The Providence Journal printed out my Opinion Letter on Saturday, January 7th, 2023. Below was a good portion of the article published. Due to space constraints, not all of the below letter was published, but I am sharing to you the entirety of the letter I would have liked to get published. The photo above shows a portion of the letter that was published.
On December 20th, 2022, at the Narragansett Town Hall, the University of Rhode Island Research Class led by Dr. Will Green and who was assisted by Landscape Architect Chuck Carberry presented their research on how to revitalize Galilee, and how to take steps to preclude and mitigate the consequences of global warming.
The Town felt the URI Research Study was of such great value, so they decided to record the presentation and upload the presentation on YouTube. Elected and appointed town officials were present. Our Town Planner, Mike DeLuca, spoke out and endorsed many of the ideas presented in the research study. In addition, the Town of Narragansett's prior proposal for Galilee supported many of the renditions presented by the URI Research. Several RIDEM Officials were even present.
One such idea that was shared was a parking garage in Galilee that will take a much smaller footprint of the overall land, and it could be used as a haven in case of an encroaching storm surge that may flood over the area. Also, if the State or the Town controlled the parking garage, the money obtained from the parking garage can be used to continue to update and improve Galilee and its infrastructure. It makes no sense to me and everyone I have spoken with to have a private developer or business make money for parking cars on state leased land. If additional parking is needed in addition to one or two parking garages in Galilee, a portion of the huge parking lot at the Roger Wheeler State Beach can be used, and the Block Island Ferry can set up a shuttle service for the cars. And even if more parking is needed an additional parking garage can be erected on that lot. Why use prime real estate in Galilee for street level parking?
The Resiliency Study presents ideas on how to create a mixed-use development for Galilee while also recommending changes in the infrastructure to prevent flooding and devastating consequences due to major storms being experienced throughout the United States. The Governor has made it be known we have 46 million dollars to revitalize and sustain Galilee by making improvements in its infrastructure. Let's hope that money is used wisely to incorporate some of those ideas noted by the URI Research Study. We do not want infrastructure money to figuratively go down the drain due to devastating flooding if it is not used wisely to mitigate the precarious effects of climate change. (Pun Intended).
May all those in a position of authority from our Governor, the RIDEM, and our newly elected officials take action to create a viable mixed-use development for Galilee that will help the commercial fishermen, the businesses, tourism, students, and researchers. If the RIDEM fails to comply, the Town needs to bring the RIDEM to court for its violations of our town’s ordinances. The Town of Narragansett has already been on record to note that street level parking lots that do not have a Special Use Permit granted by the Town of Narragansett are in violation of the Town of Narragansett’s Ordinances. Therefore, the Town of Narragansett and its newly elected Town Council needs to enforce our Town’s Ordinances for Galilee. If we fail to act, we will act to fail. The League of Women Voters and the Narragansett Pier Residents’ Association feel the concerns of Galilee are of such great importance that they both included a question on Galilee regarding where each candidate stands on the concerns of Galilee. All candidates indicated action needs to be taken to ameliorate the problems in Galilee, so let’s hope the newly elected Town Council will not fail us by failing to take the needed action. We cannot blame our Town Solicitor if our Town Council fails to tell our Town Solicitor, he needs to take legal action to prevent private street level parking to continue in Galilee. We also need to have our Town Council order our Town Building Inspector to inspect the Lighthouse Inn. As the Lighthouse Inn is located in Narragansett, our inspector should be allowed to inspect the property.
One of the proposals by our Town on its first rendition for Galilee was to consider a Maritime Museum in Galilee. A Maritime Museum will help educate students at the grade school through college levels, and it will inform our public on how to preserve our fishing industry, protect our fragile oceans / ecosystems, and memorialize our fishermen both past and present. The Maritime Museum was an endorsed recommendation by the first URI Research Study for Galilee conducted several years ago. Funding for the museum can be obtained through grants and donations. We can look at our library as an example of many outreach programs to obtain funding for a new museum. The South County Museum would be a valuable resource, and they can help direct us to get needed funding.
