PAWTUCKET CITY COUNCIL

PAWTUCKET MUNICIPAL ANNEX

FIRST FLOOR -- CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS

100 FREIGHT STREET

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2026

 

A regular session of the Pawtucket City Council was held Thursday, September 23, 2026, at 7:49 p.m., in the Temporary City Council Chambers, 2^nd Floor, 100 Freight St., Pawtucket, RI.

 

Present – President Mercer; Councilors Araujo, Coderre, Gregor, Moran, Moreno, Rubio, and Wildenhain.

 

Absent – Councilor Stachowiak.

 

President Mercer presided.

 

1.      The reading of the records of the September 10, 2026 Finance Committee meeting, City Property Committee meeting, Committee on Claims and Pending Suits meeting, and City Council meeting was dispensed with and the records were APPROVED as prepared by the Clerk.

 

2.      Upon motion made by Councilor Araujo, seconded by Councilor Moreno, the *Consent Agenda was APPROVED on a unanimous voice vote:

 

*THE FOLLOWING COMMUNICATIONS WERE READ AND ORDERED FILED

           

1. 028      Communication from Patricia L. Whitford, Interim Exeter Town Clerk, to the Honorable Daniel McKee, Governor (Request for Support in Reviewing, Analyzing, and Responding to the 2025 Affordable Housing Laws)

 

5. Communication from Frank J. Milos, Jr., Esq., City Solicitor, to the Honorable Terrence E. Mercer, City Council President (Firetruck Manufacturer Antitrust Litigation – Legal Services Agreement) WAS REFERRED TO THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, COMMITTEE ON CLAIMS AND PENDING SUITS, AND COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

 

6. 614      Communication from Richard R. Karsulavitch, Business Manager, Public Works Department to Bird Scooters.  (Ending agreement for e-scooters and e-bikes)

 

2. 028      Communication from Mark E. Amesbury, Pawtucket Resident, to the Honorable Daniel McKee, Governor; Superintendent Colonel Darnell S. Weaver; RI State Police, and the Honorable Terrence E. Mercer, City Council President (Unregistered Vehicles) WAS READ AND ORDERED FILED

 

THE CHAIR RECOGNIZED COUNCILOR MORAN

 

With majority consent of the Council, the following motion made by Councilor Moran, seconded by Councilor Araujo, was PASSED on a unanimous voice vote:

 

The Clerk was instructed to forward the communication from Mr. Amesbury to Chief Tina Goncalves, Pawtucket Police Department; Carl Johnson, Zoning Director; and Chris Crawley, Acting Director of Public Works, and to request that the police department reach out to Mr. Amesbury to discuss the parking issues he noted in the letter and to act to resolve them; reach out to the zoning office to determine if there is an unlicensed repair shop on city property as noted in Mr. Amesbury’s letter and take action if there is one; and reach out to Public Works to check to ensure that there is proper 2-hour parking signage on the street in front of Mr. Amesbury’s building.

 

3. 634      Communication from Richard J. Goldstein, MMC, City Clerk, to Kelly Coates, President and CEO of Carpionato Group (Pre-Council – Narragansett Park Plaza Project) WAS READ AND ORDERED FILED

 

THE CHAIR RECOGNIZED COUNCILOR MORAN

 

With majority consent of the Council, the following motion made by Councilor Moran, seconded by Councilor Rubio, was PASSED on a unanimous voice vote:

 

The Clerk was instructed to send a communication to Carl Johnson, Zoning Director, requesting that zoning inspect the Narragansett Park Plaza property, including the grounds and buildings, and cite any violations.

 

4. 614      Communication from Chris Crawley, Acting Director of Public Works, to Richard J. Goldstein, MMC, City Clerk (Response – Traffic Signs on Rice Street) WAS READ AND ORDERED FILED

 

THE CHAIR RECOGNIZED COUNCILOR MORAN

 

With majority consent of the Council, the following motion made by Councilor Moran, seconded by Councilor Araujo was PASSED on a unanimous voice vote:

 

The Clerk was instructed to send a communication to Chris Crawley, Acting Director of Public Works, requesting a painted sidewalk be added on Rice Street at the intersection with Archer Street.

