City Council, March 8, 2023

 

 

A regular session of the Pawtucket City Council was held Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at 8:03 p.m., in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, 137 Roosevelt Avenue, Pawtucket, RI.

 

Present – President Mercer, Councilors Araujo, Coderre, Gregor, Moran, Moreno, Rubio, Stachowiak, and Wildenhain.

 

Absent – 0.

 

President Mercer presided.

 

 

The reading of the records of the February 22, 2023 City Council meeting, City Property Committee meeting, and Finance Committee meeting was dispensed with and the records were APPROVED as prepared by the Clerk.

 

Upon motion made by Councilor Araujo, seconded by Councilors Moreno, the *Consent Agenda was APPROVED on a unanimous voice vote:

 

	*THE FOLLOWING COMMUNICATIONS WERE READ AND ORDERED FILED
028	A.     Resolution from the Town of Lincoln in Support of Housing Development and Land Use (Improve Housing Opportunities)
028	B.  Resolution from the Town of Charlestown in Support of Full Funding of Categorical Transportation Aid
028	C.     Resolution from the Town of Charlestown in Support of House Bill 2023–H 5174 (Waters and Navigation - Coastal Resources Management Council)
** 590	E.        Communication from His Honor, Mayor Donald R. Grebien, to Kimberly Grant, Acting School Committee Chairperson, and Lisa Benedetti-Ramzi, Acting Superintendent (Response – Funds for Repairs to Shea High School)
2	F.       Communication from John S. Wallace, Treasurer for Pawtucket Firefighters Local 1261, to Honorable Members of the Pawtucket City Council reappointing John Wallace to serve as an active member of the Fire Department on the Pension Board
	G.       THE FOLLOWING CLAIMS FOR DAMAGES AGAINST THE CITY WERE REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE ON CLAIMS AND PENDING SUITS: Tiadora DaRosa – $717.50 (Pothole) Anthony Rice – $131.00 (Tow)
	H.       THE FOLLOWING CLAIM FOR DAMAGES AGAINST THE CITY WERE REFERRED TO THE LAW DEPARTMENT AND RI INTERLOCAL TRUST: Jessica Wilkinson by Christopher E. Fay – No amount specified (School)
**	TAKEN OFF CONSENT AGENDA FOR COMMENTS ONLY, NO OTHER ACTION TAKEN.
590	D.    Communications between His Honor, Mayor Donald R. Grebien and District Six Councilor Marlena Martins Stachowiak (Painted Mailboxes) IS READ AND ORDERED FILED

 

 

THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES COUNCILOR STACHOWIAK

 

With majority consent of the Council, the following motion made by Councilor Stachowiak, seconded by Councilors Araujo, Moreno and Rubio, was PASSED on a unanimous voice vote:

 

The Clerk was instructed to send a communication to the postmaster’s office at the Pawtucket Post Office to ask what can be done to clean-up the unsightly graffiti on the blue mail boxes and the green relay boxes, that are blighting the neighborhood.  The boxes in question are all along Power Road, Smithfield Avenue and onto Weeden Street in Pawtucket.

 

 

613      Communication from Frank J. Milos, Jr., Esq., City Solicitor, to Richard J. Goldstein, MMC, City Clerk, regarding pending litigation: WAS READ AND ORDERED FILED.

 

THE FOLLOWING MATTER IS TAKEN UP:

 

City of Pawtucket, Rhode Island vs. Amerisourcebergen Drug Corporation, et al. (Case 1:18-cv-00139-WES-LDA) (CVS, Walgreens and Walmart)

 

THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES COUNCILOR MORAN.

 

Upon motion made by Councilor Moran, seconded by Councilor Wildenhain, the Council agreed to enter into a settlement agreement on the following matter, on a roll call vote, as follows:

 

AYES – President Mercer, Councilors Araujo, Coderre, Gregor, Moran, Moreno, Rubio, Stachowiak and Wildenhain.

