Dear Director Gray,

As you know the 5 acre leased land in Galilee is in gross violation of the Town of Narragansett's Building, Zoning, and Safety concerns. As the videos have shown online the property is a health and safety risk. Inside the Abandoned Lighthouse Inn - Video 1 and Inside the Lighthouse Inn Video 2

How can the RIDEM that is supposed to look after and safeguard our environment of Rhode Island, allow Procaccianti and Paolino create this gross environmental and safety condition to any building under its watch? It is now literally a death chamber for seagulls and other birds.

The Lighthouse Inn has caused significant harm to all those who work, live, and visit our beautiful seaside community. I was informed the RIDEM has scheduled the Lighthouse Inn to be demolished. I do not know if this is fact or fiction, as it has not been reported in the news stations or the papers. If the property is scheduled for demolition, who will be paying for the demolition? Procaccianti Developers should not only be required to pay for the demolition, but they should be fined, and they should be prevented from continuing with any State leases on State leased land for their gross malfeasance. If an ordinary citizen abandoned their property to create a death chamber for wildlife and a petri dish filled with mold infested walls we would have faced criminal charges and possible imprisonment. The RIDEM has cracked down on others for much less serious crimes. If anyone was to enter the Lighthouse Inn, it would be precarious, where one can see holes in the ceilings with mold and potentially other toxins. How can this be good for the environment or the health of those who work and live in the area?

The RIDEM generated an RFP to obtain proposals that will help Galilee after Procaccianti Developers wanted to create primarily a large street level parking lot in Galilee. The Town of Narragansett put forth its proposal for a mixed use development. It was the most viable proposal of all those submitted to the RIDEM. The RIDEM replied it had questions on funding. Rather than throwing the baby out with the bath water, why not re-engage the Town of Narragansett, and we can find ways to obtain funding for a viable mixed use development for Galilee. The State has millions for a Soccer Stadium, we have 21 million to renovate the Superman Building, yet the RIDEM feels we cannot get money to revitalize Galilee? I would gladly sit down with the Town of Narragansett, the RIDEM, and the Governor's office to show you funding sources for Galilee. Regarding funding, why is Procaccianti and Paolino STILL allowed to operate its illegal parking lots on RIDEM leased land in Galilee? The parking lots are being operated in violation of our Town's ordinances. The State or the Town of Narragansett should be allowed to take over the operations of the street level parking lots immediately until other parking sources become available, so the State and the Town can use the income from parking to help the infrastructure of the State and for Galilee. Why does the RIDEM want the income from street level parking to continue to go into the deep pockets of James Procaccianti and Joseph Paolino? We can reach out to the Department of Commerce and those that operate the Rhode Island Convention Center to find funding sources for a parking garage that will take a small footprint of the overall land in Galilee. In addition, we can use the parking area at Roger Wheeler State Beach (Sand Hill Cove), and the Block Island Ferry can operate a shuttle service to the Ferry. The parking area that borders the turn around area in Galilee that is presently operated by the RIDEM can have a parking garage operated on that lot too. However, to continue to allow Procaccianti and Paolino to operate their street level parking lots in Galilee after the harm they created in Galilee stinks of corruption. If anyone from the RIDEM can provide me or the media with its justification to continue to allow Procaccianti and Paolino to operate street level parking lots in Galilee after the harm they have caused, then I ask you to provide justification.

It appears the RIDEM has not only been failing us in Galilee. The Blackstone River in Pawtucket is being inundated and flooded with waste, and the RIDEM is not taking action. Why? Why has the RIDEM failed to take action against gross toxins flooding our waterways? Even the Rhode Island Attorney General is in disbelief. Here is the most recent article: GoLocalProv | Neronha Lashes Out at DEM, McKee, and GoLocal When Questioned About Lack of Enviro Enforcement. I also question why the Governor is not stepping in against this gross action by allowing raw sewage being pumped into the Blackstone River? Why is our Governor not stepping in to fight for what is right in Galilee? 

The following quote from the above article is very disturbing: Twice in the past year, the Woonsocket Wastewater Facility has discharged untreated waste into the Blackstone River. The first time in June of 2022 forced the closure of the river, and now there is an ongoing discharge of improperly treated waste again., No enforcement action has been taken by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management or Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha., On Thursday, Save the Bay called for enforcement action. “These discharges of sewage into the Blackstone are unacceptable. They are an insult to the river and everyone who uses it and depends on it, ” said Save the Bay’s Kate McPherson, the Narragansett Bay Riverkeeper.

In Block Island, Champlin's Marina was set to be illegally expanded upon by an improper and illegal gathering of individuals. The expansion would have caused great harm to The Great Salt Pond. The RIDEM FAILED to step in and speak out against the harm the expansion would cause The Great Salt Pond. Thank God the RI Supreme Court ruled against the expansion, and the RIAG office found the meetings that took place that approved the illegal expansion were done behind closed doors.

If any business or resident in Galilee does any changes to its structures, the RIDEM is all over the businesses to make sure the development will not hurt Galilee, yet, the RIDEM HAS FAILED to step in to try and stop the illegal expansion of Champlin's Marina nor has the RIDEM stepped in to stop Procaccianti and Paolino from violating the terms of its lease with the RIDEM by Procaccianti and Paolino failing to maintain its hotel by purposely abandoning its hotel, and we now have an environmental and health burden in Galilee. Once the Lighthouse Inn is demolished, all that waste cannot be good for our environment. Would anyone from the RIDEM like to take a tour of the Lighthouse Inn without having on them a protective hazmat suit?

I would be glad to sit down with the RIDEM, the Governor, our Narragansett Town Council, our Town Manager, Our Town Planner, concerned business owners in Galilee, leaders from Save the Bay, Professor Will Green from the University of Rhode Island, and those from the Department of Commerce or those involved with funding the Rhode Island Convention Center, so we can create a viable development plan for Galilee, and we can also have the RIDEM take legal action against those who are flooding the Blackstone River with Raw Sewage.
Will the RIDEM of 2023 that is led by Director Terrance Gray be notoriously forever known for its gross mismanagement that is causing irreparable harm to the environment, health, and the economy to all citizens of Rhode Island, or will the RIDEM now step into action to correct the errors in its most recent years? We hope the RIDEM will both literally and figuratively clean up its act.

Respectfully Submitted, Dr. Albert Alba