This is bullet works.

Thank you very much for being here today.

Are you busy schedule?

What is the plan for this thing?

Chairman Barges.

Counselor Royce.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Petition from Mark Faradi, MP general contractors requesting the abandonment of Hillcrest Avenue beginning at Woodside Road and extending to flat 95, lot 215 for the development of two duplex homes.

Thank you.

So I'm so sorry.

I will lead a motion to continue number one.

So move chair.

Indepth.

Continue and definite one.

Continue and definitely.

So motion made by consumer lawyers, second by majority by others.

Okay.

All those in favor?

Aye.

All of those clos.

Any electivation?

Motion passes.

Can you please read number two?

Resolution instructing the city's traffic engineering division and the office of curbside management to inspect all city-owned traffic and parking signage.

Okay.

So number two.

Melanie and Nate, welcome.

How we're doing with those signs?

So currently I'm working on a project to update all of the parking signs in our meter areas.

In the central business district alone from Clifford Street to Sabin.

It's gonna be close to a thousand signs.

That's not even touching the train stations and state house and the jewelry district.

Plus all of the other meter areas, plus all of the other signs parking signs in the city, plus Nate's traffic signs.

So to update to inventory and then update them is a vast, vast task that we don't have currently the capacity to do in-house.

And we're working on getting those out the door, but it's gonna take almost it's gonna take more than they gave us.

Like we won't be able to get everything done.

So looking at this in terms of like, yes, we want to update the signs, and I can tell you how many signs we've done in the past three years.

Um but in terms of this, in terms of like a six-month deadline, a year deadline to update, you know, to inventory and then replace an update.

It's just it's just not feasible, unfortunately.

I mean, I'd love to be able to do it, but it's just not feasible.

How many how many signs have you guys replaced since last time we met?

So I don't remember the specific date the last time we were here.

Um, but in 2024, I updated 675 parking signs.

In 2025, I updated 976 parking signs, and to date in 2026, I've done 280.

So it's working in progress.

It's a work in progress, but these are only for the parking signs.

Like I don't I don't touch an ace traffic signs, of which there are also thousands.

And how many open work orders did you say you have?

Um yeah, right now this includes parking too.

There's probably about 235 open work works that we're working towards.

I think the fact that we lost several weeks with very little ability to do sign work, and we we also lost some staff broke the scope and just people shipping to other jobs.

Um, but we are catching up on that.

Um as far as surveys, to do uh uh we do do some surveys um periodically, but um to do a comprehensive survey of the city would be kind of intensive.

I think it we we do the surveys a lot when we have when we get caught up on the on the requests, and we're we're still at 235 and probably two and a half to four months to get through that, uh, considering that we have other stuff besides sign work for that that particular sign installation crew is is assigned to, including temporary signs and other temporary traffic controls that they do and uh so forth.

So um I I would say you know, we do some sign surveys.

There, you know, there will be an ability to do that, you know.

I I think probably more so when we when we get caught up on the on the back one of requests.

How many stop signs do you have as one stock?

Um like um on hands, how many yeah we we usually keep about 50 um I don't know we usually keep about 50 pre-made stop signs maybe.

You also have pre-made do that results signs that we we use frequently.

Because the stop signs are the long way signs that those are the ones that we lose more almost every day.

Yeah, right, right.

We're even doing pre-made handicap signs and and no parking any time signs double hour, for example, because that's that's that's a frequent thing, just so we don't have to wait for it to be made.

But really the the backlog is in the installation, so I would say so.

Go ahead.

Uh thank you.

Um just out of curiosity, how many is it uh are we having a vendor install s you know s it's it's in-house?

Yeah, the installation in-house.

We we um mostly because of the staffs switching it and also to increase our capability of of doing installs with the sign crew.

We we we've uh done sign making.

We've just recently uh uh using it using a a vendor to do that.

So many beginning of the year we started that.

This is gonna sound weird to like clock a human and how much they can install signs in a day, but like roughly how many how many signs can DBW and install in one day across the city.

I know it varies in price.

I would say, I mean because there's always other work that they do.

Most mostly those temporary no parking signs that you know, we do probably 15 to 20,000 those a year just because you know you know there are permits and we do get um a permit fee for that.

But considering that that's that's a pretty constant demand, I would I would say we do maybe about 10 to a dozen work orders a day, and it could be two or three signs within that work order in fair race.

It could be it could be one sign as many as twelve.

So um, you know, it could be maybe a couple dozen signs a day.

And sorry, one go ahead.

And when if a counselor had as as can a can can a counselor request like can you like if we made a request, hey DPW, can you send us like your work orders regarding signs corporately by neighborhood?

Like is that just so we can know uh like which you know we may not be aware of it, but like which which how many signs are still need to be installed in our neighborhoods.

Is that make sense?

Yeah, um we would have to look at the cake.

We currently we we use a um uh digital work order system, that's the essentials.

We started that last year.

Um there is a mapping feature on there.

Um I think we might be able to map that.

But you you you you know, we just have to make sure we we we designate in progress, in other words, scientists look to be done versus ones that are completed.

So um we we'd have to look into that into capabilities, how we map that send it to them.

So uh the sponsor one thank you.

Um I actually have a quick question.

Is there a way to be able to facilitate this request by working with any different departments that might like parking enforcement could kind of go and assess and um not that I'm aware of we were having the we were trying to have some of the meter maintenance team do some of the sign installations and agreements was filed, and so that is um and the parking enforcement officers work for the police department, different union.

Um so I don't think that that's um I don't I like I can't say no off the top of my head, but I think it would be very complicated.

Yeah, I could see that and they'd also have to carry something at in addition to their handheld to to document what they've documented, yeah.

And can we these type of work?

Like we can get get a company to come in and pay them for doing it.

Is any way that we can do that?

There's not currently a funding source that we could identify to do that.

Yeah.

Yeah, I would say just from experience, sign installation is gets to be very costly compared to doing it in-house, just the nature of it.

You know, you're still survey could be higher, you know, an engineering company or some good company to survey.

So we get a list and spend so much money where we have to consider once we get that list, you know, how long that would that take us to complete the list, and does it make sense to spend all that money up front?

So that can be looked at.

But the installation, I can tell you the installation is really expensive compared to in-house.

Um we are doing sign making.

Okay.

Um so any other question?

Uh yes, please.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Um sorry, I think it was during last summer that we had this conversation when we were here and and we spoke about the volume of work, and uh so we I think that we conclude, if I remember correctly, that we will move ahead and see uh as time went on uh what was it exactly that we would need.

Because I think we offer like if we needed to hire additional personnel.

So I don't know if you came to that real estation whether you will need extra people because we're in the middle of the budget now, so if we were going to go there, this would be the time to do it.

Great question.

So that we can move ahead and perhaps uh we can produce more in-house.

Because this is gonna be an ongoing thing uh uh as we move forward because the volume of signage is really dozens, and we're doing I really think that would be a volume of employees that you buy.

And it doesn't make sense to hire director.

I think I just got tagged in.

Yeah, yeah, you did.

How are you doing?

Yeah, so um, yeah, so um I do recall that.

Yeah, because I remember speaking about how many person for departments and the work at hand.

So um uh before I get to that, one thing just to tag on Nate's last answer, the the um the uh contracting out of sign installation would also be an issue in addition to the other things that need said.

