[0:04] evening call the meeting of October 3D
[0:07] to order Madam clerk would you please
[0:09] call the role of the
[0:12] council councilman foger yeah Council
[0:15] vice president R go yeah councilwoman
[0:17] Susa yeah council president Rodricks
[0:21] here and councilman Lawson is is home
[0:24] ill today he um kind of fought through
[0:27] the meeting last night with the with the
[0:30] bad cold but um called today to say that
[0:34] going to stay home and try to get strong
[0:36] for next week's meetings this hopefully
[0:39] looks like a brief
[0:41] agenda let the record show there are
[0:44] four members present councilman Lawson
[0:48] is is home
[0:50] ill you please rise for the
[0:56] pledge and uh Miss kakas would you lead
[0:59] us in the pledge
[1:16] [Music]
[1:23] thank you know I didn't wanted to put
[1:25] you right on the spot like
[1:28] that that's my pen
[1:31] what that's all right it's a rough
[1:36] group thank
[1:38] you so without um objection I would move
[1:44] at this time move up on the agenda this
[1:46] time a special
[1:48] Proclamation
[1:50] and sure there is no no objection and so
[1:55] those of you which is all of us who know
[1:57] uh East Providence know East Providence
[1:59] high school and our student Athletic
[2:04] program I'm good to see principal of the
[2:06] high school Willam black is here tonight
[2:09] uh thank you for for coming you know
[2:12] that um on top of the academics of
[2:15] course that goes number one but uh
[2:17] Athletics is Big County Athletics is Big
[2:21] nothing is bigger than our unified arts
[2:26] program and unified students and the
[2:29] other Associated programs the partners
[2:32] club uh we have some dedicated students
[2:36] who work together to make sure that
[2:39] everybody is included and it takes more
[2:42] than just the kids being active and and
[2:45] suppor is it it takes a leader it takes
[2:48] a coach takes a teacher and when
[2:51] Statewide they recognize you as the
[2:54] coach of the year no matter what sport
[2:58] it is whether it's
[3:00] the big four baseball football
[3:02] basketball soccer whatever it is they're
[3:05] all equal and we have one of the best
[3:08] here tonight and when you are the coach
[3:11] of the year of a special student program
[3:15] that is probably a little bit above
[3:17] everything else so we want to issue a
[3:22] special Proclamation and while I do that
[3:26] however I would like to ask coach
[3:28] Kristen kudak if you would please come
[3:30] up to the podium on my left as I and if
[3:35] you want to be accompanied by principal
[3:37] Bill black I would appreciate that too
[3:40] because I want people to know the
[3:41] support of our high school principal is
[3:45] second to
[3:47] none and this is a city council
[3:49] recognition Award presented to the Rhode
[3:52] Island Coach of the Year coach Kristen
[3:56] kakis and teams have won championships
[3:59] that that's the last thing I know that
[4:01] you are looking for but everybody wants
[4:03] to win right everybody still wants to
[4:06] win and you guys are winners before we
[4:10] um make the presentation I'd ask all
[4:12] council members if you want to say
[4:14] anything um councilman Rigo helped me
[4:16] toh sponsor this and uh it's been
[4:19] haunting the principal about it and said
[4:21] you better be at the meeting we were
[4:23] going to do it last week but there was a
[4:25] game at the high school so we we waited
[4:28] councilman do you want to add anything
[4:29] thing uh yes thank you Mr President uh I
[4:32] just like to congratulate your
[4:34] accomplishments what you've done with
[4:35] your teams through the years is
[4:37] outstanding uh you bring a lot of Joy to
[4:39] the kids you make them feel part of that
[4:42] Community uh and I'd like to also thank
[4:45] my good friend the principal Bill black
[4:48] for everything that you're doing over at
[4:50] the high school with this program and
[4:52] everything else but congratulations
[4:54] coach and an outstanding job that you've
[4:56] done with all your
[4:57] teams and councilman oh absolutely um
[5:01] the dedication and the work you do is uh
[5:04] unfall because being a referee for over
[5:06] 20 years of the Special Olympics and the
[5:08] teams to see you guys put the work ethic
[5:11] in that you do is such a a a joy for me
[5:15] and the City of East Providence and to
[5:16] be a part of it so thank you for all you
[5:18] do and not least uh
[5:28] councilwoman
[5:30] season we have the opportunity to attend
[5:33] the celebration with all the athletes
[5:35] here at City Hall and it was great to
[5:37] see the rest of the coaching team also
[5:39] present who also do a phenomenal job day
[5:42] in day out including the athlet so thank
[5:44] you very much for your dedication love
[5:46] and support to our and two other things
[5:51] Ben why don't you join up H the uh
[5:53] platform please because you're a main
[5:55] part of this whole
[5:57] program and I I want to say a spot apart
[6:02] from the Athletics I have seen many
[6:06] times uh coach kakis uh affectionately
[6:10] called by colleagues and some students
[6:15] cudy not the way when I was a kid we
[6:17] would say that to other
[6:21] kids but walking the C is of the high
[6:25] school uh coach kakis I think you know
[6:29] just about every student all 16,700 of
[6:33] them pretty close and they all high-five
[6:36] her when she walks by and she has a good
[6:39] word to say about about most of them
[6:41] that goes for principal black we've got
[6:43] a great team at the high school so with
[6:46] that if we would like to congratulate
[6:48] you I would bring this proclamation to
[6:50] you and how about a round of
[6:58] applause
[7:20] I'd like to first thank the uh city of
[7:23] East Providence and of course um my
[7:28] friend Mr Rodrick thank you so much for
[7:30] acknowledging and um reminding me to
[7:33] show
[7:34] up I even got a text message today so it
[7:39] was during school
[7:43] hours I'll I'll admit you didn't answer
[7:45] it till after two
[7:47] o'clock with that um it's just an honor
[7:51] to coach and to be with um our students
[7:55] every single day and being at the high
[7:57] school um it's a great environment and
[8:00] the staff and the students really
[8:02] believe in our school and our community
[8:06] and I thank you very much for your
[8:08] continued
[8:09] support and positive energy you send our
[8:12] way thank
[8:19] you and Mr Black never a Man Without
[8:22] Words would you like to offer
[8:26] anything all right I have a long speech
[8:28] here C man that's all right we were here
[8:31] late last night and no uh thank you for
[8:34] this recognition to the council um coach
[8:38] does an amazing job and her staff does
[8:40] an amazing job with our student athletes
[8:43] uh it's great that Ben's here with us
[8:44] tonight but um it's just uh it's such a
[8:47] community that they've created within
[8:49] our high school community that makes it
[8:51] special you see a lot of our teachers
[8:53] show up a lot of our students uh all
[8:56] show up to support our students in these
[8:58] games and um it's just really exciting
[9:01] that not only the success that they've
[9:03] had but just the feeling I think we all
[9:05] get in the gym um when we're at these
[9:07] events so we encourage the city to
[9:09] attend these events um between
[9:11] volleyball and basketball we got some
[9:13] pretty special players so thank you
[9:14] tonight for recognizing us we appreciate
[9:17] that thank you we've come this far Ben
[9:19] do you want to add anything no come on
[9:22] Ben come on Ben she's the best coach
[9:28] yeah
[9:32] and we we all like pictures so if you
[9:34] would come and stand in the front here
[9:36] and maybe Mary you could take a picture
[9:38] of the group anyone is welcome
[9:49] to look at Big Ben in front of me I love
[9:52] it Ben's gonna be
[9:58] powering
[10:07] long
[10:15] time thank you
[10:28] awesome
[10:42] would you guys come back for the budget
[10:44] hearing next week we need we need some
[10:46] Applause
[10:47] smile thank you for coming obviously we
[10:50] will not feel bad if you leave we know
[10:53] you all have busy weeks and busy days so
[10:55] don't feel like you got to stay another
[10:57] minute thank you for coming
[10:59] thank
[11:09] you I was kidding you could have stayed
[11:11] a couple
[11:15] minutes at this time uh rver back on the
[11:19] dock and pursuant to uh Island general
[11:22] LS 42-
[11:24] 46-5 a and two uh we will meet
[11:30] hopefully briefly in in
[11:32] executive session we will be discussing
[11:35] considerations related to the
[11:37] acquisition of real property for public
[11:40] purposes wherein Advanced public
[11:43] information would be detrimental to the
[11:46] interest of the public and as always no
[11:48] votes will take place and any anything
[11:52] that
[11:54] is taking place in there will be
[11:57] reported out when we get to that point
[11:59] in the doet so is there a motion to uh
[12:03] move to Executive session Mr President I
[12:06] move to Executive session under the laws
[12:08] of the State of Rhode Island thank you
[12:11] motion made by councilman Rego seconded
[12:13] by councilman Lawson all in favor say I
[12:17] I fog I'm sorry get along though yeah
[12:22] all in favor it's unanimous y we will go
[12:25] to Executive session thank
[12:27] you
[22:27] what motion is in order return to public
[22:32] session and to seal the minutes of the
[22:34] executive session make a motion to
[22:37] return to public SE uh return to public
[22:41] session and to seal the minutes of the
[22:45] executive session of the East Province
[22:47] City Council on October 3rd 2023 second
[22:52] motion by Council vice president rioo
[22:55] seconded by councilman fogy all in favor
[22:59] I any opposed the eyes have it four is
[23:02] zero Madam clerk can please resume the
[23:05] agenda under consent calendar we have
[23:07] the council journal's regular meeting
[23:10] September 12th
[23:11] 2023 Council Mee September 19th 2023 and
[23:15] September 26
[23:17] 2023 we also have um tax abatements in
[23:21] the amount of
[23:23] $1,893
[23:26] 184 motion on the consent
[23:30] calendar motion to approve the consent
[23:32] calendar is
[23:34] R second second motion by councilwoman
[23:37] soua seconded by councilwoman Rigo to
[23:39] approve the consent calendar all in
[23:41] favor I I any opposed guys have it for
[23:45] to zero thank you next
[23:47] item you have um a consideration for
[23:51] motion to bonsel licenses C1 to
[23:55] C3 um we have a one- day entertainment
[23:58] license license for Ocean State
[24:01] ballet um an application for a bingo
[24:05] license for Sacred Heart Church and a
[24:09] business license Sundays and holidays
[24:11] for Prime commoms LLC on Newport
[24:15] Avenue motion to accept bundo item
[24:19] license numbers excuse me C1 to
[24:21] C3 motion by councilman Rigo seconded by
[24:25] councilwoman Souza to bundle licenses C1
[24:28] to C3 all in favor I I any opposed the
[24:32] eyes have it motion approve the
[24:36] bundle second motion by Council ran soua
[24:39] second by councilman fogy to approve the
[24:41] bundle as read all in favor I I any
[24:45] oppos the eyes have that 4
[24:48] Zero have a public hearing application
[24:51] for additional hours to open 24
[24:54] hours applicant for Cumberland Farms at
[24:58] 125 Newport
[25:01] Avenue thank you the applicant name is
[25:04] Laura Sal vuci is applicant president or
[25:07] representative it come up to the podium
[25:10] to my left thank
[25:15] you and just identify yourself for the
[25:19] record
[25:20] please thank you Mr
[25:22] President Miss hean for Cumberland
[25:26] Farms
[25:33] Al set you can Pro proceed uh with your
[25:35] requests so members of the council uh
[25:38] this Cumberland Farms location is
[25:39] located on Newport Avenue they have
[25:41] another location on Pucket Avenue in the
[25:44] city of East Providence that location
[25:46] does hold the license that we're
[25:47] applying for today this is the newer of
[25:50] their two locations it it's been open
[25:52] for about a year um almost to the day uh
[25:56] fall of last year this opened there was
[25:59] some confusion on Cumberland Farm's part
[26:01] back when this uh business originally
[26:04] opened where they applied for this
[26:07] license but failed to appear for the
[26:09] hearing uh at that time the solicitor
[26:11] and I I wasn't involved I got brought
[26:13] into it um rather than file a motion for
[26:16] reconsideration or anything along those
[26:18] lines they decided that they would just
[26:20] wait um and O operate the business so
[26:23] that you could get a sense of how the
[26:25] current operation was running and what
[26:28] impact it had if any on the surrounding
[26:30] area so they currently operate from 6:00
[26:33] AM to 1: am and they're seeking the
