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JUNE 16, 2008 MIDDLETOWN TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

The preceding meeting concerning 2008-2009 Budget was concluded at 7:13pm.

President Paul Roderiques called this meeting to order at 7:26pm. Councilwoman Barbara Barrow was absent. Editor’s Note: Time is quoted from the wall clock. The wall clock is three minutes slow.

Sakura Steakhouse Liquor License Granted

The Council unanimously approved a Class BV Alcoholic Beverage License to Sakura Steakhouse, 288 East Main Road. Councilman Edward Silveira Jr. recused himself due to “food service related.”

Eight-item Consent Calendar

The consent calendar was adopted unanimously without comment.

Town Employees Honored

The following Town employees were honored for their service in the armed forces: Frederick M. Bodington III, Shawn Brown, Scott A. Cutting, Terry W. Hazel, Paul W. Manning, Robert Matose, Robert S. Nutt, John H. Pinto III, Richard D. Silveira, and Adam Westman. Each person received a Town Tile and a copy of the Council resolution.

Special Events Permit Granted

The Council unanimously granted the following Special Event permits:

October 12, 2008 @ Paradise Valley Park – Corda and Becker Wedding. 150-200 persons and 50-75 motor vehicles.
September 13, 2008 @ Third Beach (boat ramp area) – Alexander Wedding. 150 persons and 50 motor vehicles.

Licenses Granted

The Council unanimously granted the following licenses:

Victualling House License – Sakura Steakhouse, 288 East Main Road
Additional Hours of Operation License – Blue Plate Diner, 665 West Main Road. Editor’s Note: no one chose to speak at the Public Hearing for this license

Councilman Silveira recused himself on both issues due to “food service related.”

Comprehensive Community Plan Amendment

Town Planner Ron Wolanski explained that the proposed amendment to the Comprehensive Community Plan was the second step in implementing the West Side Master Plan. No one chose to speak at this Public Hearing and the Council unanimously received this amendment on its first reading. It likely will be adopted at the next Council meeting on July 14^th.

Barbara Vonvillas Speaks

Requesting to address the Council, Barbara Vonvillas questioned the expense and the need for a police officer at Town Council meetings. Ms. Vonvillas condemned the Council for “considering a difference of opinion as dissention” and stated that “acceptable conduct (at meetings) begins with the Town Council (itself).” Ms. Vonvillas concluded her remarks with a statement that she intends to be a candidate for Town Council in the next election.

$2M Open Space Bond Referendum to be on November Ballot

The Council unanimously decided to place on the November ballot for voter approval a $2,000,000 Open Space Bond for the acquisition of open space land. Ted Clement, Aquidneck Land Trust, praised the Council for its recent acquisition of the Boulevard Nurseries land and recommended the $2M Bond for future land acquisitions. Mason Hawes, Open Space & Fields Committee Chairman, also supported the $2M bond. Resident Antone Viveiros, although supportive of open space land acquisition, cautioned the Council that this bond would add 10 cents to the tax rate and criticized previous use of open space monies to support other purposes, e.g. recreation facility upgrades. President Roderiques stated that he “wholeheartedly supports the bond referendum.” Editor’s Note: four members of the audience held 2’ x 4’ signs in the shape of back and white cows with lettering indicating “Vote Yes on Open Space Bond.”

$5M Beach Pavilion Bond Referendum Rejected

A proposal for a $5,000,000 Bond referendum to replace the Sachuest Beach pavilion was before the Council for consideration to be placed on the November ballot for voter approval. Rian Wilkinson, Chairman Beach Commission, stated support for the bond referendum since the existing facility is in decrepit shape and needs to be replaced. Bill Seiple, former Beach Manager, indicated support for the bond referenda and offered suggestions of a “green building” and the use of solar panel and wine turbine cupolas to generate savings. Barry Clarke and Karen Roarke each indicated support for the bond referendum and expressed opinions that the beach is a valuable resource to the Town. The only sour note was provided by resident Ronald Santa who objected to taxpayers having to pay for this bond and suggested that only the beachgoers should pay for this facility and this could be accomplished by increasing the beach sticker fees. Relating his concerns to the loss of the transfer station and the current user fees for trash collection in the Town, Mr. Santa suggested that there should be a Pay-As-You-Bathe program established to pay for the beach pavilion. Councilman Louis DiPalma, referencing earlier talks about cuts in the school budget, questioned how this beach pavilion should be paid for in the General Fund. Councilman Silveira, referencing that the first year’s amortization of this $5M bond would be $475,000, stated that “we cannot afford it now.” The motion to place this $5M bond referendum on the November ballot failed on a 3-3 vote with President Roderiques, Councilwoman Mello, and Councilwoman Santos voting in the affirmative.

BRAC – Regional LRA Approved

The Council unanimously endorsed the creation of a regional planning Local Redevelopment Agency (LDA) for the purpose of pursuing the acquisition of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) surplus properties. The regional LDA will consist of representatives from Newport, Middletown, and Portsmouth.

Emergency Bid Award for Berkeley Avenue Road Repair

The Council received notification from Town Administrator Shawn Brown that a $24,200 contract had been awarded to JAM Construction on an emergency basis to repair Berkeley Avenue. No other action was needed to be taken by the Council on this issue.

Strategic Plan Update Steering Committee Named

At the urging of Councilman DiPalma to appoint members to the Strategic Plan Upgrade Steering Committee, the Council appointed Councilmen DiPalma, Silveira, and Sylvia. Editor’s Note: It appeared that no other Council member was interested in being appointed to this committee.

War Memorial Honor Roll

There currently exist thirteen names on Middletown’s War Memorial Honor Roll and the Committee has decided to include five additional names this year. Councilwoman Santos explained that anyone wishing to nominate someone to this honor roll should do so by sending a signed letter to the Town Clerk prior to July 31^st. After that date the War Memorial Honor Roll Committee will select five names from the submitted letters. Councilman Silveira inquired as to what criteria should be used for nominees but did not receive an adequate response.

Gerry Kempen Requests Executive Session with Council

Former Town Administrator Gerry Kempen is seeking an Executive Session with the Town Council. Town Solicitor Francis Holbrook informed the Council that it should postpone this matter until he reviews and examines this issue since such an Executive Session may be in violation of the State’s Open Meeting law. Solicitor Holbrook will report his findings to the Council at the next meeting on July 14^th. Editor’s Note: Mr. Kempen was seen in the hallway anticipating a meeting with the Council this evening.

Dates Established

It has been customary for the Council to hold only one meeting per month during the summer season. The Council established the following meeting dates:

June 30 @ 6pm – Adoption of Budget
July 14 @ 7pm – July meeting
August 4 @ 7pm – August meeting

PUBLIC FORUM SESSION

One resident requested to address the Council during the public forum session.

Antone Viveiros stated that the new police station under construction does not intend to have solar panels or wind turbine cupolas as proposed for the Beach Pavilion and asked if it was too late to consider adding these features to the new police station. Administrator Brown indicated that he would discuss the issue with the architect and contractor and report back to the Council.

The Council recessed the regular meeting at 9:22pm in order to reconvene in Executive Session. As indicated in the docket agenda, the Executive Session was held for the matter of “personnel.”

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