North Kingstown Town Council Meeting - March 24, 2025

The North Kingstown Town Council met on Monday, March 24, 2025, at 7:00 PM in Town Hall Council Chambers, 80 Boston Neck Road. The Council held public hearings, received a Safe Streets for All presentation, heard public comment, approved a routine consent calendar, accepted manager and finance reports, acted on coastal applications, and made appointments. The meeting opened with a flag salute and a moment of silence for George Hammond, Peggy Fitzpatrick, and Nicholas Moussom Mesamucci.

Public Hearings

• Item 4 - Second reading of an ordinance amending Chapter 13 (Public Beaches), including enforcement, use by nonresidents, and beach parking permits. The hearing was opened and closed, and the ordinance was approved by voice vote.
• Item 5 - Second reading of an ordinance amending Section 9-4, Table VI (Recreation Department fees for beach parking permits). The hearing was closed without on-microphone testimony, and the ordinance was approved by voice vote.

Safe Streets for All Safety Action Plan Presentation

• Bowman Engineering, with Planning staff, presented the draft Safety Action Plan developed through the RIPTA-led Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program. It is a $6.25 million joint project involving $5 million in federal funds, $1.25 million in state capital funds, and 31 of Rhode Island's 39 municipalities, with no local match.
• Crash data from 2019 through 2023 show North Kingstown ranked 21st out of 39 municipalities in crash rate; pedestrians and bicyclists face higher injury risk than motor vehicle occupants, and crashes trend toward afternoons, Fridays, and Saturdays.
• Fourteen locations were selected and ranked, with recommended countermeasures including higher-visibility crosswalks, ADA-compliant curb ramps, signal visibility improvements, and related safety upgrades.
• Public input included tabling at Harbor Fire and Casey Farm farmers market, stakeholder interviews, and a statewide survey with North Kingstown zip codes separated out.
• The plan is in final editing; an implementation grant notice of funding opportunity is expected within about three weeks or by mid-April, though federal requirements affecting climate and equity language are uncertain.
• Council members asked about implementation grant certainty, education and enforcement components, coordination with RIDOT, possible bike lanes, and census data on households without cars.
• The Council authorized the Council President to sign a letter of support for the Safety Action Plan.

Public Comments & Testimony

• John Mashada asked for Ryan Park trail maintenance funding, noting he led volunteers for over 100 hours in 2024, identified 20 muddy spots, and requested DPW and Recreation annual trail maintenance.
• Dan Moning urged the Council to disclose electric aggregation contract rates and terms. He noted the statewide regulated rate is currently about 16 cents and is scheduled to drop to 10.1 cents on April 1, and that savings estimates must account for delivery versus supply portions of the bill.
• Karen Salvatore asked that traffic signal timing be included in the safety plan and that new signal fixtures be attractive and consistent with North Kingstown's local character.
• Richard Welch raised concerns about the school project's cost and two-story design, cited RIDE criticism, and asked the Council to stop the process and re-engage former facilities committee members.
• Brett Mallory supported redistricting and criticized school bond management and Council leadership, urging stronger direction to the School Committee.
• Tom Saguras asked the town to push RIPTA for reliable bus connections, describing the Route 14 detour to Wickford Junction as unreliable; he also invited residents to a Rhode Island Transit Riders event on April 7.
• Meg Kerr thanked staff for the comprehensive plan implementation report but noted the annual review requirement had been missed; she asked the Council to restore annual Planning Commission and Council reviews and pointed to gaps in home energy audit and solar outreach.
• Bob Vanderslice supported the report and suggested clearer next steps, School Department participation, and stronger town advocacy for decarbonization; he noted a 37-person waitlist for a library sustainable landscaping talk.
• Many Lone Tree Point and Earle Drive area residents, including Sue Alexander, David Fawcett, Joyce Pastore, Bobby Robertson, Kristen Flynn, Jen Meegan, Amy and Joseph Denhoff, Jennifer Tha, Mary Warbeck, Linda Teraborelli, Lincoln Monroe, and Heather Hole, opposed the proposed dock at 353 Earle Drive. Concerns included swimming and kayak safety, limited depth at low tide, location inside the mooring field, the requested 72.5-foot extension beyond mean low water, shellfish and salt marsh impacts, potential rental use by inexperienced boaters, and harm to the beach's character.
• Mary Walbeck asked which design standards the town uses, citing ASCE recommendations for sea level rise, increased precipitation, and the 500-year floodplain as important for permitting and infrastructure decisions.

Consent Calendar

• Items 8 through 20 were approved in one motion with no items removed. These included minutes of February 24, 2025; Tax Abatement List #880 in the amount of $504.65; a $1,100 donation for Al's Kids Recreation Program scholarships; a Code Enforcement Ford Explorer purchase from Tasca Ford for $37,878.50; award of 15 fire hydrants to John Hoadley and Sons for $49,875; an OPEB actuarial services contract with Conrad Siegel, Inc. for $7,000 in FY2025, $750 in FY2026, and $7,000 in FY2027; a Wilson Park mobile food concession award to Matt Picard, dba The Snack Bar, for $501; renewal of the town's annual entertainment license; authorization to apply for the T-Mobile Hometown Grant for the Wickford Village Wayfinding Initiative; acceptance of the Learn365 and Math Matters RI Grant for $55,000; acceptance of a $480 Life Safety and Emergency Action Grant for beach Go-Bags; acceptance of a $1,250 Safety and Risk Management Scholarship for conflict resolution training; and a joint utility pole placement by Rhode Island Energy and Verizon on Roger Williams Drive.

