CITY OF EAST PROVIDENCE
RHODE ISLAND
JOURNAL OF REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY,
The City Council meets in the Council Chamber on Tuesday, June 2, 1998, and is called to order at 8:05 P.M. by Acting Mayor Norman J. Miranda.
Present: Joseph S. Larisa, Jr. ) Council Members
Gerald R. Lynch )
Peter F. Midgley )
Norman J. Miranda ) Acting Mayor
Paul E. Lemont ) City Manager
William J. Conley, Jr. ) City Solicitor
Valerie A. Perry ) City Clerk
Absent: Mayor Rolland R. Grant
Invocation is given by Mr. Miranda. The Salute to the Flag is led by Mr. Lynch.
1. APPROVAL OF COUNCIL JOURNALS
Regular Council Meeting - May 19, 1998
Special Council Meeting - May 19, 1998
2. Municipal Court - Resignation of Charles A. Goodwin, effective Friday, June 19, 1998.
3. Cancellation/Abatements - City Assessor requesting cancellation of taxes as follows:
Year Amount
1997 $ 6,320.88
4. Alcoholic Beverage -Class F/June 27, 1998 - St Martha's Church, 2595 Pawtucket Ave
5. Alcoholic Beverage - Class F/July 10,11,12, 1998 - Teofilo Braga Club, 26 Teofilo Braga Way
Motion to approve the Consent Calendar is made by Mr. Larisa, seconded by Mr. Lynch, and unanimously approved on a roll call vote.
Secondhand - Transfer - From: Maureen T. Dalesio To: Joseph Medeiros
dba: The Upscale Resale Shop, 359 Waterman Avenue
Subject to approvals from: Chief of Police, Building Inspector
Joseph Medeiros, Manistee Street, Pawtucket, Rhode Island, is present and sworn.
On motion of Mr. Lynch, seconded by Mr. Miranda, and on unanimous roll call vote, the license is approved, subject to approvals from the Chief of Police and Building Inspector.
Peddler/Ice Cream & Lemonade - Paul Deoliveira, 46 Puritan Avenue, East Providence, Rhode Island, dba Palagi's, East Providence
The City Clerk announces that the license has been withdrawn at this time.
LICENSING COMMISSIONERS RESUME SITTING AS CITY COUNCIL
Discussion regarding transport fees - Rescue Vehicles (Continued from May 5, 1998)
On motion of Mr. Lynch, seconded by Mr. Larisa, and on unanimous roll call vote, it is VOTED to defer the agenda item and change the order of business.
1998-1999 CDBG Program Recommendations for funding; City Council authorization of budget and program. (Continued from May 19, 1998)
Mr. Midgley speaks about the allocation for the Boys and Girls Club Rainy Day Shelter and says he would be more comfortable with giving the shelter in East Providence the $7500 which was requested, bringing the allocation to the Boys and Girls Club to $22,500, and put that money into the Boys and Girls Club Latchkey program. Jeanne Boyle, Planning Director, tells Mr. Midgley that money cannot be spent on the Latchkey program.
Mr. Larisa questions Jeanne Boyle and Nancy Remington about the availability of the property in Bristol for the Boys and Girls Club. They respond by saying that the property has been leased for at least 50 years and there is no indication that the lease will not be renewed.
Mr. Larisa states for the record that he resigned from the Boys and Girls Club Board of Directors because of other commitments, and he is not in conflict by taking part in the discussion on the issue.
Mr. Miranda asks if anything has been done to allocate money for streets and sidewalks. Ms. Boyle suggests cutting the amounts from the basketball renovations at Kent Heights playground and the tree planting allocation and applying those amounts to the streets and sidewalks. She says $44,500 is available for sidewalks from last year, and $6,000 could be added this year.
Mr. Lemont explains that for part of last year, there was no Assistant to the Public Works Director and there were a large amount of projects and not enough staff members.
Mr. Miranda requests a list be provided for all Council members of all streets and sidewalks that need to be replaced. He is told that someone from a CDBG area who fixes a sidewalk because of being afraid of liability would not be eligible for reimbursement.
After further discussion, a motion is made by Mr. Larisa to approve the recommended allocations for the Boys and Girls Club shelter and the Latchkey program. Mr. Midgley requests that the items be voted on separately.
Mr. Larisa makes a motion, seconded by Mr. Midgley, to accept the Latchkey program allocation. The motion passes 3-0 on a roll call vote. Mayor Grant is noted as being absent and Mr. Lynch is noted as recusing himself from the discussion and vote.
Motion is made by Mr. Larisa to accept the allocation of $30,000 for the Boys and Girls Club shelter. Mr. Miranda relinquishes the Chair and seconds the motion. Roll call vote is taken on the motion:
Mr. Larisa Aye
Mr. Midgley Nay
Mayor Miranda Aye
The motion passes 2-1. Mayor Grant is recorded as being absent. Mr. Lynch is recorded as recused from the vote.
