CITY OF CENTRAL FALLS
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
EXECUTIVE SESSION
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1994
A CLAIMS COMMITTEE EXECUTIVE SESSION WAS HELD IN THE CITY HALL CONFERENCE ROOM ON THE ABOVE DATE AT 8:15 P.M.
COUNCILMAN MATTHEWS
COUNCILMAN GOES
COUNCILMAN PAQUETTE
COUNCILWOMAN MOREAU
COUNCILMAN CANAVAN
QUORUM PRESENT.
CLAIMS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN ANTHONY GOES PRESIDED.
OTHER PARTIES PRESENT:
MAYOR THOMAS LAZIEH
VIGINIA FARIA - PERSONNEL
GEORGE MUKSIAN - LEGAL DEPARTMENT
CHARLES PYTEL - REPRESENTED BY WILLIAM BURKE, ESQ.
MAYOR INDICATED HE HAD WITNESSES TO ANSWER QUESTIONS PREVIOUSLY ASKED.
VIRGINIA FARIA REITERATED HER INVITATION GIVEN LAST MEETING TO REVIEW HER FILES ON THIS CASE, NO ONE ASKED FOR THE FILES.
MAYOR INDICATED THERE WAS ABOUT TWO HOURS OF TAPE AVAILABLE.
ATTORNEY BURKE QUESTIONED MAYOR LAZIEH ON TAPE.
CITY SOLICITOR, GEORGE MUKISIAN SUGGESTED THAT ALL WITNESSES BE HEARD.
FIRST WITNESS WAS A MR. CLAUDE R. BENOIT OF 995 LONSDALE AVENUE CENTRAL FALLS, RI. MR. BENOIT GAVE TESTIMONY OF A PROJECT THAT HE WAS INVOLVED IN AT THE TIME MR. PYTEL WAS BUILDING OFFICIAL.
MR. PYTEL HALTED THE PROJECT. AT THAT TIME HIS FAMILY WAS NOT LIVING IN THE HOUSE AT THE TIME. MANY PROBLEMS THAT HE ENTAILED AT THE TIME. HE WAS TOLD THAT JOHN RODRIGUES-WHO IS THE PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR, WHO WAS ACTING MINIMUM HOUSING DIRECTOR FOR A TIME, WOULD BE HANDLING ALL PERMITS ETC. PERTAINING TO THIS PROJECT. MR. PYTEL SHOWED UP ON A HOLIDAY, AFTER AGREEING NOT TO.
COUNCIL QUESTIONED THE WITNESS.
MR. PYTEL AGREED NOT TO GO BACK TO THE HOUSE. MR. RODRIGUES SIGNED ALL THE PERMITS. MR. PYTEL WANTED A WORK STOPPAGE. MR. BENOIT FELT HE WAS BEING HARASSED AND THAT HE WROTE A LETTER IN COMPLAINT OF IT. (COPY IN HAND).
MR. BENOIT WAS INTRODUCED TO ALL PRESENT.
MR. BENOIT CLAIMED HE WAS DOING WORK ACCORDING TO PLANS PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED. HE ALSO STATED THAT THEY WERE LOST BY CITY PERSONNEL- THEY HAD BEEN DROPPED OFF BY A CONTRACTOR. IT WAS MISMANAGEMENT OF THE MINIMUM HOUSING OFFICE. HE ALSO STATED THAT HE HAD HEARD AND REVIEWED OTHER EVIDENCE SUCH AS RECORDS AND TAPES PRIOR TO THE MEETING.
MR. BENOIT ALSO STATED THAT HE RECEIVED A NOTICE OF VIOLATION FROM MR. PYTEL.
MAYOR QUESTIONED MR.BENOIT, WHO CONFIRMED THE STATEMENT THAT MR. PYTEL WAS NOT TO INTERFERE IN THAT PROJECT.
MR. BENOIT RESPONDED THAT EVERY POINT OF VIOLATION WAS RESPONDED TO BY OTHER DEPARTMENT HEADS AT THE MEETING-AND RESOLVED THE ISSUES (I.E. FIRE CHIEF, ZONING,ETC.)
CHAIRMAN ANTHONY GOES QUESTION MR. PYTEL.
NEXT WITNESS: WAS STEVEN CHOQUETTE.
COUNCILMAN CANAVAN QUESTION MR. CHOQUETTE RELATING TO MR. PYTEL AND HIS PROJECT. AFTER THE MEETING IT WAS UNDERSTOOD THAT MR. RODRIGUES WOULD HANDLE PROJECT, YET PYTEL SHOWED UP, ENTERED THE HOUSE. THEN A STOP WORK ORDER WAS ISSUED BY MR.PYTEL. HE TOOK IT VERY SERIOUSLY BECAUSE HE HAD NEVER RECEIVED ONE BEFORE. HE
STATED THAT HE HAD NOT RECEIVED GOOD COOPERATION FROM MR. PYTEL.