 

NOES – 0.

 

City of Pawtucket, Rhode Island vs. Amerisourcebergen Drug Corporation, et al. (Case 1:18-cv-00139-WES-LDA) (CVS, Walgreens and Walmart)

 

 

 

2          Communication from John S. Wallace, Treasurer for Pawtucket Firefighters Local 1261, to the Honorable Members of the Pawtucket City Council, appointing Steve Parent to serve as a retired member of the Fire Department on the Pension Board is READ AND ORDERED FILED AND THE APPOINTMENT IS CONFIRMED on a roll call vote, as follows:

 

AYES – President Mercer, Councilors Araujo, Coderre, Gregor, Moran, Moreno, Rubio, Stachowiak and Wildenhain.

 

NOES – 0.

 

 

UPON RECOMMENDATION OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, THE FOLLOWING ORDINANCE IS INDEFINITELY POSTPONED ON A UNANIMOUS VOICE VOTE:

 

AN ORDINANCE REPEALING AND REPLACING THE SCHEDULE OF PAY RATES FOR HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS IN SECTION §88-12 OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF PAWTUCKET, 1996.

 

 

UPON RECOMMENDATION OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, THE FOLLOWING ORDINANCE WAS READ AND PASSED FOR THE FIRST TIME ON A ROLL CALL VOTE, AS FOLLOWS:

 

AYES – President Mercer, Councilors Araujo, Coderre, Gregor, Moran, Moreno, Rubio, Stachowiak and Wildenhain.

 

NOES – 0.

 

AN ORDINANCE REPEALING AND REPLACING THE SCHEDULE OF PAY RATES FOR UNCLASSIFIED NON-UNION POSITIONS AND THE SCHEDULE OF PAY RATES FOR HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS AND APPOINTED POSITIONS, BOTH IN SECTION §88-12 OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF PAWTUCKET, 1996, SUBSTITUTE A.

 

 

UPON RECOMMENDATION FROM THE CITY PROPERTY COMMITTEE, THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION WAS APPROVED ON A ROLL CALL VOTE, AS FOLLOWS:

 

AYES – President Mercer, Councilors Araujo, Coderre, Gregor, Moran, Moreno, Rubio, Stachowiak and Wildenhain.

 

NOES – 0.

 

588      RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE A LETTER OF INTENT WITH VERTICAL BRIDGE ACQUISITIONS III, LLC, FOR AN EXCLUSIVE PERPETUAL EASEMENT ON THE SMOKESTACK AT 240 GROTTO AVENUE FOR TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES.

 

 

THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES COUNCILOR STACHOWIAK

 

With majority consent of the Council, the following motion made by Councilor Stachowiak, seconded by the entire Council, was PASSED on a unanimous voice vote:

 

The Clerk was instructed to send a communication to Dylan Zelazo, Director of Administration, requesting that the administration consider putting aside the $625,000 up-front payment by Vertical Bridge to be used for future needs and/or projects at 240 Grotto Avenue.

 

 

UPON RECOMMENDATION OF THE COMMITTEE ON CLAIMS AND PENDING SUITS, THE FOLLOWING CLAIM FOR DAMAGES AGAINST THE CITY WAS APPROVED FOR PAYMENT ON A ROLL CALL VOTE, AS FOLLOWS:

 

Melissa Giron – $300.00 (Pothole)

 

 

UPON RECOMMENDATION OF THE COMMITTEE ON CLAIMS AND PENDING SUITS, THE MOTION TO DENY THE FOLLOWING CLAIMS FOR DAMAGES AGAINST THE CITY WAS PASSED, ON A ROLL CALL VOTE, AS FOLLOWS:

 

Maceo Mahaffey – $739.59 (Sinkhole)

 

Nichol Goncalves – $600.00, $555.39, $341.47 (Pothole)

 

 

Upon motion made by Councilor Araujo, seconded by the entire City Council, the meeting was adjourned at 8:40 PM.