Minutes

Monday, September 11, 2023, at 6:46PM

TOWN COUNCIL Meeting

Barrington Town Hall

283 County Road

Video: https://vimeo.com/showcase/9672722/video/863562888

Attachments can be found: https://clerkshq.com/barrington-ri

TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

Present: President Carl P. Kustell, Vice President Robert Humm, Councilwoman Kate Berard, and Councilman Braxton Cloutier

Also, Present: Town Manager Phil Hervey, Assistant Town Solicitor Amy Goins, and Town Clerk Meredith J. DeSisto

Department Heads: Police Chief Michael Correia, Human Resources Director Mari-Ann Oliveira, Library Director Kristin Chin, Public Works Director Alan Corvi, Senior Services Director Michele Geremia, Tax Assessor Jay Drew and Director of Planning, Building and Resilience Teresa Crean

Absent: Councilwoman Annelise Conway, Finance Director Kathy Raposa, and Fire Chief Gerald Bessette,

Council President Kustell called the meeting to order at 6:46 P.M.

President Kustell led us into the Pledge of Allegiance.

AGENDA # 3 LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

(Approved at the Town Council meeting on December 6, 2021. Read into the record by President Kustell.)

“Aquene (Peace) We recognize the unique and enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories. We acknowledge that we are in the ancestral homeland of the Pokanoket Tribe within the original territory of the Pokanoket Nation. We commit to ongoing efforts to recognize, honor, reconcile and partner with the Pokanoket people whose ancestral lands and water we benefit from today. Aquene (Peace)”

AGENDA ITEM #4: Announcements (Town Manager Phil Hervey)

· Assistant Emergency Manager Normand Menard has been named as “Emergency Management Professional of the Year” by the Rhode Island Association of Emergency Managers

· The Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory Committee will host a Community Bike Path Painting Event on Sunday, Sept. 24th, from noon to 5 p.m. at the Bike Path Connector between Waseca Avenue and the East Bay Bike Path. Activities include painting the connector, a bike safety demonstration, fun with sidewalk chalk for kids

· Reserve a Tree: Rhode Island DEM announced Fall 2023 Energy-Saving Trees Program

o https://energysavingtrees.arborday.org/?partnerCode=07424#Start

· Tree Planting & Removal: 8/1/2022- 7/30/23 – 99 trees removed/ 98 trees planted.

DISCUSS AND ACT ON THE CONSENT AGENDA:

All items with an asterisk (*) are routine by the Town Council and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion on these items unless a council member or citizen so request, and the request is for good cause in which event the item will be removed from the consent agenda and will be considered in its normal sequence on the agenda.

Motion by President Kustell and seconded by Vice President Humm to accept the Consent Agenda #5-#11. The motion passed in favor 4-0-0-1, President Kustell, Vice President Humm, Councilwoman Berard, and Councilman Cloutier, no one opposed, no recusals and one (1) abstention, Councilwoman Conway (absent).

*AGENDA ITEM #5 ACCEPT RESIGNATIONS:

It was voted to accept the following resignations. See the full motion accepting the Consent Agenda above.

· Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory Committee: Andrew Watson

· Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee: Andrew Simon and Glenmore Wagner

*AGENDA ITEM #6 APPROVE REAPPOINTMENT(S) TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS:

It was voted to approve the reappointment (s) below. See the full motion accepting the Consent Agenda above.

· Bicycle-Pedestrian and Advisory Committee:

o Sam Obstfeld (alternate), to be appointed as a full member, with a term expiration date of March 31, 2024.

· Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee:

o Jonathan Leviss (2^nd alternate), to be appointed as a full member, with a term expiration date of September 30, 2026.

o Alexandra Pastor (1^st alternate) to be appointed as a full member with a term expiration date of September 30, 2024

· Planning Board:

o Richard Godfrey moving from 2nd alternate to 1^st alternate.

o Alexander Mueller (1^st alternate), to be appointed as a full member, with a term expiration date of May 31, 2024

· Resilience and Energy Committee:

o Rita Moore moving from 1^st alternate to full member.

*AGENDA ITEM #7 ACCEPT THE MINUTES FROM THE TOWN COUNCIL MEETINGS

OF JULY 17, 24 AND AUGUST 12, 2023, AND ACCEPT THE EXECUTIVE SESSION MINUTES FROM JULY 17, 2023.

It was voted to accept the Town Council minutes listed above. See the full motion accepting the Consent Agenda above.

*AGENDA #8 ADOPT THE MONTHLY DEPARTMENT REPORTS (JULY ’23):

Business and Finance Director (no June), Fire Chief, Human Resources, Library Director, Police Chief/Animal Control Official, Public Works Director, Planner/Building and Resiliency, Recreation and Senior Services Director, Tax Assessor and Town Clerk

It was voted to adopt the monthly department reports from July ’23. See the full motion accepting the Consent Agenda above.

*AGENDA ITEM #9 APPROVE ABATEMENT LIST:

It was voted to approve the Abatement List in the amount of $9,430.89 and as described therein. See the full motion accepting the Consent Agenda above.

*AGENDA ITEM #10 APPROVE SURPLUS PROPERTY: (none)

*AGENDA ITEM #11 ACKNOWLEDGE CORRESPONDENCE:

It was voted to acknowledge the correspondence. See the full motion accepting the Consent Agenda above and the motion accepting this agenda item.

· BAY Team Monthly Report

· BCWA Monthly Reports

· Liquor License – Westmoreland

· Chipotle: Chudy (2)

AGENDA ITEM #12: DISCUSS AND ACT: INTERVIEWS AND APPOINTMENTS: (none)

AGENDA ITEM #13: DISCUSS AND ACT ON RESOLUTIONS: (none)

AGENDA ITEM #14: DISCUSS AND ACT ON ORDINANCES:

· INTRODUCTION: (none)

· PUBLIC HEARING: (none)

AGENDA ITEM #15: DISCUSS AND ACT ON BID(S):

· Fire Department:

o Rescue Vehicle Purchase: Authorization to Purchase Rescue Vehicle from Specialty Vehicles, Inc., of Plainville, MA, in the amount of $474,274

TM Comment: The Fire Chief is requesting Council authorization to place an order for the purchase of a rescue vehicle at a cost of $474,274 from Specialty Vehicles, Inc., of Plainville, MA. This will replace a 2012 reserve rescue vehicle.

Chief Bessette is requesting approval from the Council so he can place the order with Special Vehicles in anticipation of a long lead time for production and delivery of the vehicle. The order will be placed with funding from the Fire Department Apparatus Replacement Capital Reserve. This requires a commitment of the Town to add $250,000 to the capital reserve account as part of the FY2025 capital budget to ensure there is sufficient balance to complete the purchase once the production of the vehicle is complete. Currently there is a balance of approximately $230,000 in this account. On August 1, 2023, the proposal was presented to the Planning Board, which by ordinance is charged with developing the capital budget each year. The Board unanimously approved a motion “to grant the request for authorization of $250,000 of FY25 funds to support ordering a new Emergency Management Vehicle for Barrington Fire Department.”

Discussion ensued regarding that at a recent Planning Board meeting that a unanimous vote was approved regarding this purchase.

Motion by President Kustell and seconded by Vice President Humm to authorize the purchase of a Rescue Vehicle from Specialty Vehicles, Inc., of Plainville, MA, in the amount of $474,274. The motion passed in favor 4-0-0-1, President Kustell, Vice President Humm, Councilwoman Berard, and Councilman Cloutier, no one opposed, no recusals and one (1) abstention, Councilwoman Conway (absent).

· Planning Department:

· Lincoln Avenue Complete Streets Project – VHB

TM Comment: VHB has developed concepts for improving bicycle and pedestrian access along Lincoln Avenue from County Road to Washington Road. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee reviewed several potential conceptual plans at a recent meeting. The Committee recommended proceeding with cost estimating to determine a budget for the preferred concepts. VHB has submitted a proposal to add this to its scope of work at a cost of $5,100. There is an estimated 2 to 3-week turnaround to have this prepared. This information will help the Town determine a final design budget for the Lincoln Avenue corridor. The Town has approximately $4 million available for bicycle and sidewalk improvements from the unspent balance of the Barrington Middle School project (voters approved the reallocation at the 2022 FTM).

Town Manager Hervey was present and discussed the bid.

Motion: by Vice President Humm and seconded by President Kustell to approve adding $5,100 to the Town’s contract with VHB to include cost estimating in the Lincoln Avenue Complete Streets conceptual design project.

The motion passed in favor 4-0-0-1, President Kustell, Vice President Humm, Councilwoman Berard, and Councilman Cloutier, no one opposed, no recusals and one (1) abstention, Councilwoman Conway (absent).

· Additional Scope for Recreation Center / Field House Feasibility Study

TM Comment: Requesting Council approval to add a third site to the scope of the Recreation Center / Field House Feasibility Study. Victus Advisors of Park City, UT. The consultant is analyzing in-depth two sites – a wooded Town-owned Old County Road property to the east of Primrose Hill School, and Chianese Park. Including an additional third site in the study – the gymnasium/classroom building at the former Zion Bible Institute campus – is recommended given the conceptual plans for redevelopment of the property presented last week to the Planning Board by the owner show the building remaining, along with parking for the facility.

The plan does not show a field house – a different site would be required for such a facility.

For the Victus team to develop options for building a gymnasium / recreation center (not a field house) at Zion, the scope would need to be amended to cover the cost of a structural assessment report from a Structural Engineer to determine the viability of re-using the existing structure.

Victus estimates the additional fees as follows:

Structural Assessment $10,000

· Structural Survey

· Structural report overview of code deficiencies

· Structural report overview of upgrades needed to make the structure code compliant

Architectural Fees $1,000

Cost Estimating $2,500

TOTAL FEES: $13,500

Proposed funding: American Plan Rescue Act funds. The Council will need to revise the ARPA budget to include this amount (see motion). This will leave an unallocated balance of approximately $15,525; this balance will increase once other projects that are utilizing ARPA funds are closed out and remaining unused funds are released.

Town Manager Hervey was present to discuss the bid.

Vice President Humm stated that he is concerned that the additional scope of this project doesn’t delay the submission of a report to the Town. He said that the Town can then explore various options and hold public comment with feedback, provide budget discussions and see if it is feasible.