[26:36] ability to operate um at a 24-hour
[26:40] location they have 48 locations in Rhode
[26:43] Island 27 of those locations possess the
[26:46] extended hours license that allows them
[26:48] to operate from that time uh I'm not
[26:52] here today certainly it wouldn't turn it
[26:54] down if you were inclined to approve
[26:56] their request um they want to be a good
[26:58] neighbor obviously kumel and Farms is a
[27:00] long-standing business not just in Rhode
[27:03] Island but throughout our region they're
[27:05] not going anywhere um and they're happy
[27:07] to do this sort of incrementally or even
[27:09] on a probationary basis I think your
[27:11] ordinance makes it probationary anyways
[27:14] um but wanted to get a sense of the
[27:17] concerns uh wanted to listen if there
[27:19] are neighbors here today to speak out
[27:20] against it um see if we can address
[27:23] those concerns uh I know that um traffic
[27:27] was a concern previously I do have a
[27:30] traffic study that was prepared back
[27:31] when this was originally um permitted
[27:35] that I could submit to you for the
[27:36] record that demonstrates there's no
[27:38] change to the level of service and I
[27:40] know there are um concerns with any late
[27:44] night business there's always concerns
[27:45] about
[27:46] loitering um you know Cumberland Farms
[27:49] in general the new model Cumberland
[27:50] Farms that get built are very bright um
[27:53] places they try they certainly don't
[27:56] tolerate any loitering it's not good for
[27:57] their business um it's not what they
[28:00] want to um certainly not what they put
[28:02] up with not what they attract they make
[28:04] sure that their clerks are charged with
[28:07] monit I mean first of all there's video
[28:08] surveillance right it's not a small
[28:10] operation but their clerks that work
[28:12] there are charged with making sure
[28:13] people are moving uh not lingering get
[28:16] their gas get their products uh and that
[28:18] they move along on their
[28:21] business often when I've worked on um
[28:24] stores and gas stations why do you want
[28:27] to open those late hours so I'll go off
[28:30] on a little tangent here even though
[28:31] he's gone but uh you're so lucky to have
[28:34] Bill black as the principal of your high
[28:36] school I'm not saying that because he's
[28:38] my
[28:39] cousin I'm saying that because you stole
[28:41] him in another life I was the chairman
[28:43] of the school board in Providence and Mr
[28:46] Black was teacher and he was uh we made
[28:48] him vice principal and then his first
[28:50] position as principal's job we were
[28:52] Furious when he left to come to East
[28:54] Providence but he made a comment he
[28:56] asked me what do you hear from for and I
[28:57] said I was here for this and he's like
[28:59] good I won't have to wait for my coffee
[29:01] in the morning because I guess he gets
[29:02] there just before they open at 6 so we
[29:05] target our demographic for those late
[29:07] hours are people that work a late shift
[29:09] when they get off um I'm sure we've all
[29:12] been in a place in our lives where we've
[29:13] been out later than exp we didn't have
[29:15] time to get the bread didn't have time
[29:17] to get what we needed for lunch the next
[29:19] day for the kids it's for people who
[29:21] need that it's for the First Responders
[29:23] the hospital workers the nursing home
[29:24] workers people that get off late it is
[29:27] not for vagrants and loyers I know there
[29:30] are concerns and I've talked with my
[29:32] client about that um that there have
[29:35] been some changes different
[29:37] establishments they're not going to
[29:39] tolerate that to this point it's not
[29:40] been an issue um I checked in with them
[29:43] but certainly we've not um required any
[29:46] sort of police presence for any sort of
[29:48] loitering or having to move people along
[29:51] our clerks are trained to notify law
[29:53] enforcement um they're trained to
[29:55] monitor for nuisance we're sensitive to
[29:58] that we know that's what your
[29:59] constituents um are sensitive to um but
[30:02] we'd like this to be an asset we're
[30:04] hopeful to work with you and start that
[30:06] conversation tonight um if there's
[30:09] anything that we can do to make sure
[30:10] that um anything that we don't address
[30:12] or haven't addressed uh through the
[30:14] current operation is dealt with we're
[30:16] happy to do that um but we are hopeful
[30:19] that we could have the same license that
[30:21] we possess at our other East Providence
[30:23] location and the majority of the
[30:25] locations that we have throughout the
[30:26] state
[30:27] some of those locations that don't
[30:29] possess the license um many towns don't
[30:32] just don't provide for it they don't
[30:33] have it in ordinance um others don't
[30:36] have the level of uh vehicular traffic
[30:39] for gas and and those needs that we have
[30:41] in in this location um but I'm happy to
[30:45] answer any questions you might have I'm
[30:46] happy to listen to folks who came out
[30:48] here today and a hope is that we could
[30:50] work together to um you know work
[30:53] towards this 24-hour liis we're happy to
[30:56] do it incrementally
[30:57] um if that is something that's more um
[31:00] palatable um but hoping that it's
[31:03] something that we can progress
[31:04] towards thank you for for that opening
[31:07] this is a public hearing which I will
[31:10] open up to the council first and uh
[31:14] defer to the ward one uh council member
[31:18] at at at this time uh councilman rioo do
[31:21] you want to uh startop when
[31:24] comments uh yes thank you Mr President
[31:29] since being on this console since
[31:31] January of this
[31:32] year this is the most phone calls I've
[31:35] received on any issue that has faced the
[31:40] community my ward in the city in
[31:46] general and as a prior note my first
[31:49] house was right behind there on Vermont
[31:52] Avenue 20 something years ago when we
[31:56] moved
[31:57] the
[31:58] community what the original zoning was
[32:01] and what it was changed
[32:03] for wasn't what the people in that
[32:06] neighborhood in that surrounded
[32:09] area in this map signed up
[32:14] for the 70 phone
[32:18] calls the 25 plus
[32:21] emails don't want it those people live
[32:25] there every day yeah hardworking
[32:28] people and I am going on the record as
[32:32] the councilman in that Ward that I will
[32:35] be voting no for any extended
[32:39] hours thank you councilman anyone else
[32:43] on the
[32:44] council this time uh there it's an
[32:46] extended public hearing so you can come
[32:48] back later and comment after we hear
[32:50] from anyone else um I I would make a
[32:53] couple of General comments uh I would uh
[32:57] um I appreciate the fact that you you're
[33:00] willing to possibly do this on an
[33:03] incremental basis I think that that
[33:06] helps um my observations and I've been
[33:09] there several times I have a family
[33:12] member in the area and I I go there
[33:15] often and I've been inside the store it
[33:17] is everything you said it is new it is
[33:21] big it is bright it is it is clean
[33:23] there's plenty of parking a heck of a
[33:26] lot better than what we had there
[33:28] before and I live near the other one
[33:31] that you mentioned in the Kent Heights
[33:33] area and that has been wildly popular uh
[33:37] with with everyone and they had a little
[33:39] struggle at first with with zoning and
[33:42] then eventually they prevailed and were
[33:44] able to expand it to the uh very nice
[33:48] spot that it that it is now at the
[33:50] corner of wo Trail in Pucket Avenue so I
[33:54] I as far as the business goes I I think
[33:57] it's it's a great business uh Newport
[34:00] Avenue is a busy street to say the least
[34:04] I I don't know that this would make it
[34:06] any busier I don't think it can get much
[34:09] busier but I understand what councilman
[34:11] Rigo is saying uh I'm not adverse
[34:15] to you open now at six I don't have a
[34:17] big problem if you opened at five I
[34:20] think most people especially working
[34:22] people are up at that time uh I don't
[34:26] see that as a as a major problem in in
[34:30] my life I have worked different shifts I
[34:34] remember working a night shift once
[34:37] and it opened up my eyes that there is a
[34:42] a different world out there not
[34:43] everybody is 9 to5 not everybody works
[34:46] in an office not everybody works in a
[34:48] school uh there are all kinds of jobs
[34:52] out there so there there is a need uh
[34:54] for for some people I have off off
[34:59] hours so I could I could see that how
[35:02] would an hour hurt if they if you
[35:04] started at 5:00 a.m. um just drive go to
[35:08] the high school early some mornings I'm
[35:10] going to the high school around that
[35:12] time and traffic is out and about you I
[35:16] look down to the highway as I go over a
[35:18] lot of times there's a traffic backup so
[35:21] the world is up and and about at at 5:00
[35:25] a.m. um if they need gas or a cup of
[35:29] coffee or whatever it is up to people so
[35:32] I'm not adverse uh to that I they're
[35:35] open at 6 what's what's another hour at
[35:38] 5: and we we see how it goes but with
[35:41] that um I would open up the public
[35:44] hearing if there if anyone is here today
[35:46] unless did you want to add before the
[35:48] public speaks yes thank you Mr President
[35:51] one thing that I didn't address that
[35:54] maybe the other the the 24 hour hour
[35:57] store in the other section of East
[35:59] Providence and maybe the other locations
[36:01] that might be 24 hours and our police
[36:04] Chiefs here tonight he can attest that
[36:07] we have a problem a half a mile down the
[36:10] road they might not be standing at the
[36:13] Cumberland Farms but
[36:16] unfortunately those unfortunately and
[36:18] unfortunately for the people who are
[36:20] staying at the
[36:21] hotel they have mental issues drug
[36:26] issues I get constant complaints from
[36:30] people living in the neighborhoods at at
[36:32] all sorts of hours people going through
[36:34] we have a lot of C breaks we've had
[36:37] numerous C breaks in the area it it's
[36:40] tied there the chief can attest that
[36:43] that's probably one of the top areas
[36:44] that he has to send his Patrol offices
[36:47] there to the point where they go in
[36:49] there and they have to Lysol themselves
[36:51] off afterwards the issue yeah maybe C
[36:55] and Farms do a good job job of you know
[36:57] saying get off our property but when
[36:59] they leave the property now we have
[37:01] issues in the neighborhood at 2: 3 in
[37:04] the morning of people who are
[37:06] intoxicated walking or people who are on
[37:08] drugs and unfortunately they have issues
[37:10] that Society isn't taking care of but
[37:13] the people in no streets shouldn't have
[37:16] to suffer because of a corporation
[37:19] wanting to stay open 24 hours I will
[37:21] move to deny the
[37:24] license okay well before entertaining
[37:27] motions I want to have the public
[37:28] hearing and we'll we'll hear from people
[37:31] I my my only reply would be that I I
[37:33] don't know that these people that you
[37:35] speak of from 5 to six are going to all
[37:38] run to cuming farms and cause a a
[37:41] problem the neighborhood problems is
[37:43] something else you know that we need to
[37:45] address the police but is there anyone
[37:48] here that would like to uh speak on this
[37:50] issue please come forward and just give
[37:54] your name and address for the record
[37:56] please
[38:07] Susan Darin 84 coil
[38:11] Avenue I came last year to the hearing
[38:15] for 24 hours was very much opposed for
[38:18] all the reasons that were
[38:20] mentioned um but this year I want to
[38:23] tell you what I've noticed over the past
[38:26] year with Cumberland Farms being
[38:28] opened uh past 10 pm at night and open
[38:33] in the morning
[38:35] and there are more cars speeding down
[38:38] coil Avenue they're coming out of
[38:40] there's a cut through now in the parking
[38:43] lot and they are speeding up and down
[38:45] coil and this is a risk for our children
[38:48] that are out on the street uh Quil
[38:50] Avenue is the neighborhood that is
[38:53] directly parallel
[38:55] to it's not power got to come down uh to
[38:59] the Calin
[39:01] Farms um there are many trucks and SUVs
[39:05] with backup beepers that I hear they're
[39:08] backing up like at midnight I hear
[39:10] trucks backing up um so there are noise
[39:13] there is noise there car alarms are
[39:15] going off over there um and including
[39:20] people yelling which could be the
[39:22] Rumford Motor Lodge because I know that
[39:25] now they have a place to go to get their
[39:27] snacks um at 5:00 a.m. or after 10 p.m.
