CORRECTION: Council meets TUESDAY night

New management staff appointments, Ninigret Park “consensus,” new proposal for Gen Stanton Inn

By Will Collette

Corrected Date: Color me embarrassed. I forgot that the Rhode Island-only VJ Day holiday means the August Council meeting runs on Tuesday the 11th, not tonight. Mea Culpa.

The Town Council holds its Dog Days of August meeting on Monday Tuesday night with a fairly light agenda.

They will almost certainly promote Vicky Hilton to become permanent Parks and Recreation Director. She has done a great job at P&R and earned the promotion by stepping in as acting Director after her former boss Jay Primiano was forced to resign.

The Council will almost certainly promote part-time Town Planner Jane Weidman to become full-time now that she was basically fired by Block Island as their part-time planner, while performing the same job for Charlestown. I still want to know why Block Island (a.k.a. New Shoreham) dumped Weidman – and didn’t even tell her. 

She found out when she read the new town budget and saw that she was zeroed out. But as long as Weidman does the bidding of Charlestown Planning Commissar Ruth Platner, no one needs to ask any awkward questions.

The other item of great interest is the first official action on a proposal by a Christian drug treatment group to buy the General Stanton Inn and use it as a half-way house and treatment facility for women with drug problems.

The program, Teen Challenge, is a 15-month program. They plan to move from the Elmwood section of Providence to Charlestown to get away from the street crime and put the young women into a more peaceful setting, according to a Westerly Sun story on the proposal. They have a $1.4 million purchase-and-sale agreement to buy the Inn from Janice Falcone for $1.4 million.

This is only the first step in the process. If there are fireworks at this Council meeting, as I expect there will be, it could either end quickly or get dragged through a mine field as it tries to get through the Planning Commission and perhaps the Zoning Board of Review. 

All of these decision-making bodies are totally controlled by the Charlestown Citizens Alliance which generally doesn’t like anything new and different. 

It will be interesting to see what they do with a proposed drug treatment facility. 

Here is the agenda for the meeting with the town’s links to documents.