Um in terms of the budget, I mean our budget hearing is I think not next week, the week after that.

Okay, and like any like any budget process, there's always hard decisions that have to be made, priorities that have to be decided upon, and um you know, in a in a perfect world, I love to increase the staffing in every single division at DPW.

Um, and obviously I'm not gonna be able to do that.

Um, and so I think um what you will see in in our budget request is is the result of those kinds of decisions that have to be made in terms of prioritization.

I can say that um there's a project manager that's been working with both traffic and curbside uh in the last six months, maybe, maybe a little longer, um who is added an awful lot of value um in terms of helping to kind of wrangle a lot of the work that gets done um behind the scenes, if you will, um, of those two divisions, not there he's not out there installing signs, right?

He's you know he's helping kind of organize the work and to kind of wrangle the volume of work um into something manageable.

Um, but I think that um the impression that I would definitely want to leave which which both Melanie and Nate alluded to is that um while we're not out there exclusively doing a citywide audit of all the signage on every single street um every single day, that work does happen through different avenues.

As Nate said, they do do um you know discrete areas where they audit the signs.

Melanie has the project that she described about the the meter signage that is so outdated and is gonna be replaced.

Certainly free run on one, certainly requests from council um get get responded to.

Um and and and remembering that putting up a news sign isn't just like mailing a sign to a poll.

There's big safe and there's there's all things uh have to be considered the distance on the sidewalk from maybe a handicap ramp and so forth.

So um there's a lot that goes into it, and they as they still both have very small crews.

Uh traffic has gone through some um some flux this year with with some people being out, uh, and that's definitely contributed to some difficulties in moving things more quickly, but they're getting back on track, and hopefully we'll get rid of that backlog.

Thank you so much.

Sure, thank you.

Go ahead, okay.

Um related but unrelated.

I had put in a request about four months ago requesting just a meeting for a street that has gone from 10 houses to now it's going to be about 19 houses because of student housing.

So the neighbors that are there had requested finding out what the process would be to make their dead end street no parking because they're having a continued serious issue that's going to be going away for three short months until the students come back.

But this part was a part where we're still kind of waiting to try and schedule something like that.

Can you tell me what how we can proceed on that?

So that was what's the name that's what we've got.

I'll talk with her on that tomorrow.

Yeah.

Yeah, I just want to follow up the neighbors.

Well, there's an opportunity where there's not a whole lot, there's gonna be a lull in the busyness, maybe it might help to see when it's not so congested what it looks like.

The parking enforcement officer and DPOLO, they are the same union, right?

No, no, no.

The different unions.

The parking enforcement officers work for the police department.

And what union they have?

I don't know.

But we do have 1033.

They're also 1033.

But don't they have a different contract?

They might be in a different bargaining unit.

Yeah, I'm not sure they're in the same parking unit as ours, our guys.

We can double check.

Yeah, that would be a good idea to double check.

I would be more, I would be more concerned about their ability to argue that it's not within their job description.

Yeah, they definitely wouldn't.

You know, yeah.

In terms of like auditing signs, right?

Right.

But they they they walking around light and takers and checking the mirror, they can I do frequently get requests from them or updates saying, hey, this sign's been knocked over, this sign's been stolen, this one's illegible.

So they are sort of doing that through the natural course of their day, but it's not something that is formalized.

Right.

Okay.

Um questions.

So see in this resolution that is a work in progress.

We will continue to into the nets into six months.

And I will leave uh do I need a motion?

I will need a motion to continue for the next six months.

So second.

Okay, or by consular lawyers, second by your further none.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Others of close, none.

Any suspension?

So we got six months.

These haven't died yet.

And I know I'll be going through four of you guys to request signs, and I want to thank you for that.

And sometimes it's it's very important to get the signs up.

And I didn't say that it's budget time.

Time to cut or time to uh so I still need to work on it if you need more people in that environment.

Okay.

Um, can you recognize that we have a bunch of women's babies?

So noted.

I forgot.

Yeah, we have thank you.

Can you please review number three?

Resolution requesting review of car cuts to say to create accessible street parking.

Okay, number three.

I think it's melody again.

Yep.

Welcome back.

And this comes with this month.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's your first time.

So just to start off with a few numbers.

In 2024, we had we installed uh 136 accessible parking signs from 68 requests.

In 2025, we installed 102 signs from 51 requests, and to date in 2026, we've installed or submitted work orders for 38 signs from 19 requests.

So these signs are handicap signs, right?

Yes.

Or any type of signs.

No, these are specifically handicapped decible signs that we're talking about.

So in talking with the city engineer, um historically handicapped ramps have ranged somewhere between 7,000 to $13,000 per ramp, depending on the amount of concrete work rating, drainage.

Now that has escalated some to due to the um increase in construction costs and all of those things.

Now that has escalated some to due to the um increase in construction costs and all of those things, but at those rates installing ramps for those signs from the past three years would have cost somewhere between 600 and 16,000 and 1,144,000, and that's before any escalation in terms of construction material costs due to supply chain tariffs, everything.

So that is a significant budget hit that my division certainly doesn't have the funds for that we also don't have the capacity for within highway and or engineering to design them.

Um I'd also like to point out that we frequently get requests to move previously installed signs to a new residence because of our high percentage of renters within the city.

So that would involve, you know, we've installed a handicap ramp for a house that no longer has handicappes in front of it.

Additionally, we do not restrict the use of handicapped accessible parking to a specific handicap placard.

Anyone who is parking on that street who has an accessible parking placard can park in that handicapped accessible space.

So having a handicap ramp specifically in front of one person's house just because they requested it, doesn't mean that the person using that parking space is actually going to be using that ramp.

Um and lastly, I've actually never in my three years back with the city, I've never had a request for the installation of uh accessible ramp along with signs.

Um it's not something that we're required to do under federal law and it's just cost prohibitive, and wouldn't necessarily create additional access for the person using the signs.

Any more can um so thank you for that context.

Um the basis for this particular resolution is more I really do want to do and take um an inventory of not so much the handicap and curb cut or ramp accessibility on side streets, it's actually more on the um main streets or the streets that are much more uh congested with parking.

The so I'll give you a little bit of context.

We um in walking or in a community meeting, I think it was um I had a neighbor that pointed out one very basic thing.

She said, I went to go park along um what's the one with a I can't think of the name of the street on Angel Street, she was on the east side, and she said I went to go park my car, I have a handicapped uh placard on it, and she said, and she drives a while, she's able to drive, she's also um in wheelchair value, so she can park at a handicapped accessible area or handicapped uh with a where there's a sign, but she actually can't get out of her car because there isn't an actual curb cut tip for her to be able to come out, and so that led to a question of I just happened to be um driving as many of us when we're driving and seeing things, um, I kind of paid attention to that.

Um, mobility is a big um concern of mine as um different needs require different things, but my what I was drawn to was looking at handicap signs where there wasn't an actual opportunity for curb cut there, so it limits where people can park, um, especially when we're in um pretty high traffic areas.

So that for for me what I thought would be a good resolution is just to take inventory of highly trafficked areas where we already have um handicap signs.

How many of those can we actually create um an opportunity to have that curb cut so we have that accessibility opportunity for our um uh our neighbors that can drive or people that come in and and and you know have business in the city to be able to have that accessibility.