[39:33] uh we had a situation on coil um where
[39:36] we had a woman laying naked in in one of
[39:39] our neighbors front Lawns um until the
[39:41] EMTs came
[39:44] together um there's been the biggest
[39:48] thing for me is there's been an increase
[39:50] in trash not only on the street but on
[39:53] lawns there there's even been trash bags
[39:55] in my driveway
[39:56] and I know it's not a result of trash
[39:59] day because it doesn't only happen on
[40:00] Monday and I'm literally picking up
[40:04] wrappers like the tops of cigarette
[40:06] boxes or gum
[40:09] or little bags of Fritos individual bags
[40:13] or brown trash bags that are full
[40:18] of and I I wish I had saved it all and
[40:20] brought it to show you so you can see
[40:22] that you know it's it is as a result of
[40:25] C
[40:27] now I think that if it's open 24 hours
[40:29] all of the above is going to increase
[40:31] exponentially and I think that we are
[40:33] going to have more of the Motor Lodge
[40:36] people walking up and down our streets
[40:38] because we have it now and because they
[40:41] have a 24-hour place to go I don't even
[40:43] like the 5 am because I believe that the
[40:46] 5 AM is a way to sneak through to
[40:49] eventually being 24 hours so I think
[40:52] that 6:00 a.m. to 10: p.m. is
[40:55] enough hour in the day to conduct
[41:01] business excuse me um and I the only
[41:06] thing that I I haven't addressed but Mr
[41:07] rgo did is we've had a lot of carburs so
[41:10] you know
[41:11] I
[41:15] changed when I moved to runford over 20
[41:18] years ago it was a nice quiet M did
[41:22] understand that Newport Avenue could be
[41:23] developed but I didn't realize it would
[41:25] be
[41:26] expense of my neighbors my quality of
[41:29] life been woking up I don't know if you
[41:32] can wake up at
[41:33] midnight and then easily go back to
[41:35] sleep or you hear a door slam or you
[41:38] hear a hole or you hear someone yelling
[41:41] um for me it could take hours and I I
[41:44] have to be up at 6: am because I go to
[41:46] work every
[41:47] day um and again I don't like having to
[41:50] come home from work at six o'clock at
[41:51] night I Pi I'm trashed on my
[41:55] y
[42:02] don't want it I talked to my neighbors
[42:04] we don't want it and I don't think a
[42:06] Year's made a difference and I don't
[42:07] think another Year's going to make a
[42:13] difference thank you appreciate you
[42:15] coming out anyone else would like to uh
[42:20] speak on this from the area or from
[42:25] anywhere
[42:27] uh back to the council uh councilman R
[42:31] go before we um take a motion did you
[42:33] want to add anything or no I'm I'm good
[42:35] so just for the for the sake a navo
[42:39] would be denying the license so the
[42:41] request is for 24 hours so a n vote a n
[42:45] vote is to deny the license deny the
[42:49] when we're voting it's it's not
[42:52] um well what's right here
[42:55] Mike
[42:58] right right now on the what the vote
[43:00] block says your motion would be to deny
[43:04] so you have to vote nay on
[43:06] that we going off the vote block Mike
[43:09] right so if we vote nay the Nays would
[43:13] deny the
[43:14] license no so we're not going off the
[43:17] vote blocks all right so all right I
[43:21] just wanted to be clear on that because
[43:22] we've had confusion in the past so uh I
[43:25] make a motion to deny Cumberland Farms
[43:28] the 24hour
[43:31] license motion yeah I thought I did the
[43:34] public hearing is closed there was no
[43:36] one
[43:38] yes oh
[43:40] sure we will admit the uh traffic study
[43:43] as part of the council record which was
[43:46] done when when the
[43:49] initial so the motion is to deny the
[43:52] 24-hour request motion by councilman
[43:57] weo second by
[44:00] councilman fogy and I I will um support
[44:05] the the motion for the 24 hours if they
[44:09] come back and they want to look at one
[44:12] hour earlier you know I'm certainly open
[44:14] to that but tonight what's before us is
[44:16] the
[44:18] 24hour uh request and I I think that and
[44:22] this is just part of discussion on the
[44:24] motion I think some of the concerns that
[44:26] that you made ma'am are are very valid I
[44:29] see more of them being
[44:31] towards the alleged problems with the
[44:34] motel and the and the police in the
[44:37] neighborhood can work on that I don't
[44:39] want to be in a position where we're
[44:41] blaming and farms for those problems
[44:44] because I I do think they've been a very
[44:46] good business in our city but I
[44:50] understand what you're saying and those
[44:51] are areas that we have to look at but
[44:53] anyway the motion is made and seconded
[44:56] uh Madam clerk want to I'm sorry comment
[44:59] by you um so I uh agree both ways so I I
[45:05] understand where councilman vice
[45:07] president's coming from and just
[45:10] concerns and I
[45:11] thinkig in listening and hearing to you
[45:15] know the people who live in of the dayto
[45:18] day um would it be nice for others in
[45:21] the city to have access to somewhere
[45:23] that's 24 hours that may be closer than
[45:25] going all the way up to Avenue um
[45:27] absolutely um but that's you know you
[45:29] don't live in that area so it's hard for
[45:31] you to judge how people feel when it's
[45:33] not in your backyard I do appreciate the
[45:36] conversation um and bringing to the
[45:37] cable the ability to um be flexible and
[45:41] wanting to hear the um work with the
[45:43] resid always a good sign of business um
[45:47] in the city and I would encourage that
[45:50] that still take place you know and I
[45:52] know that that's probably something that
[45:53] you and your client will do so I
[45:55] appreciate those continued efforts um
[45:58] but for the reasons that have been
[45:59] stated from the public and our
[46:02] councilman and again I thank anybody who
[46:04] comes up to the council and speaks
[46:07] publicly on behalf of what really
[46:10] concerns them and um things that they
[46:12] expect their Council to listen to is um
[46:15] really important I thank you for coming
[46:17] out tonight that that takes a lot of
[46:20] Courage for a lot of people to stand up
[46:21] here before us and before live audience
[46:24] or um screaming they say how they feel
[46:28] without having any backlash or maybe
[46:30] being Rital because that's something
[46:32] that's easily done in the community um
[46:34] by naysayer so thank you for being
[46:36] strong in doing that um but I do um I do
[46:40] Echo the sentiments for this what's
[46:43] before us today
[46:46] um thank you councilwoman anybody else
[46:50] on the council if not Madam clerk would
[46:52] you call a ro remember an iote supports
[46:55] the motion
[46:56] to
[46:57] deny Council f i Council vice president
[47:02] rgo Hi councilwoman Susa hi council
[47:06] president rodri I motion to deny the 24
[47:10] hours uh passes 4 to zero thank you
[47:13] thank you for you uh councilman Rigo
[47:17] regardless of this outcome if we can
[47:19] help with some of these fash issues and
[47:21] work together we can get in touch with
[47:23] you because we don't like what's
[47:25] happening down the road either it's not
[47:26] who you know it's not what we're trying
[47:28] to have Ur you know the lawyer and me
[47:31] it's always tough because you want to
[47:33] talk about evidence and stuff and it's a
[47:35] political process and it's a constituent
[47:37] process so I don't like to rebut what
[47:39] people say but rather try to help be
[47:41] part of that solution and I know they
[47:42] would too so we'll reach out and see if
[47:44] there's something we can do to help with
[47:47] going this thank you thank you thank you
[47:50] Micha thank you for clarifying that way
[47:52] you
[47:54] know
[47:56] thank you madam clerk next
[47:58] item under Communications Nancy hail
[48:01] speaking on budget
[48:18] questions thank you just uh give your
[48:20] name and address for the record please
[48:22] Nancy
[48:24] hail
[48:27] can you hear me yes
[48:30] okay 889 Bullocks Point Avenue Nancy
[48:34] hail thank you you can proceed all right
[48:38] I'm getting better at some of my visual
[48:39] aids they're simpler it's going to be
[48:42] Swift all right this one's for City
[48:45] safety issues and it's going on the back
[48:49] burner as I'm pleased to report things
[48:52] continue to improve at my intersection
[48:54] and it's spreading
[48:56] up to the
[48:59] Honeydew area where Now cars are
[49:01] stopping and being polite letting people
[49:04] walk oh please go before me so like
[49:06] something's happened that's really good
[49:09] and I don't think it's just because of
[49:11] me so um the one of the other issues is
[49:15] my green folder now this is actually two
[49:17] it has two meanings one is fiscal
[49:20] responsibility so since this is budget
[49:23] time I have a question probably for the
[49:25] Treasurer but I don't expect an answer
[49:29] tonight so the question is it has to do
[49:32] with that interest being paid to the
[49:34] state of Rhode Island because of timing
[49:36] issues so you anyone can tell just have
[49:39] to address your questions to the council
[49:41] please and not not to be okay well I
[49:44] don't care who answers really or when
[49:47] well maybe next week would be good for
[49:49] an answer if it fits in because I don't
[49:50] even know what a budget hearing is and
[49:52] and basically you can just ask my sister
[49:55] Kim if it has to do with the budget I
[49:57] should stay far away from
[49:59] it um so but um as far as losing money
[50:05] on a yearly
[50:08] basis like to 100,000 or 400,000 in
[50:13] somewhere in there just because we're
[50:16] not in a same fiscal calendar as the
[50:20] state of Rhode Island seems like a
[50:21] terrible loss of money and we need maybe
[50:27] that money to be put
[50:29] towards uh the swimming pool and the
[50:31] aquatics uh part of the uh Community
[50:35] Center I don't know if that would would
[50:38] solve the problem
[50:39] entirely um and again I'll just say you
[50:41] don't want me organizing your money but
[50:44] I will I do want to know why is it so
[50:47] difficult to get in sync with the state
[50:49] of Rhode Island how can we do that and
[50:52] if that requires a
[50:54] bond maybe that's a good thing to put a
[50:56] bond out for and end the loss of
[51:00] thousands of dollars so that's it for me
[51:02] tonight the and and we can get more more
[51:05] I know this Council will will be looking
[51:07] to discuss synchronization more in the
[51:10] future the the short answer which is not
[51:13] an easy answer you're talking if you
[51:16] wanted to do something like that cold
[51:19] turkey to the same year as the state
[51:22] whether it's cold turkey or five years
[51:24] from now or whenever you're talking
[51:26] multi-millions of dollars why why I
[51:28] don't get that that's why so it's more
[51:31] it's a complicated formula um with the
[51:35] state uh yes Council someone someone ask
[51:38] you go ahead chair maybe the solicitor
[51:41] can expl sure if he if if he has a quick
[51:44] answer on that there is no quick answer
[51:46] on this well I mean I'm you know things
[51:49] can be complicated but I can understand
[51:51] a lot of complicated things we would
[51:53] never be able to have another bond issue
[51:55] of the sort that would be needed well I
[51:57] don't even you know I know that wealthy
[51:59] people like bonds because they make
[52:01] money from them so that that's you know
[52:03] but especially they like it if it barely
[52:06] fixes a problem like this Mike can you
[52:10] put it in a in a nut show oh I'm going
[52:11] to um so lawyers are also bad with money
[52:14] but
[52:16] um not charging
[52:19] though I'm I'm not bad with money I'm
[52:21] bad with budget well that's why I don't
[52:23] same principle right yeah and check
[52:25] books I mean the sideways math forget
[52:27] about it if memory serves me right the
[52:29] synchronization issue is costly um I
[52:31] think it's was $50 million $50 million
[52:33] to synchronize our fiscal year with the
[52:36] state's fiscal year
[52:38] because there will be a lag time the
[52:40] city city government still has to run
[52:42] right on a 12-month basis so if we try
[52:45] to synchronize it we we we would be
[52:46] moving everything up six months or three
[52:49] months six months eight months so during
[52:52] that eight-month period we've got to
[52:55] have a bridge of money coming