Vice President Humm said that he is pleased to hear that we reduced the amount down to $3,500. He said that he has an additional amendment to the motion that is in the materials (attachments) and that is to make the approval, on motion number two, conditioned on a commitment from Victus, the field house consultant, that the additional scope will not meaningfully delay the submission of their report. He said to define meaningfully delay no more than a month or so, from this report. He said that we are anticipating a report in October and if it trickles into November that is understandable, but he said he would be concerned if goes further.

Motion 1 by Vice President Humm and seconded by President Kustell to approve revising the American Plan Rescue Plan budget to add $3,500 for the Recreation Center / Field House Feasibility Study. The motion passed in favor 4-0-0-1, President Kustell, Vice President Humm, Councilwoman Berard, and Councilman Cloutier, no one opposed, no recusals and one (1) abstention, Councilwoman Conway (absent).

President Kustell called for Public Comment – there was none.

Motion 2 by Vice President Humm and seconded by President Kustell to approve the addition of $13,500 to the Victus Advisors contract with the Town to add the gymnasium/classroom building at the former Zion Bible Institute Campus as one of the sites evaluated in the Recreation Center / Field House Feasibility Study conditioned on a commitment from Victus that the additional scope will not delay the study by not more than one (1) month.

· BAY Team:

· Purchase of Medication Lock Bags

TM Comment: The BAY Team is requesting Council approval of the purchase of safe medication lock bags from Promotional Gifts, USA, at a cost of up to $15,000. No Town funds are required.

BAY Team Director Denise Alves was present.

Motion by Vice President Humm and seconded by Councilman Cloutier to approve the purchase of medication lock bags from Promotional Gifts USA, at a cost not to exceed $15,000 for the Fiscal Year ending June 30, 2024.

AGENDA ITEM #16: PRESENTATION: DIRECTOR OF HOUSINGWORKS RI TO DISCUSS HOUSING ISSUES, 2023 HOUSING FACTBOOK, AND RI ZONING ATLAS

TM Comment: Brenda Clement, Director of HousingWorks RI, will be presenting information on the 2023 Housing Factbook and the upcoming release of the RI Zoning Atlas, and be available to answer questions on housing-related issues in general.

Matthew Heffner presented a short brief regarding the housing crisis, how developers are cornering the market by buying homes and flipping them, and suggested help to the Town of Barrington for home-buyers.

He discussed that Barrington could adjust the down payment assistance programs limits to a certain percentage of the prior month’s median house rather than a stagnant price reflecting a snapshot further back in time. He said that this may help first time home buyers afford home in town during a seller’s market and it would help the town not overcompensate buyers in a buyer’s market.

He said another option is that Barrington could tax the sale of non-primary residences and earmark the revenue for both the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and the down payment program. In addition, financing buyers, the tax would disincentivize contractors, non-resident landlords and others who do not intend to live in the residence from both depleting available housing stock and driving up housing costs. He noted that this tax would be subject to exemption for:

1. people who declared their old home their primary residence for a certain number of consecutive years;

2. builders of housing on property where there previously was none, and

3. smaller units built on or added to existing properties.

Mr. Heffner stated that a third option could be to create tax credits to incentivize the construction of relatively smaller houses, especially for our senior citizens and special needs residents in need of supportive housing. People are looking to downsize cite a lack of housing altogether as a leading reason why they are remaining in their current homes[1]. Incentivizing the construction of smaller units would allow people looking to downsize to finally do just that, which in turn would help families looking to buy their old homes take their place. Simply constructing smaller homes rather than bigger ones would help maximize green space, minimize any concerns about the impact on the school system given whom the homes are designed for, and ensure that our current residents can continue call Barrington home.

Director of Housing Works RI Brenda Clements made a presentation as she stated that she is a passionate advocate for affordable housing. She said that she wanted to give a sneak peek of the annual housing factbook that will be released on September 28^th. She said that there is a problem with quantity of homes and how we are not producing enough here in RI. We are not building enough new homes and we have the oldest housing stock in the country with deferred maintenance and modernization. This presents Rhode Islanders with some unique problems to deal with, but Barrington does have some good ordinances to help deal with these issues, but you just need to implement them. She mentioned that Barrington has two experts, Richard Godfrey and Carla DeStefano on the Housing Board of Trustees who have extensive experience and knowledge with practical expertise to get things done.

Ms. Clements talked about the market, the median price of homes and the average rent for apartments in Barrington, which is $1400 for a two-bedroom unit. She commented that if you are spending more than 30% of your gross income on housing, or your housing costs, you are considered to be cost burdened and then you must make tough choices. She suggested that we must look at greenfield sites and commercial sites where we might be able to build up a level to create more starter homes or starter apartments.

Ms. Clements mentioned that the town should have applied for the Municipal Technical Assistance Program and the Municipal Fellows Program (still being developed in partnership with RI League of Cities and Towns) which we hear that towns have a lack of staff to review and administer programs.

She extended an invitation to the Annual Housing Factbook on October 20^th and will also be releasing the National Zoning Atlas. She said we are trying to show where RI should grow which is around transit hubs and around commercial corridors where we can repurpose and reuse land and of course we need to consider these growth areas within the context of climate change and sustainability as we move forward.

President Kustell thanked Ms. Clement and Mr. Heffner for their presentations.

AGENDA ITEM #17 : DISCUSS AND ACT: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION TO REMOVE REQUIREMENT FOR ADDITIONAL LOCAL ALCOHOL TRAINING

TM Comment: On June 5, 2023, the Town Council discussed a recommendation from the Economic Development Commission (EDC) to eliminate the annual local liquor training completed for Barrington by the BAY Team in accordance with Town ordinances. The EDC motion was as follows:

The Town requirements for local training can be found under Chapter 63, Alcoholic Beverages, Article III, Liquor License Rules and Regulations (see Section 34):

https://ecode360.com/7119367?highlight=liquor&searchId=45706994184249495#7119407

The Council voted (3-0) to refer the question of amending or eliminating, as recommended by the EDC, to the BAY Team, Police Chief Correia and the EDC for a response and recommendations and to report back to the Council at the September meeting.

The BAY Team/Barrington Prevention Coalition has submitted a memo responding to the EDC’s recommendation. The memo lists 13 bullet points in support of keeping the Barrington liquor training intact. It mentions a potential change to the program:

The EDC had this as a topic of discussion in July. We will forward to the Council minutes of this meeting if available prior to the Council meeting.

Fire Chief Bessette, Police Chief Correia and Police Capt. Igoe are planning to attend to speak to the Council about this issue.

I recommend keeping the local alcohol training intact, but with the revision suggested in the BAY Team memorandum.

President Kustell introduced Kas DeCarvalho from the Economic Development Committee as Chair Matt Amaral has recused himself from the discussion.

Mr. DeCarvalho spoke of the history of the Barrington Liquor Training ordinance (BLT) in which it was initiated in 2010 and has not had any substantive changes in the last 13 years. He explained that all restaurant servers that hold a Class A or Class B license are required to attend an annual training class to become certified and must meet compliance with the state (STOP/TIPS) and Barrington has an additional 2-hour training.

Mr. DeCarvalho discussed the costs and time involved with these employees and the business owners. He pointed out that the EDC, you would think, would have a potential bias, but the EDC has a pro-business stance and to that extent this has a negative effect on the business owners, and we will take their side. He said that he wants to argue and make a point that the EDC had a very in-depth discussion. He said that we started with the proposition that no single child, adult family life or well-being can possibly be balanced against the mere convenience of our business owners. He said, that is preposterous. He said that our job is to balance what is the effective and appropriate regulations that affect out townships and what really brought this to the forefront and to the table for discussion with the EDC is that Barrington is literally the only one of the 39 municipalities in the State of RI that has to deal with this particular ordinance while the only state requirement is that with TIPS and STOP that enforces this training for employees every three years.

Mr. DeCarvalho said that we tried to assess what the benefit to our town is of this specific BLT ordinance compared to, YES, the inconvenience and frankly, additional cost to our business owners. He said that the likelihood this additional cost protect potentially preventing people would be business owners from moving to our town. He said that we should have placed a review after 10 years so that we could determine whether or not the BLT was in fact, meeting the concerns of the citizen to put in place in the first place. He said that after 13 years we are the only township that requires our restaurant owners to pay what amounts to this extra tax.

Mr. DeCarvalho stated that he did invite Ms. Alves to one of our meetings and she was absolutely fantastic. She laid out the program. She was asked about data regarding her program, and she gave an honest answer, no, she said, because that was not her charge.

Discussion ensued how the discussion initiated regarding the BLTraining and it was through festivals that had been taking place in town and requirements for vendors. The discussion at an EDC meeting continued regarding the cost to these vendors and the cost to brick and mortar establishments with the requirements of these same trainings. The discussion continued regarding that Barrington is the only municipality that requires this extra training and how the discussion at the EDC meeting became more involved.

Barrington Police Chief Correia discussed the terrible tragedies involving alcohol that happened in this town on several occasions. The town addressed this serious situation and he said that he commends them for what they did. He said that there still is a demand for alcohol by underage people in this town – since January we have charged 14 juveniles. He said that this is important to the town, and he said that he has spoken with former Police Chief LaCrosse. Chief Correia said that he has made a pledge that he will continue to be involved with the program because he thinks that lives can be saved. He said that we still have an issue with underage drinking, and we need to change that risky behavior in conjunction with the Bay Team and the Juvenile Hearing Board. He said that he thinks it is a worthwhile effort that we should continue, not to say that it can’t be improved.

Bay Team Director Denise Alves said that she needed to make a correction that was said earlier. She said by state law, a new employee that is going to serve or sell liquor must have the TIP certification prior to serving – one just can’t get certified locally, they must be certified by the state program (TIP/STOP).

Ms. Alves discussed that there is a staff shortage with DVR that oversees licenses and certifications and they do not have the manpower to make sure everyone is certified. But she said that here in Town we do compliance checks, and we do that by locally training with the Clerk’s Department making sure everybody has their state license and funding the police to do these compliance checks. Discussion ensued regarding different types of compliance checks and that the server, and the business owners are to have a copy of their certification on them personally and in the establishment.

