By Will ColletteMy colleague Tom Ferrio has a time conflict tonight so I am trying my hand at live-blogging the meeting for the first time. Please bear with me on the typos. Meeting is scheduled to start at 7 PM.
7:03: And they'rrrrrre off. Mandatory Thanksgiving jokes from Council Boss Tom Gentz.
Boss Gentz announced that, during the Council executive session, they took one vote but can't reveal what they voted on since it might affect the town's legal strategy. The Town Solicitor said Gentz must at least reveal what part of the agenda the vote was applied to. Gentz said it was regarding the Cicchetti-Sternick claim. I'm pretty sure this stems from DPW's destruction of valuable trees on the Cicchetti-Sternick property after winter storm Nemo. Click here to read about the problem.
7:10: Gentz's first unforced error, messing up the order of business on the large collection of liquor license applications. Town Clerk Amy Weinreich caught it.
7:12: Gentz's second unforced error, same item. Again, Amy caught it.
7:14: predictably, Councilor Lisa DiBello asked to pull two items from the "consent agenda. One relates to Johnny Angel's Clam Shack's application (item #11.B.1.) for entertainment approval. The second relates to a short deadline disaster preparedness grant. She also said she would be recusing herself on these two items.
7:16: DiBello gets her question answered on Johnny Angel's, which was whether this application was the same as their earlier requests. Answer, yes and DiBello said she was fine with it.
She then quizzed Steve McCandless, co-author of the disaster preparedness proposal (item #16B), about matching funds. Steve answered her question to her satisfaction.
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| Deputy Dan Slattery: paying cash is good for building character even if it means more taxes |
Both Town Administrator Mark Stankiewicz and Councilor Deputy Dan Slattery (CCA Party) went into a spiel about how it's better to pay cash than bond such projects because it "saves" taxpayers's money.
Except this exact policy has led to six consecutive property tax hikes under CCA Party leadership because the CCA majority used the budget surpluses to pay for projects rather than give taxpayers' some relief.
PREDICTION: this six-year streak will be broken for next year's budget because the CCA Party won't want to have this over their heads in the 2014 election.
More Council Potty Talk
7:26: Parks & Rec Director Jay Primiano explained a new grant application to DEM for updated, refurbished and four "green" composting toilets in Ninigret Park. Jay explained the project. Money to meet the 50% match for the state funds is available through the existing Ninigret Park improvement fund. The total is $360,000 of which $180,000 would come from the state and the town would put up around $135,000 in cash and the rest as in in-kind contributions.
Three toilets would go near the soccer fields and one near the dog park.
Deputy Dan Slattery conducted a detailed examination of the individual components of the project and estimated costs. He challenged the number of toilets at the soccer fields. Jay noted that there are as many as 1,000 people who come to soccer games.
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| The ULTIMATE in composting toilets |
Extended discussion about the operation of these toilets. Costs for these toilets should be much less than the current system of using Porta-potties.
I still think the town should consider the hay bail toilets I featured HERE (photo to the left).
[Times approximate after this - I put the video on hold to take a quick phone call and got a little out of synch on the time.]
7:40: P&R Commission chair Tim Quillen pledged volunteer help to get this project done. Project approved unanimously.
Boss Gentz plan to give away Whalerock land rights torpedoed by Deputy Dan
7:45: This is the main event, Boss Gentz's proposal for a jerry-rigged committee of Gentz favorites to decide the future of the land the town purchased for $2.1 million to block the Whalerock wind turbine project.
Boss Gentz noted that he amended his original motion to drop his original idea to give control of this committee to non-resident representatives of groups that have an interest in this property. That model - which was what Charlestown used to hatch the scorned and defeated Y-Gate scam - was ruled out by the Solicitor who said it violated the town charter. Which is pretty much what we said about the Y-Gate ad hoc committee.
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| Boss Gentz - can't just give the land away without voter approval. |
Dan Slattery challenged his CCA Party colleague, Boss Gentz, on his resolution.
Slattery cited the letter from Conservation Commission chair Lillian Arnold [included in this document] which, in a nutshell, said that there was no need for a new Ad Hoc Committee, since the Conservation Commission can do the job of devising a management plan for the new town property, a.k.a. Whalerock.
The CCA Party Councilors seem inclined to grant conservation easements to one or more conservation groups because they are afraid that some future Town Council might decide to build a nuclear power plant on the site (I'm not making this up - I hope it was a joke, but I didn't hear any laughing).
Lillian Arnold challenged this assumption based on the high price the town paid for the land - $2.1 million - and that giving away the town's rights is a serious matter. Plus, the matter would almost certainly require voter approval.
Due to Slattery's objections, Boss Gentz (acting the way he might if someone scratched one of his antique Porsches) huffily withdrew his motion for the Ad Hoc Committee. Slattery's alternative motion was to essentially let the Conservation Commission do its job.
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| Our junior Town Solicitor got quite a work-out |
The substitute Town Solicitor (Peter Ruggiero was absent) then objected.
The way Slattery's motion was worded, it would cause an Open Meetings Act violation (and this Council certainly doesn't need another one of those) because it bears no resemblance to the original motion as advertised.
