorrow um but I remember I did a memo on February 15 2024 under state law what what constitutes uh entertainment licenses and includes exhibitions shows and performances and other things so

that's why needs it I enthusiastically what is the um the parking situation look like for that so we have um an enclosed parking lot behind a fence that has about five five spaces right outside of our fence there's three spaces but then there's street parking and then we've been told that there's actually two new parking lots that are going to be going in right behind uh The Comedy Corner is it Comedy Corner comedy

connection yes off the highway correct is a parking I just I just fearful that on the the side I guess it would be where they're coming off the on-ramp on the rest there's not even a possibility of parking there yeah that people wouldn't I mean there's a there's a gap enough for people to want to park I my concern is people there'll be a problem and we know that there's like two other businesses

right close and that they've handled that before so we'll just make it clear in our mailings and social media and we're going to try to be clear about where parking is and um yeah that was one of our first concerns but I know that Rory's been working with the city and the um Arts District to be talking about where patrons might be coming thank you very much U motion by councilman Lawson is there a second

second by councilwoman Souza Council vice president Rigo all in favor hi I any oppose the eyes have it good luck thank you so much we forward to inviting you all out to an event councilman Lawson can dance he'll be over there just can't sing throw down that cardboard we'll be break dancing oh boy next item please yeah no comment there Communications Communications any person who submits a communication to the city

to the Council in wishes to speak on it must indicate this in writing no later than 400 p.m. the Thursday prior to the next regularly scheduled council meeting a person who lists more than one topic on their communication will be allowed to speak on the first one listed Nancy hail driving in pedestrian safety issues update progress and future yes we received the notification that uh

she is unable to attend tonight so next next item is public comment you have any signups oh okay Mike is the trust lawyer here okay all the people that signed up for public so they left okay okay so there is no public comment so motion to go into executive session motion by councilwoman suar is there second Council absolutely to move into executive session and the statute yes let's go back to the first page for the

Statue Pur to 42 46582 litigation regarding two claims it is as listed on the agenda yes there both claims are listed on the agenda the motion was unanimously approved we will this time um recess into executive session be back shortly

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this time we'll reconvene the meeting coming out of executive session a motion is in order to seal a minutes of the executive session Council vice president I make a motion uh council president make a motion to seal the minutes motion by councilwoman Souza to seal the minutes of the executive session is there a second second by councilman fogy all in favor I any opposed the eyes have it thank

you we have to resume the docket

y believe it is yes page seven of the agenda so Madam clerk if you could take it from there

motion to reconsider fiscal year 2025 capital budget and capital Improvement program as amended on October 15 2024 Council vice president rioo Council vice president please thank you in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order as a member of the pravilan side I move that the council reconsider the FY 2025 capital budget and capital Improvement program as amended on 10524 um I also would like to state that the

in oh sorry is that the your motions complete okay is there complete yeah second before we go through it can you just got us through this process so we moved the money out of capital to ensure these projects those were taken care of so how do we go back to uh put back what we took out which was the fire trucks and the epw and I'd like to make a motion to add

one item so we're going to get there y um so just what's the process so the process is that this he just made a motion to reconsider that okay that's second and passed then the the amended ordinance before you the amended ordinance as you passed as on October 15 I believe the council person I think everyone got it um has additional amendments or changes the the amended ordinance that's before you he's putting

some some stuff back and adding stuff at that time you have the ability to add additional stuff to that ordinance if you so choose okay so I get mine via email I didn't get his updated ordinance I don't believe is it just what is it what the I don't get the physical packets um it's it's it's almost everything in the original but it's um but there's some stuff that he left off we can we can

right so we we'll discuss that when we get there so first step is I'll second his motion and then that opens up the discussion on the capital budget correct so first of all you got a motion to reconsider so it's a first and a second you're going to vote I or n to yes or no to reconsider so if that passes then the ordinance is before us again okay so that's a second by councilman Watson

and the council vice president made the motion does anyone need the motion re reated I think we're all set all in favor I I any oppose the eyes have at Mr President 5 Z yes Council vice president um I first I want to Echo the sentiment of uh councilman Lawson on your tutelage of Bridging the school budget the excess School uh Bond money over to the city and your uh work with the school department administration and

as well as councilman Lon again you having a meeting a week ago with the school department I again speak for myself that never never was it a situation of not providing the equipment for the fire department but as any real estate agent worth their assult would tell you that the most one of the most important things in the for schools for the city is the school department you see at you

