NEWS

'Neglected' park repairs sets of storm of words

By JOHN HOWELL
Posted 9/24/20

By JOHN HOWELL What's the fuss? Ward 5 Councilman Ed Ladouceur and Ward 8 Councilman Anthony Sinapi asked that question Monday night, taking up the better part of a half hour of the City Council Finance Committee meeting. The scarred post and broken

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NEWS

'Neglected' park repairs sets of storm of words

Posted

What’s the fuss?

Ward 5 Councilman Ed Ladouceur and Ward 8 Councilman Anthony Sinapi asked that question Monday night, taking up the better part of a half hour of the City Council Finance Committee meeting. The scarred post and broken asphalt at Lippitt Park in Riverview, Ladouceur contends, are damages incurred when a car plowed into the park in November. Repairs that included the replacement of the bicycle racks and smashed posts weren’t done until February, when the city received a $4,433 insurance payment, despite Ladouceur’s persistent calls for the work to be done sooner.

He asks why the city didn’t complete the job, and after multiple requests to the administration he introduced a resolution calling on the city to do the work. He introduced, and the council approved, a similar resolution this summer to fill potholes in the Anglesea development on Warwick Neck.

On Monday, Sinapi questioned the need of the Lippitt Park repairs, saying from viewing photographs the damage appeared “superficial.” He also said he thought Ladouceur’s resolutions set a precedent that could have the council tied up with matters better handled by the administration and department personnel. Ward 3 Councilman Timothy Howe noted that with the pandemic there has been a shortage of materials and suggested Lippitt Park repairs weren’t a priority.

That set off Ladouceur.

“It’s not like we have a shortage of asphalt,” he said. He thought repairs would take a few hours, if that. But it was Sinapi’s inference that he was tying up the council’s time with trivia that had him seeing red.

“My constituents are concerned that hasn’t been taken care of,” Ladouceur said. He added that the repairs have been ignored and he will do whatever it takes, including council resolutions, to represent his constituents.

During the exchange, Ladouceur said he’d meet Sinapi at the park and they could view the damage. He suggested 7:30 Tuesday morning or that afternoon. Sinapi showed up at 7:30 but as they had not agreed on a time, Ladouceur didn’t. The council approved the resolution by Sinapi and Ward 4 Councilman James McElroy opposed.

On Wednesday, Ladouceur reported that the Anglesea potholes haven’t been filled and he wants an accounting of the insurance payment for Lippitt Park, as he believes it covers the cost of all the repairs.

parks, storms

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