Slattery withdrew his alternative motion. And all that is forty-five minutes none of us will ever get back.
Cheryl Dowdell praised the Council for going the route of trusting the Conservation Commissioners to do their jobs.
Janice Falcone asked why the town always seemed to need to bring someone outside the town every time it buys a piece of property.
Beth Richardson asked about how future uses of the property would work. The solicitor explained that the town owns both the land and the development rights. Beth Richardson challenged why the town needs to give away its future rights. She also asked if there was some mechanism that would allow the town to protect the land, short of giving away a conservation easement.
No motions and no votes taken.
All of this will be taken up next month and maybe for many months after that. For some of us, this is a version of Hell.
Dan and Tom make a list for Santa
8:10: Boss Gentz and Deputy Dan read off their Santa's wish list, also known as their list of legislative priorities for Washington County Regional Planning. They include banning the election master lever, giving Boss Gentz his heart's desire on affordable housing, etc. All no-hopers. Approved unanimously.
8:15: Under Councilor Comments, CCA Party Councilor George Tremblay sounded the alarm about Statewide Planning's Road Map Rhode Island forums on the future of the state. Smells a bit like he's afraid of Agenda 21. It seems that Tremblay believes that somehow, the future of Charlestown hangs in the balance of something to do with these seemingly endless string of meetings.
Tremblay said they are sparsely attended by Charlestown folks - in fact, only CCA Party partisans so far. So, everybody should get worried about this and run around in circles and do something.
Here's some Clerkbase video of George Tremblay sounding the alarm:
8:20: Councilor Paula Andersen (D) noted that the Friends of Ninigret Park has a problem with the way the town ordinance that created them is written. Under the existing ordinance, their quorum size is two. That makes it impossible for members to talk to each other, even over the phone, because any conversation constitutes a meeting. Chair Cheryl Dowdell explained in detail how this impedes the committee's work.
The fix: amend the ordinance to expand the size of the committee. Paula made the motion to authorize the solicitor to draft the amendment. Passed unanimously.
Whalerock gets a new name
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| No more Whalerock. It's now the Charlestown Moraine Preserve |
Deputy Dan had two suggestions - Charlestown Moraine Trails or Prosser Moraine Trails. Lillian Arnold suggested Charlestown Moraine PRESERVE, which was well-liked by Councilors and audience alike.
So moved and adopted unanimously. That's actually a nice name, though I still like my idea of calling it Hill Wind.
Get ready for another war over Chariho
8:30: Next, a town message to Chariho regarding the next year's budget proposal. Deputy Dan insisted on more demands for cuts. Cut, cut, cut.
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| Here we go again - Charlestown versus its Chariho partners |
Deputy Dan didn't specify what he's so worried about, so we'll all have to use our imaginations.
Boss Gentz was especially concerned about a proposal from Hopkinton to direct Chariho to explore alternatives to the property tax to finance the schools. Deputy Dan is also concerned.
Both are concerned about reopening the Chariho Act which they presume would mean an effort by Richmond and Hopkinton to push more costs onto Charlestown.
Both are pretty worked up about it and want to fire a shot across the Hopkinton/Richmond that any effort that leads to reopening the Chariho Act means war. They want to re-send the letter they sent last year. Motion passed.
Blah, blah, blah: the home stretch
George Tremblay wanted to know what kind of mortgages are involved and whether they included mortgages that might be sold to another lender. Whatever. The motion to update the town's website was OK'd with no other questions. Seemed nobody wanted to encourage Slattery to talk any more about this.
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| Here's an alternative way to determine the order that makes about as much sense as Boss Gentz's motion |
Deputy Dan called it silly. Lisa DiBello said she had nothing to do with it.
Boss Gentz said he thought it was a nice thing to do.
All the councilors started laughing at this ridiculous motion. Then they voted.
Motion passed 3-2. Slattery and Paula Andersen voted no. DiBello voted yes with Gentz and Tremblay.
8:45: Nomination of the Charlestown Historical Society to be the next Hometown Hero by Paula Andersen. Approved unanimously.
8:50: Final item. A resolution on school safety and security. Click here to read the resolution. I have no idea what particular need this resolution addresses or purpose it serves other to say the town is in favor of school safety and security. Frankly, I'd rather know the names of those who are OPPOSED to school safety and security.
Deputy Dan launched into a long monologue about his experience as a Chariho substitute teacher and all the new security measures Chariho has instituted. All of what he described sound great. I'm not sure why he felt that he needed to make these remarks, other than to try to show what a hot guy he is.
Bob Yarnall e-mailed me this comment, apropos Deputy Dan's teaching gig:
I
would pay a moderate fee to watch Chariho Middle School students work their
collective magic on Substitute Teacher Dan Slattery. No wonder he is so
concerned about security on student computers. They must have eviscerated him
with photo-shopped smartphone images of his facial expressions as they worked
him over.
I
bet their finished products, sent out over the school network and beyond, make
Progressive Charlestown’s caricatures of him seem like the Patron Saint Prayer
Cards the nuns awarded to 1960's parochial school students for memorizing
arithmetic facts.
Perhaps
one of those smartphone effigies will find its way to this blog. Geez, kids
these days!
Meeting adjourned. Bye-bye!