[52:59] in to allow the taxpayers to pay but
[53:01] they wouldn't be paying because we're
[53:02] synchronizing it but there would be an
[53:04] eight-month Gap and that eight-month Gap
[53:06] is about $50 million and so that's
[53:10] that's the most simplest way I can
[53:11] explain it yeah as the best as a lawyer
[53:13] I could well I don't know I'd get theone
[53:15] Mike well then then that's how many I I
[53:19] don't think many people would like to
[53:20] pay their taxes in advance well but if
[53:23] they got a swimming pool well you know
[53:27] that's an expensive complicated to make
[53:29] that con I mean you can't make that
[53:30] direct connection but getting out of
[53:32] debt is important and there may be
[53:35] people in the city who would want to do
[53:37] that that's a simple answer that very
[53:40] simplistic but that's 50 $50 million got
[53:43] an eight month flag where's the what's
[53:44] the eight month flag because our do it
[53:46] start that it's the difference in that's
[53:49] yeah November 1st to June to June
[53:54] 1st
[53:57] thank you Mr s ask ask your sister
[54:04] Kim thank you um Nancy uh next item
[54:08] please public comment the first public
[54:10] comment uh is Frank
[54:17] Rego thank you Madame clerk fellow
[54:20] council
[54:21] members at last night's council meeting
[54:24] a motion was made to be discussed on
[54:26] October 10th to eliminate the planed two
[54:29] position which members of the council
[54:32] thought was the vacant position I found
[54:35] out today that the vacant position is
[54:37] planner one I needed to ask legal and
[54:40] finance if it's possible to switch this
[54:42] oversight and at what point we can do
[54:47] that so you'll be able to make that
[54:50] change um at the next public hearing
[54:53] which would be octob next um oober 10th
[54:55] 10th I'm sorry yeah I've got so many
[54:56] dates October
[54:58] 10th thank you Mr
[55:01] solicitor thank you
[55:10] councilman next on the
[55:13] list um Renee shakon on the
[55:18] archaeological
[55:24] survey
[55:30] thank you just name and address for the
[55:33] record Rene choin 48 Kettle Point
[55:37] Avenue good evening council president
[55:39] Council vice president and council
[55:41] members and thank you for the
[55:43] opportunity to speak tonight I emailed
[55:46] you all in support of the Rhode Island
[55:48] historical preservation and Heritage
[55:50] commission's recommendation actually
[55:52] made twice once in 2020 and again in
[55:55] 2023 that an archaeological survey be
[55:58] conducted at metacomet to determine if a
[56:01] significant archaeological site which
[56:03] may include burials as present I come
[56:06] before you today to make my plea in
[56:08] person about a month ago I had the
[56:11] opportunity to visit the national museum
[56:13] of the American Indian in Washington DC
[56:16] it was one of the most moving
[56:18] experiences that I have encountered at a
[56:20] museum it changed me the level of
[56:22] atrocities inflicted upon the American
[56:25] Indian is overwhelming and to see that
[56:27] even in the more Modern Age the actions
[56:29] that some of our own presidents of the
[56:31] United States took to move the Indians
[56:34] from their land is shocking and
[56:35] scandalous at best I quote a philosopher
[56:39] here Jose Ortega why gas it the past
[56:43] will not tell us what we ought to do but
[56:46] what we ought to avoid this could not be
[56:48] more applicable to this situation most
[56:51] of us merely have only the opportunity
[56:53] to verbally acknowledge knowled the
[56:55] passed via a land acknowledgement which
[56:57] is a statement that recognizes and
[56:59] respects the IND indigenous peoples but
[57:02] you as a governing body have the unique
[57:05] privilege of being able to put action to
[57:07] those words let's not perpetuate the
[57:10] mistakes of past governing bodies Monday
[57:13] is indigenous people's day and November
[57:16] is Native American Heritage Month in
[57:18] these Providence could this be more
[57:20] timely I have heard some arguments
[57:22] against requiring the survey the first
[57:24] one is that it's now private land this
[57:27] does not preclude you from strongly
[57:29] recommending that the developer
[57:31] undertake this survey in fact I have
[57:33] recently learned that a land
[57:35] archaeological survey was conducted
[57:37] prior to the development of kettle point
[57:39] that was also private land let's
[57:41] encourage the same behavior from
[57:43] Marshall and let's not forget that
[57:45] Marshall will or perhaps already has
[57:47] deed nine ACR over to the city what
[57:50] about a survey on that land the second
[57:53] argument I've heard is that This Land Is
[57:55] Now under the purview of the Waterfront
[57:57] commission as a city council you have
[58:00] the authority to strongly recommend that
[58:02] the Waterfront commission follow the
[58:04] historical preservation commission's
[58:06] recommendations why turn a blind eye to
[58:09] what is the right thing to do if they
[58:11] are enforcing the recommendation city
[58:13] council can certainly step in to ensure
[58:16] that right actions are taken in closing
[58:18] I encourage you all to pass a resolution
[58:21] to call upon the East Providence
[58:23] Department of planning and econom IC
[58:25] development in conjunction with the East
[58:27] Providence Waterfront District
[58:28] commission to advise Marshall properties
[58:31] to conduct an archaeological survey
[58:34] performed by a qualified archaeologist
[58:36] at Marshall's expense please show with
[58:39] your actions that you respect and honor
[58:41] those that came before us thank you for
[58:43] your time thank you coming
[58:50] out Jason rafy speaking on the
[58:53] recreation center
[59:04] Jason Rafferty 85 Bluff Street in
[59:07] Riverside um I'm speaking in the
[59:09] recreation center but particularly the
[59:11] um the pool which has been a topic of
[59:13] much of much debate um speaking in favor
[59:17] of it I go back to a New York Times
[59:19] editorial that was actually written
[59:20] earlier this year and it starts off as a
[59:23] young child in New Orleans forelle Ross
[59:25] fell into one of the city's many canals
[59:27] and nearly drowned years later as
[59:29] Hurricane Katrina bore down on the city
[59:31] Miss Ross fled the rising waters on a
[59:33] bus with two tiny babies in 2016 one of
[59:36] the babies Bethesda ground in a backyard
[59:39] pool when Miss Ross was asked to comment
[59:42] on it she says I don't play in water
[59:44] I've always been afraid of it because
[59:45] we're
[59:46] upbringing Bethesda is one of the
[59:48] estimated 4,000 people a year who die by
[59:51] drowning in the United States that's 11
[59:53] people per day
[59:55] the United States for its majority of
[59:57] citizens has is basically a swimming
[59:59] desert where according to the Red Cross
[1:00:01] more than half the population lacks
[1:00:03] basic swimming abilities and million go
[1:00:05] without access to Safe places to enter
[1:00:07] the
[1:00:08] water we uh we don't have in in terms of
[1:00:11] pools in the United States we've seen
[1:00:12] some really uh significant shifts the uh
[1:00:16] we it's estimated that currently there's
[1:00:17] about 10 million private swimming pools
[1:00:19] where there's only about 300,000 public
[1:00:21] ones and the vast majority of those are
[1:00:24] parts of condo complexes hotels and
[1:00:26] schools which are actually private for
[1:00:27] those in terms of using it not for the
[1:00:29] greater uh Community the United States
[1:00:32] really hasn't made a significant
[1:00:33] investment in pool since the Great
[1:00:35] Depression um the
[1:00:39] uh yeah really since the Great
[1:00:41] Depression and um what was I going to
[1:00:45] say the uh a lot of the pools
[1:00:47] unfortunately in the
[1:00:48] 1960s most of the pools were actually
[1:00:50] cemented in particularly those in public
[1:00:53] neighborhoods that were underserved
[1:00:54] especially with racial minorities in the
[1:00:56] Reagan Era the glorified po
[1:00:59] privatization and smaller government
[1:01:00] only cemented the mindset that the need
[1:01:02] to be lack of of an investment in public
[1:01:05] pools and other public resources that
[1:01:07] left America today to see swimming more
[1:01:09] as a luxury is not and not as a private
[1:01:11] good uh private good the um in all
[1:01:15] reality today it's interesting because
[1:01:17] if you look at the the sort of
[1:01:18] dispersity of the country what you
[1:01:19] notice is is that most of our P most of
[1:01:22] our pools are owned by uh well-off
[1:01:25] communities or by well-off families when
[1:01:27] it really is the communities of color
[1:01:29] and low socioeconomic status that have
[1:01:31] really been sort of uh struggling in
[1:01:33] this environment the um just looking at
[1:01:36] some of the data black and brown kids
[1:01:39] drown at about 7 times the rate of white
[1:01:42] kids when you look at their parents
[1:01:44] about 25% have never learned how to swim
[1:01:47] whereas with white parents 96% of white
[1:01:49] parents have at some point in their life
[1:01:51] learned how to swim or taken swimming
[1:01:52] lessons only about 50% of parents um
[1:01:56] black and brown parents or families
[1:01:58] enroll their kids in swimming lessons
[1:02:00] whereas it's about 72% for white
[1:02:02] families and I'm not you know a lot of
[1:02:04] this has to do with past politics and
[1:02:06] and racial divides and things like that
[1:02:08] which we can't you know it's hard to
[1:02:09] take responsibility for that today but
[1:02:11] we can do something to fix it and when
[1:02:13] you ask a lot of these families why it
[1:02:14] is that we have this sort of fear of the
[1:02:17] water or why this sort of culture exists
[1:02:19] that prevents them from from um learning
[1:02:21] how to swim the big issues were access
[1:02:24] comfort in the water and competency or
[1:02:25] learning how to swim the skills that you
[1:02:27] would actually need so in terms of why
[1:02:30] we I believe we need a pool there's a
[1:02:32] few reasons that come to mind the first
[1:02:34] is fostering the sense of community and
[1:02:36] the sense of community that extends
[1:02:37] Beyond racial and socioeconomic
[1:02:38] boundaries it also promotes Fitness
[1:02:41] across
[1:02:42] intergenerationally I will say I'm not
[1:02:44] one that I'm not going to go to a
[1:02:45] community center and pump iron I'm not
[1:02:46] going to go into you know a pickup game
[1:02:48] probably I blew out my knee a few years
[1:02:50] ago and needed surgery but I would jump
[1:02:52] in a pool and I would do laps and I
[1:02:54] think a lot of people whether you're an
[1:02:55] adult or an older you know individual of
[1:02:57] our community it brings people together
[1:02:59] in a way that other sports don't
[1:03:01] necessarily do it provides career and
[1:03:03] volunteer opportunities in really sort
[1:03:05] of pro-social activities especially
[1:03:07] lifeguarding the pool maintenance things
[1:03:09] like that accessibility is huge as I've
[1:03:12] talked about in terms of racial
[1:03:13] disparities I think if you look at sort
[1:03:15] of our current access to pools if you
[1:03:17] look at pods and health tracks it's
[1:03:19] pretty clear the population that's able
[1:03:20] to afford to go there and the population
[1:03:22] that essentially we could expand to if
[1:03:24] we had a public pool in our community
[1:03:27] and finally safety in Rhode Island in
[1:03:29] East Providence we have 14 miles of
[1:03:31] Coastline um it's one of the most of any
[1:03:33] actually Town municipality in Rhode
[1:03:35] Island um which is often surprising to
[1:03:37] know because a lot of our roads are not
[1:03:38] located on our Coast um so you don't
[1:03:40] wouldn't know it necessarily driving
[1:03:41] around most of our city um we've had uh
[1:03:45] last last this past summer in July July
[1:03:47] 23rd there was an article you probably
[1:03:49] saw it about a lifeless body that was
[1:03:51] found on Dunes Park beach in Westerly it
[1:03:53] was a 15-year-old old boy who was found
[1:03:54] by his best friend that was on a Sunday
[1:03:57] on a Thursday that him and his friend
[1:03:59] were out on the jetty playing in the uh
[1:04:01] sort of splashing in the water and up on
[1:04:03] the jetty when when he
[1:04:04] disappeared most people don't know his
[1:04:06] name but they know that he was the third