Mr. Miranda resumes the Chair.
Mr. Larisa makes a motion to adjust the sidewalk allocation upward by $5500 and take the money from the Kent Heights basketball court in the amount of $3,000, and the other $2,500 from the tree planting program. Mr. Lynch seconds the motion, which passes unanimously on a roll call vote. Mayor Grant is recorded as being absent.
Mr. Larisa makes a motion to accept the recommendation of the City professionals regarding the remainder of the CDBG Program for this year. Mr. Lynch seconds the motion, which passes unanimously on a roll call vote. Mayor Grant is noted as being absent for the vote.
Bond Issue (Continued from May 19, 1998)
Mr. Lemont and Jeanne Boyle make a presentation on the requests for the proposed Bond Issue.
Following the presentation, the meeting recesses at 9:04 p.m.
The meeting reconvenes at 9:10 p.m.
James McDonald, Finance Director, speaks on the impact of the Bond Issue. He answers questions from Mr. Larisa about the dollar impact on taxes. He says the increase would not go into effect until after the first year, and that with the State reimbursement, the impact on the tax payer will be a lot smaller than 73 cents at one time. Mr. McDonald also says that it is his opinion that it will be very advantageous at this time to go for a bond issue. He says the long term bonded indebtedness is approximately $16.2 million, and it would double to $31 million. Compared to other cities in the State, the City would still be on the short side.
Discussion is held on the financial condition of the City and the fact that the City has an AAA bond rating. Mr. McDonald says he would be comfortable with a $15 million bond issue ($10 for the City and $5 for the schools).
Joseph Crook, Recreation Director, addresses the Council. He speaks on the need of a new recreation facility for the City. He says the present programs have between 5,000 and 8,000 participants, and the recreation programs are quite extensive. His proposal is a request for $3 to $5 million and to locate at the existing PCD site, adjacent to the Senior Center. He goes on to speak about the need for a place for the youth of the City, and asks the Council to approve money for a Recreation Center.
Mr. Larisa says he would compare this process with the Senior Center, and the same procedures should be followed, such as getting a committee together to determine the cost, etc. Mr. Crook responds that a rendering was done by Mr. Gates. He says he has no idea if Federal funds are available for the project.
Mr. Larisa asks the City Solicitor if under State law the City is required to have separate bond referendums for the Schools and for the City. Mr. Conley responds that he was advised by Legislative Counsel that there needs to be separate Resolutions. Although there may be several categories on the City side, he was advised that there does not need to be a separate bond issue for each category, they could be included in a single resolution and single enabling act.
Discussion is held on how the items will be listed. Mr. Midgley states that the Council should be as specific as possible in order that the voters know what they are voting for. He also says the Council needs to get information on the bond issue out to the people.
The Council proceeds to go through the categories and make suggestions on the items.
Discussion is held on the renovations at Breed Hall. It is suggested that the Municipal Court could be housed there, and the Court's annual surplus could be used for the heating system. Mr. Midgley suggests taking $125,000 from the Breed Hall allocation and use it for the roof repair at the Vartges Engustian Municipal Complex, and allocating the remaining $75,000 for Breed Hall.
Public Works
Storm Drain Improvements $ 250,000
Update 1988 Infiltration and Inflow Study 50,000
Street and sidewalk Reconstruction $3,000,000
Southeast Drainage Area Improvements 375,000
Sanitary Sewer System Improvements 1,950,000
Wannamoisett Pump Station Electrical Improvements 250,000
Geographic Information System (GIS) 100,000
Breed Hall Improvements 75,000
Replace roof at Vartges Engustian Municipal Complex 125,000
6,175,000
Discussion is held on the Fire Stations. Mr. Larisa says he prefers to have a global solution on new trucks and a new station rather that replacing the station on Newman Avenue. Mr. Lemont speaks of a plan for 3 stations in the City, replacing stations at Broadway and Rumford. Mr. Miranda speaks on his concern of not having a Fire Station in the center of the City. It is decided to change the wording from "Replace Fire Station #3 on Newman Avenue" to "Construction of new Fire Station."