I think it's really important for us to at the very least just research the idea, and my goal with this was to then have um the chance to advocate for it in community in CIP.

I think it's really important um to have uh to take into consideration some more mobility opportunities for our neighbors, and this is a big, it just happens to be a very random conversation in a community meeting that led me to start thinking about other pieces.

So I think if there's a way for us to just create the report to just kind of see if that's a if that's something that we can plan for in the future, I think it would go, and I'd certainly be a huge advocate for it.

I'm sure other counselors would as well.

Yeah.

Yeah, accessibility is a very required of our job.

Whenever we have a city funded having project, we are installing or upgrading programs at every corner of the street to meet the modern standard.

In addition, sidewalk, you know, our sidewalk program is meant to uh take away trip hazards and make it as accessible as possible.

We do have some constraints with grading and slopes.

Um we are very much a built environment and somewhat limited to what we can do.

Um but that is a very good focus of ours.

Um the ADA standards were updated and adopted about a year and a half ago, yeah, two years, um, which are now requiring certain handicapped uh accommodations for meter or sprite parking.

Okay.

So we see uh some of the safe streets for all projects that are coming out of the planning department start to incorporate some of these ideas.

Um and as we move forward with other um paving projects and other capital projects assuming that going forward.

Okay.

So it's gonna start to address that radar.

So that's already on your radar.

So I appreciate you taking that.

No, this is it's it's important.

I think that you know, we're coming into a in into a time where more people have more opportunity to be able to drive in these cars that are specifically manufactured to be able to allow you to drive and actually um have your mobility device available to you.

So making things a little bit more easy a little bit easier for them to navigate, I think is really important as we you guys are doing a phenomenal job of really um forward thinking and preparing for all of these things.

It's this is just one where um I think it helps it goes a long way.

So we have those is on the federal grant money to write to do the ADA accessible?

Uh not specific for ADA accessibility, but some of the funds that are coming through our federal funds uh for other types of projects.

Okay.

Any other questions?

Uh yeah, chair.

This might just not be germane to this item.

Uh Volanas and you let me know.

Um I just uh with the I did a theme about the theme that's uh emerging from a lot of these um questions and agenda items is staff capacity, and I uh for me, I'm you know, I'm thinking about how can we convince how can we convince residents that uh their valuable tax dollars uh you know, whenever we ask to them to give more, how how can we uh convince them that more is needed for them to get the best services?

And I'm I'm wanting maybe this is a question for Doctor is like, you know, for example, I know there's a lot of conversation, and I think you had uh indicated support of it, like a public-facing map, let's say like snow removal, right?

For like real-time plowing.

I'm wondering if we have like, for example, a public-facing map for work orders for signs, right?

Like, here are the amount of signs that DBW is trying to tackle, and so residents can see how innovative you all are, so we can make the case to them.

We need to actually hire more people to do this, and it will be cheaper in-house.

Like, is there is there any like that that exists where it's like a public-facing map for work orders that that won't be so difficult for for you all to my my I guess my um vision would be that whenever work order is made, it would just automatically go to this public-facing map.

It'll be streamlined.

But for me, it would convince the, I guess I I am idealistic in the sense that I would convince residents that wow, there's so much work to be done.

Therefore, we need to make the case that we need to expand DBW or expand DIS.

You know, there's a lot there in your question.

I know.

Short answers there isn't anything like that right now.

I mean, there's not a public facing ability for people to see.

I mean, there is the the sort of individual way through 311 where they can see their requests.

Right, which frankly is is generally what people really care about is the request naming, you know.

Um I don't know how convincing it is to for people to know that oh, we also have 25 other requests, you know.

People naturally, in the nature they care about the one naming.

Right.

Um I get that.

That's that's normal.

Um, you know, as I said before to to Councilman S and all, in a in a budget process, there's always hard choices that have to be made.

Um those are those are made by the entire team, the team that I work for.

Uh, and so um, you know, I advocate for staff.

I'd as I said, I'd love to have, I think every department could benefit from more staff.

I think over the years, government in general, both at the state and municipal level has has shrunk.

Um, you know, I'm I'm regaled with tales of back when highway had over a hundred people, and I think we we mentioned that at your award meeting the other night, and and now there's about 40 in highway.

Um, and yet we're still asked to do what we did, and and usually even more with less.

Um, and so I think it's a it's a it's a lot to think about a lot to you know, and certainly as you all vet the budget submitted by the mayor, you have choices to make, and there's always competing priorities, and there's never enough to go around for all the for what all the priorities are.

I think this department really does do an excellent job in meeting the needs and the asks of both counseling constituents.

Um it's a lot.

Um, and it never um it can never get done as fast as we all wish it could.

Um, but I do think they do an excellent job.

Do you think of uh even if we don't like in this budget?

Let's say we don't have the we're going, you know, through negotiation and the end the end product is not for some reason we don't increase the staff of uh of like uh the uh these department or or or um Nate's division.

Um it's let's say it's the status quo after this budget.

Do you think just like a public facing system that we won't get this year, but would be beneficial uh to show residents that DPW is at capacity and they're doing as much as they can, or do you think that would kind of backfire uh it's I think it could go either way.

It could be a double-edged sword.

Yeah, I mean, I mean I understand, and and the transparency is something I'm very interested in, but it you know, you you can certainly use your imagination about what the other edge of that sword would be.

I think that um I think one of the things that I've been interested in is is trying to do a better job with like end-of-year kind of information.

Um year information about like what we did.

Here's what we did this year.

Uh here's how many signs we put up, here's some how many sidewalks we did.

We do that kind of individually by division.

Um, it could be more comprehensive, and maybe that would give the public a better idea of what they're getting for their tax dollars.

Um, and so that is that's something I'll definitely take back and try to work on.

Like a newsletter.

Or just a more comprehensive annual review at the same time that brings all the divisions information together.

Annual questions.

Uh yes, quickly.

I just want to go back to the handicap parking.

Do we have a way of knowing which HANICA parkings are no longer needed?

Uh like someone sends it away.

Generally speaking, um, I receive uh not very frequently, but I have received a steady in um number of requests over the past three years to remove signs when someone has passed away or moved into assisted living or um or a higher level of care.

Um that said, I don't think that it's appropriate for me and my role to reach out to somebody and say, do you still need that sign?

So like it's it's a very delicate thing, it's not something the city should be sort of sticking their nose into as to whether someone is still considered um you know.

So we have no way to know unless someone so we don't we don't have a way of knowing unless someone um responds and said, you know, reaches out and says, you know, we don't need these anymore.

Or I've had people say, you know, I bought this house from an estate sale, there's handicapped signs, we don't need those, we'd like the parking back in front of our house.

And so we we definitely take down signs every you know accessible signs every year.

Um clearly not as many as we put up, but it does happen, and I find that you know people are mostly honest and you know aren't gonna try to restrict parking that they don't need.

Do you have any type of uh like application to that?

You can we can put it on the owner of that probably would sign.

Or to remove the sign.

Yeah, so if somebody wants to remove the signs, they have to show that either that they now own the property or that they're the you know the executor or something like that, because we have had we've also had issues where there's you know um you know contentiousness between neighbors and neighbors have called and said these people moved out, they don't need their signs, and then we take the signs out, and two weeks later somebody calls and it's like, where did my signs go?

