City Council, August 25, 2021

A regular session of the Pawtucket City Council is held Wednesday, August 25, 2021, at 12:18 p.m., in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, 137 Roosevelt Avenue, Pawtucket, RI. 

 

Present – President Moran, Councilors Araujo, DaRosa, Gregor, Mercer and Wildenhain.

 

Absent – Councilor Rudd, Schuette and Vasquez.

 

President Moran presides.

 

The reading of the records of the August 11, 2021 Committee on Claims and Pending Suits meeting, Finance Committee meeting, Ordinance Committee meeting and City Council meeting is dispensed with and the records are APPROVED as prepared by the Clerk.

 

Upon motion made by Councilor Mercer, seconded by Councilor Wildenhain, the *Consent Agenda is APPROVED on a unanimous voice vote:

 

 

*THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE READ AND ORDERED FILED:

 

589      A.     Communication from His Honor, Mayor Donald R. Grebien, to the Honorable Members of the Pawtucket City Council.  (Confirmation of the Council’s appointment of Eric Auger to the Riverfront Commission)

           

614      **C. Communication from David Clemente, Public Works Director, to the Honorable Members of the Pawtucket City Council.  (Response – Homeless Encampment on Ann Mary Street)

           

622      D.     Communication from William Vieira, Director, Zoning & Code Enforcement, to the Honorable Members of the Pawtucket City Council.  (Response – Trash Issues at Main and Magill Streets)

           

590      E.      Communication from Kassandra Florez, Community Liaison, to the Honorable Members of the Pawtucket City Council.  (Response – Plant for Peace Initiative)

           

633      F.      Communication from Diane Dufresne, Director, Pawtucket Prevention Coalition, to Richard J. Goldstein, MMC, City Clerk.  (Response – Narcan Trainings)

           

            **G. Communication from Tina Goncalves, Chief of Police and Acting Public Safety Director, to the Honorable Members of the Pawtucket City Council.  (Response –International Club and Billar – Request for an Ordinance Change regarding Fund 163) TO BE REFERRED TO THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE. 

           

            H.     Communication from Eric DaRosa, Building Manager, 179 Conant Realty/North East Knitting, Inc., to David P. Moran, President, Pawtucket City Council, requesting to lease or purchase the parking lot at 200 Conant Street. IS REFERRED TO THE CITY PROPERTY COMMITTEE.

           

            I.       Communication from John Marques, Joshua’s LLC d/b/a News Café, to the Honorable Members of the Pawtucket City Council, requesting a 5-year extension of the lease for the parking lot at 43 Broad Street.  IS REFERRED TO THE CITY PROPERTY COMMITTEE.

           

            J.      Communication from David Sisson of David Sisson Architecture PC, to David P. Moran, President, Pawtucket City Council, requesting to lease 12 parking spaces in the City Garage for a development at 216 Main Street.  IS REFERRED TO THE CITY PROPERTY COMMITTEE.

           

            K.     THE FOLLOWING CLAIM FOR DAMAGES AGAINST THE CITY TO BE REFERRED TO THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT AND RI INTERLOCAL TRUST:

Ashley Frechette, by Robert J. Levine, Esq. – No Amount Specified

           

            L.      THE FOLLOWING CLAIM FOR DAMAGES AGAINST THE CITY TO BE REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE ON CLAIMS AND PENDING SUITS:

Cynthia Ryfa-Delazerda - $595.82

           

**        TAKEN OFF CONSENT AGENDA FOR COMMENTS ONLY, NO OTHER ACTION TAKEN.

           

 

614      B.     Communication from David Clemente, Public Works Director, to the Honorable Members of the Pawtucket City Council.  (Response – Various Issues:  International Liquors, Clean-Up of Trash and Graffiti, BigBelly Receptacles, Working with Community Groups on Neighborhood Clean-Ups) is READ AND ORDERED FILED.

 

THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES COUNCILOR DAROSA.

 

With majority consent of the Council, the following motion made by Councilor DaRosa, seconded by Councilor Mercer, is PASSED on a unanimous voice vote:

 

The Clerk is instructed to send a communication to David Clemente, Director of Public Works, regarding neighborhood clean-ups by various groups.  The council expressed its appreciation for DPW’s assistance with the latest clean-up.  They are requesting a list of those things that the city can provide or assist with and the things the city cannot provide or assist with when a group wants to do a clean-up.  This way, if a group goes to a councilor to work on a clean-up, the councilor can advise them what the city can and cannot do to assist. 

 

 

 

609      Communication from Christopher Montalto, Distribution Design Supervisor, National Grid, to the Honorable Members of the Pawtucket City Council, submitting a pole petition to install a new sole pole on Taft Street to service a new Padmount transformer for an NBC work site, is APPROVED PENDING THE APPROVAL OF THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS.

 

609      Communication from Christopher Montalto, Distribution Design Supervisor, National Grid, to the Honorable Members of the Pawtucket City Council, submitting a petition to install approximately 25 feet of conduit on the East side of Pleasant Street near the intersection of James Street, is APPROVED PENDING THE APPROVAL OF THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS.

 

 

THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES COUNCILOR WILDENHAIN.

 

With majority consent of the Council, the following motion made by Councilor Wildenhain, seconded by Councilors Mercer, Gregor, DaRosa and Araujo is PASSED on a unanimous voice vote:

 

The Clerk is instructed to send a communication to Tina Goncalves, Chief of Police regarding a series of questions about the new program regarding license plate reading cameras in Pawtucket.  Specifically, the Council wants to know:

 

1.   How did this license plate camera program come about and why was the council left in the dark, hearing it only in news reports?

2.   How did Pawtucket get involved with Cranston and Woonsocket as the only 3 cities in this pilot program?

3.   The council would like a map of where the 17 cameras are stationed.

4.   They'd like an ongoing report on cases closed (or at least aided) by the cameras throughout the 60-day period.

5.   What are the restrictions during the pilot period? What can the camera company do with the information collected?

6.   IF, IF, IF, the program continues after the 60-day pilot, where is the roughly $50,000 to come from? Is there a revenue generator in this program, as with the traffic cameras or is it just the City of Pawtucket shelling out $50k?

7.   And finally, if it's to continue, will they be coming before the Council for authority to enter into a contract?

 

UPON RECOMMENDATION OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION IS APPROVED ON A ROLL CALL VOTE AS FOLLOWS:

 

AYES – President Moran, Councilors Araujo, DaRosa, Gregor, Mercer and Wildenhain.

 

NOES – 0.

 

588   RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ABATEMENT OF TAXES FOR MOTOR VEHICLES, REAL ESTATE AND TANGIBLE PERSONAL PROPERTY FOR JANUARY, FEBRUARY AND MARCH, 2021 IN THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF $69,984.59

 

 

The following ordinance is read for the SECOND time and passed on a roll call vote, as follows:

 

AYES – President Moran, Councilors Araujo, DaRosa, Gregor, Mercer and Wildenhain.

 

NOES – 0.

 

330   AN ORDINANCE IN AMENDMENT OF CHAPTER 3 OF THE ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF PAWTUCKET, 1996, ENTITLED “ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNMENT” (Annual Report of Police Chief) AS AMENDED.

 

 

 

Upon motion made by Councilor Mercer, seconded by the Councilor Araujo, the meeting is adjourned at 12:33 p.m.