Ms. Alves stated that just to stop the program and the thought of what happens in two years goes against my grain. She said even with our trainings every year and the state trainings every three years we have compliancy failures. She said that over the last month we had over 20 youths attend a class because they were caught in possession of alcohol. This is something other towns do not do but it is a need in our town. She continued saying that this is not just about the youth but about adults being overserved and then driving on our streets. She said to think if we stopped the program to see what happens and then something happens – then we will hear why we weren’t doing everything we could do to stop them and therefore that is why we have a program. Ms. Alves listed many names of those that died because of alcohol. She said that she is passionate, and she is passionate about prevention, and she said that she guarantees that we are saving lives!

Councilwoman Berard stated that you Ms. Alves turns tragedy in to actual action steps. She said that she must take mandated trainings every year over and over again. She said she thinks the town, just because everybody else is not doing it is not a reason not to do it; and to think the idea of let’s wait and see if something cataclysmic happens because it is really poor logic. She said that she would be open to the idea that was listed in the Town Manager’s memo, taking a year away in which TIPS Training already happens. She said that from a business perspective she understands the financial implications and she said in her opinion, they do not weigh enough on me to make a choice that would eliminate it in its entirety.

Vice President Humm said that these were excellent presentations. He said that Ms. Alves does not have data to show whether this is successful or not, but it is hard to prove a negative – it either works or it doesn’t. But it does seem to work. He said that he wrestles with the cost of doing business and to pay for the training on an annual basis. He said that this is the second time that this has come before the Council, and he hasn’t heard from a single business saying that this is an issue.

Mr. DeCarvalho said that he has the deepest respect for Ms. Alves’ passion and those accidents caused by alcohol is the worst thing imaginable. He questions if she could tell him convincingly in any way, shape or form, that the BLT Training would have prevented every one of those instances, then I wouldn’t be standing here and would be in favor of it.

Mr. Decarvalho said that the EDC has heard from the businesses in which he said that a business commented that the people teaching the BLT class are not TIP/STOP certified and that the point has changed to people overdosing and the class has not been about proper sale or responsible alcohol distribution. Mr. DeCarvahlo said that his charge is to speak for the businesses.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

Brian Thimmes, Bluewater Grill, spoke regarding his employees and how it is not easy for them to get to the class, they need to get their child to daycare. He discussed the cost with approximately 25 employees time $40: it’s about $1000.

Heather Ryan, 99 Roffee Street, said that she is against taking away the safety net that will help our community to prevent our community would be a mistake.

Ms. Alves commented that five years ago, when our state had the highest number of deaths due to overdoses, we added Narcan training and at the time we felt that it was very important. This was a onetime training. She said that we will need to coordinate with the Clerk’s office to keep track of when employees have had the BLT training.

Town Manager Hervey said that in his memo he recommended keeping the local alcohol training intact, but with the revision as outlined in the memo and the motion provided in the memo. To have the solicitor draft an ordinance which would require the local training but would exempt from the annual local training requirement any owner, manager or alcohol server of the licensee for the year or years in which an individual has received state certification or re-certification. He said that the town will continue to look at the issue of training and the issue of serving alcohol on town property that was brought up briefly about the EDC.

Councilman Cloutier stated that he is the current liaison for the EDC. He said he believes that he was part of the reason the conversation started. Because back in 2021 there was a film festival and we were trying to get vendors to come not only for food but also to have alcoholic beverages because people who are 21 and up can partake, but we had a very limited scope. This was just on town property for the film festival, and we had a lot of insurance. But once businesses found out about the extra training STOP and TIPS they pulled out. He said that this is a cost to these businesses.

Motion by Councilman Cloutier and seconded by Vice President Humm to request the Town Solicitor to draft an ordinance revising the requirements in Chapter 63, Alcoholic Beverages, Article III, Liquor License Rules and Regulations, Section 34, to exempt from the annual local training requirement any owner, manager, or alcohol server of the licensee for the year or years in which an individual has received State certification or re-certification.

President Kustell stated that the solicitor will draft an ordinance and at the first meeting the ordinance will be introduced and at the month following there will be another opportunity for people to provide comments.

AGENDA ITEM #18: PRESENTATION: DAY OF CARING

1. TM Comment: Denise Alves, a member of the Day of Caring planning committee, will make a presentation on this year’s event to be held on Monday, October 9, 2023.

Bay Team Director Denise Alves was present to discuss the special event for a “Day of Caring”. She said that this is an opportunity for volunteers to help those that need volunteers.

AGENDA ITEM #19: DISCUSS AND ACT: BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF RHODE ISLAND TO PLACE DONATION BIN (JEN MCAUSLIN DIRECTOR OF DONATION CENTER OPERATIONS)

TM Comment: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island will make a presentation on their programs, and request approval to place a donation bin on Town or school property. Locations mentioned include the Barrington Public Library, Barrington High School, Barrington Recycling Center. This will require additional review by the Town. The Library is not a good fit in my opinion. The Senior Center parking lot also is not a suitable site, as this is where the Dumpster for the building is located; plus, a composting drop-off site will be added near the Dumpster. It’s possible the rear parking lot north of Kids Kove playground might work, next to the existing Dumpster. Input from DPW is needed to determine whether the Recycling Center is an appropriate location. I believe Council approval is needed given this is a potential long-term commitment for the use of Town property.

Operations Manager for Big Brothers and Sisters of Rhode Island Jen McAuslin discussed that they are a 501(3)3 non-profit organization committed to improving lives in Rhode Island. She said that the Donation Center’s operational budget is through donations of clothing which are recycled or resold. She explained that 90% of the donations are by having people deposit clothing in the bins. Ms. McAuslin said that 30% of the proceeds goes back to the municipality if a bin is placed on the town property. If a motion is approved this evening, she would draft a memorandum of Agreement.

Discussion ensued regarding the length of the agreement. Ms. McAuslin said that it can be for 6 months or as long as 10 years.

Richard Staples, 13 Middle Street, said that he has been involved with the program for years, in fact, he has placed a bin on his front lawn and have had success in which neighbors have dropped many pieces of clothing in the container. Mr. Staples said that they are responsive and attentive to the bins.

Discussion ensued regarding the use of the 30% that comes back to the Towns. Town Manager Hervey will place an agenda item for the Council to allocate a specific use of the funds for 30% of the rebate.

Motion by Vice President Humm and seconded by Councilwoman Berard to approve the placement of a Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island donation bin on Town property, subject to approval by the Town Administration. The motion passed in favor 4-0-0-1, President Kustell, Vice President Humm, Councilwoman Berard, and Councilman Cloutier, no one opposed, no recusals and one (1) abstention, Councilwoman Conway (absent).

President Kustell called for a 10-minute recess at 8:30pm.

President Kustell reconvened the meeting at 8:43pm.

AGENDA ITEM #20: DISCUSS AND ACT: 25 WATSON AVENUE / CARMELITE MONASTERY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND NEXT STEPS

TM Comment: For the June 5, 2023, meeting the Town prepared a “FAQ” in consultation with the Town Solicitor, as requested by the Council. The Council briefly discussed the FAQ before continuing the item to the July 24^th meeting. Since the June meeting the Town engaged Peter A. Scotti & Associates to complete an appraisal of the property based on the Planning Board-recommended plan (summarized below), a modified version of that plan, and several other options developed by Union Studio and presented to the Planning Board.

Planning Board Recommendation: On May 1, 2023, the Planning Board’s motion approved on April 26^th on the redevelopment of the former Carmelite Monastery property at 25 Watson Avenue was presented to the Town Council. The motion was as follows:

Member Rua, seconded by Vice Chair Lucini, made a motion to recommend Concept Plan 2 for redevelopment at 25 Watson Avenue, that includes the following characteristics:

· The three lots to the south remain open space and are not developed.

· The pocket neighborhood is individually owned, via a condo association or single-family lots.

· The thru-road becomes a path, not a cut-through.

· There be a maximum of 10-12 units in the pocket neighborhood.

· There be two separate RFPs – one for the individual lots, one for the pocket neighborhood.

· Maintain Town control, such as deed restrictions or phased development.

· One of the lots and 25 percent of the pocket neighborhood be dedicated to low-to-moderate income (LMI) housing.

· Revise the lot lines for the lots on the south side, where the connecting road will not have vehicle access.

Motion carried unanimously.

The Town engaged Union Studio to develop illustrations of the Planning Board-recommended plan, as well as a plan with modifications that I requested (putting my “planner hat” on). These sketches were presented to the Council at a special meeting on August 30^th held at Barrington Middle School.

The Council to date has taken no formal action endorsing any development concept, including the one based on the Planning Board motion. Also, the Planning Board has not yet been presented with the concept that was revised based on my input.

I recommend:

1) Referring the modified Planning Board concept to the Planning Board for review and recommendations;

2) Approving up to $6,000 from the 25 Watson financing to cover the cost of design services to incorporate any additional changes recommended by the Planning Board and/or the Town Council.

More information:

· Union Studio’s presentation on the revised concepts, presented April 26^th: https://www.barrington.ri.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1117/23_0426-CMC-PB-Presentation?bidId=

· Appraisal by Peter A. Scotti & Associates

· Additional materials on 25 Watson: https://www.barrington.ri.gov/361/25-Watson-Avenue.

President Kustell stated we held a special meeting to review proposed drawings for the Watson Monastery property and received extended ideas that came from that meeting (such as more space on the north end of the property, a buffer on the north end). He said by the end of that meeting some residents came around to supporting a plan with less density, some more open space, age restricted units and home ownership. He said that this is positive development. He said that additional comments from the meeting included the need for senior housing, and some affordable housing.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

Paige Barber, 46 Clark Road, thanked President Kustell for providing smaller meetings which provided to hear everyone’s thoughts. She was pleased that there really is a general consensus that the current plan is headed in the right direction. She said that there is a concern with the 14 cottages and that one of the biggest concerns is the demolition of the monastery. She suggested a motion to set aside funds for a thorough exploration of the process, cost and responsibilities of the demolition. She said that she is concerned with the pocket neighborhood and the 14 houses with the accessibility of emergency vehicles, covered garages, snow and trash removal, storage and that this neighborhood is away from all the other services. She said that tonight, HousingWorks presented information that we should be building around our centers. This development has no sidewalks. This feels too dense but does this plan meet the needs of our seniors because they are worried that there should be single floor living and snow removal. She said that many of us are worried about Belton Court (Zion/ShineHarmony) and if some of our needs would be satisfied by that development. She said one other comment, the willingness to commit to selling the lots individually to individuals, owners, or developers and if one person could put them together and increase the density.