see when houses are being advertised all the time they talk about being in this school district or that school district without naming a name that's because if you want to bring young families into a city you provide them with the best education and I know that's uh the mayor had a conversation about younger families moving into the city that's why we're trying to build single family units for older people to be able

to afford to get out so without a good school system and I that was our intent or that was my intent as to why we wanted to make sure that the schools got their money it had nothing to do with being anti-ir truck anti- rescue anti- DPW the future of the city is bringing in young families and young families want schools and for somebody for some people on it I didn't read it but obviously people tell

me things for a couple of people on the internet to say that I was anti- First Responders shame on them shame on them I have a first responded very near and dear to my heart and I also have four uh my four relatives who are on the on the red side of being in firemen so I am never and for that person to say that and and to scare people scare elderly shame on that person

and she knows who she is thank you thank you Mr President I appreciate your comments I will vote for the fact that you know you are a supporter of infrastructure in the city on the school side and the city Side including fire trucks as are all of us I mean this has been a process that we're talking a lot of money a lot of policy and I think we've worked it through as a group and

as I had stated um couple of meetings ago it's not either or we're going to take care of infrastructure U one of the words councilman fogy first Ed when he ran for office was infrastructure so that's what we're doing schools and City and not affecting the tax rate per se this is an opportunity to let's get that 29y old fire truck replaced let's um get the school boilers and roofs and intercom

systems done and we're we're doing it all so I appreciate your comments so that was Mo that was passed okay so now that's so the original ordinance is now before us which was the if you look on the it has a book and page number at the top and it says as amended on October 15 2024 and those were the strikeouts that the Council made and the additions on the for the school at the

bottom of the ordinance and it's signed it's all signed I believe now councilman rioo if he so chooses um move uh his Amendment which is a separate document and we can walk through what the amendments are um once he makes that motion if he wants that before this so is a motion would be to appropriate um 6, 38,6 25 of for the capital excuse me 2025 capital budget uh as listed on his proposed ordinance and

we can go through and go through those changes are counseling and then you have opportunity to add to that later I don't have a copy of his changes okay um is it in your packet I don't I get a no but it it should be in your should also be on your scan unless you got it from the um Secretary of State's website or did you get it from the clerk's office because we did not post

this because it doesn't become in active until such time as it's actually proposed so you saying packet the one I got in the email it didn't have the resolutions and ordinances attached that's why I don't see but we could just go through so all right yeah one of the things that I I think we need to work out as a council uh back in the day there were physical packets

delivered to all of us now that process is a little bit convoluted we couple of us print off online some of us pick up of copy and it isn't always the same thing but that's discussion for another day but at least we can go through it now they should always be print they should always be on the secretary website and it wasn't this time around the reason why this was not on

the secretary's website is because I didn't know the council person was going to make this amendment until he actually makes it so that's why anybody could put an amendment they could say I think I'm going to put an amendment through but we don't we only post the actual ordinance not some amendment I I'll just let our new clerk know that I get mine digitally that's all it's just a yeah just a thing we're good

so as I'm looking at this sure there's a motion first and we'll have a second then discussion why I need to go item by item no no no it looks like the only thing different is the stump grinder everything else is the same as the original well yeah the obvious stuff but yeah as far as the original yeah so can you make your motion and just summarize okay so I like to make the amended

motion for the capital budget of 2025 second in the amount of yeah million 125,000 that's right because we took the stump grinder away 6 million 38,6 125 again I don't need to go through each item yeah you won't have to we can we can bring up individual everybody sa I want to add one item right overall and the SEC coun woman Su already seconded it so would we add at this point so I'll make a motion

that we add under Department of recreation allocate $70,000 for the pur purchase of a trackless train for the enjoyment of the entire Community it will be housed at Crescent Park in the brand new building which they're building garage Space 4 and it could be utilized for um use down at the park to help offset um so much riding on the carousel but it also could be used for Winter Fest we can bring it up to Hunts

