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MAY 5, 2008 MIDDLETOWN TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

President Paul Roderiques called the meeting to order at 7:04pm. All Council members were present. Editor’s Note: Time is quoted from the wall clock. The wall clock is three minutes slow.

Ten-item Consent Calendar

The consent calendar was adopted unanimously without comment.

Licenses Granted

The Council unanimously granted the following licenses:

Victualling House License – Newport Nutrition, 883 West Main Road
Holiday License – Newport Nutrition, 883 West Main Road

Special Event Permit

The Council unanimously granted a special event permit for the Haviland/Zucker Wedding reception to be held on the front lawn of 2 Crest Street on September 6, 2008. 100 people and 5-10 motor vehicles are expected to attend. Councilman Louis DiPalma asked if a special event permit was needed for a private home lawn and received an affirmative reply when the expected attendance is this large or greater.

Burma Road Land Redesignation

On its second reading, the Council unanimously adopted an amendment to the Comprehensive Community Plan pertaining to two parcels of Navy land fronting on the Defense Highway (aka Burma Road) and Greene Lane. The parcel on the west side of the road is expected to be excessed soon by the Navy and the Town desires to designate the land as Conservation, Recreation and Open Space. The Town desires to designate the second parcel on the east side of the road as High Density Residential; however, the Navy may not be releasing this property in the immediate future. No one in the audience chose to speak at the Public Hearing.

Conservation Subdivision Development Ordinance – First Reading

On its first reading, the Council received a Zoning Amendment to allow a Conservation Subdivision Development as an alternative to a conventional subdivision design. The “conservation development provides for the preservation of open space while allowing for development that is designed to protect the natural, historical, and scenic values of the property.” Town Planner Ron Wolanski explained that a Conservation Subdivision is similar to a Cluster Development with the same number of developable units allowed; however, this amendment provides the Planning Board with significantly more input as to the location of the open space area. No one in the audience chose to speak at the Public Hearing.

Zoning Ordinance Amendment for Kennel – First Reading

On its first reading, the Council received a zoning ordinance amendment to allow an animal kennel by special use in a General Business, Limited Business, Office Business and Light Industrial zoning districts. This amendment is being sought by the Newport Animal Hospital, 333 Valley Road, in order to offer an indoor boarding service to its clients. As Councilwoman M. Theresa Santos was questioning the petitioner, she collapsed in her chair. Immediately the rescue wagon was called and an EMT, who happened to be in the audience, rushed to her aide. The rescue wagon arrived in less than a minute and Councilwoman Santos was transported to the hospital in less than ten minutes. The Council decided to conclude the business for the evening and unanimously voted to leave the Public Hearing open for this amendment and continue the matter to the May 19^th meeting.

The Council unanimously continued the remaining items on the docket to the May 19^th meeting.

Wishing Councilwoman Santos well, the Council adjourned at 7:55pm.

Editor’s Note: The two Public Hearings on the FY 20008-2009 budget are scheduled for May 12^th and May 22^nd.

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