The Rhode Island Airport Corporation has awarded a site preparation contract for a new air cargo facility and is faced with an 18 month schedule to build it south of the terminal backing up to Strawberry Field Road West. Now RIAC is looking for the city to move ahead with the sale of rights of way to portions of three city streets to construct a berm topped by a wall as a visual and sound barrier to nearby residents. Furthermore, in a letter sent Monday to Mayor Frank Picozzi and City Planner Thomas Kravitz they allege RIAC could possibly lose an estimated $7.8 million in federal funds if the city delays the project and pursues a review of the FAA’s finding of no significant impact.

The letter caught Picozzi and Kravitz by surprise. As the administration meets monthly with RIAC representatives they would have thought issues would have been brought up then or, that at least, in a phone call.

In a response letter sent Tuesday to Dawn Mineker, PE, RIAC vice president, engineering and architecture, Kraviz refutes that the city does not want to sell the rights of way and reasons that neither the city nor RIAC should “put the cart before the horse until the actual limits of the noise wall are agreed upon.”

More importantly, the mayor and Kravitz explained Tuesday the city is not prepared to sign off on the air cargo project until it has reached a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with RIAC. They said the city attorney, Steve Taber, would be reaching out to RIAC’s legal staff with a listing of those items, which Kravitz notes were enumerated in an April 28, 2023 email.

In her letter Mineker outlined the dilemma saying “RIAC must move forward with the project.”

She points out RIAC has already awarded a $3.9 million contract for site preparation of the cargo facility; is “on a path for another $80 million” in work; that RIAC received a $6.6 million earmark from the state’s congressional delegation for the project and that the project is faced with an 18 month timetable. Additionally, she points out the wall is not a FAA requirement and was added “purely to gain goodwill in the host city,” and that the air cargo facility is part of RIAC’s approved master plan “that was meticulously coordinated with Warwick.”

In closing, Mineker stresses, “The FAA’s processes and the associated funding take place over many years and do not lease a lot of ‘wiggle room’ for changing directions midstream.”

In his response, Kravitz writes, “The city cannot stop RIAC from executing construction contracts prematurely as it relates to the south cargo facility project.” He goes on to say that that the latest master plan submitted to the FAA still depicts Main Avenue as an access, fails to have a design for a rotary accommodating full access and egress for air cargo to the Airport Connector plus other items.

 Picozzi has generally been supportive of relocating and expanding air cargo operations from the north side of the airport along Airport Road. He wasn’t sounding that way Tuesday.

 Topping his list of concerns is that air cargo vehicles and especially tractor trailer trucks use the Airport Connector and stay off local roads including Main Avenue, which was Picozzi’s initial concern. Picozzi is also fearful of heavy truck traffic on Post Road and Jefferson Boulevard in the heart of City Centre, which with the development of more than 800 housing units he envisions as a pedestrian-friendly environment.

In response Mineker writes RIAC has incorporated a roundabout into the air cargo plan, which is in the process of being designed, “so that truck traffic uses airport property and not city roads.”

In an interview last week Mineker and John Goodman, Assistant Vice President, Media and Public Relations, said RIAC completed the survey of Strawberry Field Road West, Filed View Drive and Murray Street in anticipation of erecting the berm and wall. That portion of the $3.9 million contract awarded DiGregorio Construction for site preparation amounts to $2 million. The berm and wall would not extend to the intersection of Strawberry Field Road West and Post Road as area residents and Ward 3 Councilman Tim Howe have pressed for.

Mineker notes in her letter, however, that in response to neighborhood complaints and Howe’s concerns “RIAC is moving the cell phone lot near the current belly cargo facility which includes paving, signage and fence relocation….as a move to be a good neighbor.”

In a follow up phone call Tuesday afternoon with Goodman, Mineker and Brittany Morgan chief legal counsel and chief of staff, Goodman said the Environmental Assessment addresses the mayor’s concerns over use of local roads. Morgan added that RIAC would be seeking bids on the design of the roundabout which should be completed by February 2024. Goodman added the fact that RIAC is pursuing design of the roundabout is more “substantial” than an MOU that is simply an agreement it would be done.

“(We’re) not looking for this to be a fire fight (with the city0,” said Morgan. She added that RIAC has “gone above and beyond” to address the city’s concerns.

Even should the city not grant the easements, Goodman said, “We have to move forward on the project… Move forward with the commitments we’ve made.” He said RIAC has a lease with UPS and a development agreement with FedEx for space at the air cargo facility.

Asked why they simply hadn’t called Kratiz or the mayor to express concerns over the easement or talked to the city after receiving Kravitz’s reply, Morgan said the matter is in the hands of Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell, attorneys representing RIAC. Kravitz said correspondences have been forwarded to Steven Taber, the city’s attorney who is based in Los Angeles. 

Kravitz said the following issues should be addressed in an MOU:

Air Quality

Planning staff has received concerns from residents regarding ultra-fine particle size. There is no mention in the Environmental Assessment of an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 micrometers (PM10) and 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) respectively. Air quality monitoring must be installed in this area. Planning Staff also suggests the use of electric vehicles and solar as a mitigation measure with respect to all ground operations. Doing so will limit air quality impacts, energy consumption and noise generation. Data to be made publicly available on a bi-monthly basis.

Traffic & Airport Connector

Due to substantial residential land uses being implemented within the highly-pedestrian Transit Oriented Development area, all traffic associated with the cargo facilities must utilize the Airport Connector exclusively and avoid Post Road and Main Avenue.  This requirement must be clearly stated as a cover to all lease documents with tenants utilizing the air cargo facility as well as all subcontractors servicing said facilities. Instruction to this regard shall be certified mailed to both the City and all cargo building tenants and subcontractors prior to construction and opening.  Signage must be installed directing all contractors and subcontractors to the connector and away from Post Rd and Main Avenue.

Noise

Conformance with City Code of Ordinances, Chapter 40 Section 13. Noise. Specifically the Maximum Permissible Noise Level of 60 dBA between 8:00 a.m. and 10:100 p.m. and 50 dBA between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.

Lighting

All lighting for the facility must be certified compliant with dark sky by utilizing dark sky approved fixtures, equipment and lighting.

Buffering

Extension of the noise / visual barrier wall and associated landscaping must extend westward to the western lot line of Map 321 Lot 4. This places the terminus of the landscape noise, visual barrier wall approximately 265 feet east of Post Road.