MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE CUMBERLAND TOWN COUNCIL

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2021 AT 7:30 P.M.

CUMBERLAND PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING COMMUNITY ROOM

1379 DIAMOND HILL ROAD, CUMBERLAND, RI 02864

VIRTUAL - OPEN SESSION

 

 

The regular meeting was called to order at 7:30pm with a roll call of members

 

MEMBERS PRESENT:

President Kinch, Councilors Magill, Shaw, Metivier, Beaulieu and Schmitt

Also present—Community Outreach Coordinator Sarah King; Deputy Town Clerk Jane H. Christopher; Town Solicitor Kelley Morris Salvatore; Chief of Police John Desmarais; Town Planner Glenn Modica

 

MEMBERS ABSENT:

Councilor Bradley

 

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

 

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

President Kinch welcomed Woonsocket Council President Dan Gendron to the meeting as an attendee.

 

UNANIMOUS CONSENT ITEMS

 

CONSENT AGENDA

A.  Acceptance of Minutes of the Regular Meeting of December 1, 2021.

 

B.  MUNICIPAL MOBILE FOOD ESTABLISHMENT

          1.  Sam’s New York Systems, Inc.
     

MOTION BY COUNCILOR BEAULIEU, SECONDED BY COUNCILORS METIVIER & MAGILL, AND IT IS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE. VOTE 6/0

 

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Resident Gil Denomme of 28 Sleepy Hollow Drive, appealed to the Council for a new or amended ordinance to address an ongoing problem with a neighbor’s dog.

 

REPORTS/COMMUNICATIONS

A.  Report of Executive Session vote(s), as may be necessary.
      There were none to report.

 

B.  A request from the Tax Assessor to review and approve November 2021 abatements and supplemental bills

President Kinch read the individual totals:

 

TOTAL 2021 REAL ESTATE SUPPLEMENTALS IN THE AMOUNT OF $2,093.74.

 

MOTION BY COUNCILOR BEAULIEU, SECONDED BY COUNCILOR SHAW, AND IT IS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE. VOTE 6/0

 

C.  Update from the School Committee

 

School Committee member Denis Collins, 5 Wedgewood Drive and school Superintendent Phil Thornton reported on RICAST score assessments, the current COVID situation and construction updates.

Congratulations were given to the various sports teams and individuals that had won state championships.

 

D.  Monthly/Quarterly Financial Report ending November 31, 2021.

           Budget to Actual

 

E.  Check registers for November 31, 2021.

 

Finance Director Gene Ferrari was present via Zoom, but there were no questions on the report.

 

F.       Department Reports

           1.  Animal Control

           2.  Building Official

           3.  Library

           4.  Parks & Recreation

           5.  Planning Board

           6.  Police Department

           7.  School Department

           8.  Senior Services

           9.  Town Clerk’s Office

 

LICENSES

PRIVATE DETECTIVE LICENSE

1. Renewal Application for a Private Detective License from Douglas Belknap; license to expire January 5, 2022.

 

MOTION BY COUNCILOR SHAW, SECONDED BY COUNCILOR MAGILL, AND IT IS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE. VOTE 6/0

 

2. Application for a Private Detective License from Nancy Sheldon

 

Police Chief John Desmarais was present via Zoom and stated that his research on Ms. Sheldon’s work history and his conversations with the applicant indicated to him that she was more than qualified for this license.

 

MOTION BY COUNCILOR SCHMITT, SECONDED BY COUNCILOR MAGILL, AND IT IS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE. VOTE 6/0

 

ENTERTAINMENT LICENSE

     1.  Application for a Special Event Entertainment License from Richard Vaillant for 13^th World 

 

MOTION BY COUNCILOR SCHMITT, SECONDED BY COUNCILOR MAGILL, AND IT IS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE SUBJECT TO INSURANCE CERTIFICATE, SIGNED LEASE AGREEMENT, POLICE, FIRE, AND EMS APPROVAL. VOTE 6/0

 

B.  VICTUALLING HOUSE LICENSE

1.  Application for a transfer of a Third-Class Victualling House License from Triad Pizza, Inc. to T.B.D. Pizza, Inc. d/b/a Domino’s located at 250 Mendon Rd

 

MOTION BY COUNCILOR METIVIER, SECONDED BY COUNCILOR SHAW, AND IT IS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE. VOTE 7/0

 

OLD BUSINESS

A.  ORDINANCES FOR PUBLIC HEARING:

1.  #21-28 – An ordinance in amendment of the Code of Ordinances of the Town of Cumberland, Rhode Island, as amended, amending the Ordinances and map thereof with reference to Cumberland Assessor’s Plat 62, Lot 17

 

Councilor Schmitt informed the Council that the proponent asked to table this matter. The Ordinance Sub-Committee would schedule another meeting for December 29, 2021 to further review the matter prior to the next Council meeting.

