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SPECIAL MEETING

WESTERLY TOWN COUNCIL

WESTERLY YACHT CLUB

 

 

1 WATCH HILL ROAD

 

MONDAY

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023

5:30 P.M.

 

 

 

 

1.     5:45 P.M. CALL TO ORDER

 

Present:   President Aiello, Vice Pres. Overton

                 Councilors Lowther, Cordio, LaPietra, Scialabba, Lombardo

                 T. Mgr. Lacey; Co. Clk. LeBlanc

 

Also Present:  Melissa Davy, Asst. T. Mgr

 

        Absent:    T. Sol. Conley

                        T. Sgt. Falcone

 

 

 2.    PRESENTATION

 

a.     Community Forum regarding Former Tower Street School Reuse – Hosted by the Tower Street School Re-Use Committee – Discussion

 

        Present:   Charles Royce, President and Treasurer, Royce Family Fund, Inc.

                                 Nicholas Moore, Esq., Chief of Staff, Royce Family Fund, Inc.

                        Danny Forrester, Royce Family Fund, Inc.

                                 Julianne Moore, Royce Family Fund, Inc.

                        Thomas Liguori, Jr., Esq., representing Royce Family Fund, Inc.

                        Linda Schreiber, Consultant

                        Meg Lyons, Meg Lyons Architects, Inc.

                        Rod Grozier, President/CEO, GRO

                        Stephanie Bandzak, Sr. Consultant of Facility Development & Design, GRO

                  Shannon Gilkey, Commissioner, RI Higher Education

                  Greg Velander, Chief Operating Officer, Wood River Health

 

     Ms. Schreiber provided a progress update on the former Tower Street School reuse.  She presented a PowerPoint presentation and reported on Phase 1 – getting organized, Phase 2 – engaging the community; Phase 3 – program needs and solutions to address the needs, Phase 4 – who are the partners, and Phase 5 – Place (yet to come).  She addressed the depth of community engagement, and the identified top six community needs of Westerly -- a community center, housing, workforce development, rising healthcare & mental health challenges, support for low-income families & young/single parents and youth services.  She stated that there are three anchor partners, which include the Town, the Westerly Education Center, and Wood River Health, and she addressed other potential partners.  

 

      Mr. Valender provided a background regarding health centers for health care and social services.  He provided an organizational and industry timeline of Wood River Health, the services offered, a four-year look (2019 through 2022) at patient demographics, 2022 patient pool, 2022 Westerly patients by insurance type and 2022 total visit volume.

 

     Groups discussions were held to collect attendees’ input on which of the six community needs is most impactful (1) personally and (2) to the greater community.

 

     Ms. Lyons stated that the Tower Street property consists of 11.28 acres but that only 7 are buildable acres because of wetlands.  She addressed the existing condition of the Tower Street School building. 

 

6:50 P.M.  Councilor Overton left the room and was absent for the remainder of the meeting.

 

     Ms. Bandzak addressed the possible site plan, possible construction phases, possible main floor and upper floor plans, and possible roof plan that includes a potential green roof opportunity and solar.  She also addressed possible massing. 

 

     Ms. Grozier and Mr. Forrester addressed the budget overview, project funding, and ownership scenarios. 

 

     Attorney Moore addressed the next steps: (1) collect, synthesize & incorporate feedback from forum, (2) develop framework for the Special Purpose Entity (SPE) and land lease, and (3) complete the study and then present to the Council by close of 2023. 

 

     Members of the public addressed the need for affordable housing, the need to identify other sites to help meet the other needs not housed at the Tower Street site, the need for youth programs, the suggestion of utilizing the parking lot space by installing solar panels, the Inflation Reduction Act, the site design and layout, the need for additional tennis and basketball courts, the need for more access to greenspace and use of open space, a recommendation for a playground on the site, ADA accessibility, concerns of incorporating all of the needs into one site, traffic flow concerns, and the need for more social services to address mental health issues. 

 

 

 3.    ADJOURNMENT

 

        7:44 P.M.  Voted Unanimously to adjourn.

 

ATTEST:

 


Mary L. LeBlanc, MMC

Council Clerk

 

     Details of the aforesaid proceedings are available on audio on the Town of Westerly website.

 

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