I.          PUBLIC ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND COMMENDATIONS

 None.

II.        PUBLIC HEARINGS & PUBLIC COMMENT 

            None.

III.       RESOLUTIONS

IV.       REPORT OF COMMITTEES       

FINANCE COMMITTEE

(Council Vice-President Robert J. Ferri, Chair

V.        PUBLIC COMMENT FOR UN-DOCKETED ITEMS

            On motion by Councilman Donegan, seconded by Councilwoman Vargas, it was voted to take the docket out of order and hear the Administration regarding update on the Gun Range, which is on the docket under Council Member Communications.  Motion passed on a vote of 8-0.  The following being recorded as voting “aye”:  Councilwomen Marino, Renzulli, Vargas, Germain, Councilmen Donegan, Campopiano, Reilly and Council President Paplauskas -8.

            Patricia Schoeninger, 7 Scotland Rd., appeared to speak and addressed the comments made at the September 12^th Safety Services and Licenses Committee meeting regarding the gun range and who uses it for training qualifications.  She stated that it was stated that three Police Departments, Johnston, East Providence and Smithfield and the RI Municipal Police Academy with hundreds of additional Police Officers are still using the range.  Action should be taken to eliminate those Police Departments and the Academy from using the range.  It would decrease the activity in the gunfire.  She is sympathetic to this situation, but her concern is her community and having fewer weeks of hearing gunfire would lessen their burden and be a benefit to their quality of life.  The range was built for the Cranston Police Department and it should be used by the Cranston Police Department only.  As to the range schedule, the residents were told by the Cranston Police Department that the main schedule would be posted every week with days and times so the residents could plan their week accordingly.  The week of September 12^th, the schedule stated Monday thru Friday 12 pm to 8 pm.  On September 14^th, the shooting started at 9:30 am and on September 15^th, the shooting started at 11 am.  She sent an email on both of those days to the Constituent Affairs Office at City Hall and also included City Council members about this situation.  On October 4^th, she spoke to the Constituent Affairs Office requesting an updated schedule from the Cranston Police Department since it had not been updated since the week of September 12^th.  There is now a schedule posted for the week of October 11^th and the 17^th.  Her point is that this should be done every week there is activity at the range without her having to remind the Cranston Police Department that this is what they were going to do for her community and be a good neighbor.  As of today, October 24^th, at 12:05 pm there was no schedule posted for this week.  Regarding the Administration timeline and funding for an indoor range, the Administration stated it would take years for an indoor range to be built and that is if and when there is funding available which means her community will still have to live through years with the public nuisance, quality of life issue, not being able to enjoy their homes or their children not having a school environment they deserve.  She checked back to day to the schedule on the website of the Cranston Police Department at 4:13 pm and it states that October 24^th until October 28^th, from 8:30 am to 8:30 pm, there will be moderate shooting.  So what she is being told is for that this week for twelve hours every day she has to leave her home if she does not want to hear gunfire.  That is ridiculous, absurd and it is bull crap.  No one should have to leave their home for twelve hours a day.  The concessions that could be made to her community for this situation is to reduce their property taxes. It is only fair to the people of her community for their pain and suffering for the years that they had to put up with this situation and for years to come.  They are no longer the forgotten and ignored community who have been told for years to just get used to it.  They deserve and they demand better.

            Martha Dimaio, 69 Laconia Rd., appeared to speak and stated that a year ago when no one in this Administration would meet with her, Dr. Megan Rani, a Professor of Emergency Medicine at Brown University, was quoted in a GoLive article about the harm caused by gunfire.  Last month, Dr. Melissa Jenkins, learning of this horrifying situation, sent an open letter to Mayor Hopkins. She read for the record the key points of this letter.  She stated that last month, Mr. Moretti was wringing his hands that there was no immediate solution.  Three things that the Hopkins Administration and this Council can do right now: 1) you should call your counterparts in Providence and ask where the Providence Police trained while their Scituate range was undergoing multi-million dollar toxic cleanup; 2) make a call to the National Guard to the General’s Office and ask where the National Guard is training now that the East Greenwich outdoor range has been closed; 3) stop renting it out to other Cities to come here and shoot their AR-15s.  If you really care about this community and the environment, start looking into the air water and soil.  For sixty years, lead has been in that ground and running off into supposedly Providence Water Protective Water Source there.  Any further inaction on the part of this Administration and this Council is nothing short of gross negligence.  You have the medical information now.  You can’t say you did not know.