MOTION BY COUNCILOR SCHMITT, SECONDED BY COUNCILORS SHAW & METIVIER, AND IT IS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO TABLE TO JANUARY 5, 2022. VOTE 6/0

 

2.  #21–29 – An ordinance amending the Code of Ordinances and Zoning Ordinance to move and amend provisions relating to holding ponds from General Code to Zoning Ordinance

 

Councilor Schmitt reported that this ordinance puts Cumberland’s regulations in conformance with state law, and at the December 2, 2021 Ordinance Sub-Committee meeting the committee voted 3-0 to forward this ordinance to the Council with a favorable recommendation.

 

Public hearing opened at 8:03pm

 

Town Planner Glenn Modica gave an overview of the ordinance via Zoom.

 

Town Solicitor Kelley Morris Salvatore spoke to two amendments on lines 56 and 97.

 

Public hearing closed at 8:     

 

Councilor Schmitt moved to amend line 56 to strike the word “six” and read “…with a four-foot-high,” and line 97 to read “…The developer, subdivider, or owner of….”

 

MOTION BY COUNCILOR METIVIER SECONDED BY COUNCILOR MAGILL, AND IT IS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO AMEND #21-29. VOTE 6/0

 

MOTION BY COUNCILOR SCHMITT, SECONDED BY COUNCILOR METIVIER, AND IT IS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE AS AMENDED, BY A ROLL CALL. VOTE 6/0

 

3.  #21-30 – An ordinance relating to Parks & Recreation (Presented by Council President on behalf of the Administration)

 

This public hearing will had been opened on December 1, 2021 and had remained open until now.  

 

Councilor Schmitt advised that the Ordinance Sub-Committee requires one or more meetings to work through opposition to the ordinance and asked to table.

 

MOTION BY COUNCILOR SCHMITT, SECONDED BY COUNCILOR SHAW, AND IT IS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO TABLE TO JANUARY 5, 2022. VOTE 6/0

 

NEW BUSINESS

RESOLUTIONS

1.  R-21-76 – A resolution authorizing and empowering Mayor Jeffrey J. Mutter to enter into a contract with Northeast Collaborative Architects for a condition assessment of the Old Post Office in an amount not to exceed ten-thousand dollars ($10,000)

 

Town Planner Glenn Modica and Community Outreach Sarah King outlined the details of this resolution.

 

MOTION BY COUNCILOR SHAW, SECONDED BY COUNCILOR BEAULIEU, AND IT IS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE. VOTE 6/0

 

2.  R-21-77 – A resolution authorizing and empowering Mayor Jeffrey J. Mutter to enter into a contract with Raptor Technologies to outfit K-12 Schools and Municipal Buildings with an emergency notification system for three years in an amount not to exceed fifty-two thousand eight-hundred dollars ($52,800)

 

Raptor representatives gave a presentation detailing the benefits and functionality of the system. School Superintendent Phil Thornton answered questions from the Council as to how this system would work town wide.

 

MOTION BY COUNCILOR BEAULIEU, SECONDED BY COUNCILORS SCHMITT & METIVIER, AND IT IS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE. VOTE 6/0

 

3.  R-21-78 – A resolution authorizing Mayor Jeffrey J. Mutter to enter into a contract with Pare Corporation for Professional Services related to the Diamond Hill Pond Project in an amount not to exceed eleven-thousand three-hundred dollars ($11,300)

 

Representative Brian Mahoney was available via Zoom to answer any questions. There were none.

 

MOTION BY COUNCILOR SHAW, SECONDED BY COUNCILOR MAGILL, AND IT IS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE. VOTE 6/0

 

 4.  R-21-79 – A resolution changing the name of Eden Court to Kelsey Eden Way

 

Solicitor Morris-Salvatore explained the EMS department’s desire to make this change to avoid confusion with similar sounding street names.

 

MOTION BY COUNCILOR SCHMITT, SECONDED BY COUNCILOR SHAW, AND IT IS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE. VOTE 6/0

 

5.  R-21-80 – A resolution authorizing and empowering Mayor Jeffrey J. Mutter to submit two (2) RIDEM Recreational Grant applications in the amounts of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) and four hundred thousand dollars ($400,000) to be used for improvements to Diamond Hill Park

 

Sarah King read Mayor Mutter’s memo on this resolution into the record.

 

MOTION BY COUNCILOR SHAW, SECONDED BY COUNCILOR MAGILL, AND IT IS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE. VOTE 6/0

 

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Councilor Shaw wished everyone a happy holiday. President Kinch also wished the same to everyone and thanked the members of the Council for their dedication over the past year.

 

ADJOURNMENT

 

MOTION BY COUNCILOR SHAW, SECONDED BY COUNCILOR MAGILL, AND IT IS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO ADJOURN AT 8:47PM. VOTE 6/0

 

 

___________________________________

Sandra M. Giovanelli, Town Clerk

 

 

 

 

FOR A FULL ACCOUNT OF THIS MEETING PLEASE REFER TO THE VIDEO RECORDING ACCESSIBLE ON THE TOWN’S WEBSITE, www.cumberlandri.org.ADDITIONALLY, THE DVD OF THE ENTIRE MEETING IS AVAILABLE AT THE EDWARD J. HAYDEN LIBRARY.