[1:04:07] death this year in Rhode Island from
[1:04:09] drowning last year there were 20 deaths
[1:04:12] in Rhode Island most of them were young
[1:04:13] people Children and adolescents and the
[1:04:15] year before there were 19 we don't have
[1:04:17] the statistics yet since it's only
[1:04:19] October some people are still swimming
[1:04:20] for this year um but it may be
[1:04:22] comparable I know living in Riverside
[1:04:25] that there are future plans around you
[1:04:27] know Crescent Beach there are
[1:04:29] opportunities to expand that and make it
[1:04:31] more swimmable but I think unless we
[1:04:32] provide access the skills the competency
[1:04:35] and the familiarity to be um you know
[1:04:37] comfortable in the water and know how to
[1:04:39] sort of protect yourself and those
[1:04:40] environments it's a wasted project we
[1:04:43] need to be really improve our
[1:04:44] community's relationship with water we
[1:04:47] need to improve our safety so that we
[1:04:48] can then utilize our Coast I think it's
[1:04:50] a step that's uh much needed in this in
[1:04:53] this sort of in this sort of process and
[1:04:55] I think it really speaks to our
[1:04:56] investments in all of this the other
[1:04:58] thing and I I you know speaking a little
[1:05:00] bit on the public comment this is a
[1:05:01] little unrelated but related I did hear
[1:05:03] about you know last night with the
[1:05:04] planning department I will also say I do
[1:05:06] a lot of work with um Riverside
[1:05:08] Renaissance and Riverside Square and I
[1:05:10] would promote I think our planning
[1:05:12] department is incredible I think each
[1:05:13] individual there I've worked with a
[1:05:15] number of them that have brought in you
[1:05:17] know thousands if not hundreds of
[1:05:18] thousands of dollars when you look at
[1:05:19] the scope of the city and grants and
[1:05:21] funds and um I'm glad to hear that
[1:05:23] potentially it would be a vacant
[1:05:24] position that would be eliminated
[1:05:25] because when I heard it was a level two
[1:05:27] I got I was very worried I know last
[1:05:29] week um it was actually a level two
[1:05:31] planner who came to speak on the on the
[1:05:33] community center um and I think that his
[1:05:36] sort of familiarity with the project his
[1:05:38] advocacy just speaks to the level of
[1:05:40] dedication um that we that we're lucky
[1:05:42] enough in the city to have in our
[1:05:43] planning department so I also just
[1:05:45] wanted to throw that out too as a plug
[1:05:47] for our planning department thank you
[1:05:48] very much thank you very much thank
[1:05:52] you chrisy
[1:05:59] Rossi thank you this not that you need
[1:06:02] to but name and address for the record
[1:06:04] Chrissy Rossy 87 Shore Road in the
[1:06:09] Riverside so I'm here tonight to
[1:06:12] strongly encourage
[1:06:14] you to not go forward with the
[1:06:17] Redevelopment
[1:06:19] agency and I have made many notes as to
[1:06:23] um why I don't I don't think it's going
[1:06:26] to be in the community's best interest
[1:06:28] and I and I will let you continue of
[1:06:30] course but to let you know we are not
[1:06:32] taking that up tonight it will be tabled
[1:06:35] because number one councilman Lawson
[1:06:37] worked with me and with assistant
[1:06:40] solicitor on that and we we need to do
[1:06:42] some fine-tuning and we've also heard
[1:06:44] from you and others so there'll be no
[1:06:47] discussion at least unless there are
[1:06:50] three votes to vote on it tonight I
[1:06:52] don't believe that there will be because
[1:06:54] everyone realizes we have to do some
[1:06:55] more work so you're welcome to come back
[1:06:58] at a later time when we will actually
[1:07:02] discuss it for a vote but please you
[1:07:03] know feel free to proceed now also okay
[1:07:06] thank you um while it's fresh on my mind
[1:07:09] and I have all these question I didn't
[1:07:10] think you would leave that quickly no
[1:07:13] Bob you know better
[1:07:16] so one of one of I was hoping
[1:07:20] yeah one of the the more concerning um
[1:07:24] pieces of this that I'm I'm sure you're
[1:07:25] going to work on is that every member is
[1:07:29] appointed by the mayor I'm sure that's a
[1:07:31] concern to all of you um also that there
[1:07:34] are five-year
[1:07:35] terms so we know what kind of damage can
[1:07:38] be done in four years so I'm I'm not
[1:07:41] feeling the extra year on top of that um
[1:07:46] it also gives the our citizens no
[1:07:49] protection um as it's
[1:07:52] written they can pick up a property
[1:07:55] somebody can deem it um unsuitable it's
[1:07:58] not really clear who's making that
[1:08:00] determination either what on what is
[1:08:02] unsuitable who makes that decision but
[1:08:05] they can just take it and build whatever
[1:08:07] they want whenever they feel like it so
[1:08:09] I was struggling with that as well and
[1:08:12] then all I could think of was that
[1:08:13] crossroads property that's happening and
[1:08:15] they're struggling with their funding
[1:08:18] and according to this in the way it's
[1:08:20] written right now they can just take the
[1:08:24] city or this this commission can take
[1:08:27] over a piece of blighted
[1:08:30] property and they can spend whatever
[1:08:32] money they have on it and just hand it
[1:08:35] over to a developer or a nonprofit to
[1:08:38] build whatever they see fit you guys
[1:08:40] never get one say on it and I'm thinking
[1:08:43] you ran for office why would you give
[1:08:45] away all your power like that and the
[1:08:47] power to protect the citizens so that
[1:08:50] was another big um big red flag for me
[1:08:54] and then I'm also curious where the seed
[1:08:58] money is going to come from for this so
[1:09:01] it in uh what is it 20-4 C to select and
[1:09:05] appoint officers agents councils and
[1:09:08] employees permanent and temporary as it
[1:09:11] may require in determine their
[1:09:14] qualifications duties and compensation
[1:09:17] who's paying them they are their own
[1:09:20] individual situation so where they got
[1:09:23] to get the seed money to hire these
[1:09:26] employees um no approval Ever Needed by
[1:09:30] our elected
[1:09:34] Council then over here it says to
[1:09:36] undertake technical assistance to
[1:09:38] property owners and other private
[1:09:40] persons encourage Implement and
[1:09:44] facilitate voluntary Improvement of real
[1:09:47] property so to me it just sounded like
[1:09:50] they're going to pick on poor people old
[1:09:53] people people who can't afford to live
[1:09:55] in their house say gez you know your
[1:09:57] house is falling apart let us help you
[1:09:59] with that let us relocate you and and
[1:10:02] that kind of bummed me out too and then
[1:10:04] there's this little piece that keeps
[1:10:06] showing up tax increment District Master
[1:10:10] Plan what is
[1:10:12] that
[1:10:15] anybody are we going to make a master
[1:10:18] plan are we going to make a tax
[1:10:20] increment District I mean right now
[1:10:24] and I I am going to tell you just
[1:10:26] driving out of my street Every Morning
[1:10:29] has become increasingly difficult I'm
[1:10:31] halfway into bulock Point Avenue because
[1:10:33] I can't see because of all the cars and
[1:10:37] stuff that are parked with the boohemoth
[1:10:39] that was now built at the former vam
[1:10:41] Coast site 16 Apartments 17 parking
[1:10:44] spaces behind it when it's done where is
[1:10:46] company going to park in the street you
[1:10:49] don't think these people are going to
[1:10:50] have company you're sorely mistaken the
[1:10:53] company shows up it just does I'll tell
[1:10:56] you you go down to Sabin Point you'll
[1:10:58] see all sorts of company you've got
[1:11:00] company no matter where you are
[1:11:03] so and I will come back again just in
[1:11:05] case anybody enjoys my uh the reasons
[1:11:08] you listed and and others um you know we
[1:11:12] we've got to do a lot of refining I will
[1:11:14] tell you this and I'm not um as I've
[1:11:19] been made to say many times not an
[1:11:22] apologist for the
[1:11:24] administration this was not born from an
[1:11:28] idea of the administration councilman
[1:11:30] Lawson and I were talking about this
[1:11:33] looking at bladed properties
[1:11:37] and for for that reason I mean empty
[1:11:40] lots the the old Diner you know get
[1:11:43] calls almost every week on on that
[1:11:46] property what's what's going on there
[1:11:47] why is the grass 8 feet tall and chain
[1:11:51] link fence around it and are they
[1:11:53] selling are they not selling now we know
[1:11:55] we can't force someone to sell they
[1:11:58] evidently are trying to sell but does
[1:12:00] that mean they can't cut the grass clean
[1:12:02] it up a little bit that that's a a
[1:12:05] stretch of a of a reason but it's one of
[1:12:09] the reasons that we were talking about
[1:12:11] so we met with the assistant solicitor
[1:12:15] and looked at other cities that have
[1:12:18] this kind of a agency and as um was told
[1:12:22] to us this would be
[1:12:24] another tool in the Arsenal the city any
[1:12:28] City could have to try to clean up
[1:12:30] places not you know give someone a
[1:12:33] chance uh the tax increment thing was
[1:12:35] kind of a reference to there have been
[1:12:38] places in businesses that hav paid taxes
[1:12:41] in many many years so this would maybe
[1:12:44] force the issue a little more it isn't
[1:12:48] and it wasn't intended to go after some
[1:12:52] elderly couple having trouble with their
[1:12:55] keeping up their property um but you're
[1:12:58] you're right it needs a lot of tweaking
[1:13:00] before you came here tonight before we
[1:13:03] heard from some people councilman Lawson
[1:13:05] and myself said we got to take this off
[1:13:08] the agenda and and work on this some
[1:13:10] more a lot of it was copy and pasting
[1:13:13] language from other cities and towns and
[1:13:16] it it may never come to fruition it's
[1:13:18] it's it's a thought and it will end up
[1:13:21] with
[1:13:22] Council ual approval this is not going
[1:13:25] to be if I have anything to say about it
[1:13:27] it's not going to be an
[1:13:29] independent agency that can take your
[1:13:32] property because you're not living up to
[1:13:36] what we think it would eventually come
[1:13:38] to a city council but um we're not we
[1:13:41] can't go out and knock on doors and I
[1:13:44] thought of going to the owner of that
[1:13:47] old l or dinina corner and other places
[1:13:50] there's
[1:13:51] uh I don't want to mention the names a
[1:13:53] place in Riverside Square as you're
[1:13:54] entering Riverside to the right been
[1:13:57] like that for 50 years it's not going to
[1:13:59] change till that man passes you know
[1:14:01] that and to me that you can call the
[1:14:03] square what you want to call it that's
[1:14:04] the gateway to Riverside for me and when
[1:14:07] you go and you see that old rusting
[1:14:09] tractors with again 8 foot grass growing
[1:14:12] through it things like that so this was
[1:14:15] a tool to maybe try to push along some
[1:14:18] of these things so it will be Revisited
[1:14:21] nothing will happen without Council
[1:14:23] involvement and um please come back and
[1:14:26] we'll we'll show you the recommendation
[1:14:30] anyways which can be tweet again I
[1:14:32] appreciate that's what that's all about
[1:14:35] I appreciate you listening to me I
[1:14:36] appreciate your time tonight and I will
[1:14:38] just remind you you do have the power of
[1:14:41] ordinance and you have but one gentleman
[1:14:43] who goes around inspecting properties to
[1:14:46] keep them on board it's it's a big issue
[1:14:48] I know councilman Rigo and I there's a
[1:14:50] property we've been visiting almost
[1:14:53] weekly it's it's an abandoned house
[1:14:56] there's no one living in it it's it's
[1:14:57] boarded up now is it bank owned is it
[1:15:01] what is it bank owned I don't I don't
[1:15:04] know it's some kind of receivership
[1:15:06] there were weeds thick weeds growing out
[1:15:10] of the front yard into the
[1:15:12] road and not not to sound like um um
[1:15:17] altruistic or anything but we went by
[1:15:19] one day I had Clippers in my car and I
[1:15:21] said I'm going to cut these things get
[1:15:22] them out of the street
[1:15:23] and we did that the city has acted there
[1:15:26] are signs posted all over the building
[1:15:29] that are declaring you know what has to
[1:15:32] happen legally it's the lawyer's fault