Mary Grenier, 10 Watson, is concerned about the demolition of the monastery. She said that we shouldn’t just look at the lowest bidder but let’s look at who has the best track record with safety protocols and that we should know if there is any asbestos after the demolition. (She was concerned with the recent demolition of the old gas station on County Road.) She discussed that neighbors living on Fremont Street have 14 units on top of them. She questioned the buildings on cottage courts.

Blaze Rein, 33 Waterway, echoed the comments (from Ms. Barber and Ms. Genier) in which he is concerned about transmit hubs commercial corridors, no bus line, and climate change and this specific site does not have those key elements in which Ms. Clements from HousingWorks discussed earlier this evening. He continued with his concern regarding runoff down paved surfaces on Fremont /Watson and how it will absorb into the soil and into the bay with different swales. He said that retainer walls won’t stop chemicals from fertilizer getting into our coastal wetlands and the bay. Mr. Rein said that housing was not the only part of the discussion the night of the FTM – the motion was:

“…fund the acquisition and preservation of the former Carmelite Monastery and the financing thereof through the issuance of general obligation bonds and or notes in the amount not to exceed $3,500,000.”

He questioned President Kustell, and made a point of clarification, that what was said, was factual relating to the list of funding opportunities that he had sent to the Town with other neighbors. He asked for confirmation does the motion from 2021 include a housing stipulation.

President Kustell pointed out that the purpose of the purchase of the building was to have 24 low-income rental units in the building and was to serve the purpose of housing. Discussion ensued regarding open space in which there is a place on the property for open space but the property was not purchased for pure open space.

COUNCIL COMMENTS:

Vice President Humm said that there were many salient points made at that meeting and he said that he is thrilled that we are at this point. He said that we will be sending this (proposal) back to the Planning Board to look at some of the changes such as ownership and treatment of open space, the open area that is adjacent to the cottages (in terms of enforcement standpoint, a liability standpoint and if a developer would be interested with an HOA with the cottage court. He said that he likes the idea in concept, especially if it is associated with senior housing, which has been identified as a need and some increased affordable housing in that area. But the questions that he had were whether that is the best use from an economically feasible standpoint with the area where those cottage courts are located or whether it would be better off for single family units in that area. He said that Councilwoman Conway had raised a good point at the last meeting about the impact of affordable housing. Vice President Humm said that it is his understanding that the cottage court proposal has 14 units and 4 of them are affordable, it is incremental if not a nominal increase to the affordable housing stock in town. But from an affordability housing standpoint, is it better to have the cottage court with 12-14 units and a certain percentage of them affordable or single-family houses, a little bit smaller, with fewer units with a certain percentage you would need to kind of bring it up to the affordable level, the 20% LMI or perhaps more. It is something to take a look at or the Planning Board to consider.

He discussed the highest value in terms of selling single family houses and if they were flipped, is that doable. He asked, does it matter from an economic standpoint, and what would that show. He said looking at the northwest side, west to northwest side of the open space, bordering Fremont there are a good number of trees. He questioned if there is a water view which could be of fairly high value and is it buildable in that location. He questioned whether there is an extra lot and how to maintain as much open space as possible. He suggested that the Planning Board take a look at the cottage court area as proposed with the concern that seniors would be living in that area and the concern with snow removal, a rooftop canopy for solar or to add solar coverage for cars so that they are not exposed to the elements. VP Humm continued his thoughts hypothetically with the current proposal with the five single family lots, there is four on Watson and there is one on Fremont – are these acceptable to the Planning Board. He questioned potentially developing or selling these properties in stages so that the town could recoup some of the carrying costs/purchase and acquisition costs. He said that it may be great to recoup some of the carrying fees but then you are committed and potentially you have a disjointed plan.

Councilman Cloutier discussed how people felt about the process and felt like the vote was rushed. He said that what struck him was that people don’t have any faith in the management process. But he hopes with the meetings we have held will restore our neighbor’s faith in this process moving forward and that everyone understands that your voice matters. He said we hear you and we are committed and transparent with this process.

Councilwoman Berard asked VP Humm his last thought for the Planning Board to consider abut selling potentially the five single lots recouping some of that cost while we sort of figure out the rest of the property. She said she is hoping in conjunction with the Planning Board, and with the Solicitors office if we could subdivide the property at a Financial Town Meeting, is that feasible.

Assistant Town Solicitor Goins said that their office has already discussed what the Town Manager would need for a motion to present at the Financial Town Meeting. She said that it would be specific enough that the electors know what they are approving while allowing the necessary allowance for a developer and additionally imposing ironclad restrictions on the property which can all be done through a purchase and sale agreement. She said that we will work with the administration.

President Kustell questioned the HOA versus a DPW maintenance aspect of the open space and would like input from the Planning Board. He said that he knows that our DPW department is pushed to its limit by trying to maintain the amount of open space fields, school property and tree maintenance. He mentioned the HOA and the number of units in the cottage courts but will follow up on that later with a revised plan – if the HOA would maintain that property. He questioned whether other people would be able to use that property who have not paid the HOA.

President Kustell mentioned the safety with the demolition of the building; there can be no compromise on safety and it can’t just be the lowest bidder. You must have the most qualified. His comments continued regarding the runoff issue and that we need the experts to weigh in on that issue.

President Kustell discussed housing and the capture program (half a million) in which we haven’t been able to spend those funds. He said that we may be able to address it with the new building but the new building has to be low enough in density and the right kind of building. He said that this proposal that was from the Planning Board, tweaked by the Town Manager, is a good one. He said that it emphasizes home ownership and how open space doesn’t’ necessarily mean it is just an open park and we must think about the issue deeply. He said that some of these issues may be resolved with an RFP.

Town Manager Hervey stated that the cottage would be for those 55 and over and would be the first home ownership, senior housing in town. He said that this would be an increase if you count the Barrington Cove apartments (60 units) and it would be an increase by 23% over the 60 units that we have now and senior housing.

President Kustell said whatever happens with Zion we will still have a deficit with affordable housing. He said that we are cognizant of the effects on our school. But some of the single-family homes will have children, and to some degree, you age restrict with senior housing and don’t overload a particular neighborhood with children; you need that balance. If this property were sold to a private developer, we would have less control.

Resilience and Energy Chair Dr. Thorsson said that he had not heard anyone mention renewable energy in addition to the solar panels that were mentioned. He said that Barrington’s leadership should prioritize net-zero buildings at 25 Watson and he would like it to be aligned with the Town’s ratified Resilience Policy (Town Council will make energy efficiency, carbon emissions reduction, and renewable energy choices top priorities. Through such actions Barrington will reduce its carbon footprint and become a more sustainable and resilient community.) He expressed a concern that if we do not begin with a net zero resilient building (although construction costs are slightly higher they are highly-efficient, leading to reduced energy consumption and lower utility bills along with solar panels and battery storage, a reduced reliance on fossil fuels and equipped to withstand power outages) from the get-go it will be a major expense to the Town and they are designed to have a minimal carbon footprint, with reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Mary Grenier, 10 Watson Avenue, discussed the affordable count with the number of units, 14. She stated that her concern is that it appears to be so crowded on one and a half acres.

Discussion ensued regarding one developer to build the affordable units and senior housing.

The initial motion was made by President Kustell and seconded by Vice President Humm:

Motion 1: Refer the sketches by Union Studio of development at 25 Watson Avenue illustrating 14 cottage units and five single-family lots to request that the Planning Board significantly increasing the buffer along the entire north side of the property without decreasing the number of affordable units in the revised plan.

Councilman Cloutier asked if President Kustell would amend his motion:

“Illustrating 14 cottage units to illustrating between 10-14 cottage units”

President Kustell questioned if the total number of units be decreased and increase the number of affordable units to the lower end of the 10-14?

President Kustell asked, should the total number of units be decreased and that we would increase the number of affordable units to the lower end of the 10-14.

Amended Motion 1: by President Kustell and second by Councilman Cloutier Refer the sketches by Union Studio of development at 25 Watson Avenue illustrating between 10-14 cottage units and five single-family lots request that the Planning Board significantly increase the buffer along the entire north side of the property and that the Planning Board decrease the total number of units but increase the number of affordable units. (See below motion amended.)

Assistant Town Solicitor Goins suggested the 20% LMI ratio be maintained.

Amended Motion 1: by President Kustell and second by Councilman Cloutier to refer the sketches by Union Studio of development at 25 Watson Avenue illustrating between 10-14 cottage units and five single-family lots and request that the Planning Board significantly increase the buffer along the entire north side of the property and that the Planning Board decrease the total number of units but increase the number of affordable units and that the minimum 20% LMI ratio be maintained. The motion passed in favor 4-0-0-1, President Kustell, Vice President Humm, Councilwoman Berard, and Councilman Cloutier, no one opposed, no recusals and one (1) abstention, Councilwoman Conway (absent).

Motion 2: by President Kustell and seconded by Vice President Humm to approve $6,000* for architectural services to engage Union Studio to revise the conceptual plans for 25 Watson based on input from the Planning Board. (See amended motion below.)

Councilman Braxton suggested amending the motion to include open space, parking, sidewalks. President Kustell suggested that it could be a separate motion because he point is that he wanted them to make the drawing.

Councilman Cloutier said that he has concerns about open space and parking because of density. He said we are reducing density. He said that he has a concern about walkability and would like these plans to have this more apparent with more detail rather than one large drawing but several drawings so that people can see the concept more concretely with more details.

Assistant Solicitor Goins suggested that the Planning Board understands and the Planner Teresa Crean and she will convey this to the Planning Board. She said that the minutes will reflect that you would like the Planning Board to take a close look and then Union Studio will take their charge from the Planning Board and sketch it out.

Town Manager Hervey suggested amending the second motion by adding $10,000* for architectural services (not a total of $16,000*).

(superseding not supplemental*) Amend Motion 2: by President Kustell and seconded by Vice President Humm to approve $10,000* for professional consultant services to engage Union Studio and other experts as needed to revise the conceptual plans for 25 Watson based on input from the Planning Board. (See below with a withdrawal and amended motion.)

Councilwoman Berard stated for the record that it’s a little premature to spend the additional funds on the details, although it is important this may be the next step in tweaking. She said that specificity is important she does not want to spend $10,000 on this revision and $10,000 on another.

Discussion ensued regarding cost consciousness among the Council.

