Dear Town Council Members, Town Manager, Town Planner, Building Inspector, Fire Chief, and Fire Marshal,
As a concerned resident, I would like to request our Town Building Inspector, Wayne Pimental, and our Fire Chief, Scott Partington or our Town's Fire Marshal conduct a building and fire inspection respectively for the Lighthouse Inn. If the Town of Narragansett is collecting taxes, and the taxes are being paid by PRIX - Procaccianti - Paolino, then the property should be the responsibility of the Town of Narragansett. If the Town of Narragansett will not culpable, it needs to be documented by the RIDEM, but the Town needs to do the below recommended actions by requesting the Town perform its own building and fire inspections, and if rejected by the RIDEM, the Town needs to have documentation to show we will not be negligent in bringing forth the gross violations of the Lighthouse Inn. We have already seen that the RIDEM can care less about our Town's Zoning Ordinances as they continue to allow PRIX to operate its parking lots in Galilee. Also, if any of us had abandoned our property as did PRIX, Wayne would have brought any of us into court, and he would be justified.
Therefore, to protect the Town of Narragansett from anyone charging the Town for negligence in failing to do inspections if there is any harm on the 5 acre parcel in Galilee, I would encourage our building inspector and fire chief to request an inspection with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. If the Town has on record that access will be denied by the RIDEM, at least it will be recorded that the RIDEM prevented the Town from doing inspections. Please read the following case document noted below this paragraph. It notes a Town can be liable if it has been put on notice and fails to take action against a gross violation that is in existence and someone gets harmed as a result of the city or town failing to take corrective action. In the following case, Sullivan vs Town of Coventry it notes ONLY if a town or municipality has not been given notice of violations, then the Town or Municipality cannot be held liable. For example, if one has a 3 bedroom house that is being rented out by 12 people, and a fire occurs killing the occupants as a result of having too many people occupy the property, and the house is dated with bad electrical wiring without proper fire detectors as it is very old, and it did not have a recent house inspection, the Town would not be liable as it was unaware of the multiple violations. If the Town was aware of the violations and did nothing, then the Town would be liable. Therefore, it is strongly urged we contact the RIDEM and ask for our town to perform a building and fire inspection on the Lighthouse Inn as it most likely has asbestos, mold, and other toxins in it. In addition, based on the recent photos, we need a structural engineer to look at the property as it looks to me who has a degree in Mechanical Engineering the building's structural integrity is grossly compromised... It is only a matter of time when its structure will fail. In addition, someone is occupying the property with electricity and water running through the building, so that person or if any person is hurt he or she may have a legal case against the Town if the Town cannot document it did everything in its power to put the RIDEM on notice of the multiple violations on the property. Please see the following legal case where a person (Terri Sullivan) - was injured and Terri went after the town. Here is a legal case I would like you all to review:
The last Town Council had our Town Manager meet with the RIDEM Director, Terrance Gray in his office. Then several days later, the RIDEM Director announced to the Boston Globe, he wanted to award a 19-year parking lot lease to PRIX. I was forwarded the Boston Globe article by Jim Hummel, and I immediately sent it to Dr. Ewa Dzwierzynski We as a Town were blindsided. The whole meeting that the Director of the RIDEM had with our town manager and Dr. Dzwierzynski and the whole RFP process was a dog and pony show, as they put forth an RFP for the 5-acre parcel, and then they rejected all proposals only to allow PRIX to continue with its parking lot operations. The original Zoom meetings made it obvious, PRIX wanted to make street level parking occupy 80 percent of the entire 5-acre parcel.
While I believe that trying to work with State Agencies is a good idea, my concern is that the RIDEM has shown their true colors. My dad would tell me the well known saying, Fool Me Once, Shame On You, Fool Me Twice, Shame On Me. When I asked the RIDEM to see their month to month lease for the existing street level parking and who approved from the RIDEM that PRIX approved its illegal parking lot, the RIDEM failed to grant the information, so the RIAG Office opened an investigation on my behalf.
We all have seen that RIDEM is very sneaky in their blind allegiance to Procaccianti and Paolino. Even after PRIX broke the terms of its original lease by abandoning its hotel, they wanted to give them a 19 year parking lot lease on the 5 acre parcel. If they were to grant PRIX a new lease for the parking lot, it would have to be approved by the State Properties Committee. When I reached out to the Director of the State Properties Committee (who attended the demonstration rally I held in Galilee) about my complaints with the RIDEM, and I provided him a timeline of events and the pending 19 year lease at the time of the writing of the letter, he wrote a letter back thanking me. Please see the attachments to this email.