DESPITE THE PREVIOUS CONVERSATION, MR. PYTEL SHOWED UP ANYWAY.
DAVE LAMONTAGENE WAS THE PROJECT MANAGER-SUPERVISOR.
COUNCIL QUESTIONED MR. CHOQUETTE.
MR. CHOQUETTE SAID MR. PYTEL AGREED NOT TO SHOW UP AT THE PROJECT, AND MR. RODRIGUES MOVED TO HANDLE.
VIOLATIONS WERE RESOLVED AT MEETING. THERE WERE MANY MISUNDERSTANDINGS. PYTEL NITPICKED ON DRAWINGS AND VIOLATIONS. HIS VISIT WAS UNEXPECTED AND UNCALLED FOR. HE SAID HE AND OTHER CONTRACTORS AVOID CENTRAL FALLS, INCLUDING THIS PROJECT BECAUSE OF PROBLEMS.
MAYOR QUESTIONED MR. CHOQUETTE.
MR. CHOQUETTE STATED THAT HE HAS WORKED ON PROJECTS IN EVERY TOWNS AND OTHER STATES BUT WORKING WITH MR. PYTEL HAS BEEN DIFFICULT, AGGRAVATING. JOHN RODRIGUES SIGNED CORRECTED PLANS.
MR. RODRIGUES HANDLED THE PROJECT PROFESSIONALLY.
ATTORNEY BURKE QUESTIONED MR. CHOQUETTE.
NEW PRINTS WERE NOT ON FILE AT OFFICE. MR PYTEL DID NOT KNOW WHERE PLANS WERE. MR. CHOQUETTE HAD TO RE-MARK THE SMOKE DETECTORS.
FIRE CHIEF RENE COUTU WAS QUESTIONED.
SINCE JOHN RODRIGUES HAD SIGNED PERMITS, CHARLES PYTEL AGREED TO LET HIM FINISH THE PROJECT. CHARLES MADE THE POINT THAT JOHN RODRIGUES SIGNED THE PERMIT SO JOHN RODRIGUES WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE. THEREFORE, JOHN RODRIGUES WOULD COMPLETE THE PROJECT. RENE COUTU LEFT THE MEETING WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT JOHN RODRIGUES WOULD BE IN CHARGE OF THIS PROJECT.
COUNCIL QUESTIONED CHIEF COUTU.
CHIEF COUTU REMARKED THAT MR.PYTEL'S PERFORMANCE CAME ACROSS HARDER AND THREATENED TO "CLOSE THEM DOWN". SOMETIMES MR. PYTEL COME ACROSS A LITTLE STRONG AND ANGERED THE PEOPLE. RENE SCOUT STAYED UNTIL THE CONCLUSION OF THE MEETING.
GEORGE MUKSIAN SPOKE.
MAYOR HAD RECEIVED HEAVY COMPLAINTS ON THE WAY MR. PYTEL HANDED THE PROJECT. A LAW SUIT COULD HAVE BEEN FILED AGAINST THE CITY.
THE MAYOR TRIED TO RESOLVE IT.
GEORGE MUKSIAN QUESTIONED REGARDING BENOIT DID THREATEN A SUIT.
DISCUSSION CONTINUED IN REGARDS TO STOP WORK ORDER.
MAYOR DISCUSSED WITH CHIEF COUTU HOW PEOPLE WERE UPSET WITH HOW MR. PYTEL HANDLED PROJECT. CHIEF COUTU REVIEWED THE PROJECT AND WALKED THROUGH. CHIEF COUTU FOUND NOT PUBLIC SAFETY HAZARDS THAT HE COULD SEE. JOHN RODRIGUES AND CHIEF COUTU WENT THROUGH THE PROJECT.
ON FINAL INSPECTION HE MET FINAL CODE - SMOKE DETECTORS.
WINDOW IS LEGAL, BUT NOT A GOOD SIZE.
MOTION WAS MADE BY COUNCILMAN PAQUETTE TO ADJOURN AND SECONDED BY COUNCILWOMAN MOREAU. TIME 11:00 P.M.
| COUNCILMAN MATTHEWS | YES |
| COUNCILMAN GOES | YES |
| COUNCILMAN PAQUETTE | YES |
| COUNCILWOMAN MOREAU | YES |
| COUNCILMAN CANAVAN | YES |
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DANIEL J. ISSA, CITY CLERK