Mills we could whatever event going on it's just an added value to the quality of life the so I respectfully asked that we add $70,000 towards uh Department of recreation for the purchase of a trackless trade from from Capital yes now do we have to re advertise this whole thing now that as an addition okay all right okay so the number changes to 6,18 625 thank you is there a second to that second by councilman

fog and then go back to the I make a motion we add my amendment to add $70,000 for a a train for the kids of East Providence second and the motion was seconded by councilman fogy of course councilman Lawson made the motion all in favor I I any opposed guys have it now a motion is in order for the original ordinance as Council mon Rego with a new amount of um I just gave you

that number 6108 625 No it should be more than that no 61 plus the plus the 70,000 that that was the number that was it yeah that is the yeah 6108 865 so this is the ordinance has amended now so that's what that we need a motion to PR that as well I'll make a motion that we approve motion by councilman Lawson to approve seconded by councilman F all in

favor I any oppos the eyes have that I have a question question does that mean that there's only that leaves only 10,000 or so into the capital budget uh yeah about 6118 625 minus 618 yes official year 25 was about 10,00 whatever that difference is that the am that's left in the capital unallocated Capital we know what's left now I can just well nothing's been spent I can just tell you

wait what's in the account now original as budgeted the budget that you guys budget that was proposed by the mayor total capital budget was 6 million1 one excuse me 6,125 so take 6125 minus the 6108 625 that's how much is left is there any left over from

24,000 we can find that out but I'm not sure I don't know I think next uh week if um chief for staff is you know she's been ill this week so not in tonight so we we'll get some further clarification on the balances I think we've asked for that so thank you everyone for that yep thank you counc yes thank you Council thank you council president for your leadership this whole process thank

you I'm back up here next item Council consideration of mayor's message of disapproval and veto of capital budget fy2 amendments possible vote to override city council we just table so that would be on the table table yeah I I motion to table second motion to table by Council vice president seconded by councilman F all in favor I any opposed guys have that five Z thank you all I'd like to table my item

four and I'd like to strike item five we don't need to bring that up anymore okay next item yeah requested report of Glenn lion field detailed accounting decision Council vice president rioo I'm going to table that at this time thank you we revisit that next item city council veterans committee update discussion councilman Lawson um so yesterday we had a beautiful ceremony thank you mayor it

was amazing I it I had tears in my eyes um the only update tomorrow we're going to hold a veterans appreciation dinner at St Mars 6 to8 um we got a caded by uncle tonise and um all veterans military um families and active duty are welcome to come join in Fellowship um it's just a dinner there's no formal um presentation or anything just show up anytime you want between 6:00 and 8 grab

a meal uh enjoy some time with uh fellow veterans and fellow townies and um after the meeting I'll let you guys know Supply wise what we need left but um that is the update for now other than um I don't know if it's under mayor but Andrea transitioned from constituent Affairs to now she's uh Community Health and veteran services coordinator I'm sorry I don't want to step on the May's toes if it's

under their Communications well I think most of that's going to be held till next week the mayor of course is at at Liberty to address us but said no it's all right he said she'll um other than the vote on the assistant solicitor okay she'll um prepare for next week okay uh so that that's the only update uh the Veterans Day ceremony and the park I got nothing but compliments and I got to

talk to Dan I've had people asking if they can buy bricks I don't know I mean you'd have open it up for many people so we'll discuss see if that's something um I definitely would like to start thinking about adding to the park um it's a beautiful setup perfect with that little slope for like speaking engagements but um I think uh we could add some more to the park monuments interpretive

signs that's the update thank thank you and thank you and councilman fogy initiation with the veterans advisory committee each each month or so it's growing and getting getting more so and the anyone watching this um veterans with their families please come for a professional pasta meal at St Martha's Church Hall as we look at this um now you're doing desserts are you doing the B I have the desserts ready you're

baking right yeah they are ready put it that way they're wrapped and ready to bring I've only been samp a little bit little Debbies and and you know the ceremony yesterday I I have to quote the Secretary of State gregore who I think feels like a lot of us you know this is something the city has not done before in the last several years it's really brought people of all all Persuasions together to honor

veterans honoring uh lieutenant John Wolf and Clarence Jr Butler yesterday uh thank the mayor for selecting them those are two kind of icons in our city John Wolf a longtime teacher and a and a um hero as a veteran and Clarence Butler we know about his story from Vietnam and the Bible in the helmet getting shot save his life and he carries that Bible around with him and it it was just a

great day to honor veterans yesterday and we're going to continue to do that so thank you Council Lawson for giving us a little kickart with that whole appreciation thing enough of that thank you enough giving each other pets on the back next item please freedom freedom green holiday tree lighting December 8th 2: p.m. to 8:00 P.M discussion Council vice president rioo I just want to know if

