I.                   OPEN SESSION

II.                CALL TO ORDER

III.             SALUTE TO THE FLAG

IV.             NEW BUSINESS

A.    Discussion Regarding the East Providence High School Feasibility Study

School Committee Member Cahoon discusses where they stand regarding the Building Committee.  He thanks Councilman Botelho for his service on the committee.  They will meet in March.  They will have the results of the feasibility study.  This would be the basis of their phase one assessment of the high school repair or the steps they need to take to build a new school.  These will be open meetings.  The group would like to have them in the high school.

Assistant Mayor Britto states the last conversation which had taken place, the school department was essentially looking for a new high school and renovating was out of the question and he would like to know if that changed.

School Committee Member Cahoon stated the reason they formed this is that they all kind of came to the conclusion that point of either sinking tens of millions into this and it is not feasible or starting new and they are all are leaning in the next generation phase because facility requirements and education requirements have changed since the 1950s and this building just does not fit into the this. They would like to wait and see what the report states with regard to the location and what the building will look like.  

School Committee Member Monteiro notes the building is built well but education wise the question is can it be set up to meet the education needs to deliver the programs and curriculums of the future.

School Committee Member Cahoon states what they want is for the city council to understand it is by no means an ad hoc process.  RIDE has put in place a tried and true process for building new schools in RI.  There are many steps before coming to the city and asking the voters for a bond to approve and that process will be transparent and inclusive.

Councilman Botelho asked if anyone has looked at the city’s bonding capacity.

School Committee Member Cahoon states that it is really part of the RIDE process which will help them walk thru that in addition to what they are able to bond and the amount of funding they are going to get approved for from the state. He would guess that at current price it would exceed what the current bond capability is and he is guessing north of $100 million. The question is how do they max federal credits and ADA credits and energy credits for optimal sustainability and he feels the city will have the right team in place.

School Committee Member Beauchaine states that yesterday she was fortunate to go to a forum on fixing schools.  She notes Representative Amore was a speaker as was General Treasurer Seth Magaziner and medical specialists regarding health wise concerns in older building and what can be done to help.  She adds that she reviewed possible legislation including school construction fund increases.  It was eye opening and scary and the pictures they had were not East Providence and she has pictures which are far worse.  She adds that Barrington is doing this right now and there is a lot to learn.

Councilman Britto asks what the projected forecast is.   

The Superintendent comes to the podium.  She states that it’s hard to tell it depends on what breaks down each year.  They have to submit a 5 year plan at the next school committee meeting via RIDE.  Tony Feola School Building Superintendent comes to the podium and explains just the emergencies are a lot to handle.  Last year they replaced the univents in the science wings and repaired the boilers.

School Committee Member Cahoon states that last year the council asked them to look at the high school and specifically look at the plumbing and estimate costs.  The plumber didn't know where to start because there was so much wrong.  He can't get his hands on old plans because they don't exist.  They are hoping that when they get the SLAM Report they will know more.

Councilman Botelho asks what happens if there is a catastrophic failure and what is the contingency plan?

School Committee Member Cahoon notes that this possibility is going to become even more imminent and clear with this report.  This would affect students who would be displaced.  They don’t really have a plan in place for this.

The Building Superintendent states that after SLAM left they began brainstorming about using Martin.

Councilman Botelho asks how soon a new school would be built.

The Superintendent states they would start by filing a letter this summer for the phase one format then RIDE reviews and there is a whole year of back and forth with very specific requirements. It is not an easy process to go though and they would have to create a building committee fund and would have to hire a construction manager.  They would start on the RFP. They could expedite it but the target it for it would most likely be 3-4 years.

There was discussion regarding North Providence and Barrington and the new schools built. 

School Committee Member Monteiro notes that it is a very big part of economic development if the City is going to thrive then it needs to attract families and the way to attract them is by having an educational system which is coveted by other cities and towns in the state.  

School Committee member Beauchaine adds that the City has top notch teachers in the district which have been here 10-15 years and they deserve a comfortable place to teach.  The outside looks fine but it is not until one gets to the bones of it that the problem is seen.  The State needs to invest in the schools as well.  Massachusetts did invest and took a percentage of the sale tax and maybe this investment is why they are the best.

Mayor Briden asks if repairing would mean looking at different scenarios which might involve a certain number tens of millions of dollars and what would the result be for analysis to spend a considerable amount of money to repair compared to building a new high school.

School Committee Member Beauchaine notes that part of stage one includes this.

Mayor Briden notes that what would help is scheduling a subsequent meeting maybe at the high school and they could actually show the Council the issues.  

School Committee Member Cahoon adds that ultimately this process is going to proceed from the requirements of the students and that they need to start with a discussion of what the students need over the life of the building.  

Councilman Botelho states that the City has evolved over the last 30 years when there were double session and a family oriented community currently East Providence has the highest concentration of senior citizens.  In 1989 the entire city budget was made up 57% school and 43% city and it has now reversed because of the demographics.  Education has taken a back seat to fire and police.  There has to be courage collectively on their part to sell this to all citizens. Economic development and quality of life and stating how important it is and to show a collective front.

B.     Discussion Regarding Needs Assessment for the 2017-2018 City Budget

Chairman Tsonos states that when they have a chance they need to sit together concerning the budget.  It was too late to make an impact or adjustment so if they are able to start discussion on next year’s budget now that would be good.  It is decided the City and School will meet at 4PM on March 28th at the High School for a tour at 6:30PM and on April 25th in the Council Chambers at 6:30PM.

