Charlestown tapas

News briefs and nuggets

By Will Collette

• Platner suffers rare defeat
• Frank Russo project continues to roll
• CDTC hits xmas target
• Lawrence & Memorial says it is pleased with Westerly Hospital
• State legislators plan meeting with constituents
• Regulators quiz Millstone about bid to loosen safety standards
• Huh?

Platner suffers rare defeat

For the almost six years that the CCA Party’s Planning Commissar Ruth Platner took over control of the Planning Commission, she has almost always gotten her way. Since most of the Commissioners during her reign were CCA Party-endorsed, it was pretty much a given that they would vote with Platner to say no every time possible to block any new projects or construction in Charlestown. But on December 18, for the first time in just about everyone’s memory, Platner lost a vote.

You may want to view this historic event for yourself on the town’s ClerkBase video system, but there have been glitches in that system (click here for details and for a solution).

The project in question was Sachem Woods II, a small subdivision proposed for a 10.3 acre parcel, owned by well-known local surveyor Donald Jackson. Jackson proposes a three house lot subdivision on land under the current zoning rules is enough land for two lots. For lots of technical reasons that you can review in the documents and on Clerkbase (presuming you can access it, it starts at 1:10), Ruth Platner argued against the project and the Commission debated the matter for almost an hour and a half.

Jackson cited frequent occasions when the Planning Commission bent the rules to approve projects, especially when being flexible meant projects that were friendlier to the land. He noted that he could, if he chose, come back with a four-lot subdivision that would need a town road, OR go with his three-lot plan that preserves more land and wouldn’t need a town road. He noted the town ordinance is flawed when dealing with project of this type. Platner grudgingly agreed, but still wanted adherence.

In the end, it came down to a vote, and here’s the big surprise. Ruth Platner and Gordon Foer voted AGAINST approving the project concept, but led by the only Democrat on the Commission Brandon Cleary, Connie Baker and Jan Knost voted YES, handing Platner an unheard-of defeat.

A fine way to end 2013, and here’s hoping there many more in 2014.

But here's a downer: now that Ruth's husband Cliff got himself a CCA Party patronage appointment to the Zoning Board (Monday night), maybe Cliffie can kill the project at that end. In fact, what a tag team...whatever Ruthie can't kill in Planning, Cliffie can kill in Zoning! Gotta love that CCA!

Frank J. Russo concert plan for Ninigret Park makes more progress

Use Tsunami Cable's "Acoustic Zen" for ashram-friendly sound

Despite strong opposition from CCA Party Chariho School Committee member Ron Areglado and his band of NIMBYs in the Sachem Passage neighborhood, the proposal for new concerts in Ninigret Park by promoter Frank J. Russo continues to move forward. After a long and acrimonious Town Council hearing on October 7, Russo received approval for his plan provided he adequately addresses town concerns and Charlie Vandemoer, manager of the Ninigret National Wildlife Service, signs off.

In my last report, I noted that Charlie did sign off (to my surprise) with some suggestions about siting and parking, and the direction of the sound system. 

Charlie suggested the system be realigned to throw the sound more in Areglado’s direction, which I’m sure Areglado and his group will view as a veritable tsunami.

New documents from the town show that Russo has also made substantial progress on other issues, namely parking and camping. These documents show a lot of give-and-take leading to mutual agreement. I still have a hard time believing this project will go through given the usual conduct of the CCA Party majority on the Town Council who generally give their supporters (e.g. Areglado) what they want. But, based on the documents I have received from the town, it doesn’t look like Russo is giving them any excuse to yank their approval. Yet.

Congratulations to Town Democrats

For the second year, the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee teamed up with the Operating Engineers union to collect Christmas gifts for children under the custody of the state Department of Children, Youth and Families who would otherwise probably get nothing. And for the second year in a row, their effort over-achieved its goals. Congratulations!

L&M happy with Westerly Hospital – so far

Lawrence & Memorial Hospital held its annual meeting on January 8, a meeting that was postponed by the strike and subsequent lock-out that roiled the hospital and community for 19 days in December. Just before Christmas, on December 19, L&M management relented and ended the lock-out, allowing its 800 nurses and healthcare technicians to return to work even though there still is no new contract.

When Bruce is happy, that's not necessarily good news

Dale Faulkner did the coverage for the Sun and reported that L&M is pleased with its $69 million purchase of Westerly Hospital (which they did while telling their unionized workers that the hospital had no money) and with progress toward putting Westerly Hospital on a sound financial footing.