In addition, temporary housing for fishermen and dorm style rooms could be available for college students. The University of Rhode Island can help support the dorm style lodging for college students. When I visited Newport, RI, I found both the Newport Seamen's Church Institute and the Sailing Museum great benefits to Newport. The Newport Seamen's Institute provides low-cost lodging, and the Sailing Museum provided valuable information on the Sailing industry in Newport. After leaving the Sailing Museum and participating in many of their interactive activities one gains a very good appreciation from those who sail and the history of sailing. Having a Maritime Museum can allow many to experience a virtual experience of the life of fishermen at sea and the daily life of fishermen.
If some affordable housing units could also be added in Galilee that would be an additional plus as there are many that have to leave Narragansett as there is not enough affordable housing.
A boutique hotel can also be considered in the area to support people who want to vacation and stay in Galilee. Both tourists and even residents in Rhode Island would enjoy a vacation stay in Galilee. The Lighthouse Inn survived for years. A banquet / conference room could be added on the upper level to accommodate special events for weddings, anniversaries, graduation ceremonies, or other special events. In addition, professional organizations can hold conferences at the hotel during the winter, spring, and fall seasons when demand for the rooms are not as high.
An online petition has been created at the change.org website, and now it has over 3600 signatures that support a mixed-use development for Galilee. Street level parking awarded to Procaccianti Developers, YoPlant, Inc, and other private corporations on state leased land in Galilee is not a solution for Galilee nor the State of RI, and the street level parking lots and the abandoned Lighthouse Inn are significant problems both for our environment, our area businesses, tourism, and our commercial fishermen.
The Friends of Galilee (FOG) have also endorsed the URI Resiliency Study. The FOG consists of several hundred members who have dedicated many years of their lives to improving Galilee. The latest storm surges should prompt us to take corrective action for Galilee.
The URI research Studies outline and propose many outstanding ideas to protect Galilee, and money to fund these infrastructure changes can be obtained through federal and state grants. The State of RI has a huge surplus in revenue. In the Providence Journal Article dated, December 26th, 2022, Political Scene: What do legislators want to do with RI's $610M surplus? It notes we have a 610 million Dollar Surplus. I feel if some of this money can be earmarked to make many of the recommendations as noted in the URI Research Studies to ameliorate the problems with Galilee that would be a great use of the money.
There were streets in Narragansett that were totally flooded over during our most recent storm. If Narragansett gets hit by a major storm or Hurricane such as Hurricane Ian, it is possible that such a storm will be totally devastating to Galilee if we do not modify the infrastructure of Galilee to mitigate damages due to flooding that may occur.
Let’s hope the latest storm surges will be noted as a foreboding of what can hit Galilee with even greater intensity with more significant storms. Even Ebenezer Scrooge was prompted to take corrective action in his life when he saw the Ghost of Christmas future. May this last storm make us all recognize we need to take corrective action now to save Galilee from future devastating losses.
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management notes its mission as follows: “Our mission put simply is to protect, restore and promote our environment to ensure Rhode Island remains a wonderful place to live, visit and raise a family.” With many of the RIDEM’s actions in Galilee regarding street level parking to private developers and by allowing Procaccianti – Paolino Developers to abandon the Lighthouse Inn, the RIDEM has COMPLETELY FAILED in its mission. The potential which exists for beneficial use of this land by revitalizing and promoting economic growth, tourism, maritime education, and support of commercial fishermen has been wasted by the RIDEM for years.
Something does stink in Galilee, and it is not the fish. What is fishy is the RIDEM and the RIDEM's behind the scenes dealing with Procaccianti - Paolino, and any other developers who are operating street level parking lots in Galilee that are violating the Town of Narragansett's Ordinances.