I can't I can't get out of my car, to your point, Councilman Peterson.

So it's a very delicate balance to make sure that you are not caught, you know, getting caught in you know neighbor contentiousness and that you're not saying, hey, do you still need your signs?

Um so it's it's really generally you know relying on the honesty of the general public to tell us when they don't need them anymore.

Oh, the council course.

Yes, that too.

I have a couple that I help request, but they're no longer here.

Yeah, so if you know about those, and yeah, you can you can certainly let us know, and you know, we can verify that and we can have them removed.

I got several so that they they pass away.

Yeah, so if you know about them and and that you know that there's nobody else in that house who has a valid placard, let us know.

Okay.

Oh wait.

All right, any other questions?

I'm on second.

Uh Consul Woman Peterson, what do you like to do with this?

Um is it sorry?

Is it um is it feasible to request uh just an update on this?

Maybe maybe not necessarily I can't speak, sorry.

Maybe not necessarily to the extent of a full report, but perhaps an update of what we've done, seeing as though you've kind of shown that what we already have a lot of these things kind of in motion, um, maybe an update uh in within the six months.

I think the that's what the resolution says, right?

I can't remember.

Yeah, I definitely think we can uh we can read just people, especially through the CID.

Yeah, um we have good data on that.

Okay.

Um it's gonna be a similar challenge to locate all the accessible parking throughout the city.

Yeah.

Um that kind of goes with the sign inventory, maybe the two go together.

Yeah, they definitely go together.

But it we primarily we just don't have an inventory of where these spots are located.

Yeah.

Um so it would require campus in the city, much like the science survey.

Yeah.

Um we can't offer uh how many miles of sidewalk we made safe, um, how many programs that we put in through located projects or through specific ADA requests.

Yeah.

Um we can get that together.

Thank you.

Okay, okay.

So I need a motion for number three that we want to get updates to continue to do.

Just to continue.

Continue.

Yes, to continue.

Yeah.

So I need a motion to continue.

Number three.

Chair.

Uh a great chair.

Thank you very much.

I actually am going to second that, sir.

Thank you.

Yeah, we have the proper all those in favor.

Aye.

All those opposed, any obstination?

The motion classes.

Thank you.

Thank you guys.

I appreciate it.

Okay.

Um please read number four.

Resolution requesting improved access to overnight parking patches.

Oh, what's it gene?

Number four.

You like this one.

Okay.

Okay, so it's one of these.

Welcome to the Lisa, it's a pleasure to see you.

And welcome back, Melanie.

Yeah, Melanie, you've been very popular tonight.

Should have brought my tattoos.

Um resolution, I put it in because people are getting confused.

Going here, going there, going to DPW.

They get an issue, they they want to go to the police department, they go to the police department, police department send them to a different area.

By the end, they they lost half a day trying to figure out how to get an overnight parking.

And the idea is to have a collaboration between the municipal court and DPW trying to get the organized parking into the conference.

So I'd like to start with a bit of a summary.

So we moved the when the overnight parking program started citywide in 2012.

It was a paper-based program.

Permits moved partially online during COVID, and we went to a fully online permit application only in 2024.

Prior to that, both DPW and the municipal court accepted paper applications.

However, neither location, we do not accept the paper at all anymore for any DPW permit.

If a resident comes to DPW for a permit and doesn't have access to the online portal, DPW staff has access to a computer and helps them walk or walks them through doing the application online.

The application can be accessed at all public libraries in Providence on any device with internet access, including phones, tablets, and computers.

And we've had approximately over the last two years the clerk's estimate, maybe two people a week coming for help with an application, which is roughly 2% of the 8,000 overnight parking applications that we are overnight parking parking permits that we currently have.

So I think that there's plenty of access to it.

I will let Elizabeth speak to the configuration of the municipal court.

But DPW has ample free parking.

We have clerks available, we have a specific constituent room with a computer available.

So I think that access-wise, that there's plenty of access to the permit application, the online permit application, and that the municipal court doesn't need to have that as one of the things that they also need to handle.

Okay.

Hi.

So I I do I do understand having everything on a kiosk, having everything available at DPW, but I don't see a problem with expanding accessibility as the council sees fit for members of the public.

We do in the municipal court hear between 60 and 90 individuals who require language access help at the court, and that varies between Spanish being the primary.

Recently, a lot of Haitian and Arabic.

But at the municipal court, we have the QR code tape to the window where someone can just click it and get into it.

We have handouts that people can get.

But one of the big concerns I know that the chief judge and I both share is that when someone comes before the court and they have $500 in overnight parking tickets, they can't get a permit right then and there.

So the judge is telling them, look, I'm gonna forgive, let's say 90% of it, we're gonna have you pay one of them because you didn't know until it was too late and you couldn't get a permit because you had the tickets.

So I do see bringing that full circle and making it accessible for those constituents that are already taking a day out of work to come to court.

Um I'm not sure if paper is the remedy for it or a kiosk like they have at DPW.

Um we are getting kiosks in the court anyway for vario mobility uh when we switch over to the red light and speed.

So if it's something that we can facilitate with that or use one of those kiosks already, or just buddy system it with an additional one, I'm not opposed to it, but I can see the need for expanding accessibility to one more component of people getting that permit, not having to take extra time to it's so relevant to say go all the way across town and have to go to TPW as accessible as it is and as helpful as the clerks are there.

So I can see the need for it, um, and I can see it kind of in either respect that we do have a need because constituents are already coming to court and a one-stop shop would be ideal for constituent services there.

Okay, any questions?

Uh no, I'm happy to give some feedback.

I think it's actually a really great idea to be able to give it the accessibility at least in the courts.

And I don't know is is it feasible to be able to create that opportunity?

Whether kiosk, if I understand that we're trying to uh limit eliminate paper, which I have a tendency to disagree with, but I understand it.

Um but is it feasible for uh DPW to be able to create some sort of opportunity like that at the courts?

Um we wouldn't, I mean I think that Elizabeth would have to work with IT to get a key ask set up there.

That's not like I can't direct IT to put something in somebody else's department.

But she'd have to work with you to be able to do that.

So our online courting our permitting portal is online, so it would just be a bookmarking of a page and it's just open up.

It's yeah, got it.

So who then gets the information?

It would just it goes directly to you.

Okay, goes to the clerks as it would normally.

Yeah.

I mean, I think it's accessibility trying to make things.

We are already doing that in the city, but we're creating one-stop shops.

The residents are mailed to the residents.

Are they mailed to the residents?

No, there is all online.

We don't get we don't do stickers, it's all license plate-based.

Oh, so we do basically just registering your license plate online.

Yeah.

You have paying a fee.

Yeah.

Oh, okay.

Yeah, that's that's easy.

I think it's a good idea to we're already trying to create these one stop shops in different parts of the what we're doing in the city.

I think it's just helpful.

It's just helpful to neighbors.

And anybody with a cell phone can just go online and do it too.

Yep.

And if we get people who aren't comfortable with any of that when they come in, we have a especially in our new building to another scene.

Um we are it's almost complete, but we have a constituent room right in the lobby of our new building that is outfitted with a computer and table and chairs so that whenever people can come in, if they're not comfortable paying a fine online or applying for a permit online, we can sit with them and go through it with them.

We do that already.

