POSTED – APRIL 15, 2026
REGULAR MEETING APRIL 20, 2026
TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF MIDDLETOWN, RHODE ISLAND
The following items of business, having been filed with the Town Clerk under the Rules of the Council, will come before the Council at a regular meeting to be held on Monday, April 20, 2026 at 5:00 Executive Session and 6:30 P.M. Regular Meeting at the Middletown Town Hall, 350 East Main Road, Middletown, Rhode Island. Said meeting will be conducted in person. Virtual access will also be provided by telephone conference call/ webinar and members of the public may access and listen to the meeting in real-time by calling 1-877-853-5257 (Toll Free) or 1-888-475-4499 (Toll Free) and entering Meeting ID: 849 8269 3294 or on the web at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84982693294; however, virtual access is being provided only as a convenience and is not an official "location" where access to the meeting is guaranteed. Being physically present at the meeting is the only way to guarantee complete access to the meeting, as the meeting will not be paused or rescheduled if the virtual access fails.
If you choose to join the meeting by zoom or telephone, Council Rules allow for the Public to speak only during the Public Forum and Public Hearings. If calling in by telephone, pressing *9 raises your hand and pressing *6 will unmute.
The items listed on the Consent portion of the agenda are to be considered routine by the Town Council and will ordinarily be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a member of the Council, or a member of the public so requests and the Town Council President permits, in which event the item will be removed from Consent Agenda consideration and considered in its normal sequence on the agenda. All items on this agenda, with the exception of the Public Forum Session, may be considered, discussed, and voted upon in executive session and/or open session.
Pursuant to RIGL §42-46-6(b). Notice – “Nothing contained herein shall prevent a public body, other than a school committee, from adding additional items to the agenda by majority vote of the members. Such additional items shall be for informational purposes only and may not be voted on except where necessary to address an unexpected occurrence that requires immediate action to protect the public or to refer the matter to an appropriate committee or to another body or official.”
Any person not a member of the Council, desiring to address the Council concerning a matter on the docket of the Council, not the subject of a Public Hearing, shall submit a written request to the Town Clerk stating the matter upon which he desires to speak. Persons are permitted to address the Council for a period not to exceed five (5) minutes.
The Middletown Town Council follows the codification of present-day general parliamentary law as articulated in Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised 10th edition (2000), together with whatever rules of order the Council has adopted for its own governance. The motion to reconsider is one of the motions that can bring a question again before an assembly, and is designed to bring back for further consideration a motion which has already been voted on:
If, in the same session that a motion has been voted on, but no later than the same day or the next day on which a business meeting is held, new information or a changed situation makes it appear that a different result might reflect the true will of the assembly, a member who voted with the prevailing side can, by moving to Reconsider [RONR (10th ed.), p. 304-321] the vote,
propose that the question shall come before the assembly again as if it had not previously been considered. (From Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised In Brief, Robert, Evans et al., De Capo Press, 2004)
1. Executive Session - Pursuant to provisions of RIGL, Sections 42-46-2, 42-46-4 and 42-46-5 (a), (2) Collective Bargaining (IAFF) and (2) Collective Bargaining (FOP), , (1) Personnel (Non-Classified), (2) Collective Bargaining (NEARI/Town Hall), (2) Collective Bargaining (NEARI Teachers), (2) Collective Bargaining (NEARI Teacher Aids), (2) Collective Bargaining (Council 94), (2) Collective Bargaining (DPW/Teamsters), Collective Bargaining (NEARI/Library) and (5) Land Acquisition.
2. Pursuant to Rule 25 of the Rules of the Council, Citizens may address the town on one (1) subject only, said subject of substantive Town business, neither discussed during the regular meeting nor related to personnel or job performance. Citizens may speak for no longer than five (5) minutes and must submit a public participation form to the Council Clerk prior to the start of the meeting. All items discussed during this session will not be voted upon.
3. Applications three (3) received from the Norman Bird Sanctuary, 583 Third Beach Road, for Class F- Alcoholic Beverage License (Beer and Wine) and Class F-1 Alcoholic Beverage Licenses (Full Liquor) - (19-hour license) for the same premises for the following events and dates listed below:
§ Beach Bash – Wednesday, July 29, 2026, 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm.