[1:15:35] so it's a legal not our lawyers it's a
[1:15:38] I'm being funny it's a legal world you
[1:15:40] can't just job you can't just do it you
[1:15:43] know you've you've got a a house fire in
[1:15:46] Riverside recently neighbors called me
[1:15:49] and said that's an abandoned house what
[1:15:50] are you guys doing about
[1:15:52] it so so I'll just bring you back to
[1:15:54] when Tommy Rose sat on the council he
[1:15:57] uttered the same exact sentiment it's
[1:16:00] it's a disgrace that we let these
[1:16:02] properties bank owned properties we just
[1:16:05] let them sit there we have the authority
[1:16:09] as a city to make them and we have Crews
[1:16:13] you have a rotating crew of of
[1:16:16] contractors and they can go out and they
[1:16:19] can clean up the property once a week
[1:16:21] whatever you guys deem necess Neary make
[1:16:24] it happen like not I'm not upset with
[1:16:27] you obviously this is a management issue
[1:16:29] but follow up make it happen clean up
[1:16:32] the I've lived next door to a haunted
[1:16:34] house for three years finally I've got
[1:16:37] some progress finally three years weeds
[1:16:42] growing stuff living in there I can't
[1:16:44] even recognize some of those animals
[1:16:46] that's how bad it was three years and
[1:16:49] and Jean would get on them and somebody
[1:16:51] would cut the grass but it was a bamboo
[1:16:53] forest had knotweed like I could not
[1:16:55] even see my neighbors that's how bad it
[1:16:57] was so you guys have your
[1:17:01] ordinances make somebody enforce them
[1:17:03] because that's really all it takes you
[1:17:05] don't need a whole commission for this
[1:17:07] make them figure it out it is a little
[1:17:09] more than that when you mentioned the
[1:17:10] name Jean when we talked to our minimum
[1:17:12] housing person and he said you know I
[1:17:15] don't have a lot of power of enforcement
[1:17:18] give the man set of teeth comes to the
[1:17:20] courts and you know how long that can
[1:17:22] take sure absolutely but it's it's there
[1:17:25] and it's that's why this Redevelopment
[1:17:27] agency or whatever we end up calling it
[1:17:29] was trying to get the teeth and that
[1:17:32] you're talking about you know some of
[1:17:34] the initial wording isn't isn't going to
[1:17:36] work so why don't we just send the crew
[1:17:39] out the rotating crew we do they go out
[1:17:42] and do some work but we're talking about
[1:17:44] in this case of this boarded up house
[1:17:46] the crew can't do anything about that
[1:17:48] they cut the grass they can clean it up
[1:17:50] they can clean can't even find the
[1:17:51] owners I think they're out ofate owners
[1:17:53] so we're not going to go in and knock
[1:17:54] the house down no but what has happened
[1:17:56] in the past what has happened in the
[1:17:58] past we send out the crew we send them a
[1:18:00] bill they don't pay the bill we take the
[1:18:03] property it's it just isn't done
[1:18:05] overnight taking property not overnight
[1:18:07] I agree with you 100% sometimes it can
[1:18:10] take we're on the same page we're going
[1:18:12] to get a process to to get this done
[1:18:14] again thank you for your time thank you
[1:18:16] thank you anybody else uh on this topic
[1:18:20] well uh thank you Mr President so
[1:18:23] listening to your words that you just
[1:18:25] said and well thank you uh Mrs Rossy for
[1:18:28] those words that I agree with on a lot
[1:18:32] of the issues uh what you said and along
[1:18:35] with our fellow colleague who's not here
[1:18:37] tonight if you're saying there's going
[1:18:39] to be changes to that so basically this
[1:18:42] is second motion so we really need
[1:18:45] to we got to start over so we got to
[1:18:48] deny this motion tonight well we can
[1:18:50] just table it I would like to make a
[1:18:52] motion to deny
[1:18:55] I
[1:18:58] just yeah okay yeah it's
[1:19:02] later all right let's do that first then
[1:19:05] so without objection we'll we'll um move
[1:19:08] the the
[1:19:10] ordinance forward yeah it's all the same
[1:19:13] thing we we can deny it it's going to
[1:19:15] come back you know in a new in a new Pro
[1:19:19] new format a motion by councilman fog to
[1:19:23] uh deny correct second second by
[1:19:27] councilwoman soua all in favor let's
[1:19:29] open public okay anyone else on the
[1:19:32] council that wants to uh speak we can
[1:19:36] open it up to so my my concerns and I've
[1:19:39] talked to um our colleague who isn't
[1:19:43] here today who initially sponsored uh
[1:19:45] this um after first passage so I'll
[1:19:47] always get something first pass those
[1:19:49] people know usually um and having disc
[1:19:52] disc I had a lot of concerns um with
[1:19:55] this I was able to speak with him and
[1:19:56] and then explain some of the concerns
[1:20:00] and some of the issues your I know some
[1:20:02] off offici have had um but reading
[1:20:05] through all of these pages in my mind
[1:20:08] this does not this does not solve those
[1:20:11] issues IT addresses even greater issues
[1:20:13] just within the legislation itself it's
[1:20:16] actually something that's causing more
[1:20:17] harm to our community and not beneficial
[1:20:20] in my opinion I think that St in fresh
[1:20:23] is um in addressing specifically the
[1:20:26] issues that we're looking to do so
[1:20:28] similar to what Miss Rossy spoke about
[1:20:30] we do have um enforcement issues we do
[1:20:34] have um Manning issues so one person for
[1:20:37] an entire city to be scouting out all
[1:20:39] these things amongst other tasks that
[1:20:42] that individual may have under that
[1:20:44] minimum housing is a lot uh we also have
[1:20:48] um a process with courts right so that's
[1:20:51] also something so people are looking at
[1:20:54] a piece of property and I know it could
[1:20:55] be distressing in a neighborhood to see
[1:20:58] that as a neighbor day in and day out
[1:21:00] but we ask that we have some patience
[1:21:03] because there is a process so it's not
[1:21:05] that it's going um unnoticed or that
[1:21:08] people don't care about it or don't you
[1:21:10] know not in our backyard that we're not
[1:21:12] addressing it there a process that needs
[1:21:15] to be taken and I know receivership is
[1:21:17] something that has um gone into multiple
[1:21:20] properties and that's a method of able
[1:21:23] to take that property and get it redone
[1:21:26] and back functioning and presentable
[1:21:29] into its neighborhood but that's a legal
[1:21:30] process that happens down in Superior
[1:21:35] Court and obviously in our municipal
[1:21:37] court so there's multiple courts
[1:21:39] multiple judges multiple attorneys
[1:21:41] involved so it is a a genuine process
[1:21:43] and this
[1:21:44] monitoring um we know that during coid
[1:21:48] which was door finishing that big
[1:21:53] um pandemic that we were all HED for
[1:21:57] that you had a couple of years that
[1:21:59] there were no tax sales so that also
[1:22:02] affected again these maybe potential
[1:22:04] blighted properties that tax issue where
[1:22:07] people weren't paying because there was
[1:22:08] AE ticket to pay your taxes because um
[1:22:11] we weren't doing tax sales so there was
[1:22:13] some accountability that wasn't being
[1:22:15] placed on uh businesses or Property
[1:22:18] Owners uh or residents so I think all
[1:22:21] that to say is are moving in the right
[1:22:23] direction we need to strengthen the Ty
[1:22:26] of ordinances that we have maybe
[1:22:28] Implement additional things but not to
[1:22:30] the extent of what um was presented
[1:22:33] before us and certainly what works in
[1:22:36] other communities doesn't mean that it's
[1:22:38] right for our community and I think we
[1:22:39] have to be of of that it's nice to
[1:22:42] create some ideas and thoughts but we
[1:22:43] really do have to find to them so that
[1:22:46] they apply to our community and our
[1:22:48] residents in the most beneficial way um
[1:22:51] so those are my reasons for not
[1:22:55] supporting this and
[1:22:59] starting and and you make a good point
[1:23:02] councilwoman when you say you know we
[1:23:04] voted and you voted for first passage
[1:23:06] that's the point of having two passages
[1:23:09] I I will say that often times that I I
[1:23:11] may not have decided yet on an issue but
[1:23:15] I generally will always vote for first
[1:23:17] passage unless it's something that is
[1:23:20] really detrimental to my my
[1:23:23] opinions uh but you get it out for a
[1:23:25] conversation
[1:23:27] and my last comment andless there's
[1:23:30] anyone the public that wants to speak
[1:23:31] and I know councilman Rigo wants to add
[1:23:33] something when Mrs Rossy mentioned a
[1:23:35] former councilman
[1:23:37] and but recall that it didn't get done
[1:23:40] then either you know and there was a
[1:23:42] councilman it was a different form of
[1:23:44] government then you had three votes as
[1:23:46] the saying we used to go and you had
[1:23:48] city managers and it didn't get done so
[1:23:51] even with Council support at that time
[1:23:54] it never got done so it we're going to
[1:23:57] give it our shot and hopefully Hope from
[1:24:00] you and others um will will make a dent
[1:24:03] in this problem councilman well F first
[1:24:07] well thank you Mr President again first
[1:24:08] I want to thank you and councilman
[1:24:10] Lawson was not here to taking the
[1:24:12] initiative as we all have issues in our
[1:24:15] Wards and throughout the city for you
[1:24:17] that you need to address uh piggy back
[1:24:21] in on what councilwoman Susa said more
[1:24:24] enforcement is definitely the key
[1:24:27] strength in what we have uh figuring out
[1:24:31] there my biggest concern was looking
[1:24:34] through this piece of you know what what
[1:24:36] we would have passed tonight uh we sat
[1:24:39] here for almost four hours last night
[1:24:41] going through a budget looking to cut
[1:24:43] money out of the budget and we we in
[1:24:47] this legislation that we would have
[1:24:49] passed tonight was creating a quasi City
[1:24:52] a agency where it'd be hiring people so
[1:24:54] it would be almost against what we did
[1:24:57] last night looking and cutting and you
[1:25:00] know saving the taxpayers of the
[1:25:03] city money on their tax rate and all we
[1:25:07] would be doing was creating a
[1:25:09] bureaucracy that we didn't need at this
[1:25:11] time I again I commend you and
[1:25:14] councilman Lawson because we all have
[1:25:16] you know we all have properties in our
[1:25:17] wards that people are calling about all
[1:25:19] the time and I think by us all working
[1:25:23] together with the administration that we
[1:25:26] can come to a place where we can satisfy
[1:25:30] the concerns that we have with these
[1:25:32] properties no I appreciate that and in
[1:25:35] our early discussions there was never
[1:25:37] intention of hiring people who somehow
[1:25:40] again the language got to infer that but
[1:25:45] that's probably not going to happen uh
[1:25:47] councilman fog did you want to add
[1:25:49] something anyone here that would like to
[1:25:51] uh speak on on this
[1:25:54] policy anyone want to speak on this
[1:25:57] Redevelopment agency
[1:25:59] policy
[1:26:01] which we have a motion to deny please
[1:26:04] come
[1:26:16] forward Nancy hail 889 bck Point Avenue
[1:26:19] it's just a quick question like there
[1:26:21] are things even in my neighborhood I've
[1:26:23] noticed abandoned car that goes nowhere
[1:26:26] with the grass growing all over it like
[1:26:28] parked partly on the road and partly on
[1:26:30] the grassy area so what are we supposed
[1:26:33] to do if we notice stuff like that plus
[1:26:35] a couple of houses that are like really
[1:26:38] like do you ever mow the lawn or
[1:26:39] whatever like like we I'm all about the
[1:26:41] environment and I understand whatever
[1:26:44] messy yards are a very good environment
[1:26:48] uh they can be good for the environment
[1:26:50] but I mean there's got to be a balance
[1:26:53] right so what do we do what's the first
[1:26:59] step that's
[1:27:04] been a week no month all summer months
[1:27:08] um and that you know it doesn't belong
[1:27:09] to any of your neighbors um I suggest
[1:27:12] you call the police
[1:27:14] department look into that because it
[1:27:16] could be a stolen car it could be
[1:27:18] multiple things um so they would
[1:27:19] investigate that the city also has
[1:27:22] portal where um all residents can