But we are gonna have this like really nice dedicated space.

Great.

Uh it's not like the old place at all.

Um that we can help them with that, especially like sometimes older people are I've actually sat with an elderly gentleman and helped him pay uh a fine that he got online, um, showing him how to do it online with him.

So that's great.

That's good.

Good job.

Yeah.

So the idea would be to to have municipal court too also to receive payments and applications.

So it's all online, so they wouldn't need to.

Yes, it's all online, but I want to give them a responsibility to when the when the judge said, look, you've been paying $500 in tickets, why you don't get your permit.

So in the judge will say, go down there, you will get a permit now.

Pay a hundred dollars now and get your permit right away.

So he don't have to go all the way to look for you though.

A DPW, or he don't know how to do it, at least I will have somebody who can hope right in the court system, right in the comments.

So we will have two locations to do overnight parking.

You you you could do that, you can do it.

I understand what you're saying, but it's just a computer.

So they can do it for me.

They can do it at the courthouse, they can do it at a library, they could do it at DPW if they wanted extra help, they could do it.

Not no location is gonna make it faster or different.

It's online.

So I think that's the key here.

It's consummate is that uh there's no cash payment to anybody.

It's online through credit.

Correct.

So that's anyway.

So we're gonna do it from the understandable.

The question is if grandma comes to pay the ticket, doesn't speak English?

And she's told it all, she don't know how to use a GPS, you don't have a user phone.

Why are you going to send grandma?

Oh, go do online when we have the service right and on the municipal court at the same time.

And we do do that right now.

Um we sit with constituents from all walks of life who need whatever services or accessibility provided to them, whether it's through the language line.

We had to uh utilize that in the courtroom the other day, actually, for Arabic, uh, for constituent who needed help with an overnight parking permit, which uh was a little bit of an ordeal, but we we got it done and it's it's not a problem.

So if you'd like to expand that into the municipal court for whatever accommodations, whether that's paper and my clerks have to enter it manually, then and there, whatever that looks like.

Um I can partner with the chief judge as well as the staff and make sure that that's something that we do have because permits are still listed um in my clerk's duties from having it, I think a year and a half, two years ago.

Um, so it's not something that would be outside of the scope of what's listed in their uh in their union duties.

Um so that it that is something we can expand, councilman if you would like us to do whatever you'd like us to do to expand the accessibility for it.

We we can make it happen, it's just going to be sure.

I would like to thank you very much.

I would like to expand the overnight parking to the municipal court.

And I need a motion.

The resolution.

I need a motion for resolution number four to expand the service into municipal court.

It's we're gonna have to amend the resolution.

Oh, do you're approving the resolution, right?

Or are you adding something to it?

Um I want to because they want to share well, I need two locations.

You do it in the resolution.

It's already here.

Yes, just approval.

Yes, it needs to approve, so I need a uh motion to approve number four.

Chair will reach it again.

Okay, okay.

Second I got a motion from Councilman Lawyers, and second by uh players can now all those in favor?

Aye.

All those opposed?

Any installation?

Any so the motion passes?

Congratulations.

Municipal court is going to be waiting until they will get you over.

So the president goes there.

They'd be able to help them.

The person comes with pay $900 and they get he needed a perfect and get a clear?

Okay.

Thank you.

Now you can go there.

Thank you very much for that.

We shall have to do something number five.

Resolution passing enforcement acquires to address mattress docking.

Thank you.

Okay, number five.

We have hi.

Hawaii.

If you could sit.

And we have our director, director, we have a huge problem with these mattresses.

Agreed.

So the good news is that a lot of what is being requested in this resolution is already in the works and has been.

If I could give a little bit of background.

First of all, I know that the committee did invite Brandon Olson, our environmental uh associate director for environmental services.

Um because this is a project that frankly I've been working on, and Brandon is still new and also had a conflict tonight.

I uh it's okay that he's not here because I can address the the question.

Um so as you say, there is a huge mattress problem.

Um I've I've been married, I'll be married, I think it's 30 I've lost track.

Sorry.

Two years of the 36 years, I'm not gonna match.

And I think I'm on my third mattress in 36 years.

So I like where are these mattresses coming from?

I can tell you why.

But you you'll pay $3,000 for yours.

Yeah.

And they're paying $700 for it.

Okay.

Um that said, uh, in 2025, just at the mattress depot, which which is at uh at 700 Allen's on Saturdays, um, we took in 9,381 mattresses.

Just at the mattress depot.

Those do not that does not include the mattresses.

How many mattresses took three nine thousand three hundred and eighty-one.

Now that does not include the mattresses that Sal Solomon and his crew pull off the sidewalk and the side of the highway wherever mattresses get thrown.

Um of those, however, this is this is the good part.

9,080 of them.

So all but 301 were recycled.

And so the mattress depot is a really good asset because if the mattress is clean, dry, government through things or three critters in it, um, we can recycle it, and that's that's an amazing savings for the city.

If we have to send them to the landfill, it's very, very expensive.

Um, and so that operation is very good.

And to allay any fears, by the way, that the mattress depot will continue in our new complex when it's now my next question.

Yeah, no, and I know that was a concern.

Um, and and frankly, um, I don't want to go up too much off agenda and get in trouble, but um we know that that operation needs to continue, and there are mechanisms if if let's say 700 gets sold tomorrow, there's there's mechanisms for for allowing us to continue that operation pending the the continuation of it in the new facility.

So fear not, we're not gonna lose the mattress steeping.

Um now we have e-ways too, though.

And now we add e-ways.

E-waste, yes, and we we definitely do that as well.

Um in 2026 so far, we have we have taken in just on Saturdays 2,208 mattresses.

We we lost a couple of weeks during the winter when we just couldn't run the depot because we had 38 inches of snow.

Um and of those 2208, uh we have recycled 2157 mattresses.

So the depot is a good thing.

Waste management will charge a resident 30 dollars to take their mattress, it has to be in a mattress bag, which they can buy from DPW for $10.

But if people don't want to spend that $40 to get rid of their mattress, they can bring it for free to DPW every Saturday.

What I suspect might happen because we kind of see the same people every Saturday, is that if people live in another community and their community wants to charge them $40 to dispose of their mattress, but Providence will take it for free.

Maybe they pay someone in Providence $20 and they take the mattress to the depot.

So do we think we're getting mattresses from other communities?

Yes.

Yes.

Is there really a way to get to the heart of that?

You tell me, because I've been rolling this around in my brain for for almost four years now, and I can't crack it.

Well, is it impossible to keep track to the people that are coming over?

We do.

So you have to show an ID showing you're a Providence resident.

So if I show up every Saturday with three or four mattresses, obviously I have a business.

Maybe you do.

Maybe you just have a lot of friends and you're their friend with the truck.

I mean, it's really hard to get to.

And it's not, it's not really it's just very, very hard to solve.

And at the end of the day, at the end of the day, if I if I may, um, it we want to encourage the use of the mattress depot because the alternative is that they throw it out on the side of the street.

And then and then we pay to send it to the landfill.

What I can tell you though is um, and and as you know, if you some stores, when you buy a mattress, they'll take your old one, which is great, but they don't all do that.

Um so the mattress dumping issue is part of a larger dumping issue.

And so I've done some research on like how do they handle this in other states.