(Class F1- Full Liquor)
§ Harvest Fair – Saturday, October 3, 2026, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. (Class F- Beer and Wine)
§ Harvest Fair – Saturday, October 4, 2026, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. (Class F- Beer and Wine)
4. Applications from the following named persons, firms and corporations for RENEWAL of Mobile Food Establishment Licenses (MFE), for the 2026-2027 licensing year:
Mobile Food Dispensing Vehicle: (Limit 12 per year):
1899, LLC d/b/a La Costa Lobster and Tacos- 186 Bellevue Avenue, Newport
Amano, LLC d/b/a Amano Pizza & Gelato- 181 Bellevue Ave #315, Newport
Cluck Truck, LLC d/b/a Cluck Truck- 256 Maple Avenue, Newport
Longade, LLC d/b/a Del’s Lemonade- 729 West Main Road, Middletown
Longade, LLC d/b/a Del’s Lemonade- 729 West Main Road, Middletown
Longade, LLC d/b/a Del’s Lemonade- 729 West Main Road, Middletown
Longade, LLC d/b/a Del’s Lemonade- 729 West Main Road, Middletown
Newport Chowder Company, LLC d/b/a Newport Chowder Company- 10 Pell Street, Newport
Palagis 2000, Inc d/b/a Palagis Ice Cream- 55 Bacon Street, Pawtucket
Pete’s Ice Cream – 122 Viking Drive, Portsmouth
Wiener Wagon, LLC d/b/a Wiener Wagon- 250 West Main Road, Middletown
Non-Self Propelled Cart: (Limit 7 per year)
Longade, LLC d/b/a Del’s Lemonade- 729 West Main Road
Flatwaves, LLC d/b/a Flatwaves- 1130 Aquidneck Avenue
WW Newport, LLC d/b/a Wally’s Hot Dog Cart - 222 Bellevue Avenue, Newport
5. Applications from the following-named persons, firms and corporations for RENEWAL of Amusement Licenses, for the 2026-2027 licensing year:
Four Aquidneck Opco, LLC d/b/a Flo’s Clam Shack- 4 Aquidneck Avenue
HPK, Inc. d/b/a Tickets- 15 Aquidneck Avenue
Kempenaar Catering, LLC d/b/a Kempenaar’s Clambake Club- 323 Valley Rd
Newport Beach House, Inc. d/b/a Newport Beach House- 3 Aquidneck Avenue
Newport Pickleball, LLC dba Newport Pickleball Club, 866 West Main Road
Newport Vineyards and Winery, LLC d/b/a Newport Vineyards- 909 East Main Road
SB Farm, LLC d/b/a Sweet Berry Farm- 915 Mitchell’s Lane
Seaview Inn, LLC/ Wyndham Newport - 240 Aquidneck Avenue
6. Applications from the following-named persons, firms and corporations for RENEWAL of Sunday Sales Licenses, for the 2026-2027 licensing year:
Aquidneck Package Store, Inc./Aquidneck Liquors- 15 East Main Road
Brewtus, Inc./Sandy’s Liquors-717 Aquidneck Avenue
7. Communication of Tax Assessor, re: Cancellation of Taxes for certain Middletown residents.
8. Resolution of the Council, re: Cancellation of Taxes for certain Middletown residents.
9. Application of Newport Creamery Restaurants, LLC, 208 West Main Road, for a Victualling House License for the 2025-2026 licensing year. (NEW)
10. Application of Tyler Rosenberg dba Ben & Jerry’s, 359 Thames Street, Unit C, Newport for a Mobile Food Establishment License - Truck. (NEW)
11. Application of Graham Johnson dba Frosty Lobster, 63 Gorton Lake Blvd, Warwick, for a Mobile Food Establishment License - Cart. (NEW)
12. Application for Special Event Permit from Middletown 250 Committee for the Middletown 250 Liberty Tree Dedication and Open House (Tree dedication, Patriotic Music Events and Historical Society Open House) to be held on Sunday, May 31, 2026 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm at Paradise Valley Park. (Applicant requests all feeds to be waived).
13. Application for Special Event Permit from St. George’s School for Alumni Weekend, Lunch and Dinner for Alumni, Saturday, May 16, 2026 from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm on St. George’s Campus (King Hall Terrace Tent) and Dinner, from 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm (Tent on Ocean Field on campus).
14. Application for Special Event Permit from St. George’s School, Graduation/Prize Day – 2026, St. George’s Campus on Sunday, May 24, 2026, from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm.