the hay rid is going to be there that's that's we have two events in Ward one that day we have the Hunts Mills event and now we have the freedom green event so uh the Christmas festivities will be taking place in Ward one on the 8th of December next year the Riverside might let you have the train mayor we got to get one ceremony my calendar is filled there's what 47 tree liens and there's

only 42 trees in the whole city go ahead Council that's that's all it's just an announ announcement yep very simple great time what's a date again Sunday December 8th thank you at what time Frank 2 p.m 2 p.m and where at Freedom green I'll give you directions I know you have an issue of like coming I don't leave Riverside bu know coming up to W one I'll give you uh next item please discussion and consideration of

separation agreement and payment of accumulated time discussion and possible vote councilwoman soua councilwoman um we on May what's that no no number nine is uh don't have a number nine online um I don't have anything on this um I wasn't even sure that this was on I'm okay can we just table do we need a motion or for the next council meeting okay motion by councilwoman suar the tables there a second second second

councilwoman Lawson all in favor I I any oppos the eyes have it yes oh I'm sorry is that what you want yes that's fine okay next item we going into public hearings oh we did the we did number one already that was earlier in the meeting continued business one requests for detailed breakdown of allocation as awarded to the E Providence Fire Department $3.75 million safer Grant fund discuss Council VI vice president

rioo Council vice president since this time uh Chief of Staff rend's uh got back to me and again without her presence here tonight I think it's best that we table this to the next meeting sure and I would acknowledge that she did give you a report I think and we can discuss it next meeting so um we'll hold that off under the maybe under the mayor's report or do you want to do it as a separate

item like this but either way she'll be here so I'll about a motion a table that way it's okay is there a second to that motion second second by councilwoman souer all in favor I I I have it thank you next item Council requested at October 22nd 2024 meeting meeting for update on Old Union Primary location being developed by touchdown real team in an update a review of property from

zoning um Mr Mr President Madame clerk uh since our last meeting there on the 22nd of October uh the zoning officer did issue as a report and made some stipulation that the real estate company or develop a touchdown reality needed to be in compliance with so uh I think we should give the person from touchdown reality or the company I should say the time to do that but I'd like to thank Mr pimento for

taking quick action after our last uh council meeting and it's very again it's very concerning to my uh residence award one a couple things there but I think everything will work out for everybody at that location and for the Neighbors thank you thank you I know you've been working hard on that issue appreciate that um Madam clerk under new business if I could state that u m rendi will

report on some of this next week but mayor D Silva do you want to add anything I do you want to mention the holiday celebration do you want to um we'll we'll wait for next week to talk about the oper update but I know you want to um or do you want to mention the proclamations and with within about a minute or two I'll be quick first I want to thank the council for uh taking uh

decisive action on the capital uh budget that we had submitted I really appreciate all of the council coming together around that uh secondly we do have another tree lighting here at East Pro evidence at the city hall that's December 7th so sounds like we have one on the sixth at Riverside the seventh here the eighth in Rumford two in rumage so we have a lot of celebrations and uh

it's just another wonderful opportunity to bring the community together riversides um Christmas tree lighting over at at the Borealis is always a lot of fun the one of Freedom green brings people from all over and now we have a hay ride that's being sponsored by the council over but Mr Mayor councilwoman soua gets the biggest venue of All City Hall is in w i that's right that's right

it's always it's always a nice a nice time so the hay rides in in coordination with the Historical Society so that's correct and it's going to be at Hunts Mills correct yes sir yes sir so it should be a lot of fun um we um just I don't know if I can mention this we recently just this week just today uh started a new Finance director uh Glenda Delgado uh accepted

at a position uh we went through multiple uh applicants and uh she's a well qualified individual we'll be putting out a press release on that soon the good news is that Malcolm is sticking around until the end of November so he'll be able to transition her into her role as a finance director so we're very excited about that um additionally and it was mentioned by councilman Lawson uh Andrea Vargas uh

has accepted the the role of being the constituent Affairs and health coordinator U opioid settlement funds to pay for that position uh she's available to you and she's done such a great job in my office for the last several years as a constituent Services person that transition is just perfect for her we brought in somebody to replace her um lindsy Ferrera who used to work for ebcap and she brings a wealth of

knowledge and information also so her role now will be constituent Services um and I want to thank all of you for being part of the veterans um celebration that we had the other day it was really remarkable and I did it there I'll do it here again um incredible uh turnout from the community uh a lot of veterans and attendance loved seeing the younger people there the Cub Scouts and the East