The board heard their $702,000 a year CEO Bruce Cummings promise higher “operating margins” (also known as profits) for the entire Lawrence & Memorial conglomerate and for Westerly Hospital specifically. 

Cummings’ approach to boosting profits has been to close departments, terminate services, lay off workers and transfer union jobs to non-union wholly-owned subsidiaries. Not coincidentally, these were the main issues in the 19-day work stoppage.

I believe Westerly Hospital will see these same practices instituted by L&M management. Plus, Westerly Hospital and its workers are operating on borrowed time –L&M’s commitment to the state of Rhode Island to keep Westerly Hospital open will end in less than five years. Their commitment to maintain acute care clinical services ends in less than two years, roughly at the same time most Westerly Hospital union contracts are due to expire.

With Cummings at the helm, I don’t trust L&M. I expect to see them use Westerly Hospital’s frail condition to leverage major concessions from hospital workers. I also expect them to replicate their practical at Westerly of transferring work, but not the workers, to non-union subsidiaries, although that practice is currently being viewed by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) as an unfair labor practice.

Rep. Walsh and Sen. Cool Rumsey to hold forum on January 25

State Representative Donna Walsh and State Senator Cathie Cool Rumsey will host a meeting with constituents on January 25 at the Cross’ Mill Public Library in Charlestown from 10 AM to 12 PM. 

This event had originally been planned for January 11, but scheduling, weather and communications problems forced a postponement. Now that the new General Assembly session has opened, both Donna and Cathie are eager to hear from voters about what they would like to see accomplished. For more information, please go to Rep. Walsh’s website.

NRC wants Millstone to justify its request

You can see the discharge of heated water near the center-bottom of
this aerial photo. 1.3 million gallons PER MINUTE.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has asked the Millstone Nuclear Power Station (just 20 miles to the west of Charlestown) a series of detailed questions it wants answered before it will rule on Millstone’s request that the NRC loosen its requirements on the temperature of sea water Millstone uses to cool its nuclear reactors.

Millstone had to shut down for three weeks during the summer of 2012 because the water in Long Island Sound warmed up so much that it exceeded the 75 degree safety limit set by the NRC. Rather than make changes in its operations (e.g. drawing water from deeper waters or building a cooling tower), Millstone asked the NRC to raise the safety limit by several degrees.

Usually, the NRC does what operators ask. It has a reputation for being a pussycat regulator toward the industry it regulates, largely because top regulators often retire and go work for the industry. But this time, the NRC is making Millstone work for its request.

Millstone pumps 1.3 million gallons of sea water per minute (yes, that’s per minute) out of the Sound, runs it through the reactors and then dumps the water back into the ocean. EPA is currently reviewing the consequences – which it presumes are not good – for marine life and may issue an order, independent of the NRC, ordering Millstone to build cooling towers instead of using the ocean.

Can anyone figure out what the hell he’s talking about?

Leading CCA Party pundit Mike Chambers writes frequent columns that are published on the Charlestown Citizens Alliance’s official website. He usually attacks me, Progressive Charlestown or Democrats (or all three at once) often without specifics and almost never with actual proof to back up his claims.

That’s going to make Chambers an interesting guy to watch on the Zoning Board of Review (ZBR). Zoning Board are required to know the law and apply it fairly, read and comprehend complex documents, and clearly and precisely express themselves using actual proof that’s based on hard evidence and not just demented fantasy.

Of course, the CCA Party had to know what they were doing when they gave Chambers a patronage appointment to the ZBR. After all, the CCA has published approximately 80 of his writings on their website. 

Some of his pieces could be used as evidence in state court appeals against decisions in which he participated. His animus against any and all development is solidly established in his writings, not to mention his disdain for laws he doesn’t like and his casual relationship with the facts.

For an example of how Mike’s mind works, check out this recent column (click here). I just don’t understand his message, beyond his clear dislike for me, Progressive Charlestown and town Democrats. There’s a thing in there about three monkeys and “apathetic and uninformed” voters and national and state issues being OK, but local issues being somehow off-limits. Perhaps I’ve caught a case of humorous dyscognition and don’t realize that Mike is writing satire.

Whatever it is, it’s scary to think that this guy is now on the Zoning Board. If he acts on the ZBR the way he acts on the official CCA website, we’re gonna need to put a lot more money into a reserve fund to pay for our losses in Superior Court. Thank you, CCA Party, for another brilliant political appointment.