            Roberta Judge, 18 Laconia Rd., appeared to speak as a parent of children in the Western Hills neighborhood who were born and raised in the area.  She stated that she has lived in this neighborhood since 2002 within a quarter mile of the shooting range.  She is aware that it is being utilized by many more Police Officers than it was intended to serve when it was built decades ago.  She is also aware that it is yielding much revenue for the City and it is unclear as to where the money is being spent.  Her children have all spent their whole education hearing gunshots during school hours with the exception of a few months during the winter when the shooting range is closed.  Two of the schools are across the street from the shooting range.  It is ludicrous to her that any logically thinking adult would endorse that this is a healthy learning environment for children to spend thirteen years of their educational career in being exposed to the noise from the gunshot sound.  It makes it scarier for students now that mass shootings are on the rise in public schools across the Country.  She asked that the City please seriously consider changes to the current operation of this facility to ensure that future generations of students in this City are not exposed to toxic learning environments.

            Al Schoninger, 7 Scotland Rd., appeared to speak and stated that after the September 12^th Safety Services meeting, he felt he had to write a letter to the Council Members, the Mayor and anyone else he could get their email address.  His letter said how the community clearly stated their issues regarding the Cranston Police Department Gun Range and how it is affecting their daily lives.  The Cranston Police Department’s testimony departed from the facts and minimized the situation and he felt it was misleading to the Council.  They have been hearing that they have been shooting there since the 1950’s, that is definitely true, but back then there was no AKs, there was no automatic weapons and there was probably only fifty people in the Cranston Police Department and most of them could not even carry the guns.  The Council Vice-President stated that only three departments are using that facility.  Unfortunately, there is no way for him to check it, but just last year’s budget said there was eleven.  That means that if the Cranston Police Department is telling the truth, that is approximately 500 Police Officers just for the three Cities that they say, plus the 150 Cranston Police who have to shoot 100 rounds to qualify, times 500, that is 50,000 pops the residents have to hear and it is at their convenience.  This facility has outgrown that 70 year old little Phenix Ave. pistol range.  It should be relocated on land away from the schools and neighborhoods.  He suggested in his letter that a state of the art indoor training facility be built next to the prisons where they would have to have the Police there all the time any time and once it is built, they can have all the Cities that have to do the training pay them and this way it will get paid for real soon.

            Dr. Patricia Ricci, 161 Albert Ave., appeared to speak and stated that she is not a resident near the range, however, she is a Cranston resident and when she learned of what these unfortunate people have been having to endure, it compelled her to come to speak to everyone.  She is Board Certified in Psychiatry and Neurology.  She is present to speak this evening to everyone about the damage that having a barrage of gunshots throughout the day, day after day, can do to average people and children.  Physiologically, it does a lot of damage, it affects the blood pressure, it adversely affects the cardiovascular system, it also raises cortisol levels in the body when you have stress constantly.  Your cortisol levels affect your immunity.  This is not something that can wait because the impact is huge and is happening now and has been happening for years.  You have the power to do something about it and she implored the Council to do something.  She understands that the Police have to practice to protect society, but this is not a protection of society.  This is actually harming members of society.

            Peter Sczerbinski, 60 Midland Rd., appeared to speak and stated that he first addressed the Council four and a half years ago on this issue and he researched pretty much the entire Country shotting ranges private and public to try to find the best solution for Cranston.  What he concluded after his research, the only solution which he thinks Mayor Hopkins and his Administration agreed, that the only viable solution is an enclosed facility.  Enclosing this facility is the only way to stop all stuff heard about tonight.  He thinks the Council should do what it has to do to help raise the funds from wherever, City, State, Federal and get this project done once and for all.

            Director Moretti stated that the City has been posting the hours of the Police Range on the City’s website under the Police Department and we are keeping up with posting that schedule as it comes from the Police Department.

VI.       ELECTION AND/OR APPOINTMENT OF CITY OFFICIALS

LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES: 

• APPOINTMENT OF R. DRAYTON FAIR FILLING THE UN-EXPIRED TERM OF MARY SLOCOMB FOR TERM TO EXPIRE ON JULY 27, 2023.

On motion by Councilman Reilly, seconded by Councilman Campopiano, it was voted to approve the appointment of R. Drayton Fair to fill the un-expired term of Mary Slocomb as a member of the Library Board of Trustees.  Motion passed on a vote of 8-0.  The following being recorded as voting “aye”:  Councilwomen Marino, Renzulli, Vargas, Germain, Councilmen Donegan, Campopiano, Reilly and Council President Paplauskas -8.