When I reached out to Brian Amaral of the Globe, he noted he will run a story if the Town of Narragansett puts forth motions to the RIDEM such as a cease and desist to stop the parking lot operations that are in violation with the Town's Ordinances or if the Town takes legal action against the RIDEM. Coincidentally, in another case with the same name of Coventry used in its title, Sullivan vs Town of Coventry shows case precedent that records the RIDEM LOST its legal battle in trying to usurp the powers of the Towns.
And in New Shoreham, the people of Block Island and New Shoreham had to fight the illegal expansion of Champlin's Marina by appealing the earlier decisions to the State Supreme Court. Here is the link to the Providence Journal Article. Champlin's Marina Expansion Blocked by Supreme Court.
The people raised $500,000 to fight the case. If the Town is supportive of the fight against the RIDEM, I will gladly coordinate a fundraising campaign. On the Change.Org web site, people have contributed close to $5000 dollars to support the online petition. However, if the Town of Narragansett is going to allow the Director of the RIDEM prevent the town from creating a mixed use development as outlined in many of the renditions by Professor Will Green's and Landscape Architect Charles Carberry's class then the Town of Narragansett, its residents, and its business owners, and all those that visit Galilee will be the biggest losers and Procaccianti - Paolino will be the biggest winners. We all can see the RIDEM COULD CARE LESS ABOUT THE ILLEGAL EXPANSION OF CHAMPLIN'S MARINA AND THE HARM IT WOULD HAVE DONE TO THE GREAT SALT POND, ITS ECOSYSTEM, AND THE ECONOMY. Please watch the Jim Hummel video in the above ProJo Article.
If the Town Council of Coventry, Middletown, and New Shoreham told their Town Manager to engage in behind-the-scenes negotiations with the Director of the RIDEM in the above cases, the Town's would have suffered in both cases. The Towns needed to go to court to stop the RIDEM nefarious actions. It is obvious to everyone who goes to Galilee, the RIDEM could care less about the harm it has caused Galilee, its residents, and its area businesses.
I have spoken to the owners of Jimmy's Portside, George's, Champlin Seafood, and fishermen. They all are very upset that they have this abandoned hotel that is filled with asbestos, mold, and toxins within their proximity. How would any of you like the abandoned Lighthouse Inn or any abandoned property filled with toxins and literally structurally unsafe in close proximity to your business, your house, and where you work?
The CRMC is another State Agency that only appears to support its own self-interest. They approved the illegal expansion of Champlin's Marina, and the RI AG Office had two members resign as a result of their gross malfeasance. And at last night's Town Council Meeting there was more testimony that the CRMC wants to take over a larger area of waterway without considering the negative consequences. I want to thank you for all voting to write a letter to tell the CRMC you all object to their proposal.
If we fail to act, we act to fail. The Director has sat down with our Building Inspector and Town Council President before in the RIDEM Director's Office, and the RIDEM Director was untruthful and lied to them by telling them the RIDEM has not made a decision on Galilee, and then the Town Manager and our Council President were Blindsided by the Boston Globe article on the 19 year parking lot lease proposal.
We need to play hardball with the RIDEM, as they have shown they cannot be trusted.
I know our Council President notes the Director of the RIDEM and the Town Manager are negotiating behind the scenes, but I feel we need full transparency in Narragansett. If we have nothing to hide, then everything should be disclosed. Why have behind the scenes negotiations if the residents in the Town and people throughout the State and even outside of our State are aware of the corruption with the RIDEM based on its based abuse of power in Galilee?
The Town of Narragansett requires all parking lot operators to have a Special Use Permit. PRIX has failed to obtain one, so why is the Town not presenting them with a cease and desist order? Many may begin to question our town leaders' ethics if we fail to uphold our own town statutes just because it is protected by the RIDEM where our State Agency is giving blind allegiance to a Multi-Billion Dollar developer.
When Jimmy's Portside or George's or any of the area businesses did any renovations in the area, it needed approval across the board. Yet, the RIDEM has allowed PRIX to break every rule in the playbook. They do not play fair. Why are we continuing to play softball with the RIDEM after they have shown their true colors? Let's play hardball, and I will do everything in my power to get funding for legal representation to fight the RIDEM and Procaccianti and Paolino, so a resilient mixed-use development become a reality. Let us not forget, the State has a 600-million-dollar surplus. Let's tap into some of that money for Galilee, and may our Governor also appropriate the 46 million to help fund many of the ideas presented by our Town and Professor Will Green's classes to develop the infrastructure of Galilee.
Respectfully Submitted, Dr. Albert Alba