CITY OF EAST PROVIDENCE

RHODE ISLAND

JOURNAL OF REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING

January 20, 2015

Council Chambers, City Hall, 145 Taunton Avenue, East Providence, RI 02914

6:45 P.M. Executive Session, Room 101

7:30 P.M. Open Session

 

 

I.                   EXECUTIVE SESSION

The City Council of the City of East Providence will meet in Executive Session pursuant to RI General Laws § 42-46-5 (a) (1)(2).

 

A.    Litigation

1.      Sao Realty Co. Inc. vs. City of East Providence       C.A. No. 13-1125

 

B.     Job Performance Review

 

1.      City Solicitor and Assistant City Solicitor

 

II.                CALL TO ORDER

 

Mayor Rose called the meeting to order at 7:56PM and called for a moment of silence for Amy Duggan and Mrs. Logan.

           

III.             SALUTE TO THE FLAG

 

IV.             TO APPROVE THE CONSENT CALENDAR

All items under “CONSENT CALENDAR” are considered to be of a routine and noncontroversial nature by the City Council and will be enacted by one motion.  There will be no separate discussion on these items unless a Council member so requests, in which event, the item will be removed from the “CONSENT CALENDAR” and will be considered in its normal sequence on the docket.

           

A.    Letters

1.      Notice of New Property Number, 25 Lyon Avenue (02916), Map 405, Block 01, Parcel 004.00, Zoning R4, Joseph and Kelly McDonald, 33 Manuel Street, Pawtucket (02861).

2.      Notice of New Property Number, 100 Silver Street (02915), Map 412, Block 21, Parcel 002.00, Zoning R3, Susana Pereira, 100 Main Street (02915)

 

B.     Cancellation/Abatements

Year	Amount
2011	$127.25
2012	$ 27.45
2014	$ 33.94
Total	$188.64

 

A motion to approve the Consent Calendar is made by Councilwoman Capobianco, seconded by Councilman Britto and on a roll call vote it is unanimous. 

 

V.                PUBLIC COMMENT

A.    The East Providence Historical Society, Ms. Moore, Thornley, Ormerod and Faria are listed regarding their upcoming lease renewal with the City however this is done later on the docket under Reports of Other City Officials.

 

VI.             APPOINTMENTS

A.    Probate Judge appointed to adjudicate one specific matter (by Mayor Rose)

John DiBona, City of Cranston Probate Judge

 

Mayor Rose deferred this item.

 

B.     Traffic Control (by Mayor Rose)

Crystal L. Brogan, 132 Bradford Avenue (02914)

 

A motion to approve the appointment is made by Councilwoman Capobianco, seconded by Councilman Conley and on a roll call vote it is unanimous.

 

C.    Economic Development (by Mayor Rose)

Marco Pacheco, 30 Robinhood Drive (02915)

 

A motion to approve the Appointment is made by Councilwoman Capobianco, seconded by Assistant Mayor Cunha and on a roll call vote it is unanimous. 

 

 

D.    Sealer of Weights and Measures (by Assistant Mayor Cunha)

Manuel Braga, 215 Summit Street (02914)

 

A motion to approve the Appointment is made by Assistant Mayor Cunha, seconded by Councilwoman Capobianco and on a roll call vote it is unanimous. 

 

E.     Traffic Control (by Assistant Mayor Cunha)

Dan Landry, 19 Larchwood Drive (02916)

A motion to approve the Appointment is made by Assistant Mayor Cunha, seconded by Councilwoman Capobianco and on a roll call vote it is unanimous. 

 

F.     Traffic Control (by Councilman Britto)

Dolores Bliss, 33 Dunbar Avenue (02916)

 

A motion to approve the Appointment is made by Assistant Mayor Cunha, seconded by Councilwoman Capobianco and on a roll call vote it is unanimous. 

 

VII.          LICENSES NOT REQUIRING PUBLIC HEARING

 

A.    Vict/Not Over 50

David Roy DBA Flap Jack Restaurant, 615 Waterman Avenue (02914), David Roy, 226 Suffolk Avenue, Pawtucket (02860)

 

A motion to approve the License is made by Councilwoman Capobianco, seconded by Assistant Mayor Cunha and on a roll call vote it is unanimous. 

 

VIII.       PUBLIC HEARING – ORDINANCES FINAL PASSAGE

 

1. An ordinance regarding a stop sign on Elder Avenue (northbound traffic) at Ivan Avenue.

A motion to dispense with the reading of the Ordinance is made by Councilwoman Capobianco, seconded by Councilman Britto and on a roll call vote it is unanimous. 