[1:27:25] inquire about a number of issues and
[1:27:27] concerns one so if it's a vehicle call
[1:27:30] the police what if it's just like a
[1:27:31] property that's a mess just a mess go to
[1:27:34] the portal and in the portal you can um
[1:27:36] fill out the complaints about it so it's
[1:27:37] a written document it's essentially
[1:27:39] emailing the department to take action
[1:27:41] on it what department minimal
[1:27:46] housing thank you
[1:27:48] Nancy thank you there anyone else um
[1:27:51] just for the record I filled those
[1:27:53] things out like handy at Halloween so um
[1:27:56] because it's a written record right so
[1:27:58] you know that those things are being
[1:27:59] going to be looked at and The Bu action
[1:28:01] or you can hold your your city
[1:28:04] accountable as a resident for making
[1:28:06] sure that things get done just re recall
[1:28:09] that there is a legal process on street
[1:28:13] that councilman fogy lives on which I'm
[1:28:15] familiar with uh there was a yeah we I
[1:28:19] live there too there was a car parked
[1:28:21] for me maybe three months at the end of
[1:28:25] the street was tough turning in through
[1:28:27] the street and the police happened to be
[1:28:30] around for something else I asked them
[1:28:31] to look into it and they said a legally
[1:28:35] registered
[1:28:37] vehicle can park anywhere as long as
[1:28:39] it's in in the legal parking area didn't
[1:28:43] say no parking or
[1:28:44] anything excuse me they don't have to
[1:28:46] live there so and at one point it looked
[1:28:50] like it wasn't even inspect Ed but it
[1:28:52] was registered it was legal so we're
[1:28:55] we're going to try to chip away on some
[1:28:57] of this stuff I'll close the public
[1:29:00] hearing at this time um motion was made
[1:29:03] and seconded uh all in favor I denial I
[1:29:07] any oppos the eyes have it thank you
[1:29:10] thank you to those who spoke next item
[1:29:13] please detailed arpa allocation spending
[1:29:16] and existing purchase orders from
[1:29:18] inception to date broken down by program
[1:29:21] and item receive report and discussion
[1:29:24] Council vice president weo
[1:29:27] councilman thank you uh Mr President at
[1:29:30] this time I see uh Mr Mo has come to the
[1:29:36] uh Podium I will turn the microphone
[1:29:39] over to Mr
[1:29:41] Mo council president council members um
[1:29:45] earlier today I put your a breakdown on
[1:29:49] your in front of you and the front page
[1:29:51] is a summary broken down really between
[1:29:54] two sections it says we received
[1:29:57] 27.8
[1:29:59] million of that the council has
[1:30:01] appropriated 12.2
[1:30:03] recently of that there's been a few
[1:30:06] projects done at bullo Park Granite
[1:30:09] curbing there's also a purchase order
[1:30:11] out there for some street
[1:30:13] lights and besides that the the city
[1:30:17] is
[1:30:19] spent um in salaries and benefits 759
[1:30:25] th000 uh expenses through 926 of 9.1
[1:30:29] million there's open purchase orders of
[1:30:32] 5.3 uh subtotal of
[1:30:35] 15.3 million is spent which leaves a
[1:30:38] balance of
[1:30:40] 255,000 which is
[1:30:42] unencumbered now if you look at the
[1:30:44] second page it just list all of the open
[1:30:47] purchase
[1:30:48] orders and on the third page
[1:30:53] it subtotals the 5.3 million you can see
[1:30:56] that as it tracks through on the front
[1:30:58] page and there are the two open POS for
[1:31:00] the uh Council approval or Council
[1:31:04] POS and those two I believe councilwoman
[1:31:07] has allocated
[1:31:09] $450,000 for popo Park and the
[1:31:12] Waterfront parks and so these
[1:31:15] were projects that have been started for
[1:31:18] bullo so we just moved them under under
[1:31:20] that category
[1:31:22] and then the page after that really
[1:31:23] lists all of
[1:31:25] the expenses that have been incurred to
[1:31:28] date it uh gives you the vendor the
[1:31:32] description the amount and then how we
[1:31:35] try to categorize them into some major
[1:31:37] categories whether it's a storr
[1:31:39] storefront facade cyber security new
[1:31:42] dispatch you can see over to the right
[1:31:44] where it it groups them by
[1:31:48] category uh
[1:31:50] there's yes
[1:31:53] um so the council when we were taking
[1:31:55] the votes um by ordinance appropriate
[1:31:58] the council did not approve
[1:32:03] the that was
[1:32:06] 450,000 that was not approved by the
[1:32:08] council for Opera funds so in actuality
[1:32:13] on your fund
[1:32:16] appropriated wasn't
[1:32:18] over was approved by the council if you
[1:32:22] look at page four I I do believe I have
[1:32:24] that you'll see where um proposed was
[1:32:29] 12.65 million and approved was 12.2 the
[1:32:33] 450,000 for toy Park Pride toy Pride
[1:32:37] Park
[1:32:38] was uh not
[1:32:41] approved so I'm just saying that your
[1:32:44] unappropriated is
[1:32:46] 255 What happened to
[1:32:50] the
[1:32:52] well know the um what was approved was
[1:32:56] 12.2 million it was originally 12.6 I
[1:33:00] think to 12.6 would have put them
[1:33:02] over would have put you overs spent or
[1:33:05] overdrawn on that account now again the
[1:33:08] the projects were up to two and a half
[1:33:11] million or up to so there could be some
[1:33:15] Surplus in
[1:33:18] there and so that's always the the
[1:33:20] question is uh if I think you had two
[1:33:22] and a half million for the police
[1:33:24] station so we don't know what that I
[1:33:26] mean if that comes in at two million
[1:33:27] then we'll have another half a million
[1:33:29] that we that could go somewhere else but
[1:33:30] right now that's the the council had
[1:33:33] said we we want to
[1:33:34] appropriate tentatively up to 12.2
[1:33:37] million for those
[1:33:42] projects thank you so and again on the
[1:33:45] last page it it shows you the
[1:33:47] expenses uh subtotal for the this cities
[1:33:51] and then for the councils for the
[1:33:52] granite Kirby I mentioned
[1:33:55] earlier and so this is every single
[1:33:57] expenditure and every single P that's
[1:34:00] currently either expended or outstanding
[1:34:02] as of
[1:34:05] 926 thank you Malcolm for this report uh
[1:34:09] having just received this not too long
[1:34:11] ago and not having a lot of time to
[1:34:15] digest this or really no time
[1:34:19] um a couple of things that and I had it
[1:34:22] here
[1:34:25] um seems there's a lot there's a couple
[1:34:28] of things I shouldn't say a lot but
[1:34:30] there there's a couple
[1:34:31] of items with same vendors and almost
[1:34:36] same programs that would put it over the
[1:34:41] $50,000 limit that would have to go in
[1:34:44] front of the counil um for what you know
[1:34:48] there's a couple of issues that I see
[1:34:50] and let me get back to it uh one you
[1:34:54] know so that is uh that's a concern and
[1:35:00] and I know there was couple in regards
[1:35:02] to the uh new telecommunication Center
[1:35:07] up at station
[1:35:08] three uh and I mean one that I see
[1:35:13] that's still on an
[1:35:15] open what you would call open was
[1:35:18] the
[1:35:20] uh cyber removal service and pots for
[1:35:25] reinstallation so that means your
[1:35:27] removal of removal and service and pots
[1:35:31] for reinstallation it's 498 and if you
[1:35:35] same company it's
[1:35:39] 23998 just guide me through that as to
[1:35:44] uh
[1:35:45] [Music]
[1:35:47] how that would happen it seems like it's
[1:35:50] the same job
[1:35:52] um I just got questions
[1:35:55] on yeah I got questions on a lot of
[1:35:58] these items that look like they're
[1:36:01] connected and they're going over the 50
[1:36:05] they're going over the
[1:36:07] $50,000 threshold uh same for instance
[1:36:12] on the carousel industries of North arpa
[1:36:18] replacement of City Hall cor and Network
[1:36:21] firewall and there's also the firewall
[1:36:24] at the police
[1:36:25] department I would think from a
[1:36:28] situation of the city standpoint that
[1:36:31] those would be
[1:36:32] two that's
[1:36:34] $62,000 it's almost like it's the same
[1:36:38] it's the same thing obviously one's at
[1:36:39] City Hall one's you know one's at the
[1:36:42] police station so there's no so you
[1:36:45] could say that there's separation and
[1:36:47] everything but I just have a little
[1:36:49] concern about a lot of the this stuff
[1:36:51] adding up to over the 50,000 as we go
[1:36:54] through you know go through this uh
[1:36:58] again a lot of it you know is over
[1:37:01] $50,000 like the north North Broadway
[1:37:04] sewer replacement and
[1:37:06] Rehab we got a lot of twelves T and
[1:37:09] without even a quick calculator we're
[1:37:11] over
[1:37:12] $50,000 I I have that's my
[1:37:16] concern as to why and how this is
[1:37:20] happening
[1:37:23] uh councilman I'd have to look into that
[1:37:25] just looking at the list I don't
[1:37:27] know for Carousel Industries I listed
[1:37:31] them by vendor I don't have the dates in
[1:37:33] here so I couldn't tell you if this was
[1:37:35] combined over 50 that came to you or if
[1:37:38] it was something that was done two years
[1:37:40] ago and something done today okay well I
[1:37:42] mean I thank you but you know again I'm
[1:37:45] I'm looking at this report and you know
[1:37:47] I'm just looking at the report and I'm
[1:37:48] seeing like two similar jobs so in my
[1:37:50] mind without dates and you could be very
[1:37:53] very right that if one date happened in
[1:37:56] December of 2021 or or say uh when you
[1:38:01] know say March of 22 and the next one
[1:38:03] happened in December of 22 it's two
[1:38:06] separate jobs but I'm looking at this
[1:38:09] right now and without
[1:38:12] dates without the dates telling us when
[1:38:15] the POS will put in I'm thinking that
[1:38:17] it's two you know some some of these are
[1:38:20] a one job and I could probably get you
[1:38:23] more information I was trying to get
[1:38:24] this all on one page I thank you for
[1:38:26] your time and short notice I know you
[1:38:28] you know I know you mentioned last week
[1:38:30] that you had to sit down or two weeks
[1:38:32] whenever we have seem we have meetings
[1:38:34] every day now but uh it uh I know you
[1:38:38] said you had to sit down with the mayor
[1:38:40] so uh I you know I appreciate again um I
[1:38:44] appreciate your attention to details and
[1:38:46] everything that you provided for uh this
[1:38:49] Council since we took over in Jan
[1:38:51] January uh I just you know if we could
[1:38:54] see like a PO date then
[1:38:56] obviously that's that's that's the uh
[1:38:59] that's the that solves solves my
[1:39:02] question but looking at it as you could
[1:39:04] see as I look at it and being a number
[1:39:07] person 49 and 20 49 and 20 for instance
[1:39:11] is 69 so I'm think you know I'm just
[1:39:13] throwing out numbers so I know it's over
[1:39:15] the $50,000 threshold that's my only
[1:39:19] thing thank you for time I have a
[1:39:22] question Malcolm so the under the
[1:39:25] salaries and benefits um the 759 now we
[1:39:29] saw that in a previous budget last year
[1:39:34] um are these are we currently using
[1:39:37] Opera funds in our 24 budget for
[1:39:40] Staffing
[1:39:42] positions I don't think so we've taken I
[1:39:46] know that we in 20 the 23 budget we had
[1:39:50] a lot of positions that were going to be
[1:39:51] filled by arpa and we've taken all of
[1:39:54] those out all the full-time positions or
[1:39:58] anything that we had budgeted for arpa
[1:39:59] for salaries has been
[1:40:01] removed um mainly when you go and read
[1:40:04] all the specifics the way they wanted
[1:40:07] you to use the arpa like we were
[1:40:10] bringing arpa money in to pay for those
[1:40:13] salaries but what they're trying to say
[1:40:15] is well if that money runs out then
[1:40:19] you've got a a deficit you because
[1:40:21] you've got to plug that hole so what
[1:40:22] they want you to do
[1:40:24] is you've got to put the revenue in
[1:40:27] automatically for those
[1:40:29] positions and then you can have the
[1:40:32] expenses and and use those
[1:40:35] expenses and have ARA cover those it's a
[1:40:38] little confusing but what they want is
[1:40:40] when those when the when the money runs
[1:40:41] out you've got the revenue so you don't
[1:40:43] have the hold so we had to pull those
[1:40:45] out as far as the revenue if you look at
[1:40:47] all of the revenue items for 23 that
[1:40:50] said arpa for these salaries those are
[1:40:52] all now
[1:40:53] zero and so now the city is funding
