Dear Director Terry Gray, Legal Counsel Mary Kay, and Governor Dan McKee,

In view of the attached supplemental information that was recently submitted by the Town of Narragansett, Procaccianti / Paolino Developers aka PRIX, and Quonset - iCellAqua, to the RIDEM, it is very clear to me and others that the Town of Narragansett's Proposal should be selected for the 5-Acre Parcel.

I find it ironic that Procaccianti / Paolino are now saying they are competent in Hotel Management, when Mr. Vocolla noted the developers have decided a hotel would not be a good fit or profitable for that area.    What has changed?  Is the area no longer smelly or noisy?  If there was not an outcry by the Town of Narragansett and its residents, Procaccianti / Paolino would have developed primarily a parking lot in that area with either a small strip mall or a laughable small size green space that Council President Pugh made it clearly visible on a plot of his neighborhood to show the small area of square footage of green space for an entire 5-acre parcel.   Can we trust a billion-dollar developer who created an eyesore for the sole purpose of making people feel nothing viable can be built in that area, so let's have primarily a massive parking lot in that area?   Can we trust a developer who breached their lease with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management?  I feel it would be reckless for the RIDEM to give Procaccianti and Paolino a 99-year lease after they failed to uphold the terms of their lease for a much shorter duration.     Therefore, as they are requesting a 99-year lease to build a Boutique Hotel and make significant improvements on the 5-acre parcel, their proposal should be ruled out.     I still find it puzzling that the RIDEM allowed Procaccianti to have an extension to their lease and have a hand in generating the RFP with the RIDEM for the 5 acre-parcel.   Ironically, I do not see Procaccianti/Paolino Developer's proposal even complying with the original objectives in the RFP they supposedly had a hand in creating with the RIDEM.   One says you do not bite the hand that feeds you.   Yet, Procaccianti definitely broke the terms of his previous lease that were established by the RIDEM by failing to maintain the land.    Procaccianti / Paolino have over a billion-dollar in assets, yet they let the area of land entrusted to them to become such an eyesore that many who did not know who the lessees would believe they must be facing hard times or even bankruptcy.    Fool me once shame on you and fool me twice shame on me.    Those who do not learn from history, will be doomed to repeat it.    

With respect to the iCellAqua proposal, I find it deeply ironic that in all the industrial zoned areas of land that border the waters and harbors of Rhode Island, Quonset-iCellAqua chooses an area of land that is not zoned for industrial use.    The zoning for that area of land is GB, Galilee Business, not GBi.   Therefore, the proposal by Quonset-iCellAqua should be thrown out.    Their proposal wants to build an industrial plant on an area of land that is out of compliance for the land area.   In addition, the Quonset-iCellAqua proposal is not a mixed-use development, and it does not comply with the Galilee Master Development plan, nor is it supported by the Town of Narragansett, its residents, and the research conducted by the University of Rhode Island.    I also find it ironic that a company that has called itself Quonset-iCellAqua is presenting its first proposal for constructing its plant in Galilee and not in Quonset Point's Industrial Park.     Based on economies of scale, it would make sense to have all its plants that are proposed in one area at the Quonset Industrial site.   Why have one plant in Galilee, one in Quonset, and one in Kingstown near URI?    I would add, we have fishermen who work throughout Rhode Island, so the processing plant could be located in many other locations that are zoned industrial.     Let us not forget, if the processing plant proposal is chosen, in all likelihood it would not even be able to be placed on the 5-acre parcel as the land would need a special use exemption to overrule the GB Zoning for that area.     I do not feel the Town of Narragansett will grant the approval for a fish processing plant to be built on that area of land that will be going against the wishes of the Town, its leaders, the Galilee Master Development Plan, the University of Rhode Island Research Study, and sage individuals (architects, town planner, town manager, and marine biologists) who advocated for the Town of Narragansett's Mixed Use Development Proposal.

The State of Rhode Island has the motto of Hope.    We Hope the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management will listen to the will of Narragansett’s elected officials and hired leaders and experts who know firsthand how to run our Town of Narragansett such as our Town Manager and Town Planner, the Town Comprehensive Development Plan for Galilee, the residents of Rhode Island and Narragansett that have shown their support by there being over 2700 signatures at Change.org in favor of the Town of Narragansett’s Proposal, research conducted by the University of Rhode Island that supports the mixed use development plan for the 5-acre parcel, the Friends of Galilee (A Group of Residents that committed their lives to improve and make recommendations to Galilee), Members of the Galilee Advisory Committee including the Town Council Liaison to the Committee, and the Narragansett Pier Residents’ Association.   Let us hope all the above who have supported the Town’s proposal are not ignored by the RIDEM and our Governmental Leaders in the State of Rhode Island.   We, the people in the State of Rhode Island do not want the state to have to change its motto to Hopeless.   We do not want the RIDEM to overrule the will of the Town, its leaders, and its residents.   We are all hoping and praying the RIDEM, the Governor of the State of Rhode Island, and all those in a position of power will select the Town of Narragansett's Proposal for Galilee as it is the only viable proposal for that area.   May your legacy in the RIDEM be that each of you has listened to the will of all the governmental leaders and appointed experts in Narragansett, its residents, research that supports the Town of Narragansett's Proposal, its local businesses, and all those that live, work, and visit our Gem of a Village of Galilee.  

               Respectfully Submitted, Dr. Albert Alba  

PS.   The attachments could not be uploaded to this posting, but they are posted on the RIDEM website.   

My advocacy for the Town of Narragansett is in forever memory of my dad, Albert Alba, Sr. who has advocated for many years on how to improve Narragansett for its residents, its citizens, its local businesses, and all those who visit.