AN ORDINANCE IN AMENDMENT OF CHAPTER 18 OF THE REVISED ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF EAST PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, 1998, AS AMENDED, ENTITLED “VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC”

SECTION I.  Subsection (b) of Sec. 18-269 entitled “Stop and yield intersections designated; when stops required” is amended by adding thereto the following:

Elder Avenue (northbound traffic) at Ivan Avenue

SECTION II.  This ordinance shall take effect upon second passage and all ordinances and parts of ordinances inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed.

Requested By:  Mayor Rose

A motion to approve the Ordinance for final passage is made by Councilwoman Capobianco, seconded by Assistant Mayor Cunha and on a roll call vote it is unanimous. 

 

IX.             NEW BUSINESS

 

A.    City Managers Report (by Acting City Manager, Paul Lemont)

The City Manager had no report. 

B.     Reports of Other City Officials

1.      Claims Committee Report (by City Solicitor Timothy Chapman)

 

The City Solicitor had no report.

 

2.      East Providence Historic Society, Cheryl Faria

Regarding Renewal of Hunt House Lease (for discussion only)

 

Mayor Rose referred this item to the City Manager to begin the process of the lease and then bring it back to the Council for approval. 

 

C.    Council Members

 

1.      City Garage Auto Parts (by Mayor Rose)

Mayor Rose stated he had stopped into a few local auto parts stores but the City is not doing business with them and he would like to see the City do more business within the City itself.

 

2.      Parking Ordinance and Use Structure for Businesses (by Mayor Rose)

Mayor Rose deferred this item.

 

3.      United Water Update (by Mayor Rose)

Mayor Rose deferred this item.

 

4.      City Manager Search (by Assistant Mayor Cunha)

Assistant Mayor Cunha stated the City Manager search discussion has been going on for over a year and the City has had an Interim City Manager during that time.  He would like to start the official City Manager search process in order to make someone a permanent City Manager. 

Mayor Rose stated the Council should start by taking a look at the process and speaking with Director of Human Resources Kathleen Waterbury.  

 

5.      City Financial Advisors Selection and Hiring Process (by Assistant Mayor Cunha)

Assistant Mayor Cunha stated he would like the City to put out an RFP for Financial Advisors to get new ideas.  The City has been with the same company for 25 years as it’s been that long since the City actually did an RFP for this.  Let’s put it out there and see what we get. 

 

6.      Economic Development (by Councilman Britto)

77 Highland Street Project and 375 Wampanoag Trail Project

Councilman Britto stated he would like to let people know the direction these projects have been moving and to shed light on the dark and gloomy view which has been our recent past.  He has been speaking with Director of Planning Jeanne Boyle and these two projects are a great example of the good things happening. Planning and the Water Front Commission have been transforming the former JJ Gregory site at 77 Highland Street which is near the Seekonk line to be used as a mixed use project with retail space and restaurants.  It has the ability at this point in time to bring in additional tax revenue in excess of $216,000.

375 Wampanoag Trail has a 75,000 square foot medical building with shovels in the ground hopefully this spring.  It would have a possible 100 full time jobs and $286,000 in tax revenue for the City.  These are just a couple of items Director Boyle and her office have been working on. Councilman Britto then calls Director Boyle to the podium and she provides further discussion on projects such as kettle Point and Driscoll Development as well as the former Leonardo Farm area.

 

 

D.    Report of School Committee Liaison

School Committee Member Tony Ferreira reports on the timeline for the new doors. The work is being done at night.  He hands out to the Council a timeline. 

Councilwoman Capobianco asks about a priority list.  School Committee member Ferreira states that while they are all a priority there is one door at Riverside Middle School which is in really bad shape and needs to be addressed first.   Councilwoman Capobianco agrees stating it is a safety concern.

Councilman Conley states that he noticed there is a special School Committee meeting to post for facility manager.

School Committee member Ferreira states they are requesting a letter from Paul Luba stating whether or not they can do this.  If they do not receive the letter then they won't go forward with the special meeting. 

 

A motion is made to recess to return to Executive Session by Councilman Conley, seconded by Councilwoman Capobianco and on a roll call vote it is unanimous. 

The City Solicitor reports the votes from Executive Session:

A motion to return to open session was made by Councilwoman Capobianco, seconded by Councilman Cunha and on a roll call vote it was unanimous. 

1.      Sao Realty Company and City of East Providence accept the settlement as proposed.

2.      The Council deferred the second item. 

 

X.                ADJOURNMENT

 

A motion to adjourn at 8:44PM is made by Councilwoman Capobianco, seconded by Councilman Britto and on a roll call vote it is unanimous. 

 

Approved By Council:  March 11, 2015

Attest:  ________________

                  City Clerk