C.    Discussion Regarding City/Police Support on Traffic/Safety Issues at All Schools

Chairman Tsonos states they have issues at different locations.  Martin Middle School has a constant traffic challenge perhaps because of the way it is designed.  Elementary schools with parent parking in handicap spots and phone calls from neighbors regarding someone getting hurt are constant.

Chief Parella came to the podium and discussed the issues at Martin which recently took place and notes it had to do with no parking along the street.  

School Committee Member Beauchaine states there is an issue in Riverside and the problem is that so many people are picking up kids in a rush. 

Chief Parella states they will try to be in those areas at those times more often and will have a traffic unit who can go and address the issues. Making a one way change or design changes is good but they do have to be there to enforce and monitor these.  He adds that the SRO works with the schools and maybe there is something that can be sent home to parents. 

Councilman Faria states regarding the concerns in Riverside when the police did have a strong presence there were no more issues and he asked if it can be done again.

Chief Parella states it absolutely can.  Adding that they want to be efficient and want the officers to be where the biggest issue is.  The principals are invaluable and they are the boots on the ground and if they forward it to the police they will be happy to look at it and they can decide together how much they want to dedicate to it.

School Committee Member Cahoon states how much they love their SROs and that they are their first line of communication with the police department.  He notes that all officers are responsive and he thanks the Chief.

Chief Parella states he and the Superintendent have a great relationship and she has no qualms about picking up the phone and communicating with him. 

There is a discussion regarding sex offenders living in neighborhoods and how people can find out this information. 

Chief Parella states they have put a hyper link on the website which breaks it down by city or town and tells a person where sex offenders are located. He adds it is public knowledge and everyone has a right to see it.  Regarding the issue with bus stops, there would be the problem of making sure they are not nearby and that would be constantly changing.  The sex offenders would be a variable.  They do move around although the police keep very close tabs on them.  They have one of their detectives imbedded with the US Marshals and they spend a quarter of their time on this and they stay on top of it. 

Assistant Mayor Britto thanks the Chief noting that at one point people were having a hard time finding all these various websites and now it's easy to see where the convicted sex offenders are and to view their photo and name.

The Chief notes the City does not have an awful lot of level 3 offenders and that he doesn’t believe there is any one area of more a concern than others and that they would be happy to attend PTA meetings etc…to speak more about it to people.  

D.    Discussion Regarding Snow Removal

Chairman Tsonos and School Committee Member Monteiro spoke about a meeting which happened with the City Manager and the Superintendent to try to better communicate snow removal issues.  The Agawam Park section and sidewalks at Orlo Avenue near the overpass by the Riviera Restaurant were discussed.  It was noted that it seems when a decision to delay school due to a snow storm takes place they are hoping that it will give the City time to work through that difficult storm but no definitive communication between the two was taking place and that is what led to the phone calls from parents.  Better communication between the two sides would definitely help.  They added there was no question the employees were working hard to remove the snow. 

The City Manager thanks them for bringing this to light.  It is very important for the safety of the 5000 children and they discussed what can do going forward for better communication and he is open to comments and concerns.  He asks them to provide the city with updated bus stop lists and bus route updates and he will prioritize these with the facility director and will contact DPW and will stay in contact throughout the storm.  It is also confirmed that the School Department will assist in snow removal of sidewalks adjacent to the schools.

The City Manager states the City does its own plowing and does its own repairs and they do a tremendous job. The overpasses are difficult and are supposed to be taken care of by the State.  The City is divided up into sections so that each section is taken care of by a group of City employees assigned to that section and it's a good system but it doesn't mean they cannot go forward and prioritize even better.

Councilman Botelho notes someone had contacted him to try to snow blow the Pawtucket Avenue sidewalk and unfortunately the sidewalks have not been resurfaced since 1940 and it damaged his snow blower.  Due to this they are impassable even in good weather. The City or the State should do their part to make sure they are maintained.

Director Coutu comes to the podium and notes from what he is hearing is that the sidewalk issues have become paramount and it is a challenge throughout the City.  The State is not going to do it.  The City has tried. They have taken on a lot of those areas adjacent to schools and city properties.  They do plow it but it is a question of timing and those are the same employee who have to go out and take care of them after plowing all night, they go into the bob cats and clear the sidewalks.  They can start to prioritize those areas.  They can speak with Tony Feola to get a better idea of what sidewalks are critical and perhaps they can look at a new piece of equipment to move more quickly.

Tony Feola expresses appreciation for all DPW does.  After looking at Pawtucket and Providence and five other communities it can be 4-5 days later and their roads still weren't passable.  No one is saying the City is not doing their job.  Pawtucket has a fleet of vehicles second to none except the State but days later a person can't even drive down their streets. If all the walkways are to be done to open school they may need more manpower and maybe they can all chip in.

E.     Discussion Regarding Location of Bus Stops in Relationship to Identified Sex Offenders

This was covered under item C.

V.                ADJOURNMENT

A motion to Adjourn at 8:21 is made by Councilman Faria, seconded by Assistant Mayor Britto and on a roll call vote it is unanimous. 

Approved By Council:   March 7, 2017

Attest:  _______________

                 City Clerk