Dear Director Gray and Legal Counsel Mary Kay,
The RIDEM cited a Notice of Violation and Order to the previous owners for alleged violations and actual violations regarding its Individual Sewage Disposal System that was failing at the Lighthouse Inn, and the harm it can cause the environment in Galilee. The violations are noted in the Narragansett Town Clerk’s Office, Book 189 Pages 101, 102, and 103. Yet, the RIDEM has failed to cite Procaccianti Developers for their gross negligence that has harmed our environment and created a health and safety hazard.
I feel the Notice of Violation and Order to the prior owners showed that the RIDEM was doing its job. I am now hoping the RIDEM will serve a Notice of Violation and Order to Procaccianti Developers for the harm they have caused Galilee by creating an environmental, health, and safety hazard with respect to the Lighthouse Inn. It is perplexing to me and everyone I speak to with respect to why the RIDEM has failed to serve a Notice and Order to Procaccianti Developers for its gross neglect.
In the attached order the RIDEM sent out in 1986 to the previous owners, the RIDEM noted that if the owners failed to comply with corrective action, they can face fine and imprisonment. I feel with the present situation with the toxic waste, health, and safety hazards that have been created by the entire structure of the Lighthouse Inn that the present situation is even putting our environment and all those who go to Galilee even at greater risk than the failing Sewage Disposal System that required the RIDEM to serve notice of the violation to the previous owners.
As we can all see what may be happening to our former President and past Presidents, no one regardless of how much wealth or power is above the law.
The Town of Narragansett requested the building be demolished, yet, Procaccianti Developers are appealing and our filing suit against the Town. The Boston Globe Article notes,
“The broader issue is, can the owner of the property, where the owner is the state, be ordered to do anything with that building?” said John Tarantino, the lawyer for PRI X.PRI X LLC. The company that operates parking at the former Lighthouse Inn site across from the ferry to Block Island, filed a lawsuit against the town of Narragansett on Tuesday in state Superior Court. The complaint comes in response to a February order from the town’s building official to demolish the Lighthouse Inn hotel structure, as well as the town’s separate demand for a special use permit to operate parking there.
The complaint argues the town has no right to tell PRI X to demolish the property, because PRI X doesn’t even own the building in question. It only leases the building from the state, which owns the property through its development of the Port of Galilee, PRI X now argues.
The Field Card obtained by me on Monday, March 20th, 2023 from the Narragansett Town Hall shows Procaccianti Developers is the owner on record. In addition, the last recording of title was a Quitclaim Deed to Procaccianti Developers which is on file. Please see the attached files.
Out of all due respect to Procaccianti’s Lawyer, he needs to do his research on who owns the property unless the property was sold within the last several weeks, and the deed of sale and the change of title has not yet been recorded in the Narragansett Town Hall database.
The Boston Globe article also notes Procaccianti argues the Town cannot impose its zoning laws on State leased land, yet the RIDEM criticized parts of the Town’s proposal for Galilee as it noted some aspects of the proposal went against the Town’s Galilee Master Development Plan. In the RFP it notes the area is zoned G-B, Galilee Business, so the RIDEM should recognize street level parking should not be allowed in the area zoned G-B without a Special Use Permit. Why would the RFP that was generated by the RIDEM and Procaccianti Developers note the zoning in the area is GB – Galilee Business, if it cannot be enforced or be relevant to the RFP submittal. Please see the attached document with the highlighted sections for clarification in this matter. You may want to send a copy to Procaccianti’s legal team.
While the RIDEM can allow a developer to break the town’s ordinances, through the State Supremacy Clause, it can be overruled in court if a State Agency violates a city or town’s ordinance if the State Agency’s actions cause harm to the city of town. By the RIDEM allowing Procaccianti Developers abandoned the Lighthouse Inn, it has caused environmental, health, safety, and economic hardship to Galilee. In addition, by the RIDEM continuing to allow Procaccianti Developers to operate its street level parking lots on the leased land in Galilee, it is taking away hundreds of thousands of dollars from the State and the Town who could use the money to improve Galilee. While the Town is against street level parking in Galilee for that area, until a parking garage is created, the Town and not Procaccianti Developers should be allowed to operate the street level parking lots, so the money can be used to improve Galilee rather than going into the pockets of James Procaccianti and Joseph Paolino.
Why does Procaccianti and / the State want to continue to keep up a building that is an environmental, health, and safety hazard? Why has the RIDEM Not ordered Procaccianti or the State to demolish the Lighthouse Inn and note that Procaccianti will be responsible for paying for the demolition as it created the waste? Why does the RIDEM continue to allow Procaccianti to retain its lucrative month to month parking lot lease after Developers breached the terms of its prior lease?
The Town put forth the most viable proposal of all those submitted to the RIDEM’s RFP. The RIDEM replied it had questions on Narragansett’s funding sources. Rather than throwing the baby out with the bath water, why not re-engage the Town, so we could find ways to obtain funding. The State has millions for a Soccer Stadium, and 21 million to renovate the Superman Building, yet the RIDEM feels we cannot get money to revitalize Galilee?
As the RIDEM is the watchdog agency for our environment, why does the Town have to get its own lawyer to fight Procaccianti for its gross neglect of the Lighthouse Inn and for violating the Town of Narragansett’s Ordinances? Why does the Town have to pay a lawyer for actions that are supposed to be taken by the RIDEM? The RIDEM should be representing the Town. After representatives from Save the Bay spoke out and were on record against their outrage on the raw sewage that was going into the Blackstone River, that prompted the RIDEM into action. I hope this letter and its attachments will prompt the RIDEM to do the right thing and have the Town of Narragansett create a viable mixed use development plan for all of Galilee. I also hope the RIDEM will step in and stop the frivolous lawsuit Procaccianti Developers is filing against the Town. I also hope the RIDEM would allow the State or the Town take over the street level parking lots until a parking garage can be developed. How ironic, I feel the Town should be filing a lawsuit against Procaccianti Developers for its gross mismanagement of the Lighthouse Inn, for creating an environmental, health, and safety hazard in our Town, and for openly violating our Town’s Zoning ordinances.
Please feel free to reach out to me via email or call me at 401-218-3614 if you have any questions or concerns regarding the content of this letter, or if I can facilitate in helping Narragansett create a viable mixed use development plan for Galilee. Many of the suggestions supported by Professor Green and his students are worth considering.
Respectfully Submitted, Dr. Albert Alba