The below letter was written by the Friends of Galilee - FOG (A Group of close to 300 members who have dedicated much of their lives to work towards improving Galilee.) The FOG is encouraging all concerned citizens to please cut and paste any portions of the below letter and add some of your own concerns, and send it to the Governor's Office, the State Properties Committee, and the RI Attorney General's Office. The State Properties Committee will be determining the validity of the RIDEM-Procaccianti Lease with regards to the 19-year parking lot lease that was recently awarded to the RIDEM that will cost the taxpayers millions of dollars in lost revenue, and it will hurt the overall development plans as outlined by the Town of Narragansett. In addition, the RIDEM is attempting to have the taxpayers of RI pay for the demolition of the Lighthouse Inn Hotel that was left abandoned and neglected at the hands of Procaccianti Developers that has 10-Billion Dollars in investible assets. Procaccianti is in my eyes a slumlord Billionaire who can care less about the harm he causes to Galilee for his greed and at the expense of those who love Galilee, work at Galilee, live in Galilee, and visit Galilee.
 
Dear Concerned Citizens of Rhode Island,

As you know the DEM announced that none of the bids that were submitted in response to the RFP to redevelop the Lighthouse Inn parcels in Galilee were deemed “viable”.
Therefore, the DEM concluded that the only “viable” thing to do is to divide the property up into three parcels and award a 19-year lease for 2 of the parcels to PRI X to be used for parking. The DEM will maintain the parcel where the Lighthouse Inn now stands with plans to demolish the Inn.
We find these actions to be deeply troubling and totally unacceptable. Not only has there been a complete lack of transparency to the RFP process, the DEM plans on awarding a lease to an organization that has breached its lease and demonstrated a complete disregard for the property for a number of years.
On behalf of the Friends of Galilee, attached is a letter that has been sent to the State Properties Committee (that must approve the new PRI X lease award) and the Governor’s Office.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION NOW (on or before April 26): Write to the State Properties Committee (donna.conway@doa.ri.org), the RI Attorney General's Office (ag@riag.ri.gov) and the Governor’s Office (governor@governor.ri.gov) expressing your concerns about these actions. Feel free to use anything in our letter (or the whole thing) but do add a personal touch as well. When you write to Donna Conway, please tell her to distribute your email to every member on the Board of the State Properties Committee.
Let’s keep fighting the good fight.
Regards,
Drew J. Magee
Debra Aubin
Sherry Carberry

The below letter was sent by the Friends of Galilee to the State Properties Committee. April 20, 2022
State of Rhode Island
State Properties Committee
Dear State Properties Committee Members,
On behalf of the Friends of Galilee, we respectfully request that you do not approve the 19-year lease that the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) plans to award to PRI X with no bid. In addition, further examination should be made into understanding the rationale behind the DEM’s refusal to accept any of the 3 respondents to its RFP to redevelop the Lighthouse Inn property.
The no bid lease award:
Why is the DEM awarding a 19-year lease to an organization that has been in breach of its lease on the same property for several years and has demonstrated total disregard for the land and its Inn? The Inn building is no more than an attraction for nesting seagulls who leave excrement all over the building and nearby sites.
Aside from the 3 RFP responses are there no other vendors expected to be interested in a lucrative parking business?
What is binding the DEM to PRI X?
Couldn’t the DEM manage parking on the site and use the monies earned to expand their own programs?
The RPF process:
The Friends of Galilee proudly admits to bias with our unequivocal support for the Town of Narragansett’s proposal for the Galilee property. In short, it is based on numerous studies culminating in the Galilee Special District Plan. It is focused on revitalizing the port by investing in multi-use buildings which focus on the fishing industry, future marine retail uses and public amenities. There are primary benefits to the Port including major public infrastructure investments for parking, ground transportation and multi-modal transportation. Environmentally sensitive practices will be maintained related to storm water, future development, and land conservation.
It is the best thought out, has strong expert and studied backing, is the most broad and flexible, and has the best future vision for the Port of Galilee and its Village.
The Town’s proposal along with the 2 other proposals were considered not “viable” by the DEM. There was a total lack of transparency during this process.
Why was PRI X involved in the RPF process?
What is binding the DEM to PRI X?
Where did the proposals fail the viability test?
What was the criteria used to assess the proposals?
Why was the Town of Narragansett never even contacted to discuss its proposal?
The DEM plans to take over the management and demolition of the Lighthouse Inn parcel which means that the taxpayers will need to fund a project that they shouldn’t need to. PRI X is responsible for the dilapidation of the building and should therefore be responsible for its cleanup.
The DEM has neglected its responsibility by allowing PRI X to breach its lease for several years with no consequences or penalties during any of those periods. A five-acre parcel of land which should be the “gem” of the Port of Galilee and its Village has languished due to the leaseholder’s negligence and the DEM’s lack of lease management. There has been no Management of the Environment for this high potential parcel.
The reputation of DEM is sullied by its actions here. Please deny the PRI X 19-year lease and reactivate a transparent RFP process for the benefit of Galilee, the Town of Narragansett, and the State of RI. We can do better.
Respectfully submitted,
Drew J. Magee
Debra Aubin
Sherry Carberry
Friends of Galilee