| Town Council Minutes | September 11, 2023 | Johnston Municipal Court Building |
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| Council President Russo called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM at the Johnston Municipal Court Building located at 1600 Atwood Avenue, Johnston, RI 02919. |
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| Town Sergeant, Stephen Mallane led with the Pledge of Allegiance |
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| Please note: pursuant to Rule 3 Section E of the Town Council Rules, adopted by Resolution 2023-4, the Council shall adjourn at 10:30 p.m. and any unfinished business shall be carried to the fourth Monday of the month or to a date agreed upon by the Council. |
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Roll Call |
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| District 1 – Councilwoman Linda L. Folcarelli District 2 – Vice-President Lauren A. Garzone District 3 – Councilman Alfred T. Carnevale District 4 – President Robert V. Russo District 5 – Councilman Robert J. Civetti |
| Council President Russo, Councilwoman Folcarelli and Councilman Carnevale were present Councilman Civetti and Councilwoman Garzone were absent Also present were: Mayor Joseph M. Polisena, Jr., Dylan Conley, Esq., Vincent P. Baccari, Jr., and Donna Dumont, stenographer Council President Russo requested a moment of silence in remembrance of the victims of 9/11 |
| Award & Recognition Ceremonies |
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Status on Public Hearings |
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| 2022-CP-47 | Petition for a Zone Change submitted by Attorney, Joseph Shekarchi on behalf of Trinity Properties of RI, LLC to change the Zone for 198 Shun Pike, Assessor’s Plat 33, Lot 63 from R-40 to Planned District For referral to the Planning Board for an Advisory Opinion Pending Planning Board Advisory Opinion |
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| Ordinance 2023-12 | An Ordinance formerly known as Petition 2023-CP-57, requesting to amend the zone map for Assessor’s Plat 38, Lot 164, behind 8 Putnam Pike to change the zone from R-15 to B-2 Continued to October 10, 2023 |
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| Ordinances to be Read |
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| Ordinance 2023-16 | An Ordinance amending Article III entitled “Zoning Districts and Maps, Use Table”, Article V “Supplementary Regulations” and Article XII “Variances and Special Use Permits of Chapter 340 of the Town of Johnston Code of Ordinances. Said Ordinance allows for the retail sales of Cannabis and establishes standards for drive-through businesses |
| Councilman Carnevale made a motion that Ordinance 2023-16 had been read The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Folcarelli Motion carried; Vote: 3-0 Councilman Carnevale made a motion to refer Ordinance 2023-16 to the Planning Board for an advisory opinion The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Folcarelli Motion carried; Vote: 3-0 |
Licenses |
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| 2023-CP-117 | |
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| 2023-CP-136 | |
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| 2023-CP-138 | |
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| 2023-CP-141 | |
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| 2023-CP-142 | |
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| 2023-CP-143 | |
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| 2023-CP-144 | |
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| 2023-CP-145 | |
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| 2023-CP-146 | |
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Liquor Licensing Commission |
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Constituent Requests |
| Mayor Polisena, Jr updated the Council regarding the status of the construction of the DPW garage which is using the ARPA funding. The Police and Fire garages are on hold and an inventory will be taken after the DPW garage is complete. Mayor Polisena Jr noted that the Town will participate in a grant for road improvements in which the State will provide $593,000 and the Town will be responsible for $1.2 million Mayor Polisena, Jr also discussed that the Town will not be participating in the Community Facilities Grant as there are future unknown costs and that the funds may not be available in the future District 1: Councilwoman Folcarelli requested a traffic study for the feasibility of installing a 3-way stop sign at the intersection of Rotary Drive and Eldorado Drive District 2: Councilman Carnevale noted that he contacted the DPW regarding flooding at 30 Leading Street and also about a bent stop sign on Leading and Laurel Councilman Carnevale noted that a constituent at 332 Cherry Hill Road is requesting to put a storage container on his property Councilman Carnevale also requested: · 30 Beacon Street- clean up leftover asphalt · Requested that Code Enforcement visit 39 King Street which has a large bucket truck parked at the property and the property may have maintenance issues · The DPW to cut grass and investigate rat complaints at the pump station at Ostend and Antwerp · Repair the street light on Pole #7 at the corner of Ostend and Antwerp District 3: Absent District 5: Absent District 4: None |
Unfinished Business |
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New Business |
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| 2023-CP-147 | Appointment to the District 3 position on the Senior Citizens Advisory Board |