The tires, the you know, random amounts of junk that gets tossed that we clean up from DPW and highway every single day.

Um about a year ago, I took a ride with Sal Solomon and said, show me your top 12 or top 10, I think it was 10 dumping spots.

The spots you clean up every week.

Um because one of the things that I noted they did in other states was they tried to do um either fencing or big boulders around the perimeter of that dumping spot um to dissuade people from dumping.

So I looked at all 10 or 12 of the top dumping spots, none of them were amenable to that kind of barrier because either they're a weird shaped lot or you know, lots of different reasons work.

Right, yeah, they they're chosen well.

Um so it's so it started taking a deeper dive into what other states do, and really the the states that have had any success on uh getting rid of dumping, are those that have done a multidisciplinary approach.

So they've enlisted parks, you know.

If it's a vacant lot, how do we make it look nice so people don't dump there?

Um they've also done things like set up barriers, which I which I mentioned.

They've done um they've done some work, and this is what I've been working on, and thank you to the sergeant for for um attending tonight.

I've been working with um Captain Jeanette, who had a conflict and couldn't attend tonight from the Providence PD on taking an approach kind of similar to what happened with ATVs, like taking a real coordinated approach, so it's not just DPW constantly cleaning the same D same lots.

How do we how do we how do we make this stop?

And the key is prosecution and accountability.

So how do you get there?

Everybody thinks cameras.

Cameras are great, except you gotta be really lucky with a camera at a dumping site.

You have to be able to hone in on that license plate, which we did.

We did have footage one time with a license plate, and then of course it didn't come back to the vehicle that the license plate was on.

Um so utilizing things like neighborhood cameras, business cameras, ring cameras, um, some cameras of PPD, which right now we're we're we're um having to pause on the utilization of some of those because they may be deployed for World Cup, to be perfectly honest.

There's a limited number of them.

Um however, the captain and I are working on that.

And then what other jurisdictions have done is when they finally get somebody, right?

Let's say they finally get somebody, they they've identified them, they've investigated it, they've enlisted the help of their local prosecutor, and prosecute someone.

They do public shaming.

There's a social media blitz that they do where they show this person dumping in their in your neighborhood, and there's that aspect of it.

Um we've also explored things like licensing consequences.

So if I own uh an auto dealership and I have a bunch of tires I need, I'm not a or a repair dealership, and I need to get rid of all these tires, that's an expensive proposition for me.

But Joe Schmoel will come and take my tires and I pay him and I don't ask questions.

Well, those tires end up on a vacant lot somewhere.

Don't there needs to be a way to have a consequence to the business owner that we know is engaging in that.

And so that's further down the road, we're not there yet, but these are all things that we're looking at, and the captain and I um have been have been trying to enlist the assistance of both DEM and the Attorney General's office to help us with this initiative.

So it's very, very much already in progress.

Um will we ever solve the mattresses being tossed on the side of the road?

I don't know.

But I I think that with uh a level of enforcement, heightened enforcement, we could get to a point where it's not as frequent as it currently is.

That's what I want to get, enforcement.

Right.

Because we we have we we might need five sorts of five ideas.

We need to promote now.

We need to promote that we have the mattress people.

We also need to promote if you dump a mattress, you get a fine.

How much is the fine that we can give a person?

So the fines vary for dumping, but the key is we have to catch it, and that's really if you catch one, what would be the feature?

It depends.

Um there's there's municipal fines that can be um levied, I don't have them in front of me, so I don't want to misspeak, but yeah, there's there's definitely fines, and there's also criminal penalties.

It it if it fits into a certain category under a state statute, there could be a criminal penalty.

Um those those are the ideas that we had to promote on social media.

If you don't be aware that we have cameras, we have police watching, or this and that, and this is the fine, like a thousand dollars, or you can have consequences, you can get arrested, and that's why we have the mattress people every Saturday if we were to bring it down down here.

But you're right, when you say like, let's pay to Joe Smith, I give you $20, can you take this mattress?

He would say, Yeah, sure.

But then yes, dump it down the street.

And there's that's why I call this uh resolution because I need help from the police department.

The helpline is they see trucks driving with a mattress at that time after fight 5 p.m.

Going driving around, those trucks, they're not going to a dump.

Is any way that we can pull the truck over and ask?

Where are you going with this dump?

Listen, if the car is on registered, we can have other reasons for pulling it over.

Of course, we can we can enforce that.

Um, but if they haven't committed the crime of illegal dumping, we can't arrest them for issue an environmental summons for a crime that they haven't committed yet.

So spacious, very suspicious.

Um it could be part of an investigation, you can look into those people, of course, we can identify who they are, but like she was saying, cameras are your best friend when it comes to police work right now in this current state of you know policing.

Um short of that, the punishment has to fit the crime.

If you just stop somebody in the act of illegal dumping, whether it be a mattress or large number of tires, and you slap a you know 100 fine or 200 littering fine, it's it's not going to deter them any you know from doing it again.

So there has to be heavy penalty and accountability that she's saying in order to deter the people who are responsible for constantly illegal dumping.

Yeah, uh, we had a case last year with tires, and we were actually pretty successful with some surveillance equipment, and we were able to um identify who the person was, and there was no trespassing signs uh set up as well, so we were able to charge them for just to meet up trespassing, but it was still just an environmental summons for the actual dumping.

And then whatever the courts do with that as far as restitution, that's on the courts, you know.

So, unless legislation changes with things related to illegal dumping, you know, our hands are kind of tied and we can only do what we can do.

Go ahead.

Uh you know, I I found that some of these uh folks who are doing illegal dumping even come with like no license plates on their vehicles, um, and it's just really difficult, even with camera footage.

You know, in my neighborhood, it's still even hard to for the for the police to even make out what's in the video, you know.

Um and I've tried to install no parking, uh no parking.

Uh no no illegal dumping signs, and uh you know because I thought it's a good step forward, and they just ignore it like it's not there.

Um I do have a question, Dr.

Bell, like two years ago, or maybe three years ago, I had partnered with DBW to do like a mattress pickup event in my neighborhood, and DPW had in advance scoured the neighborhood to identify where the mattresses are, and then we would have volunteers, not city employees go out to uh uh sidewalks and other properties to pick those up, and then we would bring it back to the central location and we would put it uh DPW with it help us put on their trucks.

Is that still a thing?

Absolutely.

I think I did one with Councilman Vargas uh maybe a year or two.

It's coming up one.

Um we also do it, we also engage with all of the the colleges during move out because they get rid of they get rid of a lot of things, not just mattresses, but we we coordinate with them.

Um some of the bigger landlords um take care of it themselves, they actually do a good job with getting rid of the mattresses properly.

Um but yes, we do it, we do it with uh various members of council.

Um cool.

Alright, that's good to know.

I'll send you an email soon.

Absolutely.

Alright, thank you.

The question to the captain, right?

Sorry.

Sergeant?

Yeah.

Ah.

Take the promotion.

No, sergeant.

I don't know how to follow it.

What we can do to I got a sample like Borrowing Street by Fullman Street.

The cruiser was going by, a red truck was coming through there to him.

With three microscopes in the top.

The red truck went around the neighborhood.

Yes, dump it right in the little street in the back.

Yeah, be in your camera, everything.

The question I would like to know about is any possible that the police can help.

If you see a truck, you see any car in after hours.