In addition, no one would be allowed to purposefully abandon their property or their business in Narragansett without stiff penalties and possible criminal prosecution, yet the RIDEM has allowed Procaccianti and Paolino to purposely abandon their hotel, the Lighthouse Inn, and thereby creating an environmental hazard, an economic cost to our State and our town, and a loss to the neighboring businesses that need to be situated near such an eyesore. Any abandoned property can only be a detriment to the neighboring businesses and properties.
Legal Grounds and Case Precedent to Stop the RIDEM From Violating the Town's Zoning Ordinances and the Town's Comprehensive Plans.
While there is a Preemption statute that allows State Agencies to overrule the local governments statutes, there is case precedent such as Sullivan. v. the Towns of Coventry and Middletown that shows a State Agency cannot go against a Town's Ordinances if such actions are not in the best interest of the State, City, or Town. The aforementioned case shows a State Agency cannot overturn the city or town’s ordinances if such actions are not in the best interest of the city or town. Some have argued under the Brownfield Ruling that the State has supremacy over the city and towns, but the courts have ruled there are no absolutes, and the courts will rule in favor of the city and towns if the city or town’s rule will serve the needs of the greater number of citizens. Therefore, I hope the Narragansett Town Council directs the Town Solicitor to explore all legal options such as possibly issuing a cease-and-desist order to stop Procaccianti Developers from retaining its breached lease for a street level parking lot on leased land, as the parking lot is not in the best interest in the State, the Town, or the Commercial Fishermen, and the street level parking is in violation of the Town of Narragansett's Ordinances. In addition, by the RIDEM allowing Procaccianti and Paolino to abandon the Lighthouse Inn that was owned by Procaccianti and Paolino without consequence, the RIDEM has failed in its fiduciary responsibilities to effectively manage leased land entrusted in its care. In Sullivan v Town of Coventry and Town of Middletown, the RIDEM was against the Town of Coventry and Middletown, yet the RIDEM was defeated. Therefore, in the State of RI we had another city and town fight against the RIDEM, and the RIDEM lost, but if the Narragansett Town Council fails to take action against the RIDEM, the State of RI and the Town of Narragansett will be the biggest losers as a result of insider dealings between a State Agency the RIDEM and private developers that stink of corruption.
It should also be argued street level parking lots are an underutilization of land that fails to support Galilee and all those who visit, work, and live in the area. The land can be much better utilized by many of the ideas the Town and the University of Rhode Island provided in its mixed-use development proposal, and that supports the Galilee Comprehensive Plan. Therefore, the State Supremacy Law is not binding that would allow a State Agency to violate the town’s zoning and our Town’s Comprehensive Plan. In the RI General Law, 45-24-34 section b, it notes a city or town is required to enforce zoning that complies with its comprehensive plan. In addition, as it is in our legal authority, our Town’s legal authority, the Town Council needs to direct our Town Manager to have our Building Inspector inspect the Lighthouse Inn, and condemn the property, and summon the RIDEM / Procaccianti, and its representatives into court for Procaccianti Developers intentionally abandoned its hotel and created an environmental hazard.
If it is justified for our Town Council to direct our Town Manager to go after ordinary citizens who may have missed tax payments due to not having the funds for making tax payments, then why are we are not holding a State Agency and a 10-billion-dollar developer accountable? Our State DEM has allowed a developer to intentionally abandon its hotel, and through its lack of oversight, an environmental hazard has been created by allowing PRIX to intentionally abandon its hotel.
Please contact the Narragansett Town Council and please urge them to take action to stop the RIDEM for its gross mismanagement of Galilee. Please tell them they need to enforce the Town's Ordinances that are being violated by the RIDEM, and they need to hire a lawyer if our Town Solicitor does not have the knowledge or expertise to stop a State Agency from violating the Town's Ordinances. Please feel free to reference any of the above material noted above. The email to all the Narragansett Town Council Members is : towncouncil@narragansettri.gov <towncouncil@narragansettri.gov>
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