Charlestown Tapas

News nuggets for the insatiably curious

By Will Collette

Charlestown says it fixed open records problem but...

On August 5, I reported that an audit done on compliance by RI’s 39 cities and towns with the state’s open records law put Charlestown on the list of six non-comply towns. The audit looked to see if municipalities had the required trained individual registered with the State Attorney General as the person responsible for managing town records.

The issue of who has custody of Charlestown’s records came up a year ago when Town Clerk Amy Weinreich claimed she no longer had custody of the town’s lawsuit records and that only Town Solicitor Peter Ruggiero had those records. Ruggiero claimed he was not subject to the state open records law because, he said, he was not a town employee.

The Attorney General’s office ruled against Charlestown and specifically against Ruggiero’s claim that he was not subject to the open records law. Charlestown’s Town Charter designates only the Town Clerk as the official custodian of town records.

On August 1, I asked Town Clerk Weinreich and Town Administrator Mark Stankiewicz to comment on the audit’s finding that Charlestown was out of compliance with the requirement to train and register a specific individual as responsible for records. Neither of them responded.

However, Stankiewicz told the Westerly Sun that Amy Weinreich had taken the proper training and that “it was a matter that the attorney general was not officially notified.”

According to the Sun, Linda Lotridge Levin, president of ACCESS/RI, which conducted the audit, criticized that answer. She said it was “troubling” that a town employee would take the training but fail to fill out to form to confirm that they complied with the training requirement. The Sun quoted Ms. Levin as raising this question:

“If they have neglected that requirement, how confident can the public be about their implementation of the substantive provisions of APRA when dealing with formal requests for records?”

That, based on my direct experience, is the key question.

Red light cameras due within the month?

Channel Ten recently broadcast a story that featured Robin and Maryanne Foote, parents of Charlestown’s Colin Foote who was tragically killed by a red-light runner in May 2010. The station reported that Charlestown’s long-delayed cameras to catch red-light runners were finally going to be installed “within the month.”

Signing ceremoney for Colin's Law

The Footes were, of course, pleased that this is finally happening. They have been fighting for stronger laws against dangerous drivers and worked with Rep. Donna Walsh to win the passage of the Colin Foote Law that cracks down on chronic offenders. They praised red light cameras as another tool to make bad drivers either think twice, or pay the price, before running a signal.

If the cameras are finally installed, as reported by Channel 10, they will only cover two of the four traffic signal intersections in Charlestown – Route One at East Beach Road and West Beach Road.

Supporters of the Charlestown Citizens Alliance opposed the red light camera project, even though the project will cost Charlestown nothing.

Trouble all around us

It can be a dangerous world if you’re not careful. While Rhode Island has had no confirmed detection of mosquitoes carrying diseases most harmful to humans, it’s only a matter of time. 

Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) has been detected in New Bedford. 

West Nile Virus has been detected to our west in eastern Connecticut.

Ways to curb mosquitoes around your home:

• Put recyclables upside-down in your bin so that it won’t collect water.
• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools that are not being used, including pool covers.
• Clear clogged gutters. Drill holes in bottom of recycling containers.
• For commercial buildings with flat roofs, check for standing water to reduce mosquito-breeding sites.
• Minimize time spent outdoors around dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
• Be sure door and windows screens are tight fighting and in good repair.
• Wear shoes, socks, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt when outdoors for long periods of time, or when mosquitoes are most active. Clothing should be light colored and made tightly woven materials that keep mosquitoes away from the skin.
• Use mosquito netting when sleeping outdoors or in an unscreened structure and to protect small babies when outdoors.
• Consider using mosquito repellent, as directed, when outdoors.

In South Kingstown, two people were attacked by a rabid fox at the YMCA on Broad Rock Road. The fox was captured, confirmed to be rabid and then euthanized.

More danger….

Law Street, a website on law enforcement evaluated Rhode Island municipalities to determine which are the most dangerous based on various crime statistics. Overall, Rhode Island was 13^th safest states. Maine was #1. Tennessee was in last place.

Among the list of RI municipalities, Providence came out as most dangerous, followed by Woonsocket and Pawtucket. Among South County towns, only South Kingstown made the Top Ten, grabbing the 10^th spot.

One short-coming of the report is that they only cover municipalities with populations of 25,000 or more – RI has 13 – so Charlestown was not on the list.

This is supposed to make you feel safer

Oklahoma City bombing, 1995

On August 5, for the first time, Charlestown’s local nuke, the Millstone power station in Waterford, CT, just 20 miles to the west, conducted a security drill that simulated a terrorist attack. 

Hmm, it’s 2014 and 9/11 happened how long ago? It's almost 20 years since the Oklahoma City bombing showed what domestic right-wing crazies can do. 

Given the extraordinary chaos such an attack could have on public health and safety within a 50-mile radius, waiting 13 years after 9/11 or 19 years since Oklahoma City to run such a drill just doesn’t seem right to me. Especially since such an attack, either by domestic terrorists or foreign ones is certainly plausible.

I haven’t seen the results and scoring on the drill yet. I would hope that at least they passed.

Don’t try to recycle hazardous materials!

Do NOT recycle!

There was a serious hazmat emergency at the state’s recycling center in Johnston that exposed at least 13 workers to hazardous chemicals that were mixed within the waste stream being processed for recycling.

RI Resource Recovery Corp security chief Gary Maddock said, “it's extremely important that all Rhode islanders make sure they only put material in their bins that are recyclable….“You wouldn’t want to put any chemicals in there. You wouldn’t' want to put anything in there that's hazardous in there that would potentially harm one of our workers here.”

Charlestown’s municipal waste, whether you bring your trash and recyclables to the town transfer station or have a private hauler, goes to the RIRRC facility in Johnston.

Maddock asks all Rhode Islanders to follow recycling guidelines.

Don’t put chemicals in the trash or recycling bins; you can dispose of these materials for free (but by appointment) at the Eco Depot. Unfortunately the RIRRC has dropped Charlestown from the list of towns with an Eco Depot event. We have one somewhat near us in North Kingstown on September 6 and Richmond on October 18.

Jobs

Brown University’s RI Community Jobs service lists a couple of job openings nearby. Brown puts out a daily list sent by e-mail, as well as a website, with the most comprehensive listing of non-profit jobs in the state. Well worth signing up to get (free).

The WARM Center in Westerly is looking to hire a Shelter Assistant/Maintenance Worker. Click here for more details.

While there’s still time in the growing season, Greenview Farm in Wakefield is looking for field hands to work on their organic farm. Click here for more details.

Events

The South Kingstown Democratic Town Committee is holding a fund-raiser for its slate of local candidates on Tuesday, August 19 from 5-8 PM at the Dragon Palace (733 Kingstown Road, Wakefield). Suggested donation is $25 a head. They’re anticipating that most of the Democratic contenders for statewide offices will be there.

The Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association is showcasing a documentary film “Aftermath” on the restoration of Misquamicut (thanks to Charlestown sand). The event will be at its campus, 203 Acadia Road in in Hope Valley. This will take place on August 25 from 6 to 7:45 PM. Admission is free.