Charlestown Town Council Regular Meeting 8/11/2015 7:00 PM Council Chambers Town Hall   4540 South County Trail   Charlestown, RI 02813
Downloads:  Agenda  Agenda Packet  CALL TO ORDER, Moment of Silence, Pledge of Allegiance ROLL CALL Roll Call PROCLAMATIONS A. Presentation of a Commendation to Clean Bays in Appreciation for Their Hard Work in Ninigret and Quonochontaug Ponds This Past Spring Removing Debris Along the Shorelines Left as a Result of Hurricane Sandy Agenda Item Printout a. Clean Bays Commendation b. Clean Bays Commendation Request Jv 7-30-15 PUBLIC COMMENT for items not on the Agenda COUNCIL COMMENTS ADMINISTRATOR and COMMISSION REPORTS A. Administrator Report Agenda Item Printout Nothing is actually there – Stankiewicz generally doesn’t let his report be published until he gives it to the Council. B. Commission Reports ANNOUNCEMENTS A. Board and Commission Vacancies Agenda Item Printout a. Vacancies as of 8-11-15 APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS A. Discussion and Potential Action Regarding the Appointment of Vicky Hilton as the Charlestown Parks & Recreation Director at a Grade 5A Within the Charlestown Professional Management Association, Effective August 13, 2015 or Take Any Other Action Relative Thereto. Agenda Item Printout a. Hilton Vicky - Parks Director Recommendation B. Discussion and Potential Action Regarding the Appointment of Jane Weidman as the Charlestown Town Planner at a Grade 5C Within the Charlestown Professional Management Association, Effective September 30, 2015, or Take Any Other Action Relative Thereto Agenda Item Printout a. Weidman Jane - Town Planner Recommendation for Appointment ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS A. Discussion and Potential Action Regarding Resolutions Approving Mutual Aid Agreements Between Charlestown Police, Hopkinton Police, Richmond Police, South Kingstown Police and Westerly Police Departments Agenda Item Printout a. Mutual Aid Agreement Resolution Charlestown - Hopkinton b. Mutual Aid Agreement - Hopkinton c. Mutual Aid Agreement Resolution Charlestown - Richmond d. Mutual Aid Agreement - Richmond RI e. Mutual Aid Agreement Resolution Charlestown - South Kingstown f. Mutual Aid Agreement South Kingstown g. Mutual Aid Agreement Resolution Charlestown - Westerly h. Mutual Aid Agreement - Westerly RI B. Discussion and Potential Action Regarding a Resolution Relative to the Regulation of Tangible Business Property Taxation – Nothing here, either. The CCA dominated Town Council has been criticized for Charlestown’s notoriety as an anti-business town. George Tremblay had the idea of giving some token tax and permit relief to businesses, but that’s not the real problem….the real problem is….. Agenda Item Printout a. Reso Tang Biz Exempt 072415 C. Introduction and First Reading of Ordinance # 371 - Chapter 218, Zoning Map Amendment (An Application from Teen Challenge New England, Inc., for the Property Known as the General Stanton Inn, Located at 4115 Old Post Road, Assessor’s Map 13, Lot 1, Pursuant to Section 218-12 of the Charlestown Zoning Ordinance, for Use of the Parcel as a “Halfway House”) and Referral of the Application to the Planning Commission for an Advisory Opinion, to be Advertised for Public Hearing on September 14, 2015 ….The Planning Commission. Sending this item to Planning (and then Zoning) will subject this proposal for a new and unusual use for the General Stanton Inn to a Death of a Thousand Cuts. I know nothing about this proposal other than what I read in the Westerly Sun, but they’re going to be for a rough ride. Guaranteed. The applicant, a non-profit called Teen Challenge, is lucky to have Maggie Hogan as its lawyer. Agenda Item Printout a. Teen Challenge prohibited use change appl COMMUNICATIONS A. Discussion and Potential Action Regarding a Communication from the Coastal Ponds Management Commission Regarding the Following Applications to the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council: Christopher Johnson & Jen Scappatura (2015-06-005); John L. Roberts (2015-07-087); Nick Papa (2015-05-107); and East Beach Farms, LLC (2015-07-031); or Any Other Action Relative Thereto Agenda Item Printout a. CPMC Aquaculture Permit Recommendations NEW BUSINESS A. Discussion and Potential Action Regarding Areas of Consensus Between the Town Council and the Parks and Recreation Commission for Implementing Improvements in Ninigret Park, and the Request of an Advisory Opinion from the Parks and Recreation Commission for Initiating Action in Accord with This Consensus Consensus? I’ll believe that when I see it. Agenda Item Printout a. PandR Comm Memo - Master Plan Workshop Meetings Communication July 30 2015.pdf b. Ninigret TC-PR Gt 8-3-15 B. Discussion and Potential Action Regarding Sending a Letter of Commendation to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation for the Work Completed on Route 1 Agenda Item Printout CONSENT AGENDA "CA" A. Town Council Minutes: Agenda Item Printout 1. June 29 (Joint Workshop with the Parks and Recreation Commission) Agenda Item Printout a. 2015-6-29.Pdf 2. July 9 (Special Meeting - Agenda) Agenda Item Printout a. 2015-7-9 3. July 13 (Executive and Regular) Agenda Item Printout a. 2015-7-13 Exec b. 2015-7-13.pdf "CA" B. Reports: Agenda Item Printout 1. Building Official - July 2015 Agenda Item Printout a. Building Official report July 15.pdf 2. Town Clerk - July 2015 Agenda Item Printout a. Clerk's Monthly Report July 15 3. Treasurer's Report - June 2015 Agenda Item Printout a. June 2015 "CA" C. Approval of the Following Events at Ninigret Park with a Recommendation from the Parks and Recreation Commission, Subject to Review of Contracts by the Town Solicitor, Receipt of All Applicable Paperwork and Insurance and that All Event Details Are Satisfactorily Met by the Parks and Recreation Director: Agenda Item Printout 1. Event: Walk for Haiti - New Hope Chapel Event Dates: October 17, 2015 Camping: N/A Insurance: $1 Million General Liability Fee: Waived Agenda Item Printout a. EXCERPT OF DRAFT MINUTES - Walk for Haiti b. Walk for Haiti Application "CA" D. Appointment of Robin Quinn to the Zoning Board of Review as Alternate #1, Term to Expire in July of 2016 Agenda Item Printout a. Quinn Appl for Alt #1 "CA" E. Approval of the Addition of a Member of the Conservation Commission to the Potable Water Working Group Agenda Item Printout a. TG Request to Add a Member of the Conservation Commission to the Potable Water Working Group "CA" F. Approval of the Request from the Tax Assessor for Abatements in the Amount of $2961.85 Agenda Item Printout a. 2015-07 b. July 2015 Abatements "CA" G. Approval of the Purchase of Three 2016 Ford Interceptor Utility Vehicles from MHQ Municipal Vehicles of Marlboro MA., for an Amount Not to Exceed $101,072 as Budgeted in Line 01.990.9901, and Authorization of the Town Administrator and Town Treasurer, Each, to Take Any and All Such Actions, and Execute and Deliver Such Certificates, Receipts or Other Documents as May be Necessary to Carry into Effect the Foregoing Agenda Item Printout a. MHQ Police Vehicle 2016 b. MHQ - Police Vehicle 2016 "CA" H. Approval of the Purchase of Police Office Furniture from WB Mason through the Purchasing Alliance the Cooperative Purchasing Network, for an Amount Not to Exceed $18,285.10 as Budgeted in Line 01.990.9951, and Authorization of the Town Administrator and Town Treasurer, Each, to Take Any and All Such Actions, and Execute and Deliver Such Certificates, Receipts or Other Documents as May be Necessary to Carry into Effect the Foregoing Agenda Item Printout a. Police furniture b. Police Furniture ADJOURNMENT