Councilman Cloutier understands his colleague, Councilwoman Berard concerns.

President Kustell withdrew his motion and amended with the following:

Motion by President Kustell and seconded by Councilman Cloutier to approve $10,000 to engage Union Studio and other services to revise the conceptual plans for 25 Watson based upon the input from the Planning Board.

Vice President Humm stated that he will approve the motion, $10,000, because he has worked with the Manager and the staff and that they are incredibly cost conscious in almost every instance they come below the approved amounts.

Councilwoman Berard said that she can tell by the tenor that this motion will pass but maybe the specificity doesn’t have to come at this time – she doesn’t want to have to work trees every minute.

The motion passed in favor 3-1-0-1, President Kustell, Vice President Humm, and Councilman Cloutier, one (1) opposed, Councilwoman Berard, no recusals and one (1) abstention, Councilwoman Conway (absent).

AGENDA ITEM # 21: DISCUSS AND ACT: POLICY BRIEF – ACTIONS TO MITIGATE NOISE POLLUTION FOR HEALTH AND WELLNESS OF BARRINGTON (M. THORSSON)

TM Comment: Magnus Thorsson, Chair of the Resilience and Energy Committee, has submitted a memorandum on behalf of the Committee with a bullet list of recommended action items, including several impacting Town operations such as having Public Works do a pilot test of battery string trimmers and blowers, and to transition maintenance equipment to battery-powered electric over the next three years. (The Town is currently working on testing this type of equipment, so we’ll have a better understanding of what options are available and whether they could be used by DPW on a regular basis.)

Other recommendations include a ban on the use of “small off-road engines” and comply with a 70 dB maximum allowable noise level (required of the Town and contractors by 1/1/26, and all residents and businesses by 1/1/27).

The memo also suggests amendments to the Town’s noise ordinance.

There is a lot in this memorandum. I recommend referral to the Administration for a follow-up report to the Council on the recommended action items. Input from the Solicitor will be needed. It will require some research by the Town; we should be able to pull together a report for the Council for review at the November meeting.

Resilience and Energy Chair Dr. Magnus Thorsson was present to discuss his policy brief regarding actions to mitigate noise pollution for the health and wellness of Barrington. He mentioned the procurement of a resolution which counselors agreed that aggressive mandates for replacing fossil fuel equipment with electric and battery-operated equipment was in order. He said that they agreed that fossil fuel vehicles are more expensive to operate with more moving parts and a higher cost of fuel. And, he said that it was resolved that Barrington leaders support transformative creative solutions that meet the challenge of the climate crisis and replace equipment within the town’s boundaries with equipment powered by renewable clean energy sources.

Dr. Thorsson referred to his brief (attached within Clerkbase) and stated that at the July meeting of the Resilience and Energy Committee, they unanimously voted to recommend actions to mitigate the harmful impacts of small off-road engine (SORE) noise on residents, children and the elderly.

Motion was made to recommend that TC enforce existing ordinances and enact strategies to phase out the use of small off-road engines (SORE) by January 1, 2027; in a cost-effective and technologically feasible way, establishing goals to control local noise pollution; and identify actions to meet those goals.

Dr. Thorsson offered the following information as is summarized in his brief (attached in Clerkbase):

Safeguarding taxpayer health and wellbeing by addressing the deleterious effect of noise pollution from SORE. SORE includes off-road spark-ignition gasoline engines that produce 25 horsepower or less. The small engines are designed to operate at high rpm producing a loud, monotonous noise that causes damage to health including hearing loss, cardiovascular morbidity, and mortality[2].

And he defined noise pollution as follows:

Noise pollution is any harmful or annoying noise that interferes with normal activities such as sleeping, conversation, or disrupts or diminishes one’s quality of life. SOREs produce low-frequency, wall-penetrating sound, at levels as high as 120 dB endangering the health and wellbeing of residents[3].

Dr. Thorsson discussed an interview from Jeffrey Poland (Resilience & Energy Fellow) with Brown University’s Ground Superintendent in which he said that they have made successful transitions to EV lawn equipment because it has proven to be more efficient and maintains comparable power and output to their gas-powered counterpart.

Dr. Thorsson discussed the following,

Recommendations:

The following seven recommendations under the purview of the R&E committee were reviewed and unanimously approved as presented here.

1. Direct Town Manager to explore additional funding from State, Federal and philanthropic sources to augment taxpayer contribution of $25,000 for SORE buy-back-program to be continued.

2. Develop a plan to transition DPW grounds maintenance equipment to battery electric over the next three years with clear and detailed goals and annual progress report.

3. Fund a pilot to purchase suitable string trimmer and blower to test with DPW. Cost not to exceed $2,000.00 including sufficient batteries for 8-hour operation.

4. By January 1, 2026, the Town and contractors operating in Barrington will have to phase out the use of SORE and comply with the 70 dB maximum allowable noise pollution.

5. By January 1, 2027, residents and businesses must comply with a 70 dB noise ordinance.

6. Amend the noise ordinance exceptions noted in section H, “The emission of sound relative to permitted construction, demolition, and normal maintenance activities, such as the use of power tools, lawn mowing, leaf blowing, tree cutting, and the like, from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.”

7. Proposed exception: Emission of noise relative to property maintenance using equipment with an operating range exceeding 70 dB, lawn mowing, leaf blowing, tree cutting, and the like, will be permitted only between the hours of 9:00AM – 5:00 PM after January 1, 2024. Seasonal ban on leaf blowers and string trimmers to be in effect from May 15 through September 30 and from December 15 through March 15 annually on any powered equipment above 70 dB.

President Kustell thanked Dr. Thorsson and said that the Council will consider and if this is something the Town Manager, along with legal counsel, they will consider the mechanics due to the question of enforcement and legalities. He said that he agreed with Dr. Thorsson on the question of costs.

Councilwoman Berard said that there are two items that we can look at, the buyback extension to be explored without much input and the pilot field test at no cost. She said that we are in the position, from her understanding, to make efforts to change town use then to mandate expenditures by people who live in town for different types of items.

Vice President Humm said that he strongly supports these goals, but he said that he has concerns, and will state for the record, that he will support the motion, which is in our materials, and to refer it to our administration for recommendations. He said that he strongly opposes a ban on the small off-road engines and not as a general proposition but the town doing so in isolation, in his perspective, he thinks that is a state issue and not a town issue. He said that he thinks that it would impact, although he does not have any input on landscapers’ construction companies that work in town. He said that he thinks it would be immensely harmful and probably put some out of business or at least put them away from the town and therefore impact the residents. He said that he appreciates that the materials indicated that the state is already looking at legislation. He said that his position with respect to that is to allow the state process to unfold. He said that he thinks that the state will end up passing something in that regard. But he does not think that a town in isolation should, even though he still views our town as a leader, with respect to policies and initiatives. He said, for the record, that he could not support the ban at the town level.

Dr. Thorsson stated that he spoke to business owners, and they said that their businesses have skyrocketed. He also said that many Barringtonians would be in support of this because of the noise etc. He said that he could provide more medical data. But he said that this is not just about noise.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

Paige Barber, 46 Clark Road, said that she is excited about the idea and hopes that we move away from noise pollution as she spoke about her mother when she was bedridden, and the sound of the leaf blowers was so annoying. She said that she would love to see the town support this change because it makes for a health and financial sense. She said that she is thinking of contacting her landscaper and buying one for him.

George Voutes, 24 Fairway Drive, said that he commends Dr. Thorsson for bringing this to your attention. He said that we are being assaulted with these machines. It is out of control. He implored the Council to approve hours of operation with limitations on a seasonal ban on these destructive two stroke powered lawn equipment, especially gas-powered leaf blowers, string trimmers and hedge trimmers. He stated that if you are not comfortable moving forward with a ban on these pieces of equipment that he just listed, that you may consider that hundreds of other states/cities/towns have controls in place and some with very aggressive restrictions; some with jail time for using this equipment.

President Kustell said that he found a lot of the comments compelling, but he would draw the line at jail time.

Motion by Councilwoman Berard and seconded by Councilman Cloutier to refer to the Administration for a follow-up report and recommendations the July 27, 2023, Policy Brief from Magnus Thorsson, Chair of the Resilience and Energy Committee, RE: Actions to mitigate noise pollution for health and wellness of Barrington.

AGENDA ITEM #22: DISCUSS AND ACT: COMMUNITY CENTER COMPACT

TM Comment: The Town of Barrington has the potential to receive an allocation of $691,369 Multipurpose Community Facilities Municipal Grant from the Rhode Island Capital Projects Fund (CPF). There is no local match requirement. This preliminary allocation is based on a funding formula approved by the U.S. Treasury to distribute $81,720,129 awarded to the State to support local “multipurpose community center” projects.

The application for this funding is due by October 10, 2023, by 11:59 p.m. One of the requirements is for the Town to sign a Rhode Island Community Learning Center Compact as an addendum to the Learn365RI compact, which the Town previously signed. (The Town has been awarded a $50,000 Learn365 grant to fund out-of-school learning initiatives; we are working with the Schools to implement the program, which will be based at the Bay Spring Community Center.)

A challenge for the Town is to comply with the requirement that funds from the CPF grant must be expended and programs operational by December 31, 2026. If the funds are not spent by that date with programs up and running, the Town would have to repay 100% of the grant allocation. There are no exceptions to that requirement.

A municipal building that is a great candidate for this funding is the Bay Spring Community Center (BSCC). The funds alone are insufficient to build a new facility. Expansion and renovation of the BSCC is feasible. In addition, the Friends of the Bay Spring Community Center and the Town have begun discussing how to make better use of the building, which the Resilience and Energy Committee has identified as the location of a new “Resilience Education Center.”

The Town also has moved one of its summer camps to the BSCC, and several Boards and Commissions meet there on a regular basis. It will be the location of after-school programs funded with the Learn365RI grant mentioned above.

The Multipurpose Community Facilities Municipal Grant will require the Town to make at least a portion of the building available to the public on normal weekday hours for two main purposes – health monitoring and a jobs component. The Town would need to figure out how to staff the building to comply with this requirement. This could involve creating a new position, possibly part-time, and/or utilizing existing staff to keep the building operating during weekdays. These programs must be running at the facility for at least five years upon closeout of the grant.