 

3.      Appointments

1. Communication from His Honor, Mayor Donald R. Grebien, to the Honorable Members of the Pawtucket City Council, submitting the following appointment as a member of the Public Library Board of Trustees, FOR CONFIRMATION:

 

PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

 

589      Nicki Kent, 27 Lodi St., Pawtucket, RI 02861. Term expires the 1^st Monday in January 2030, was READ AND ORDERED FILED.

 

The following nomination submitted by His Honor, Mayor Donald R. Grebien, for confirmation, was CONFIRMED on a roll call vote, as follows:

 

AYES – President Mercer; Councilors Araujo, Coderre, Gregor, Moran, Moreno, Rubio, and Wildenhain.

 

NOES – 0.

 

PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

 

Nicki Kent, 27 Lodi St., Pawtucket, RI 02861. Term expires the 1^st Monday in January 2030.

 

 

2. Communication from His Honor Mayor Donald R. Grebien, to the Honorable Members of the Pawtucket City Council, submitting the following appointment as a member of the Pawtucket Redevelopment Agency, FOR CONFIRMATION:

 

PAWTUCKET REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY

 

589      Monika P. Zuluaga, 176 Clews St., Pawtucket, RI 02861. Term expires September 12, 2031, was READ AND ORDERED FILED.

 

The following nomination submitted by His Honor, Mayor Donald R. Grebien, for confirmation, was CONFIRMED on a roll call vote, as follows:

 

AYES – President Mercer; Councilors Araujo, Coderre, Moran, Moreno, Rubio, and Wildenhain.

 

NOES – Councilor Gregor.

 

PAWTUCKET REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY

 

Monika P. Zuluaga, 176 Clews St., Pawtucket, RI 02861. Term expires September 12, 2031.

 

 

4.      The following resolution was APPROVED on a roll call vote, as follows:

 

AYES – President Mercer; Councilors Araujo, Coderre, Moran, Moreno, Rubio, and Wildenhain.

 

NOES – Councilor Gregor.

 

588      RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY OF PAWTUCKET TO ISSUE NOT TO EXCEED $220,000,000 GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS, NOTES AND OTHER EVIDENCES OF INDEBTEDNESS TO FINANCE THE ‎ACQUISITION, ‎CONSTRUCTION, IMPROVEMENT, FURNISHING AND ‎EQUIPPING OF A NEW ‎HIGH ‎SCHOOL AND SCHOOL FACILITIES AND ALL EXPENSES INCIDENT THERETO, ‎INCLUDING BUT ‎NOT LIMITED TO COSTS OF DESIGN, DEMOLITION, ‎ATHLETIC ‎FIELDS, ‎LANDSCAPING AND PARKING, SUBJECT TO APPROVAL OF STATE HOUSING AID AT A REIMBURSEMENT RATE OR STATE SHARE RATIO OF NOT LESS THAN 83.7% FOR EXPENDITURES ELIGIBLE FOR STATE AID AND PROVIDED THAT THE AUTHORIZATION SHALL BE REDUCED BY ANY GRANT RECEIVED FROM THE SCHOOL BUILDING AUTHORITY CAPITAL FUND

 

 

5.      UPON RECOMMENDATION FROM THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, THE FOLLOWING AGREEMENT WAS RATIFIED ON A ROLL CALL VOTE, AS FOLLOWS:

 

AYES – President Mercer; Councilors Araujo, Coderre, Gregor, Moran, Moreno, Rubio, and Wildenhain.

 

NOES – 0.

 

Ratification of the Collective Bargaining Agreement by and between Teamsters Local 251 and the Pawtucket Water Supply Board July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2029

 

 

6.      UPON RECOMMENDATION FROM THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, THE FOLLOWING ORDINANCE WAS READ FOR THE FIRST TIME AND PASSED ON A ROLL CALL VOTE, AS FOLLOWS:

 

AYES – President Mercer; Councilors Araujo, Coderre, Gregor, Moran, Moreno, Rubio, and Wildenhain.

 

NOES – 0.

 

AN ORDINANCE REPEALING AND REPLACING THE SCHEDULE OF PAY RATES FOR LOCAL 251 IN SECTION §88-12 OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF PAWTUCKET, 1996 (Teamsters – 2026-2029)

 

 

Upon motion made by Councilor Araujo, seconded by the entire City Council, the meeting was adjourned at 8:20 PM.