Is that is that it's not a 28th or 29th or 31st of the month.

That guy is not moving.

He's looking for a place to dump.

Is any way the police can pull the car over and ask?

Do I we get in trouble or we need a different ordinance for the case?

Yeah, I mean there's reason for suspicion there.

We could definitely identify who the operator is.

Again, dig a little bit, and then that could be part of a larger investigation to stay proactive.

You know, because that's really what it is.

We don't want to be reactionary because then it's hard to go back and find who these people are.

We want to be proactive.

Um so yeah, this that's definitely, you know, we have a unit called the community response team.

I'm the supervisor of that unit.

Um it was created under Mayor Smiley to combat the reckless and illegal use of ATVs and dirt bikes throughout the city.

Um we have a mix between uniform officers and plain clothes, that's why I'm dressed like this, like an hour notice.

I wouldn't show up like this.

Um so we're very proactive, we're an anti-crime unit, and that is something that we work on uh on top of everything else that we're asked to do.

Um one of our missions is illegal dumping.

Um we've been helping out on Helmer Street, um, which's a land that's getting uh developed by the city.

Um so I've been working with Nick.

I think it's the last thing Sitchetelli.

Yeah, uh we went over there, we met with him, we came up with some options over there to try to um fix the illegal dumping of not only mattresses but tires over there as well.

Um our unit is proactive.

Um we certainly seek pickup trucks.

We have the time and resources to investigate these people who we believe are you know committing these illegal dumpings, and that's something that my unit will be you know going after.

Okay, thank you.

So you have a question?

Yeah, yeah, I mean I mean that's that's really difficult because anybody can say I just bought this mattress and I'm taking them home.

So how do you dispute that?

Well, let's say I stopped you know, you said you had three or four mattresses on the back of an F-150 pickup truck, and that was your story, and I couldn't uh dispute that.

I couldn't.

Well you know they're gonna follow me to see if I'm getting home or not.

Well, let's say three months from now, there's uh a camera that catches you dumping, and I don't know on the camera who you are, but I know the vehicle, right?

I can go back and I can say, hey, that is John Doe.

I stopped him three months ago.

He had three mattresses or four mattresses in the back of the truck.

Yeah, we have one video right now committing it.

We can do an affidavit for an arrest warrant and go after them.

Again, if we have the criminal elements of what we need for the accountability to hold these people responsible.

Otherwise, it's gonna be there's a ticket for dumping then, you know.

They would make more money if we can have right, I mean the ticket.

Well, if they knew that a ticket is a thousand dollars, they'll probably think twice.

That's what we need to work.

I think we need to go up on the uh statute.

Is the statute with tires that describes it as a um I can charge as a as a environmental crime?

Yeah, it's a crime.

That's why we reached out to DEM and the Attorney General's office.

The Attorney General's office would prosecute um offenses that are that are under DEM's purview.

And so we've tried to work those out of news as well.

It's been slow, but some of it comes down to the actual dimensions that is actually dumped.

I think it's nine cubic yards, and then it becomes a matter of let's say I catch you in the act of doing it, and then how do I um measure it?

You know, how do I do I call ECI meet and have them come down with uh a tape measure and because it all has to be part of the evidence of the case to be able to prosecute it?

That's not fingerprints, you know, and then it becomes so difficult.

And it becomes a criminal element, you know, criminal charge, then that becomes difficult.

It's fingerprinting that we have to seize it and store it for trial, like it becomes a mess.

It's acts on mattresses.

It costs it over to how much how much will it cost to pick up a mattress like when highway departments send uh the truck?

So it's two employees that would take like let's say two hours to go pick it up.

It doesn't take two hours.

It doesn't take two hours.

I mean that's what they that's what they do.

There's laborers who've like that's their daily assignment.

They're the mattress hunters.

So it's based around 200 to pick up one month, one mattress, right?

Because the two employees plus a truck plus the same, right?

It's not up because and everybody has toss it.

So we might have to work in those fees, and those uh violations that like if you don't a mattress and buy your house, you're not gonna eligible a hundred dollars.

Right.

But here, you know what I've also discovered is that there have been folks that have dumped the mattresses in front of other folks' homes.

And so you you then you wake up and you think, well, why are tenants of these buildings putting mattresses on the sidewalk?

That's illegal, we should find them.

They come to find out this is more that happened more than once.

They swear up and down, that was not me.

So how do you even enforce something where the ticket doesn't go to the tenant anyway?

It goes to the owner of the home.

But I think it's unfair to take the tenant.

Uh to take even an owner if it's not the mattresses.

So that's the other uh situation.

It's it's incredibly complicated.

It's complicated at a case like that.

Yeah.

And I know the lady was not her.

Right.

Is the next door neighborhood?

Yeah.

Okay.

Um this is uh the open conversation, we need to start working how we want to get the tickets to go up.

Yeah, I mean, honestly, I think that it's it's it's that's a piece of it.

I think um, I think to the sergeant's point, uh, a more effective thing would be some real prosecution with some real teeth.

So those DEM uh statutes and the and the state statutes with cooperation from the AG's office, um, and then the whole component of frankly public shaming.

Um and and getting people and getting people to understand, like these people are these people are poisoning your neighborhood.

They're making your neighborhood look that um and and so you know, have some investment there.

Um so that they have you know, so that they can feel proud of their neighborhood and and keep it looking nice.

You know, nobody wants to live with piles of all kinds of garbage and mattresses.

It's disgusting.

Um, it's in my area is we can pick up more than 10 mattresses.

I know.

The people in the cyber.

Right.

What's going on?

Like what's going on with these people?

Right.

Um, but I think that the the the you know you could have the highest fines in the world, but it's not gonna help if you can't catch them.

And so that's where we're kind of concentrating our efforts is trying to figure out ways to be able to catch people doing this.

Make an example of the first couple, and then hopefully it'll go down.

So go ahead.

Okay, let me just share this.

What do you do in a case where you have certain people that this is their business, they have trucks, and they go to your house, pick up furniture and stuff, clean the yard, and then they'll come and put it in front of their homes and call waste management.

That's costing us money.

But that's their private business.

Because there are uh addresses out there that I know that every week in front of their homes, it's just load requests.

Right.

So that that gets into a whole other cattle of fish, as my dad would say.

Um the bulky items, the province has one of those generous bulky item rules in the city.

Um three, what is it, three items per week?

That's another most communities have like a big trash day once a month, or you know, or they have to tag, so they have some some skin in the game in terms of the case.

If we keep if we keep records of a cause to a waste management, uh can I show you that you'll find it's 52 weeks in the year.

You will find 52 calls per year.

Yeah.

Because every week in front of this house has at least seven or eight items because it's a single family.

But there's no, but there's no um, it's a little different than the anti-dumping thing, but you could there's no um what's the word I want?

There's no disincentive because there's no you don't have to pay to do it.

You don't have to pay to get rid of those bulky items, and it's a lap.

Um, and and so there is something that I know that was.

So isn't there a point that we say, well, there's just no way you could be taking so much garbage out of your house the entire year, every week is obviously a business, and they got the pickup trucks right there with the carrot and I mean I think with the right level and amount of information that we could verify, maybe there's something we could do with that on a regular day-to-day with six environmental inspectors, they're not gonna be able to dig that deep into that kind of thing.