Requesting Council approval to sign the Rhode Island Community Learning Center Compact for a Multipurpose Community Facilities Municipal grant-funded project at the Bay Spring Community Center.

Town Manager Hervey was present to discuss a Community Center Compact with a potential to receive an allocation of $691,369 Multipurpose Community Facilities Municipal Grant from the Rhode Island Capital Projects Fund (CPF). There is no local match requirement. This preliminary allocation is based on a funding formula approved by the U.S. Treasury to distribute $81,720,129 awarded to the State to support local “multipurpose community center” projects.

TM Hervey said that the number could go up if other towns do not get approved for this or if they do not proceed with the proposal. He said that the application in order to receive the funds is due on October 10^th by midnight. He stated that the requirement is for the town to sign a Rhode Island Community Learning Center compact as an addendum to the Learn 365 in which we have already signed and the town will be receiving $50,000 grant from the State to fund out of school learning activities. He stated that the proposal has those activities based at the Bay Spring Community Center and we will be partnering with the school department to develop the program(s).

TM Hervey said that one of the stipulations of this funding is that there is a deadline of December 31^st, 2026 that construction project and the program must be fully up and running by that time. He said that if we do not meet that deadline then we would need to repay all of the money back with no exceptions.

TM Hervey stated that the Bay Spring Community Center is a great facility with enough money to have a major impact at this small facility. Lately, said TM Hervey, we are utilizing the BSCC with different user groups, including a new summer camp and the Resilience and Energy Committee has proposed turning this into a resilience education center. He said that it needs the authorization of the Town Council.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

Janine Wolf, 5 Atlantic Crossing, said that it is a Treasury Department program. She said she believes that this program would not benefit us with the facilities increase that we are required to create – a health monitoring – job search component which would eat into what we could use at the community center for project programs that are more relevant and more in tune with the needs of Barrington residents. She said it would need to be staffed with two roles.

Ms. Wolf stated that she finds the health monitoring component highly troubling in the age of health emergency announcements/pronouncement that we seem to be getting regularly. She said she has no idea what that could be.

Ms. Wolf said that she went to the website and could not find any information on what the equirement would be and what is expected. She questioned what kind of things they are monitoring, is it some kind of passporting health program and we will have to check on people’s vaccine status in order to use the community center. She suggested that somebody needs to research the specifics.

TM Hervey said that the health monitoring is not checking on vaccines. He said that it is to provide space for a telehealth provider or an interviewer with a potential employer who would interview for a job applicant and must be available to the general public during normal working hours. This would be a real benefit to the building. He said that as far as staffing, we are looking at creative ideas such that the library is very interested with a part-time presence. He said that we must make sure that the building is open during working hours, five days a week.

TM Hervey stated that the building has structural challenges and he believes the funding will be able to address these needs.

Councilwoman Berard commented that her children benefited from the camp program although the interior could use some attention. Discussion ensued regarding the usage during the camp program.

TM Hervey stated that it is important that we meet the objectives since we can be audited at any time (open 5 days a week and provide a space) but after 5 years those requirements go away.

Motion by Vice President Humm and seconded by Councilman Cloutier to authorize the Town Manager to sign the Rhode Island Community Learning Center Compact for a Multipurpose Community Facility project at the Bay Spring Community Center.

Councilwoman Berard questioned the playground equipment and if it will be re-located in the future.

TM Hervey said that we will have a better idea once we have an architectural study completed with a vision, engaging stakeholders and there will be a better game plan, which is next on the agenda. The motion passed in favor 4-0-0-1, President Kustell, Vice President Humm, Councilwoman Berard, and Councilman Cloutier, no one opposed, no recusals and one (1) abstention, Councilwoman Conway (absent).

AGENDA ITEM #23: DISCUSS AND ACT: ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES FOR BAY SPRING COMMUNITY CENTER COMPACT PROJECT

TM Comment: The Town reached out to Brewster-Thornton Group Architects of Providence for a proposal to complete conceptual plans, along with a community engagement process, for the Multipurpose Community Facility project as described in the previous agenda item.

Brewster-Thornton is on a State Master Price Agreement (Contract # MPA 494A) for architectural services. The Town hired the firm to design and oversee the renovation of the Center for Adult Enrichment (Senior Center) and TAPIN, as well as the replacement of the Peck Center roof. The projects were completed on time and within budget.

The Cost Proposal covers the initial scoping phase; additional fees will be required at a later date should the Town decide to proceed with the project. We will not sign a contract until we receive official notice of the grant award, expected in October. The Town will also be reaching out to a facilitator to assist with community engagement, as this is a critical component of the grant program. (No Council action needed for the facilitator funding.)

If the Town opts to do this project using the grant funds, these costs will be covered by the grant. On the other hand, if the Town decides against moving ahead after going through this process, the Town will have to cover the cost. There is sufficient balance, about $40,000, in the Bay Spring Community Center Capital Reserve account to cover this cost if needed. Given that this is an opportunity for almost $700,000 of grant funds with no local match, I recommend authorizing the Town to engage the architect, subject to notice from the State that the Town’s grant application has been approved.

Town Manager Hervey discussed the proposal for conceptual plans for the Multipurpose Community Facility project as described in the previous agenda item.

Motion: by President Kustell and seconded by Vice President Humm to approve engaging Brewster-Thornton Group Architects of Providence to provide architectural services in support of the development of a building program for a Multipurpose Community Facility project at the Bay Spring Community Center, at a cost of $19,300.

TM Hervey stated that this is contingent on receiving the funds as discussed in agenda item # 22 and therefore will not sign the contract until we receive official notice of receiving the grant.

Amended Motion: by President Kustell and seconded by Vice President Humm to approve engaging Brewster-Thornton Group Architects of Providence to provide architectural services in support of the development of a building program for a Multipurpose Community Facility project at the Bay Spring Community Center, at a cost of $19,300, contingent on receiving the grant regarding Rhode Island Community Learning Center Compact for a Multipurpose Community Facility project at the Bay Spring Community Center. The motion passed in favor 4-0-0-1, President Kustell, Vice President Humm, Councilwoman Berard, and Councilman Cloutier, no one opposed, no recusals and one (1) abstention, Councilwoman Conway (absent).

AGENDA ITEM #24: DISCUSS AND ACT: A-FRAME SIGNAGE

TM Comment: Vice President Humm is requesting a review of and potential amendments to the A-Frame signage requirements in the Town’s Zoning Ordinance. A review of the A-Frame sign regulations makes sense, as very few businesses have taken advantage of this option. The requirements, I believe, are overly strict and do not work for some businesses given their unique circumstances.

If the Council would like to revisit these regulations, input from the Planning Board is required. The Technical Review Committee (TRC) and Economic Development Commission (EDC) will also need to be involved.

Vice President Humm discussed the history with a passage of an ordinance regarding A-frame signs. He commented that the ordinance may be too restrictive. He commented that it may impact some businesses differently than it impacts other businesses. He discussed the location of these signs and the unique circumstances of why an A-frame sign would be helpful to the business (Blue Water Grill which is not located in an area surrounded by other like businesses and the help that an A-frame sign would be to the business.)

VP Humm proposed a two-part motion.

Motion 1: by Vice President Humm and Councilman Cloutier to refer the review of the A-frame sign and ordinance to the Economic Development Commission, Planning Board and Technical Review Commission for potential amendments to the A-frame sign ordinance and the viability of that ordinance. The motion passed in favor 4-0-0-1, President Kustell, Vice President Humm, Councilwoman Berard, and Councilman Cloutier, no one opposed, no recusals and one (1) abstention, Councilwoman Conway (absent).

Motion 2: by Vice President Humm and seconded by Councilman Cloutier to temporarily suspend the enforcement of the A-frame sign ordinance while it is under review by those town boards identified in Motion 1.

Discussion ensued regarding the town administration will work alongside the businesses.

Discussion ensued regarding enforcement. Solicitor Goins discussed enforcement is usually at the discretion of the manager subject to any specific direction from the council – normally council does not get involved in specific enforcement issues. But by phrasing the motion in a general way where it is not specific to one business and the motion refers to the general category of an A-frame sign that would be permissible. Discussion ensued regarding safety concerns with the location of the sign (signage should not endanger or prevent wheelchair access etc.)

Amend Motion 2: by Vice President Humm and seconded by Councilman Cloutier to direct the Town Manager/Administration to suspend the enforcement of the A-frame sign ordinance except for public safety issues as determined by the Town Manager while it is under review by those town boards identified in Motion 1.

AGENDA ITEM #25: DISCUSS AND ACT: BANNER PROGRAM

TM Comment: President Kustell is requesting a review of the Town’s lamppost banner program. The Council several years ago approved adding banners to the lampposts on County Road and Maple Avenue. The banners are installed and removed by Public Works. The Barrington Business and Community Association (BBCA) has raised funding by providing space for business names and logos on banners it purchases, a concept that was approved by the Council. The banners on the poles now are the BBCA’s.

The Town on one or two occasions paid for and installed its own banners. The School Department during Covid placed banners with names of all of the graduating seniors. Most recently, the Town installed banners designed and funded by the Barrington United Veterans with the names and insignias of the applicable military branch of veterans who died during conflict. The Town intends to have these banners on display each year for several weeks around Memorial Day.

I have noticed that several of the banners are blocking views of the new wayfinding signs – those will need to be adjusted at some point in the future.

Changes to the banner program should include input from the EDC, BBCA, TRC and the Planning Board.

President Kustell said that we have had a banner program for over 10 years. He said that a resident reached out to him and they took a ride on County Road. He said that you see the lovely greenery, flower baskets and a beautiful Town Hall but then we have these many banners. They are all very different, with different colors and it is such a distraction. The resident said to him now picture the view without the banners.

President Kustell proposed retiring the banner program. He discussed that you see them for the first couple of days but then they become blurred in your mind, and they kind of pollute the natural environment to some degree. He commented that the Veterans’ banners that are installed around Memorial Day seem more uniform and when the schools commemorated the seniors (during Covid) that was a very nice touch and made an impact. He said perpetually leaving them up doesn’t serve the interest and actually detracts from the natural beauty of the town.

President Kustell stated that he would like to continue the Veterans’ banners or if we have special events in Town. He said that he would refer this out and get a broader set of opinions.

