STATE OF RHODE ISLAND, COUNTY OF NEWPORT

The Town Council of the Town of Tiverton, County, and State aforesaid held a Special Council Meeting on Thursday, August 6, 2026, at 7:00 PM at the Tiverton Town Hall, 343 Highland Road, Tiverton, Rhode Island 02878.

1. CALL TO ORDER

2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG

Council President Edwards V called the meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

3. ROLL CALL

Present

President John G. Edwards V	Vice President David J. Paull	Denise M. deMedeiros
Craig R. Committo	David Perry	Michael S. Burk

 

Absent

Deborah G. Janick

 

Solicitor Marcello, Administrator Jones, and Town Clerk Chabot were also present.

 

4. GENERAL BUSINESS

                A. Administrator Jones – Discussion and possible vote to approve Resolution 2026-0020

                     appropriating $120,000 to fund engineering for Crandall Road by North Tiverton Fire District

                     from the Casino Revenue Account Fund 650

 

Administrator Jones stated the town is working with state health departments, DEM, and USDA to extend the public water line to the contaminated/impacted area on Crandall Road. To prevent federal or state grant paperwork delays, he wants to advance money immediately to start engineering modeling and expedite relief. He assured the advance funds are 100% reimbursable through future grant distributions.

 

Bob Ouellette, General Manager of North Tiverton Water, clarified that they are including every household within the DEM testing area in its engineering study to plan for maximum capacity needs. The $120,000 will fund engineering plans and a hydraulic model to analyze system capacity. To prioritize contaminated homes, the district will enforce summer watering bans and halt any new outside connections if capacity runs tight.

 

Council members expressed frustration that DEM has not publicly shared an official contamination boundary map. Administrator Jones clarified that DEM resisted sharing the map because it displays individual house data, and a range-based boundary map will be presented to residents at an upcoming Wednesday community meeting.

 

Councilor deMedeiros motioned to approve Resolution 2026-0020 appropriating $120,000 to fund engineering for Crandall Road by North Tiverton Fire District from the Casino Revenue Account Fund 650. Seconded by Councilor Paull, the motion passed unanimously.

 

                B. Administrator Jones – Update on Crandall Road regarding PFAS

 

Mr. Jones said that a public meeting is scheduled for next Wednesday from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM at the high school. It will be recorded for residents who cannot attend. He noted DEM had trouble reaching 21 residents in the impacted area. The police department successfully contacted them over the weekend to coordinate in-home water testing. The event will feature informational tables, official presentations by DEM and the Department of Health, a public Q&A session, and opportunities for one-on-one discussions with scientists.

 

                C. Administrator Jones – Discussion and possible vote for authorization to allocate funds not to

                     exceed $25,000 for public outreach and communications related to the Crandall Road issues

                     from council contingency (Acct # 1020-6890).

 

Administrator Jones outlined immediate steps the town should take rather than waiting on state agencies or incoming grant funding. He planned to deliver bottled water directly to affected residents and pay for water tests for residents near the impacted zone who are excluded from state-run testing. The current testing process requires residents to make multiple trips to Providence to pick up and drop off test vials. The administrator proposed bringing the test kits locally to Tiverton, starting with a batch of 20 kits.

 

Council members raised concerns about residents collecting their own water samples due to the high risk of cross-contamination, ultimately agreeing the state should handle the sampling from start to finish to prevent false positives and guarantee accurate results.

 

Councilor Committo proposed a temporary moratorium on all new building projects until the town's water supply issue is resolved. Solicitor Marcello responded that RI law limits emergency moratoriums to a maximum of 120 days, and affordable housing developments are generally exempt from such building bans. The council agrees to place the moratorium discussion on the upcoming meeting agenda.

 

Councilor deMedeiros motioned to authorize the allocation of funds not to exceed $25,000 for public outreach and communications. Seconded by Councilor Perry, the motion passed unanimously.

 

5. ADJOURNMENT

Councilor Perry motioned to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Councilor Burk, the motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 7:42 p.m.

 

 

A True Copy.

 

 

ATTEST______________________________________

                         Joan B. Chabot, CMC, Town Clerk