HISTORICAL CEMETERIES COMMISSION:   (Council President Appointment) 

• RE-APPOINTMENT OF DAVID GUIOT FOR TERM TO EXPIRE ON OCTOBER 28, 2025.

No action needed.

ARTS COMMISSION:  

• RE-APPOINTMENT OF LEAH THOVMASIAN HILL FOR TERM TO EXPIRE ON OCTOBER 24, 2025.

On motion by Councilman Donegan, seconded by Councilwoman Marino, it was voted to approve the re-appointment of Leah Thovmasian Hill as a member of the Arts Commission.  Motion passed on a vote of 8-0.  The following being recorded as voting “aye”:  Councilwomen Marino, Renzulli, Vargas, Germain, Councilmen Donegan, Campopiano, Reilly and Council President Paplauskas -8.

VII.     REPORT OF CITY OFFICERS

            None.  

VIII.    EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

IX.       COUNCIL PRESIDENT COMMUNICATIONS 

            Council President Paplauskas gave shout out to the Canvassing Department who are doing an outstanding job.  He stated that early voting has already started at the Pastore Youth Center at 155 Gansett Ave. weekdays 8:30 to 4:30 and continues to November 7^th ending at 4 pm.

            Council President Paplauskas stated that our Canvassing Department was featured in a film “No Time to Fail” and there will be a national showing for free on October 27^th at 5 pm by going to notimetofail.com to see our great Canvassing Department in action.

X.        COUNCIL MEMBER COMMUNICATIONS

 COUNCLWOMAN VARGAS:

• OAKLAND CEMETERY (BROAD ST.)

Councilwoman Vargas stated that she actually received an update on this already so this item can be removed from the docket.

COUNCILWOMEN GERMAIN AND RENZULLI:

• UPDATE ON POLICE RANGE GUN SCHEDULE

Discussed earlier in the meeting.

COUNCLWOMAN GERMAIN:

·         STATUS OF AQUEDUCT AND INTERVALE CROSSWALK AND THE TIMELINE FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ORDINANCE

Director Moretti stated that as to the crosswalk, he asked if this could be continued to the

Public Works Committee.  He was to meet with Public Works Director Bernardo today on this, but he was ill so he is not prepared to give an update for that reason.

            Councilwoman Germain asked that this be referred to the Public Works Committee.

• DISCUSSION ON VRBO AND AIR B&B IN CRANSTON

Attorney Angell stated that we are working on an Ordinance with respect to not in particular to single out any particular organization, but what is called short-term rentals.  It is an increasing problem in communities certainly this one and other communities have dealt with this.  Some successfully and some not so successfully.  It really boils down to an amendment to the Zoning Code and we will be proposing that.  It does not single out any particular facilities of short-term rentals.  It will impose penalties and it will deal with the entertainment aspect of the short-term rentals.  There are certain properties that people rent for a few days so that they can have a giant party.  That is going to be addressed in the Ordinance as well.  The Ordinance will most likely be introduced next month.

•  DISCUSSION ON OVERNIGHT PARKING WORKSHOP

Councilwoman Germain asked that this be continued to next month’s meeting.

• DISCUSSION ON 18-WHEELER TRUCKS GOING THROUGH NORFOLK ST. AND UPDATE ON THE FEASIBIITY OF THE DO NOT BLOCK SIGN AT THE INTERSECTION OF RESERVOIR AVE. AND NORFOLK ST.

Councilwoman Germain asked that this be continued to next month’s meeting.

COUNCILMAN DONEGAN:

• SCHOOL BOND FOR GLADSTONE

Director Moretti stated that the Mayor has supported it and has approved the continuation of the Gladstone project and he believes the contract was awarded by BOCAP for the design engineering of Gladstone.  Garden City project is continuing.  There is a meeting tomorrow with the School Administration to get a status of where they stand because there is a concern with so much allotted for the Bond and in the authorization.  We have the proper bonding of money in bonding so that won’t be holding this process up.  We will have more discussions with the School Department to get us an idea of the latest spending estimates and obviously there is concerns of overruns both with any of the projects themselves, but obviously, what is going on with the economics and what is going on with the supply chain of today to see how this all comes together and where they stand budgetarily. 