COUNCIL COMMENT:

Councilman Cloutier said that he would disagree with the proposition that it has run its course. He said we just discussed the Big Brother Big Sisters Program and if we placed a bin on one side of the town then those from the other side would need to come here to this side of town in order to donate their items. He said that when people venture out and do come to the busier section of town they are reminded of the different businesses in town and the limited number that we have. He said that County Road is a major thoroughfare and as he went to college he would come to town and see the banners. He said that he still continues to see the banners. He disagrees that it is like a billboard, they are small, and he thinks they should stay.

Councilwoman Berard said she thinks it is a little overkill. She said she likes the idea of the specialness with the Veterans’ banners, and she said she pays attention to those. But she said she feels the street scene is cluttered and described that the sidewalks are narrow and can’t walk down them. Then she said we have flowers, and they have a sign, and they are not uniform. She said that we are having a lot of different conversations about advertising. She said we have had discussions as to what the aesthetic looks like and she would be in favor of referring it out. She said that she would be interested in what the businesses say since they seem to be the big driver.

President Kustell said that he stated his opinion but would like to refer it out and rather not cut off the deliberative process at this phase.

Vice President Humm said that he would look forward to the feedback on the banner program.

Councilwoman Berard stated that she hopes part of this conversation is another way to identify and share the business with our community whether that is part of a newsletter or different ways of communication. She said that it is free advertisement for the businesses. But she said if we can think of a way that is maybe more suitable or reaches more people or does it in a different way.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

Brian Thimmes, Blue Water Grill, said that the businesses do pay for the banners over $500.

Matt Amaral, 6 Broadview Road, said that it is his understanding that they are put up once a year of a cost of $500. It is a fundraiser for the business association, and it was put in place by Lois Coppolino from Daisy Dig’ns over 10 years ago. He mentioned that the banners were more uniform, and they would focus on the call for action for the businesses to shop and dine versus a logo with a nautical feeling. He said that they do serve a purpose. But during Covid it was suggested to recognize our Veterans’ and our seniors, but he said that this is a lot of work for the Public Works Department. He said that the businesses did sponsor the Town’s 300^th Anniversary. But there are ways that the program can be restructured.

Motion by President Kustell and seconded by Vice President Humm to refer the banner program to the Economic Development Commission, the Barrington Business Community Association, Technical Review Committee and the Planning Board for comment on a potential retirement of the BBCA commercial banner program for the purpose of improving the beautification and to use the banner holders for special events or occasions such as banners displayed annually in May for honoring service members leading up to Memorial Day. Pursuant to this motion the Council requests that the named commissions consider alternative designs, potential new banners or other ways to promote businesses in Town. The motion passed in favor 3-1-0-1, President Kustell, Vice President Humm, Councilwoman Berard, one (1) opposed, Councilman Cloutier, no recusals and one (1) abstention, Councilwoman Conway (absent).

AGENDA ITEM #26: DISCUSS AND ACT: EXPEDITED MASSASOIT SIDEWALK CONSTRUCTION

TM Comment: Added to the agenda by President Kustell. The State’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) includes construction of a new sidewalk on Massasoit Avenue, filling in the gap between Woodward and Arvin Avenues. The Town has received many calls over the years from residents concerned about pedestrian and cyclist safety on this street, which is a critical connection for students in Hampden Meadows walking and biking to and from school. The construction of the sidewalk is a high priority project in the Town’s Complete Streets Plan.

The State TIP (excerpt below) has this project scheduled for funding starting in 2026; last year of funding is 2029. Construction would happen sometime between 2026 and 2029.

STIP Program	Active Transportation Program
TIP ID	1474
Project Name	Massasoit Ave Sidewalk (Woodward Ave. to Arvin Ave.)
Project Description	New and upgraded sidewalks along Massassoit Avenue from Woodward Avenue to Arvin Avenue. This project will include drainage improvements if necessary, and will be coordinated with TIPID 1473.
First Year of Funding	2026
Last Year of Funding	2029
Construction Funding	$800,000

The Council could formally request the State to amend the TIP to speed up construction. The State can consider amendments to the TIP as part of a formal process. The motion below includes a blank for the Council to fill in. Note that the project will first need to be funded, prior to the engineering phase and then construction.

President Kustell discussed a recent accident on Massasoit in which a child was hit by a car but luckily is okay but there have been multiple accidents near or at this location. He said that it took place near the bridge where there are no sidewalks. He said that we are scheduled for construction in 2026 but we wouldn’t see construction in this section until 2027. President Kustell stated that he has been in touch with Senator Lauria and Representative Knight, and they said that there is a process whereby the legislature can play a role in expediting this sidewalk project. He said that he spoke with Solicitor Ursillo, and he stated that the council could adopt a resolution and that should be sufficient.

Motion: by President Kustell and seconded by vice President Humm To request the State to amend the Transportation Improvement Program to expedite construction of the Massasoit Avenue Sidewalk, TIP Project 1474. The motion passed in favor 4-0-0-1, President Kustell, Vice President Humm, Councilwoman Berard, and Councilman Cloutier, no one opposed, no recusals and one (1) abstention, Councilwoman Conway (absent).

AGENDA ITEM #27: DISCUSS AND ACT: COUNCIL GOAL-SETTING SESSION

TM Comment: The Council at previous meetings indicated an interest in scheduling a goal-setting session. The last one was in 2022 at Barrington Middle School, facilitated by Emily Morash with a budget of $1,500. This fall would be a good time of year to have the session, as this would be prior to the development of FY2024 budget.

Discussion ensued with a goal setting session in the month of October and that at a previous meeting of the Council a designated amount of funds was voted to pay for a facilitator.

Motion: by President Kustell and seconded by Councilman Cloutier to schedule a Council Goal-Setting Session during the month of October but not the last week, contingent upon that at a previous meeting a motion had not been approved of up to $1,500 from Council Contingency for a facilitator. The motion passed in favor 4-0-0-1, President Kustell, Vice President Humm, Councilwoman Berard, and Councilman Cloutier, no one opposed, no recusals and one (1) abstention, Councilwoman Conway (absent).

AGENDA ITEM #28: DISCUSS AND ACT: RECREATION FIELDS AND FACILITIES (R. HUMM)

TM Comment: This has been a standing agenda item. The Town is continuing to work on the questions in the Council motion passed at the January 10^th meeting “to explore, on separate but parallel tracks:

1. whether to build a recreation center in Barrington;

2. whether to install a synthetic turf field in Barrington; and,

3. ways to improve the overall maintenance of Barrington’s fields, including whether to develop a dedicated field maintenance team.”

The motion further stated the Town should include the following action items (updates in bold):

1. Sending out a survey to residents asking questions and opinions regarding each of the three issues; [Comment: The Town posted an online survey on January 13^th, which was active through February 17^th. The survey generated a total of 787 responses. (Discussed in greater detail in the materials provided to the Council for the March meeting)]

2. Referring the three issues to all of the Boards and Commissions listed on page 32 of the “Improving Barrington’s Fields and Recreational Facilities” presentation from the January 9, 2023 Town Council meeting, including the School Committee, and in addition to the Conservation Commission and any other appropriate Board or Commission; [Comment: The only comments received to date are from the Economic Development Commission, which passed motions at two separate meetings.

At the Feb. 27^th EDC meeting, the Commission passed a motion recommending the Town make every responsible effort to secure a large enough parcel of land to support a plan for new athletic fields and recreation center with consideration to sell 25 Watson to offset the acquisition of the entire Zion property for that purpose and other uses consistent with the Town’s master plan. Motion carried (7 in favor of motion, no opposition).

At the January 19^th EDC meeting, the Commission discussed the newest conceptual plan for the development of the Zion site and consideration of the Town to acquire space for a Recreation Center. The EDC unanimously (9-0) passed the following motion: “The EDC is requesting the Town Council provide a review and comment of drafted survey prior to its release to insure inclusivity of all communities within Barrington and economic impact with consideration to acquire space for a recreation center to help further discussion of the following items:

1. whether to build a recreation center in Barrington;

2. whether to install a synthetic turf field in Barrington; and,

3. ways to improve the overall maintenance of Barrington’s fields, including whether to develop a dedicated field maintenance team.”

3. Holding public workshops to discuss and develop the three issues for public awareness and to solicit public feedback; [Comment: The Council has held two workshops, on February 1^st (fields and rec center discussion) and on April 19^th (specifically on the recreation center/fieldhouse concept. The Council also toured several athletic fields with Traverse on Saturday, August 12, visiting the High School athletics complex, St. Andrew’s Farm, and Barrington Middle School.]

4. Commissioning preliminary, efficient, and cost-effective studies by consultants to review the issues involving a recreation center and synthetic turf field, including engineering and other technical studies, feasibility studies, traffic studies, or other reasonable and cost-effective preliminary studies; and, [Comment: The Town has engaged Victus Advisors to complete a Recreation Center/Field House Feasibility Study, and Traverse, a Providence landscape architecture firm, to complete an Athletic Fields Condition and Needs Analysis. Victus will be in Barrington this week (June 7 and 8) to visit sites, meet with the Town, and conduct stakeholder interviews. The Town had a kickoff meeting recently with Traverse to discuss the scope and schedule.

5. Obtaining more information on potential locations for a recreation center and synthetic turf field. [Comment: this question will be examined in the recreation center/fieldhouse study, mentioned above]

Field House/Rec Center Update

Victus in August received input from the Town on its draft “Interim Report”. This report includes the following:

1. Introduction

2. Demographic & Socioeconomic Analysis

3. Local Sports/Recreation Program & Facility Inventory

4. Interview Summaries:

A. Stakeholders

B. User Groups

5. Comparable Sports/Recreation Center & Trends Analysis 38

6. Market Demand Assessment & Building Program Recommendations

7. Initial Site Analysis

8. Next Steps

Victus emailed the Town on Sept. 7^th with the following update on the project status:

Completed

Kickoff Meetings, Site Tours & Stakeholder Interviews

Demographic & Socioeconomic Analysis

Local Sports/Recreation Program & Facility Inventory

Comparable Sports/Recreation Center & Trends Analysis

Initial Site Analysis

Develop Market Feasibility Results & Initial Program Recommendations

Present Deliverable - Market Feasibility Results & Initial Program Demand

In Progress

Detailed Site Analysis

Initial Building Program Development

Facility Operating Pro Forma Modeling

Next Steps

Complete Financial Pro Forma

Complete Funding Options & PPP Analysis

Complete Building Concept & Site Plans

Complete Building Cost Estimate

Submit Full Draft Report

Public Presentation in Barrington for Community Feedback

Present Full Final Report to Town Council

The schedule calls for the final report to be delivered in October; however, the analysis of the gym/classroom building at Zion (previous agenda item) may push back that date.