Public Safety
Construction of new Fire Station 850,000
New Radio Communications system (Police) 500,000
Construct Garage Storage Building (Police) 45,000
Construct Addition to Police Station 225,000
Install Exhaust Ventilation Systems in Fire Stations #2 65,000
1,685,000
Mr. Larisa says he wants money allocated for a Riverside Beach Master Plan, and suggests allocating $100,000 for that project
Parks and Recreation
Playground Structures 100,000
Squantum Woods Master Plan & Rehabilitation 100,000
Environmental Planning Study for Future Use of
Riverside Landfill 100,000
Carousel Beach Master Plan 100,000
Multi Purpose Indoor Recreation Center
Feasibility Study to move Riverside Library to
site of Water Tank
Feasibility Study for construction of Walking Trail
at Turner Reservoir in Rumford
Soccer Fields 925,000
Economic Development
Newport Avenue Connector Utilities 778,000
Dexter Road Sewers 250,000
Amaral Street Sewers 180,000
1,208,000
9,993,000 .
After further discussion, the meeting recesses at 10:45 p.m.
The meeting resumes at 10:55 p.m.
Mr. Larisa suggests adding to the Parks and Recreation category a Feasibility Study for moving the Riverside Library Branch to the area where the water tank was, and a Feasibility Study on the construction of a Walking Trail around the Turner Reservoir in Rumford.
After further discussion, motion is made by Mr. Larisa, seconded by Mr. Lynch, to adopt a Resolution for a $10 million City Bond Issue, divided into four categories, Public Works, Public Safety, Parks and Recreation, and Economic Development, with a further caveat that the Council spelled out in the course of discussion tonight, that a Resolution be sent to the General Assembly requesting the authority to issue bonds up to an amount for Public Works of 6.175 million, Public Safety of 1.685 million, Parks and Recreation, up to 925,000 and Economic Development for 1.208 million as further delineated in discussion. Roll call vote is taken on the motion:
Mr. Larisa Aye
Mr. Lynch Aye
Mr. Midgley Aye
Mayor Miranda Aye
Motion passes 4-0. Mayor Grant is noted as being absent for the vote.
A motion is made by Mr. Larisa, seconded by Mr. Lynch, to support the School's request for a bond issue in the amount of $5,097,000 by Resolution by the City Council to the General Assembly for an addition to the Senior High School and the areas set forth in Dr. Herbowy's presentation to the Council detailing the uses of that money at the last Council meeting.
Roll call vote is taken on the motion:
Mr. Larisa Aye
Mr. Lynch Aye
Mr. Midgley Aye
Mayor Miranda Aye
Motion passes 4-0. Mayor Grant is noted as being absent for the vote.
Recommendation regarding Specials/Traffic Control Personnel (Contd. from May 19, 1998)
Mr. Miranda speaks on the topic of Special Police and says he and Mayor Grant feel that those who have served as Special Officers should be allowed to keep their blue pants and gray shirts. He says he has no problem with the proposals by the Chief, with that exception.
Chief Gary Dias answers questions from the Council. He says right now they have the designation of Special Police Officers, which include retired Police Officers, and they have School Crossing Guards. He says the recommendation is to keep the designation of Special Police Officers for retired East Providence Police Officers, which is part of the Collective Bargaining Unit, and start a designation of Traffic Control, which would now include former Special Officers and School Crossing Guards. It would be just one Traffic Control, and they would be eligible to work either detail.
Chief Dias recommends that each Council member have 12 appointments. It is decided that the City Clerk will send a current list to the Council for updating.
After further discussion, motion to approve is made by Mr. Lynch, seconded by Mr. Larisa, and unanimously VOTED on a roll call vote.
Addendum - Carnival - June 9, 10, 11, 1998 St. Francis Xavier Church Feast, 81 No. Carpenter Street.
Motion to approve is made by Mr. Lynch, seconded by Mr. Larisa, and unanimously VOTED.
City Manager's Report
Mr. Lemont notifies the Council that 155 meals were served earlier today at the Senior Center, which was filled just above the capacity, and for the rest of the afternoon, the facility was filled. He says it is a huge success and growing.
Stenson Hird Claim No. 98-20 - Referred to Law Department
Walter Langlois Claim No. 98-81 - Denied
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Decision - Committee voted to appeal decision
On motion of Mr. Midgley, seconded by Mr. Larisa, and on unanimous roll call vote, it is VOTED to accept the Claims Committee report as presented.
Mr. Miranda informs the Council that Mayor Grant is recuperating from surgery and is feeling much better.
COUNCILMEN
(y Councilman Norman J. Miranda)
Sister Cities
Mr. Miranda states that he has received confirmation that the Mayor of Ribeira Grande is coming to this country in September and he has been asked to get the Sister Cities Committee active again. He states that something will be done within the next couple of weeks to reactivate.
William C. Maaia, Esquire, representing F.D. McGinn, Inc.
Requesting to purchase abandoned property located at Map 304, Block 09, Parcel 007, Seekonk Street
On motion of Mr. Larisa, seconded by Mr. Midgley, it is unanimously voted to refer to the Planning Board.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourns at 11:20 p.m.
Attest:
___________________________
Valerie A. Perry, CMC
City Clerk Approved June 16, 1998