15. Application for Special Event Permit from YMCA on behalf of the Wyndham Newport Hotel Sponsor of the Family Festival (A free festival available to families with a variety of events such as balloon twisting, bounce houses/obstacle course, sports, food trucks, vendors, etc.) to be held at the YMCA, 792 Valley Road on Saturday, June 6, 2026 from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. (Applicant respectfully requests fees to be waived)
16. Application for Special Event Permit from St. Columba’s Chapel, 55 Vaucluse Avenue for the St. Columba’s Annual Garden Party to be held on Saturday, June 6, 2026 from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
17. Application for Special Event Permit from Gnome, Inc. dba Gnome Surf for Daily Surf Therapy Camp with Fab Newport, Boys and Girls Club and Lucy’s Hearth to be held at Second Beach - Surfers End for 6 weeks beginning Monday, July 6, 2026 (Monday through Thursday 10:00 am to 12:30 pm and Friday’s 10:00 am to 3:00 pm) through August 14, 2026. (Applicant respectfully requests fees to be waived)
18. Applications for Special Event Permits two (2) received from the Norman Bird Sanctuary, 583 Third Beach Road, for the same premises for the following events and dates listed below:
§ Beach Bash – Wednesday, July 29, 2026, 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm.
§ Harvest Fair – Saturday, October 3, 2026 and Sunday, October 4, 2026, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
19. Application for Special Event Permit from Justin Speegle/Amp Surf New England a 501(c) non-profit organization for a VA Summer Sports Camp, Surfing Clinic for Veterans with disabilities to be held at Sachuest Beach, Path 8 on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, and Wednesday, July 22, 2026 from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. (Applicant requests fees to be waived)
20. Application for Special Event Permit from Kerri McGowan Holland, Middletown for a 4th of July Bike Parade, to be held on Saturday, July 4th beginning at 10:00 am – Neighborhood kids would like to dress up and hold a small parade route along Esplanade and Shore Drive.
21. Application for Special Event Permit from Monika Pawluskiewicz of Beyond Fitness for Beyond Fitness Beach Bootcamp, Group Exercise Classes from May 7, 2026 to October 29, 2026, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:15 am to 7:45 am at Third Beach.
22. Communication of the Newport County YMCA “Sharks” Special Olympics Team, re: Requesting support for the Newport County YMCA Charity Golf Tournament by sponsoring a tee sign.
23. Communication of Tracey Pontes, Looking Upwards, Fundraising Committee, re: Request for support by sponsoring a tee sign for the 28th Annual Golf Tournament fundraiser. (Annual request)
24. Email Communication of Kevin Lendrum, MHS Boys’ Basketball Coach, re: Requesting support for the Summer Basketball League.
25. At the request of Council President Rodrigues, re: Resolution of the Council, re: National Small Business Week.
26. At the request of Council President Rodrigues, re: Resolution of the Council Proclaiming Men’s Health Month.
27. At the request of Council President Rodrigues, re: Resolution of the Council, re: In support of 2026-H 7502 Relating to Highways – Sidewalks.
28. Appointment of one (1) member to the Affordable Housing Committee, indefinite term.
29. Appointment of two (2) members to the Middletown Prevention Coalition, one (1) vacancy healthcare sector and (1) vacancy Parent sector, terms expiring April 2028.
30. Appointment of two (2) members, resident members to the Roads and Utilities Advisory Committee, one (1) vacancy term expiring January 2029 and one (1) vacancy to complete a term expiring January 2027.
31. Appointment of one (1) member to the Senior Center Board of Directors, term expiring January 2029.
32. Appointment of one (1) member to the Tax Assessment Review Board, Bi-partisan Board, term expiring October 2028.
33. Appointment of four (4) members to the Zoning Board of Review 1 vacancy, regular member, term expiring April 2031,1 vacancy, first alternate, term expiring April 2027, 1 vacancy, second alternate, term expiring April 2027, and 1 vacancy, third alternate, term expiring April 2027.
(The Council may waive the requirement for reappointments to the interviewed; all new applicants shall be interviewed prior to appointment.)
Wendy J.W. Marshall, MMC
Town Clerk
This meeting location is accessible to the handicapped. Individuals requiring interpreter services for the hearing-impaired should notify the Town Clerk’s Office at 847-0009 not less than 48 hours before this meeting.
Posted on April 15, 2026 at Middletown Town Hall, Middletown Public Library and Secretary of State Web Site.