The other thing with waste management is this bulky pickup is scheduled, and and let's say somebody comes by before waste management and says, Oh, that's a nice table.

I'll just take it.

Um we still pay.

You still pay.

Even though when they get there, there's nothing there.

But don't we have the ability to know how many calls were made per address?

Yes.

Uh yes, waste management should be able to do that, yes.

But as I say, it's a very generous, it's a very generous rule, and so we don't dig further into well, wait a minute, you had free items last week and the week before it we could.

I mean, we just we don't have the we don't have the bandwidth to get into that kind of granular level with the with the six inspectors that I have.

Oh guess what you can use.

Right on street drive by the right.

Right, right, and that's and that's the sergeant makes a great point.

It's it goes back to like what I said about mattresses.

If you if you push too hard, now you're incentivizing them to just toss it on side.

You know, now I can now I get a mattress or a couch or whatever else um uh bacon locked.

So it's about my own business.

But I think that the province PD has been incredibly cooperative with us um in and in the relationship that we have, and uh you know um it's not it might not be as sexy or as exciting as some other kinds of criminal investigations, and they've and they've treated it as if it is you know um a homicide, like they like the resources and the attention that um and the cooperation that we're getting from PPD is really um excellent.

Should should we consider the number of pickups per address per year at some point?

So something we should probably think about.

So I know that was phrased as part of the trash commission that councilwoman Ryan had assembled um to either reduce the bulky item allowance or to require residents to pay for retrieval of bulky items, um, but neither of those initiatives were accepted.

Okay.

So my idea would be like we need help from the police department.

Please using something weird pull them over and ask the question.

Are you moving?

You would find out that don't even much in the like she said, it is a delicate balance, and if we could dedicate all of our resources to my just my unit alone, the eight guys wasn't started.

Um we can combat it a lot more successfully than what we do right now, but on any given day we could be doing ten different things.

Yeah, we just went well, this is all going on.

We had two arrests that we just apprehended, one for a sexual assault, and the other one for a felony assault.

Yesterday we had two dirt bike seizures in Roger Williams Park.

The day before that, we had a search warrant for an ETV.

Suspect came out of the house, he's a game member with a firearm.

So it's all different investigations on a daily basis.

That this is gonna roll into the summer, and then we're gonna be dealing with default, and then we deal with all the festivals that we assist with um loud music and potatoes.

I don't know if you guys are familiar with the pop-up parties right now.

The murder that happened the other day came from Paquet.

That was an issue.

So now my unit will be Fridays and Saturdays giving a lot of attention to the big parking lots that host these movie roving parties because they're dangerous.

Um help out anywhere, you know, any group.

And uh my recommendation to direct would be like create something like a flyer or where we can use the social media platform and send it over and say, Look, these we get you dumping this, this will cause you more.

Like where we can use uh Facebook pages and a social media to to inform the community because maybe sometimes they the guy who's getting 20 hours he will catch the video and say, look, oh I better work for Saturday, I'm not dumping this here tonight.

Right.

And then bring it over to Saturday, he makes 20 hours, but instead we'll get a final.

We don't know the number yet.

Okay, but thank you very much for coming.

Very well.

And uh be safe at that.

Thank you.

Alright.

Appreciate it.

I need a motion for number five.

For the dirt tunnel grant you that chairs will move to things.

Are you approving it or continuing or what do you think?

I want to continue that.

Thank you.

Uh motion to continue taken by those in favor?

All those opposed?

Any extensions?

Uh motion classes.

Uh number six.

Resolution requesting the department of public works to explore overnight parking permitting without geographic limits.

Uh this one I need a motion to continue and definitely.

So move.

Second.

Uh motion made by Monsanto Royos, second by Skinal.

All right.

All right.

Uh all those in favor?

All right.

Now we go on to number seven.

Resolution authorizing the mayor of Province to enter into construction and maintenance agreements with the Rhode Island Department of Transportation.

Okay.

Right.

How are you?

Doing well, thank you for having us today.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Uh I agree.

This is a very exciting project for us uh to repair two bridges that are critical to the uh city's transportation networks.

Um these bridges uh have been contract under design or for design services uh for about a year now.

Um these are a result of uh inspections which identified some critical findings which were important for us to address as soon as possible.

Um early on in the design process, the rail and department of transportation approached us to uh expedite these repairs and to be a funding partner um for the city to continue in its design and for the state to fund and manage the construction of these repairs.

Uh so it's very exciting.

And this is what the uh the resolution is is authorizing for uh the city to continue with its design and permitting to hand those plans to the Rail and Department of Transportation to come in, perform that work with their contractor and to fund these repairs.

And for how they were they going to be doing these repairs like every time that we need the bridge to be repaired, they're going to be doing it.

No, so um these are I would call these uh I would call these temporary repairs.

Um both bridges appear on the state's uh state uh transportation improvement program.

Uh so Memorial Boulevard North Bridge is scheduled for 2030 for a long-term rehab.

So this is a way much more in depth uh bridge rehabilitation.

Uh Memorial Boulevard North Bridge was constructed in 1996, uh partially on old bridge footings and partially on new bridge footings.

Uh so this would give it a major overhaul.

Right now, this is more of a minor rehab for us and some uh some overdue maintenance.

Um the point free bridge we're gonna be celebrating it's centennial in uh next year.

It was built in 1927 and reconstructed in or rehab in 1999.

Wow.

Um this bridge also appears on the 2031 write-out step uh for a long-term rehab or replacement.

So whatever is in the the best cost benefit interest of the state and its taxpayers, um is what we'll explore.

The state will pay for.

Right now it's uh it's scheduled, yes, for state funding.

Are we going to bring it down?

That is a question we will uh address in 2031.

Um I think there's gonna be some historic elements.

I said bring it down to to to flat it, like to use it to cross over.

Oh, who's thinking it's a basketball?

Oh no, no, no.

Uh so actually this this bridge used to turn on its center pivot, and if ships need to get past the bridge, the bridge would turn.

So it wasn't one of those, uh, and we no longer have that capability to turn that bridge.

Oh but part of what we do uh is to look at the cost benefit, right?

Are we gonna put 50 million you know, 10 million dollars in to s get us 10 years?

Or is it better to spend 50 million dollars to get us a hundred years?

It's the fifty million dollar solution, which is a better cost benefits.

Um since the state is helping us with this, they will lead that effort in consultation with us.

Um we'll be in front of you uh in a few more years to discuss a similar CDM agreement for such project.

Okay, anyone push up I don't know.

You want to get a bridge?

The state is funding it, I see no issue.

Okay, so fund the money man.

I'm okay.

Okay.

So that's the case on this bridge.

So you know it's uh no way to bring it down, like I think we're very happy with this condition right now in the upright position.

Uh oh, the basketball bridge, no.

No, no, no, no.

Okay, something we're bite.

Sounds like your support is contagious that find a bridge coming down.

All right, thank you very much for the information then.

I need a motion to approve number seven for the year for the fourth time I will grant you that so we'll thank you very much.

Taken by now, all those in favor?

Aye.

Any obsession?

The motion passes.

Thank you very much.

You got yourself a bridge?

Two.

Okay, I need a motion to adjourn.

So any favor?

Aye.

Aye.

All those opposed, nine.

Any obsession?

Nine motion positive.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Chair.