            Councilman Donegan asked if there is anything that the City, whether it is the City Council or the Administration, that we need to do to ensure that the Gladstone project is completed.  Director Moretti stated that we are doing everything that we possibly can to facilitate that.  The Mayor is fully supportive of it to be done expeditiously.  He can’t think of anything else that the City can possibly do.  we have provided the authorization, we gave the green light, we have met with the Superintendent and her staff, particularly about the project about a month ago giving the green light a month or two ago to the engineering work and they are probably approximately $1 million into that and we do not want to waste any money and we have provided the proper funding mechanisms that are in place financially. Councilman Donegan asked how much of the Bond that initially went out to sale is left.  Director Moretti stated that he does not have that number this evening.  Councilman Donegan asked if we would  need to sell anymore of the Bonds.  Director Moretti stated it will be in the years to come.  Councilman Donegan asked if the School would know when they would want to start spending that money if it was available to them.  Director Moretti stated that actually, they have in terms of design then the construction is the next step after that.  The commitment is done for approximately $1 million between architectural and in process engineer or commitments.  We are not anticipating any problems, but they have not met and we have a new Finance Director and he wanted to introduce him to tis project.  That is why the Mayor has called a meeting with the School Administration and the Finance team to make sure we can facilitate what they need and identify any flags if there are any before we have any problems if we do.  he is not aware of any problems, but there is obviously just the overriding concern which we all hear about construction costs, but he would be speculating at this time.  Councilman Donegan stated that he just wants to make sure that on our side we are doing absolutely everything we can and that we need to ensure that the project gets done because our community needs it.

            Mr. DiMaio stated that on the website with the current monthly reports is the total Bond of $147 million currently available for projects on hand and cash is $34 million available.  Councilman Donegan stated that the project was close to $50 million and there is only $34 million available.  He questioned if we would need to acquire more or sell more in order to pay for that project and if so, when are we going to do that.  Director Moretti stated that these are the answers that we do not have.  We are meeting with the School Department to let us know what spending they estimate and their timeframe.  We need that input before providing that answer.

            Councilman Reilly stated that, as stated, the project was slighted to be approximately $50 million, but we only have approximately $34 million remaining so already before we are even starting down this path, we are already in the negative so that is not a good thing.  He asked if Director Moretti can ask the School Department when he meets with them where that extra money is going to come from that must have gone into the overage he is assuming of Garden City, but he agrees with Councilman Donegan that Gladstone is in dire need of being redone.  He wants to make sure that someone stays on top of them about going over and then coming back and asking for more money when they have spent what they already had.

            Council President Paplauskas stated that he is going to suggest we have more in-depth discussions maybe put this on the Finance Committee meeting agenda as well to get an update from Finance Director Zidelis if he is up to speed on that.

            Councilwoman Marino stated that she is glad that Councilman Donegan put this on the agenda for the benefit of everyone.  There has been a lot of rumors from residents as whether or not Gladstone is going to come to fruition so it is wonderful to hear the Mayor’s commitment to the project because the need is without question for that School and the voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of the School repairs to our City by nearly 80% on that Referendum item. 

            Mr. DiMaio clarified that there is another $96 million available to be drawn down on.   

COUNCILWOMAN MARINO:

• RI VETERANS FOOD DONATION DRIVE IN SUPPORT OF OPERATION STAND DOWN RI FROM NOVEMBER 14 UNTIL NOVEMBER 30^TH

            Councilwoman Marino stated that this year the event will be from November 14^th to the end of the money until November 30^th and will be the same as last year with boxes with the lists and will post it online as well.

• STREET PAVING LIST POSTING STATUS IN COMPLIANCE WITH ORDINANCE 12.04.140. 

Director Moretti stated that in the Public Works Department there is a tab that states “streets

and sidewalks” and under that, there is a street paving list for calendar years 2021 and 2022.

XI.       COUNCIL BUSINESS MATTERS CARRIED OVER

            None.

XII.     INTRODUCTION OF NEW MATTERS BEFORE THE COUNCIL*

XIII.    MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS ON CLERK’S DESK

CITY COUNCIL CONSENT TO SUBMIT DRAFT HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN 5-YEAR UPDATE TO RIEMA AND FEMA FOR REVIEW AND COMMENT PRIOR TO THE FINAL ADOPTION BY THE CRANSTON CITY COUNCIL

             On motion by Councilman Donegan, seconded by Councilwoman Renzulli, it was voted to approve the above request.  Motion passed on a vote of 8-0.  The following being recorded as voting “aye”: Councilwomen Marino, Renzulli, Vargas, Germain, Councilmen Donegan, Campopiano, Reilly and Council President Paplauskas -8.

The meeting adjourned at 8:50 P.M.

 Rosalba Zanni

 Acting City Clerk

(See Stenographic Notes of Ron Ronzio, Stenotypist)