[1:40:57] through the general fund those positions
[1:41:01] yes and I think that a lot of those were
[1:41:04] like the summer program of that 700 I
[1:41:07] know that we were paying $30,000 a month
[1:41:10] I think for the summer
[1:41:16] program thank
[1:41:19] you thank you Council thank you
[1:41:21] councilman rioo for bringing that up
[1:41:23] thank you director Moore thank you next
[1:41:26] item Madam Clark upate um Police
[1:41:29] Department roofing project discussion
[1:41:31] only councilwoman Susan before
[1:41:34] councilwoman starts I just want to thank
[1:41:36] police chief for sitting here we meant
[1:41:38] to call you up earlier but seemed like
[1:41:41] you were enjoying yourself so I
[1:41:43] absolutely no worries let let him stay
[1:41:46] councilwoman thank you uh thank you
[1:41:47] chief for being here tonight to answer
[1:41:50] some of these questions so um I know the
[1:41:52] council had allocated we had gone out
[1:41:53] for RFP back in I gu April thereabouts
[1:41:57] and um it was awarded the council
[1:42:00] approved the contract and um how long
[1:42:04] have they been working on that it's been
[1:42:07] a little longer than anticipated there's
[1:42:09] been some weather delays heat first off
[1:42:12] early on in the process and then rain um
[1:42:17] I we were told they would have been done
[1:42:19] by now um so I was expecting it to be
[1:42:23] completed also the latest update we
[1:42:25] received from the company was um they
[1:42:28] have to lay down the rubber membrane um
[1:42:33] walking mats that protect the roof from
[1:42:35] uh when workers have to go up there to
[1:42:37] repair things and um the icicles from
[1:42:40] our radio tower which had done some
[1:42:42] damage over the years that is supposed
[1:42:44] to pres uh prevent that uh we're being
[1:42:47] told that's a two-day Max uh process
[1:42:51] when those two days are going to be I
[1:42:52] don't have that answer um and also they
[1:42:55] do all have to get the crane back in
[1:42:57] there at some point to get some of their
[1:43:00] heavy machinery that they used uh for
[1:43:02] the project off the
[1:43:04] roof because they are utilizing space on
[1:43:07] the property corre have equipment on
[1:43:09] site they currently just have a dumpster
[1:43:13] um they really don't have
[1:43:15] anything on our ground or in our parking
[1:43:19] lot I should say we do have area kind of
[1:43:21] roped off for them for for their
[1:43:23] vehicles and if they do have to bring
[1:43:25] something in at some point um we we made
[1:43:27] some room for them now how many um and
[1:43:30] I'm sure that you've seen this when
[1:43:31] they're there how many how large is the
[1:43:33] work
[1:43:36] through I'm not really sure I mean I've
[1:43:39] seen them up on the roof but um it's
[1:43:42] just I mean because in this contract I
[1:43:44] just you know reviewed it a little bit
[1:43:47] um before the meeting um so
[1:43:52] it's a flat roof correct that's had a
[1:43:54] lot of issues um and the urgency was to
[1:43:57] get the roof DED to avoid the water
[1:43:59] damage that keeps coming in um and so my
[1:44:03] concern is we've awarded a substantial
[1:44:06] amount of money through a vendor a
[1:44:09] contractor through the roof and in my
[1:44:11] mind it hasn't it should have been done
[1:44:14] within a certain amount of time right or
[1:44:17] wrong expected certain amount of time
[1:44:19] all summer is probably nobody if I had a
[1:44:21] person come do the roof on my house and
[1:44:23] it took them all summer to do the roof
[1:44:25] on my house it'd be an issue with that
[1:44:29] um and in the contract it's clearly
[1:44:32] states that if they're not working
[1:44:34] consistently then the contract was cled
[1:44:36] for not being there working to get the
[1:44:39] job done because they don't get it done
[1:44:41] in a timely manner we've G get into
[1:44:43] August which is then rainy season which
[1:44:45] then causes more issues work now we have
[1:44:49] more damage in the police station that
[1:44:51] we trying to avoid and why we had the
[1:44:54] urgency of getting this so I guess my
[1:44:57] question is where is is there
[1:44:59] accountability to this get this one done
[1:45:03] the lack of not getting it done I'm not
[1:45:06] familiar with the clause in the contract
[1:45:08] um but I can say the we were advised the
[1:45:13] workers do have a clause that they don't
[1:45:16] work if it hits a certain temperature
[1:45:18] and that came into effect um when
[1:45:21] we had that streak of very very hot
[1:45:23] weather in August and then the rain
[1:45:26] [Music]
[1:45:27] um what I was told initially was 10 to
[1:45:30] 12 Days right that's reasonable right um
[1:45:33] and obviously we're we're well beyond
[1:45:36] the 10 to 12 Days
[1:45:39] um recourse I don't have an answer for
[1:45:42] you when it comes to that um but I mean
[1:45:46] we can absolutely look into the into the
[1:45:47] contract yeah we could B and it's not
[1:45:51] it's it's really just accountability
[1:45:53] right because now we're get to get into
[1:45:54] colder weather and it's it's a it's a
[1:45:58] flat room so that's liquid Ash have all
[1:46:00] this other stuff to do so now we
[1:46:05] potentially getting into an area where
[1:46:08] well now the weather's bad and we can't
[1:46:10] finish this project and that's not the
[1:46:12] type of contract or business that the
[1:46:15] city should be entering
[1:46:17] into like any private vendor or private
[1:46:20] business you wouldn't want that for your
[1:46:22] own so I think it doesn't a public
[1:46:25] building that has workers in it all day
[1:46:27] I mean your office you you want these
[1:46:29] things yeah we did have some damage um
[1:46:32] we did from from rain there was one
[1:46:34] night where uh the tarps they had laid
[1:46:36] down blew off um I got damage in my
[1:46:39] office um there was some damage in the
[1:46:41] oic's office um and there was also some
[1:46:45] damage in the patrol Commander um office
[1:46:49] um they uh you know we asked them to pay
[1:46:52] to repair the damage most of it was
[1:46:55] cosmetic um um I I was told they did um
[1:47:00] pay for the new new tiles and whatnot
[1:47:03] there there was some some water issues
[1:47:07] no the consistent rains that street were
[1:47:10] flooded I'm sure your station wased it
[1:47:13] wasn't I thought it was I thought it was
[1:47:15] going to be much worse than it actually
[1:47:17] was it was it was uh relatively minor uh
[1:47:20] compared to some of the uh water we got
[1:47:23] in the building prior to them starting
[1:47:25] the roof sure because they had started
[1:47:27] so um and luckily they had the tarpon to
[1:47:29] try to minimize um but I think that
[1:47:31] still doesn't negate the fact that in my
[1:47:33] mind they haven't held up their end the
[1:47:36] bargain and getting that police station
[1:47:38] to where it needs to be and this is
[1:47:40] really coming from a place where this
[1:47:42] Council and the previous Council has
[1:47:44] always cought for the the police station
[1:47:47] and making that somewhere that is you
[1:47:49] know a suitable place to work and health
[1:47:52] you know health concerns that may arise
[1:47:53] from that so I'm just wanting to be on
[1:47:56] top of that making sure that we're
[1:47:57] holding our vendors avable and I know
[1:47:59] it's not something that's part of your
[1:48:00] day-to-day because there are bigger fish
[1:48:02] in your FEA to fry but it's something
[1:48:05] that's important I think General and
[1:48:06] certainly it is to me so we appreciate
[1:48:09] that no I I want to make sure
[1:48:12] that that and also that we have a a good
[1:48:16] works space for the for the the officers
[1:48:18] and the uh civilian employees absolutely
[1:48:20] yeah exactly and and knowing that we
[1:48:22] have other projects that are coming down
[1:48:23] the line that the Poli station needs to
[1:48:25] be done we need to know that they're
[1:48:26] going to be done in a timely manner
[1:48:28] people help for that timeline you know
[1:48:30] whoever that project manager is for this
[1:48:33] clearly wasn't managing that that site
[1:48:36] properly in my opinion so Mike if we
[1:48:38] could follow up on that and Report out
[1:48:41] um what the outcome is because it does
[1:48:44] say you know on here some of that
[1:48:48] language not following through
[1:48:55] thank you chief for coming by I
[1:48:56] appreciate that I just want you know the
[1:48:58] council to be aware of that and anybody
[1:48:59] in the public who might see the the
[1:49:01] guards still up yet um the protection Up
[1:49:04] on the Roof that you know it's been
[1:49:06] there for a while it is still being
[1:49:09] worked on and hopefully wrapping up um
[1:49:12] in the next couple of weeks thank you I
[1:49:14] hope also C Rigo I want to thank the
[1:49:16] chief for coming here tonight obviously
[1:49:18] the issue that concerns me is U you know
[1:49:21] first of all happy that the roof is
[1:49:23] getting done at the police station along
[1:49:25] overdue and we do that uh following up
[1:49:28] on what councilwoman Souza said I'd like
[1:49:31] to have them I'd like to have Madame
[1:49:33] clerk put it on the agenda for the 17th
[1:49:36] of October I would like the solicitor
[1:49:38] report back hopefully there is some
[1:49:40] performance uh in every contract that
[1:49:43] hopefully the city does it here there
[1:49:45] should be performance con you know
[1:49:47] performance bonds that have to be
[1:49:55] okay thank you
[1:49:58] uh oh yeah no no I just wanted you to
[1:50:00] take the notes down because oh yeah no I
[1:50:03] just I usually you're you're right most
[1:50:05] contracts have a performance bond so
[1:50:08] they don't complete the job when they
[1:50:09] don't complete they don't complete the
[1:50:10] job but do we have any do we put the
[1:50:13] timelines in scenarios like that when
[1:50:15] you don't complete the job what is the I
[1:50:17] mean I'll have at the contract I could
[1:50:19] it could be six you know as a contractor
[1:50:21] you got something that could take six
[1:50:22] months they completed the job but for
[1:50:24] the men and women that protect those all
[1:50:26] day long I want this thing done as soon
[1:50:28] as possible I think there were I'll look
[1:50:30] into it and I'll get back to you I think
[1:50:31] there were legitimate concerns with
[1:50:32] weather yeah well I get that I
[1:50:35] understand that and everything like that
[1:50:36] I wouldn't want to be up there during
[1:50:37] that week in August when it was almost
[1:50:39] 100 plus I I get that but if now in some
[1:50:44] contractors take you know bite too much
[1:50:46] you know and now now jobs are behind
[1:50:49] because of that and rain and everything
[1:50:50] but we shouldn't be the one suffering
[1:50:52] and if there's something in the contract
[1:50:54] that we can find them 20,000 I'm just
[1:50:57] throwing out a number we we should do
[1:50:59] that so I ask you in the solicitors
[1:51:01] office to do that and report back on the
[1:51:03] 17th and I give you some homework
[1:51:06] already for one of my docket items or I
[1:51:08] should say the entire Council would
[1:51:10] probably want that so you can put in on
[1:51:11] the entire
[1:51:13] Council on the 17 thank you who the
[1:51:15] chair councilman fogy please thanks for
[1:51:18] coming out tonight Chief appreciate
[1:51:20] apprciate your time and efforts it's
[1:51:21] unacceptable that the roof isn't done
[1:51:25] yet yeah absolutely would like to get to
[1:51:27] the bottom of it um I and I know they
[1:51:31] also started after they uh said they
[1:51:35] would start because of the rain and
[1:51:37] finishing other jobs and then getting to
[1:51:38] us it set them back also um because we
[1:51:41] were anticipating
[1:51:43] them uh I can't remember the exact date
[1:51:46] but it was like a week week and a half
[1:51:50] after the anticipated start
[1:51:53] date know how it works Chief I
[1:51:55] appreciate your time okay thank
[1:51:57] you thank you chief for coming out
[1:52:02] and answering the questions appreciate
[1:52:05] it I think we're getting there Madam
[1:52:07] clerk uh what do you have next uh I
[1:52:11] motion to
[1:52:13] adjourn second at motion
[1:52:17] say motion by
[1:52:20] soua seconded by everybody else all in
[1:52:24] favor I I any opposed the eyes have it
[1:52:28] thank you meeting is
[1:52:31] adjourned