Charlestown shorts

Ocean pharmacy gone, CDTC tag sale coming, Chariho rejection could cost us all, Rathskeller on the rise, red light cameras stalled, closed door Council meeting Thursday

By Will Collette

Goodbye, Ocean Pharmacy. Hello, CVS Store #10299

If you haven’t been down near the post office lately, you might have missed the big sign swap. Gone are the old signs for independent Ocean Pharmacy, replaced by new CVS signs of roughly the same size. CVS bought out another independent competitor to increase its hegemony over the pharma market.

I noticed the main sign now reads “CVS Plaza” which may hint at the solution to the obvious problem CVS faces – namely that the present Ocean Pharmacy footprint is too small for a CVS store. However, if CVS kicks out the pizza parlor and takes up the whole space, maybe, just maybe, they can make it work.

However, given the enormous power the Planning Commission has taken onto itself over any business in the“Traditional Village District,” CVS faces a tough fight to make-over the “plaza” so that it looks like the typical CVS.

Got re-useable goods you want to get rid of?

The Charlestown Democratic Town Committee is holding its annual tag sale on July 6 and is still collecting donated goods to sell. If the item is clean and salable, consider donating it. Contact Frank Glista by e-mail or at (401) 364-3723.

Chariho foes and their budget nihilism may cost us all more money

This is you if you vote NO

Former Town Council President and Charlestown member of the Chariho School Committee Deb Carney passed on a warning to those who are thinking about voting NO next Tuesday (June 18) on the third and final attempt by the Chariho School District to secure voter approval for its budget.

Due to Republican town committee campaigns in Hopkinton and Richmond, fueled by exaggerations, if not outright lies, about Chariho, voters have turned the School Committee’s budget proposals down twice. Under law, they have one last chance to get voters to approve the budget. The same budget nihilists are continuing to urge voters to vote NO.

But as Deb Carney points out, if these budget nihilists “win” by defeating the Chariho budget for the third time, all of the Chariho District’s taxpayers will end up paying more in taxes. Why? Because under state law, the District would then be obliged under “maintenance of effort” to fund the schools at the same level as last year.

Because the second budget proposal (which was defeated) and the third proposal (up for voter approval on June 18) contain actual cuts, to a total budget below “maintenance of effort,” the Chariho budget that will go into effect on July 1 will be higher than the ones defeated by the budget nihilists. And our taxes will rise to meet that increased cost.

The Rathskeller rises

There was a lot of time spent at the June 10 Town Council meeting over the license application for the Charlestown Rathskeller Tavern. Just about all of the many people who spoke on this application supported the proposal, usually with a reference to what a great old institution the Rathskeller was and how it’s great to see it coming back.

The original Rathskeller was built in 1933 and became something of a legend. It’s been closed for a long time.

I went by the site to see how it was progressing and there was a lot of activity. See photo.

If you’re on Facebook you can Like the Rathskeller here, and keep up with progress. They have recently posted photos of the restored murals which are legendary.

Red light cameras

 When first proposed, the idea of installing red light cameras to nab law-breakers at Charlestown’s four stop lights on Route One stirred up a lot of controversy. 

I generally support the idea, though I had some doubts about the vendor selected by the CCA Party Council majority and about the economics of the project.

Supposedly, the cameras were going to be operating in time for Memorial Day to help deal with the unsafe driving habits of our summer visitors. 

In fact, I saw a minivan with Missouri tags blow right through the intersection of Route One and East Beach Road well after the light had turned red. We don’t have enough police to stop that kind of deadly irresponsible behavior.

I asked for an update from Town Administrator Mark Stankiewicz and he replied, “Sensys America (the awarded vendor) has applied to RI DOT for the necessary permits to place the equipment on Route 1. RI DOT has not indicated when a decision will be forthcoming.” So, for now, the project is stuck.

Trouble, oh, we’ve got trouble

Even though the Town Council held an expanded Executive Session on June 10, apparently there wasn’t enough time for the Councilors to cover all of Charlestown’s current emergencies. So they have scheduled another closed, Executive Session for June 20 with this agenda:

The Town Council may vote to move into Executive Session pursuant to RIGL §42-46-4&5(a)....(2) Pending Litigation (MacDougall v. Charlestown Zoning Board of Review); (2) Pending Litigation (Whalerock); (2) Pending Litigation (Sportsman Cove v. CRMC); (2) Potential Litigation (Caruolo Act); (2) Potential Litigation (Copar) and (2) Potential Litigation (Transfer of AP 19 Lot 75 and AP 20 Lot 77-9)

Potential vote(s) from Executive Session matters regarding MacDougall v. Charlestown Zoning Board of Review, Whalerock, Sportsman Cove v. CRMC, the Caruolo Act, Copar and the transfer of AP 19 Lot 75 and AP 20 Lot 77-9

Here's a more plain language translation of this agenda:

The MacDougall case isn’t actually pending. Charlestown lost this case and has been ordered by the Court to reimburse Mr. MacDougall for his legal costs to appeal a decision by Charlestown’s Zoning Board of Appeals against MacDougall's application for a dimensional variance. 

If you don’t know what Whalerock is, you’re obviously not from around here (click here to bone up on one of Charlestown's biggest issues). Among many other things, Whalerock has been a guaranteed employment for lawyers.

The Sportsman Cove litigation has been going on forever – a dispute between the town and the owner over parking rights. 

The Caruolo Act matter is a somewhat far-fetched “what if” scenario. Under the Caruolo Act, school committees may sue municipalities to force the municipalities to properly fund the schools. It may or may not be invoked in the battle over funding for the Chariho School District.

Copar has acquired a second local quarrying operation, this time in Charlestown proper. I am not sure what litigation Charlestown might bring. In fact, it’s ironic for them to even be discussing it since the town just issued Copar with a business license even though they were three months late in filing for it.  

Charlestown's Code of Ordinances doesn’t contain “good character” or “bad actor” clauses in its business license provisions. The town didn’t even fine Copar for operating without a license for three months. So what kind of litigation could the Councilors have in mind? Are they planning to sue Copar for making them look ineffectual?

Finally, notice the last entry that is presented in code (“the transfer of AP 19 Lot 75 and AP 20 Lot 77-9”). This is code for Camp Davis, the 105 acre campground on Schoolhouse Pond that RIDOT just bought from the Providence Boys and Girls School. 

RIDOT plans to deed this land over to the Narragansett Indian Tribe as partial compensation for the destruction of an ancient Narragansett village when I-195 was relocated.

The Charlestown Citizens Alliance Party, which controls town government, generally opposes anything that might benefit the Narragansett Indian Tribe.