| Councilman Carnevale made a motion to appoint Barbara Vachon to the District 3 position on the Senior Citizens Advisory Board The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Folcarelli Motion carried; Vote 3-0 |
| 2023-CP-148 | Petition from Narragansett Electric & Verizon New England to install a new jointly owned pole P-6-2 on Orchard Avenue |
| Councilman Carnevale made a motion to grant 2023-CP-148 The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Folcarelli Motion carried; Vote 3-0 |
| Resolution 2023-42 | A Resolution ratifying an agreement between the Town and RI Council 94 AFSCME, AFL-CIO Johnston Town Employees Local Union 1491 |
| Mayor Polisena Jr discussed some of the highlights of the new agreement including a base bump in pay for the laborers and the implementation of summer hours and closing an hour early on Fridays for the clerks Councilwoman Folcarelli made a motion to adopt Resolution 2023-42 The motion was seconded by Councilman Carnevale Motion carried; Vote 3-0 Local 1491 President, Scott Fellela and Vice- President Henry Fellela thanked the Council, Solicitor Conley, the Mayor and his administration for their efforts with getting the agreement adopted |
| Resolution 2023-43 | A Resolution appointing a temporary judge to the Johnston Probate Court to preside over a probate estate numbered 2022-113 in which the current Judge and Solicitor’s Office both have conflicts of interest in presiding over |
| Councilman Carnevale made a motion to adopt Resolution 2023-43 The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Folcarelli Motion carried; Vote 3-0 |
| Resolution 2023-44 | A Resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into an agreement for extended engineering services at the Johnston War Memorial Park |
| Director of Buildings and Grounds, Christopher Correia spoke about the need for the services to ensure that the planned improvements to the park can move forward Councilman Carnevale made a motion to adopt Resolution 2023-44 The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Folcarelli Motion carried; Vote 3-0 |
| 2023-CP-149 | Petition for a Zone Map Change submitted by Alfred A Russo, Jr., Esq. on behalf of Sunn Builders to change the Zone Map for Assessors Plat 42, Lots 31, 104 & 105 from R-40 to Planned District-PD for referral to the Planning Board for an advisory opinion |
| Councilman Carnevale made a motion to refer 2023-CP-149 to the Planning Board for an advisory opinion The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Folcarelli Motion carried; Vote 3-0 |
Abatements |
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| 2023-TO-9 | Tax Assessor Abatements- September 2023 |
| Councilwoman Folcarelli made a motion to grant 2023-TO-9 The motion was seconded by Council President Russo Motion carried; Vote 3-0 |
Public Hearings for Ordinances |
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| Ordinance 2023-15 | An Ordinance amending Chapter 220-73 of the Town of Johnston Code of Ordinances entitled “Parking Prohibited at All Times on Certain Streets. Said ordinance proposes no parking on the southbound side of Trieste Street |
| Council President Russo explained the Ordinance and opened the hearing to public comment No person spoke for or against Ordinance 2023-15 Councilman Carnevale made a motion that the public hearing for Ordinance 2023-15 had been held The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Folcarelli Motion carried; Vote 3-0 Councilman Carnevale made a motion to adopt Ordinance 2023-15 The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Folcarelli Roll call vote: District 1: Aye to adopt District 2: Absent District 3: Aye to adopt District 5: Absent District 4: Aye to adopt Motion carried; Vote 3-0 |
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Approval of the minutes and transcripts from previous meetings |
| Transcripts Prepared by the Stenographer None Minutes prepared by the Town Clerk: August 15, 2023 Regular Meeting August 22, 2023 Special Meeting Councilman Carnevale made a motion to accept the minutes and to place them on file The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Folcarelli Motion carried; Vote 3-0 |
Claims |
| None |
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Requests to be heard |
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| Please note: pursuant to Resolution 2023-4 of the Johnston Town Council, any person requesting to address the Council shall be heard for a maximum of 3 minutes. This will be strictly enforced. The Council may not take any action on matters appearing in the request to be heard portion of the agenda. |
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| 2023-CP-150 | Alex Pznowsky to discuss: Market Basket Rear Entrance Safety Issue |
| Alex Pznowsky discussed traffic concerns resulting from vehicles using the Truck Only entrance to Market Basket causing traffic to build up in the turning lane in front of Hargreaves Street Discussion ensued Councilman Carnevale made a motion to request that a representative from RI DOT and Market Basket attend the October 10, 2023 Council Meeting The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Folcarelli Motion carried; Vote 3-0 |
Adjournment Councilman Carnevale made a motion to adjourn The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Folcarelli Motion carried; Vote 3-0 The meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m. |
| Attest: | |
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| Vincent P. Baccari, Jr., Town Clerk |
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