Providence uh towy football team were in attendance uh it was really something special to witness and I want to thank all of you for being involved in that too uh other than that there is we we will bring to you an update on the uh arpa uh on the arpa money that that we have available um I hope to meet with council president vice president sometime hopefully next week or this

week to go over that uh I'd welcome meeting with councilman Lawson fog in souer also individually if you have questions and then we'll do a presentation here um for all of you to have an understanding where we stand with all that I have nothing further I got um I got the two proclamations one of them I do want to mention so um mayor declared National veterans Small Business Week that's uh I won't read

well I might as well read it it's fets week um from the office of the mayor whereas one out of 10 small businesses across the US are veterans owned whereas from Main Street storefronts to Virtual high-end startups that Advance America veteran-owned small businesses are a pillar of our economy that contribute to the foundation of our nation whereas veteran and Military Spouse small

business owners are resist discipline and Mission oriented sounds familiar uh thanks to their commitment to serving our country and communities whereas when we resolve ourselves to strengthen our communities we must Empower and support the Giants that veteran entrepreneurs are in our economy whereas natural veteran Small Business Week highlights the programs and services available to

veteran entrepreneurs through the US Small Business Association and Resource Partners whereas the city of East Providence supports and joins in this National effort to help veteran own small businesses start and grow in order to help our community Drive therefore I Mayor robero de Silva on behalf of the city of East Providence Proclaim November 11 through 15 2024 be recognized as natural veterans Small

Business Week in East Providence so thank you for that mayor and the other Proclamation um you guys can probably shine on it more next week but uh November 30th um small business Saturday the mayor's got a proclamation that we'll probably wait till Patricia comes to you guys can thank you thank you and one other thing uh mayor without laboring this would you please give the council's best wishes to

we know marleene and your office is very brave coming into work not feeling very well these last few weeks and months but uh she shows up and does a good job and we're all pulling for her you could pass that along you council president I appreci absolutely thank you next item please am I help me reports of the city officials none report of school committee liaison update our meeting with

superintendent and finance director regarding financials yes councilman Lawson so um council president Rodricks and I met with um superintendent Dr fand and Craig is the finance director just there's so much that goes into school financing that it it it's the great white whale and we got to get more help from the state and federal level it's just we have to um a municipal budget to

cover every need of our kids it it's just it's a tough thing um you're talking about Transportation cost um transportation is more than just the in City getting the kids to the school we transport our special need kids to their placement some of them maybe at the groing center other places we we take care of those I spent a decade of my life serving that population and I'm committed to continuing that um there's

so much insurance cost if certain staff have medications that are outside the norm we have to take on higher premiums um there are mandates from DCF if there's a kid that's in placement and dcyf says we're putting them in Virginia I don't know why but the school department of East Providence has to pick up that tab so there is so many moving parts that I think it's very important that we keep open those lines

of communication um council president I met um they told us their challenges um we got um contract what was it the facilities and custodian contracts coming up teachers are coming up um we starting to lag a little bit in teacher pay not because anything we did it's just that other communities are stepping up as well so just like with police hiring you get what you pay for so these are just things coming down the

line that this Capital project everybody involved putting it together it it was great it was what's needed so now we can feed this fund outside of the regular school budget so that budget can go towards teachers and therapists and Par professionals and this outside fund can be used for the building maintenance needs and then when you start talking about um maintenance of effort you know

if we pay for a boiler this year we still got to give money for a boiler next year that's just how state law works so I think we're in a great place helping fund the construction of and maintenance of the school buildings we got Martin coming online the prek or um the roof and or warning uh old ham and let me be clear because I guess I cause confusion there's Old Ham which was the

former school where we're looking to put the business incubator and the current Old Ham used to be the former Meadow Crest that's our prek right now so when I said we need a roof on it I wasn't talking about the business incubator so I think that caused some confusion with folks but I came away um worried because there's going to be challenges um we had a change on the national level that um

public education is not going to be a priority you're already hearing the noise from that so we we got to keep an eye on the school budget we got to make sure that these kids are getting the resources they need so to Echo vice president rioo real estate agents they'll tell you schools why would anybody want to live here if you got kids well they're going to look at the schools and I'm committed to

making sure our schools have what they need there's no fat in their budget I sit I watch I listen uh anybody can look at the school budget if you think that's fat go ahead and say it let us know because maybe we missed something but in my eyes we're paying teachers we're taking care the buildings and we still need help and that has to come from the state Federal level so that's my goal for