Fields Analysis Update

Update from Traverse (last updated in late July):

1. Kick-off meeting and field tours completed.

2. Site visits are about 60% complete. Traverse still has to complete its site visits to review all facilities. Tom Irwin Advisors (subconsultant) has completed the initial surveys to get soil samples out as quickly as possible.

4. Traverse has met with user groups and will start to compile the information into a list of meeting minutes.

5. The above information will be used to compile the usage study and some other recommendations.

6. Traverse is planning to have another sit-down with DPW to review some of the findings from the user groups and get some feedback on maintenance practices.

7. Traverse will be reviewing and commenting on the Haines Park field improvements project drawings by Kevin Alverson.

8. Meeting with Victus next week to share information.

9. Traverse is prepared to set up field tours, preferably in early August. (Note – Council held field tours on August 12)

Traverse has started the following:

1. Building CAD base plans including constraints for every site for development of recommendations. This will help determine the exact square footage available in town.

2. Building the hours of use model for the field usage study.

Art Eddy of Traverse: “We are still in the investigation stage of the project but, we have started to develop some opinions that we believe will lead to a recommendations list and a plan to move forward.”

Vice President Humm discussed additional details regarding the field house feasibility study which was covered in the draft report. He said that we have expanded what you see in our materials (TM memo) to include the review of the gym at the Zion Property. He said that we are expecting a report in October and approved no later than November this evening.

Vice President Humm stated that the tour of the fields (August 12, 2023) was extremely valuable and informative and thought that the field consultant was very good. He said that we should get a report around the same timeframe, October discussing the field maintenance an opportunity to improve field maintenance including management of the fields and things of that nature; and thoughts on the potential for synthetic turf in town and narrowing down locations where that may be a viable option.

Vice President Humm said that he received an update after the memo went out from the Fields Consultant. They are 90% complete on phase I part of the project due diligence and site assessments and they are about 40% on phase II the feasibility and alternative analysis. He said they are expected to produce a draft report this month.

Motion: No motion.

OUT OF ORDER:

AGENDA ITEM #32. PUBLIC COMMENT (MAXIMUM 3-MINUTE STATEMENT)

To the public: This agenda item is for members of the public to speak regarding a topic that is not already on the agenda. Please indicate that you would like to speak by raising your hand. When you are recognized, please state your name and residency for the record.

Nathaniel Risteen, 43 Lincoln Avenue, said that he has signatures on a petition representing every house on the block to request a NO PARKING area with an update to Ordinance 179-9 at the first 150’ of Prospect Street south of Lincoln Avenue be added to Town Ordinance Section 179-9 Parking Prohibited All Times submitted.

Janine Wolf, 5 Atlantic Crossing requested that the members of Council, Planning Board and the Housing Task Force if they would re-listen to the presentation given tonight from the Housing Works representative and to do so while suspending credence of the presented premise that housing stock in RI is insufficient and in need of government assisted translated usually to taxpayer supported solutions. She asked to instead entertain the foundational problem confronting those seeking housing which is that wages and salaries have not come close to keeping up with the cost of living in this state.

AGENDA ITEM # 29: DISCUSS AND ACT: NEW STATE LAWS RELATING TO LAND USE AND HOUSING PRODUCTION

TM Comment: Assistant Solicitor Amy Goins has provided memos on new laws passed by the RI Legislature related to land use and housing production. Several bills with a compliance deadline of January 1, 2024, will require Town Council action at several meetings, starting next month. From Planning, Building and Resilience Director Teresa Crean:

The RI Legislature passed several bills this session related to land use and housing production. The American Planning Association-Rhode Island Chapter (APA-RI) leadership noted that this is the most significant set of changes to Rhode Island’s land use structure in 30 years. The effective date for most of this legislation is January 1, 2024, which gives municipalities about 6 months to comply. APA RI commissioned the law firm of Ursillo, Teitz, & Ritch, Ltd. (UTR) to draft a summary of the legislation that passed and the most important key takeaways for municipalities.

Assistant Town Solicitor Amy Goins was present to discuss new state laws relating to land use and housing production. She said that her office has provided two memos that have extensive background in which there were bills that were enacted into law and take effect on January 1, 2024. She said that you must be prepared to review amendments to the zoning ordinance that are required because of the new laws that were enacted this legislative session governing zoning applications, applications that go to the planning board, comprehensive permits, comprehensive plans. She said that many of those statutes were amended or totally overhauled. She said that her office will be working with the Planning Director and the Town Manager. She said that we may also be submitting an application for some of the state money that is available to help amend our ordinances and regulations. She said that 80-90% of what was enacted does not leave much room for discretion – the state says this is what you have to do. She said that we are making corresponding changes to the zoning ordinance. The goal is to meet in December for a public hearing on those zoning ordinance amendments.

AGENDA ITEM #30: DISCUSS AND ACT: CONSERVATION/CLIMATE RESILIENCY

TM Comment: A standing agenda item on Conservation/Climate Resiliency items.

No discussion.

AGENDA ITEM #31. UPDATE: LIAISON REPORTS

TM Comment: Standing agenda item to provide Council members the opportunity to provide information in their capacity as liaison to various boards, commissions, and organizations.

No discussion.

PLEASE NOTE THAT PUBLIC COMMENT CAN BE FOUND ABOVE BEFORE AGENDA ITEM #29:

AGENDA ITEM #33: SET AGENDA FOR THE MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2023, AT 7:00PM TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

· Resolution: Barrington High School Students Building “Barrington by Address” (T. Crean) (October 2, 2023)

· Discuss and Act: Melrose and Hawthorne Avenue STOP Sign

· Community Engagement

· Discuss and Act: Evaluating Resource Needs to Implement Resilience Pledges

· Ordinance Introduction for No parking 179-9.

· Ordinance Zoning Amendments for Introduction

ADJOURN:

Motion by Vice President Humm and seconded by Councilman Cloutier to adjourn the Open Session at 11:20PM. The motion passed in favor 4-0-0-1, President Kustell, Vice President Humm, Councilwoman Berard, and Councilman Cloutier, no one opposed, no recusals and one (1) abstention, Councilwoman Conway (absent).

Meredith J. DeSisto, CMC, Barrington Town Clerk

AGENDA # 3 LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

AGENDA ITEM #4: Announcements (Town Manager Phil Hervey)

DISCUSS AND ACT ON THE CONSENT AGENDA:

*AGENDA ITEM #5 ACCEPT RESIGNATIONS:

*AGENDA ITEM #6 APPROVE REAPPOINTMENT(S) TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS:

*AGENDA ITEM #7 ACCEPT THE MINUTES FROM THE TOWN COUNCIL MEETINGS

*AGENDA #8 ADOPT THE MONTHLY DEPARTMENT REPORTS (JULY ’23):

*AGENDA ITEM #9 APPROVE ABATEMENT LIST:

*AGENDA ITEM #10 APPROVE SURPLUS PROPERTY: (none)

*AGENDA ITEM #11 ACKNOWLEDGE CORRESPONDENCE:

AGENDA ITEM #12: DISCUSS AND ACT: INTERVIEWS AND APPOINTMENTS: (none)

AGENDA ITEM #13: DISCUSS AND ACT ON RESOLUTIONS: (none)

AGENDA ITEM #14: DISCUSS AND ACT ON ORDINANCES:

AGENDA ITEM #15: DISCUSS AND ACT ON BID(S):

AGENDA ITEM #16: PRESENTATION: DIRECTOR OF HOUSINGWORKS RI TO DISCUSS HOUSING ISSUES, 2023 HOUSING FACTBOOK, AND RI ZONING ATLAS

AGENDA ITEM #17: DISCUSS AND ACT: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION TO REMOVE REQUIREMENT FOR ADDITIONAL LOCAL ALCOHOL TRAINING

AGENDA ITEM #18: PRESENTATION: DAY OF CARING

1. TM Comment: Denise Alves, a member of the Day of Caring planning committee, will make a presentation on this year’s event to be held on Monday, October 9, 2023.

AGENDA ITEM #20: DISCUSS AND ACT: 25 WATSON AVENUE / CARMELITE MONASTERY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND NEXT STEPS

AGENDA ITEM # 21: DISCUSS AND ACT: POLICY BRIEF – ACTIONS TO MITIGATE NOISE POLLUTION FOR HEALTH AND WELLNESS OF BARRINGTON (M. THORSSON)

AGENDA ITEM #22: DISCUSS AND ACT: COMMUNITY CENTER COMPACT

AGENDA ITEM #23: DISCUSS AND ACT: ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES FOR BAY SPRING COMMUNITY CENTER COMPACT PROJECT

AGENDA ITEM #24: DISCUSS AND ACT: A-FRAME SIGNAGE

AGENDA ITEM #25: DISCUSS AND ACT: BANNER PROGRAM

AGENDA ITEM #26: DISCUSS AND ACT: EXPEDITED MASSASOIT SIDEWALK CONSTRUCTION

AGENDA ITEM #27: DISCUSS AND ACT: COUNCIL GOAL-SETTING SESSION

AGENDA ITEM #28: DISCUSS AND ACT: RECREATION FIELDS AND FACILITIES (R. HUMM)

OUT OF ORDER:

AGENDA ITEM #32. PUBLIC COMMENT (MAXIMUM 3-MINUTE STATEMENT)

AGENDA ITEM # 29: DISCUSS AND ACT: NEW STATE LAWS RELATING TO LAND USE AND HOUSING PRODUCTION

AGENDA ITEM #30: DISCUSS AND ACT: CONSERVATION/CLIMATE RESILIENCY

AGENDA ITEM #31. UPDATE: LIAISON REPORTS

PLEASE NOTE THAT PUBLIC COMMENT CAN BE FOUND ABOVE BEFORE AGENDA ITEM #29:

AGENDA ITEM #33: SET AGENDA FOR THE MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2023, AT 7:00PM TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

ADJOURN:

AGENDA ITEM #17 : DISCUSS AND ACT: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION TO REMOVE REQUIREMENT FOR ADDITIONAL LOCAL ALCOHOL TRAINING