Town Manager's Report

• The school building subcommittee voted on March 12 to move forward with seeking new architecture and engineering and owner's project management firms; the committee also discussed project labor agreements and an updated demographic study for RIDE. The Council noted that final contracts require Council approval.
• The public safety complex project now meets weekly; discussion included the QDC site purchase, environmental and geotechnical studies, cash flow needs, and reducing the footprint to fit the bond.
• Revolution Wind work in Quonset Business Park includes over 200 workers per day on daytime shifts; an emergency drill was held March 12.
• The Wickford Waterfront Streetscape work stoppage is being handled by the town solicitor, with an update expected April 14.
• RIDOT revised bridge project plans after public safety concerns: the South County Trail Bridge will have no closures, and the Frenchtown Road Bridge will have limited night closures without blocking emergency apparatus; coordination meetings will continue every other week.
• The Post Road and West Main Street sidewalk project is expected to be advertised this summer with construction in 2026; the mini roundabout project is expected to be advertised next month with construction this fall and outreach to Wickford businesses and residents.
• The manager reported a lunch with Governor McKee and other municipal leaders, discussed federal earmark cancellations and reapplications, and presented town priorities including education funding, road programs, housing policy, and unfunded mandates.
• The Rhode Island Interlocal Trust notified the town of a 10.16% health premium increase, a 6.29% dental increase, and a 49.39% workers' compensation increase. The manager said these amounts exceeded budget assumptions and that staff are reworking the budget to avoid a tax-rate impact, with options to be presented before the April 21 public hearing.

Good Energy Update

• The town signed an electric service agreement with NextEra Energy Services, contingent on rates below last-resort service at launch.
• The planned June launch was delayed because market prices have risen; Good Energy recommended renegotiating in October and November and moving outreach to late summer or fall.

Finance Director's Report

• The Finance Director projected revenues $1,716,122 over budget, driven by earnings on invested funds, police detail revenue, and tangible personal property tax revenue, while reducing expected revenue from the delayed Wickford L sale.
• The projected year-end surplus is currently $1,185,122, subject to changes from open positions, overtime, and department spending.
• Council discussion focused on whether to use projected surplus to offset FY2026 insurance increases. The manager cautioned against creating a structural deficit and stated the FY2027 goal remains no tax increase despite debt pressures in FY2028.

Comprehensive Plan Implementation Report

• Planning staff presented the five-year resilience-oriented implementation report for the 2019 Comprehensive Plan. A full implementation report is expected in coming months, and annual reporting that had been missed will resume.
• School highlights included HVAC and energy-efficiency upgrades at multiple schools, new windows at Davisville Middle School, design of a new net-zero middle school using geothermal and rooftop solar, and food recycling programs that reduced trash sent to landfill by an average of 80% per elementary school.
• The town may improve its Community Rating System flood insurance rating from Class 9, a 5% discount, to Class 7, a 15% discount.
• Council members praised the report and agreed resiliency should be integrated into ongoing decision-making.

CRMC Applications

• Item 24 - Edon Realty Trust, c/o Donna Rossetti, requested a CRMC residential boating facility consisting of a fixed pier, ramp, and float at 353 Earle Drive. After extensive public comment, both the Harbor Management Commission and Conservation Commission unanimously recommended substantive objection. The Council voted to submit a substantive objection to CRMC.
• Item 25 - Quonset Development Corporation requested CRMC approval for a wave attenuator system along the north side of the Pier 2 extension at the Port of Davisville. The Council voted to file no substantive objection.

Appointments and Correspondence

• The Council appointed one Arts Council applicant to a term ending March 1, 2026, and voted to reduce the Arts Council from 13 to 10 members.
• The Council appointed Max Reynolds to the Zoning Board of Review as Second Alternate to July 1, 2026, filling the unexpired term of Richard Welch.
• Correspondence included many emails about the Earle Drive dock, school redistricting and budget concerns, RIDE comments on the school project, and requests from Richard Welch regarding auto expense stipends, beach pass exemptions, and transfer station fees.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the Public Beaches ordinance amendment and the Recreation fee schedule ordinance amendment on second reading.
• Authorized the Council President to sign the Safe Streets for All letter of support.
• Approved the entire Consent Calendar, Items 8 through 20.
• Voted to file a substantive objection to CRMC on the Earle Drive dock application.
• Voted to file no substantive objection on the Quonset Development Corporation wave attenuator application.
• Appointed an Arts Council member and reduced Arts Council membership to 10; appointed Max Reynolds to the Zoning Board.
• Directed budget work to address insurance cost increases, with proposed solutions to be presented before the April 21 public hearing.

The meeting adjourned after the Council completed its agenda.