2025 anyway thank you good job uh this this uh Friday I'll I'll be attending uh along with the mayor a Statewide meeting are you coming also oh vice president Rigo we hadn't talked yet we'll all be going to a Statewide meeting on education funding so we'll report back I'll put that on vice president he can do the writing I'll I'll be at the coffee bar yeah yeah thank you next item resolutions for

discussion and possible vote resolutions authorizing the mayor to enter into a brown lease agreement with Tower company 6 LLC for a cell tower at Grassy Plains Park sponsor council president Rodricks councilman morson so I'm not going to add much to this we've talked about this for a few years now councilman Lawson add but I I I want to thank um the the administration and engineer Eric scabber

who's here tonight to answer any questions um this is uh a much needed just just at the business meeting of the high school bond committee last night the vendors were talking about poor self sell service in Riverside and this will go a long way to help him with that as well as some revenue for the city we'll be bringing in um I think it's a couple thousand dollars a month they're going

to provide funding for a parking lot so councilman you want to add to one who was talking bad about Riv side let me know um so yeah so this will be a cell tower it'll be off to if you're in the parking lot it will be in like the northwest corner um the lease agreement is the city for five years we will receive is it 2,000 a month 2,000 a

month and they're also going to give us a lump sum of $96,000 to pave is it just the parket locker Eric or the drive-in as well that's a drivein as well okay so the drivein and the parking lot will be repaid um any residents that have concerns reach out to me Ward for council at East Provence ar.gov um it's it's not going to be an ni saw it's not going to be overwhelming it's

going to increase sales service in the area and it will be some passive income coming into the city and um Eric isn't it it's going to be in an area with of trees but it's designed to look like a tree right that's supposed to look like a pine tree like a pine tree so it's um it's a plus plus for the just a couple other things yes please um every year

there'll be a 2% increase on that 2,000 per month uh lease uh there's also a um $2,000 sign on bonus if you will that we're getting from them addition to the $96,000 yeah was good negotiations thank you I know we've been pressing you on that and it takes some negotiations um no cost to the city correct no no cost to the city I mean we'll probably have to support them for

demem permits and stuff like that yeah um but uh hopefully that goes smoothly and they get their permits and then they can start building very cool so I make a motion to approve motion by councilman Lawson to approve second second by Council vice president Ral all in favor I I any oppos guys hav it thank you thank you just scur next item resolution authorizing the mayor to purchase Furnishing for the

Poli station sponsor council president rodri again a much discussed item through the past years the city is using Federal asset forfeiture funds to complete the purchase this is for Furnishing storage units etc for the renovated portion of the police station the uh bids went out and the vendor is WB Mason the amount is $453,000 $1 19684 and again um we've all talked about Furnishing needs and yes this from

Ikea do we got to put it together uh you got to put it together yes that's up to the chief Francis did did he buy himself a drone well we'll let him comment on that so this is a very significant uh much needed investment in the police department um this is more than desks and chairs which were very very much needed um a lot of those were original from when that station was built um this

is going to expand storage capacity um for example in our BC evidence area um bring it up to up to Snuff um it's going to provide our SRT members with a a proper storage area right now they basically they store their gear in a in a closet with wooden makeshift shelving units um so this really is something that's going to set that facility up for years and years and years to come so

it's a it's um you know like I said a very much needed investment and evidence storage is a big part of your accreditation too right absolutely without a doubt it's we're we're uh repurposing some of our high density um shelving units that are on the Upper Floor down there um so they're going to be moving some of that down there they're going to be adding we're adding a um evidence pass through wall um so

that um officers on one side will have an Evidence processing area they'll be able to store it in Lockers in the wall BCI comes in the morning they'll be able to take that out it's really kind of standard stuff elsewhere that we're we're catching up to with this uh renovation I mve to approve motion councilwoman Lawson to approve second by councilwoman soua all in favor I I any

opposed the eyes have thank you Chief Lu thank you fire chief car's here no chairs for you tonight but you did get a new fire truck so that's a rescue and councilman Rego you got him too so we trade in the old rescue is it like trading in your car sorry I brought this up thank you Chief next item resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into a maintenance and upkeep agreement with

near terrorist realy Association motion to approve second motion to approve by councilman Lawson seconded by councilwoman suer Council weo are you still on the board of that uh no I've been tossed off that all in favor I any opposed ex guys have it 5 Z motion to adjourn second motion to adjourn seconded by everybody all in favor I any opposed I thank you all I i' like tonight's meeting