Questions, questions, questions…there seemed to be no end of them Monday when the Rhode Island Airport Corporation came before the City Council seeking abandonment of three streets in a 20 acre treed parcel that once contained single family homes as part of new air cargo hub.

Finally as answers became scarce, City Council President Steve McAllister recommended the meeting be continued on Sept. 4. The council agreed to his motion in a 5-4 vote.

Among the unanswered questions are:

• Is the city getting the short end of the stick for the more than three acres of roadway that RIAC has already handed the city a $409,000 check for?
• Could the city legally proceed with the abandonment when RIAC was not represented by a member of the Rhode Island Bar?
• Could the six foot high berm topped by a nine foot wall, which is already under construction, reduce the noise pollution to the adjoining residential neighborhood as suggested?
• How much would the proposed South Cargo Facility cost and who would pay for it?
• Would the proposed roundabout aimed at enabling tractor trailers accessing the cargo facility from the Airport Connector actually work?

“We would like to move forwarded on the project,” John Goodman, senior vice president of RIAC communications, told the council. He noted that the city planning board recommended abandonment of the streets on June 12. Abandonment of the streets – city-owned property surrounded by RIAC property – has been leverage in getting RIAC to design truck access to the Airport Connector and for the FAA to include it as part of its findings of no significant impact. Goodman was accompanied by acting senior vice president of infrastructure, Dawn Mineker. Foremost on the minds of council members was how RIAC came up with $409,000 as the value of the streets. Mineker said the amount was based on an appraisal, although she didn’t name the firm and a square foot value of comparable land at $2.55 a square foot.

“I have serious concerns over the value of the land,” voiced Ward 5 Councilman Ed Ladouceur. He wanted to know if the city had done an appraisal. It hasn’t.  Jeremy Rix, of Ward 2, questioned the comparable used in the appraisal, pointing out that land values vary depending on adjoining uses. Member of the public John Simoneau pointed out that the roads dissect the RIAC property and he reasoned they should be worth more since they impede development of the site.

Ward 3 Councilman Timothy Howe observed all of the proposed development is taking place on RIAC land and that he had pressed for the berm and wall as a visual and noise barrier for area residents. 

Richard Langseth, who has closely followed airport developments, raised the issue of whether Goodman could represent the airport as he is not an attorney nor an officiating member of RIAC.

“Where’s the RIAC executives? Where’s the president of RIAC?” Langseth said. “We really need to have the corporate executive of RIAC before the City Council, not a staffer.”

Following the meeting, he said RIAC failed to include the State of RI as an abutter in its appraisal which he claims dramatically affects the appraisal and further clouds the legality of proceedings. During the meeting Michelle Komar likewise raised a question over the legality of proceedings citing state law regulating abandonment of roads when they ceased to be of public use. While no longer in use by vehicular traffic, the roads are used by area residents for walking and to walk their dogs. She said to be abandoned, RIAC needs to show the roads are “of no public use.” Komar noted that UPS and FedEx are basically funding the cargo project other than a $9.2 million FAA grant for construction of an aircraft parking apron. She questioned the effectiveness of the operation, adding “we don’t want to see another land grab.”

Ward 9 Councilman Vincent Gebhart sought answers on the effectiveness of a berm and wall to reduce noise.  Mineker said there have been studies and to her recollection the structures would reduce noise by five decibels although she didn’t say at what distances. As for a timetable, Mineker said the air cargo apron should be completed by October and that the overall project should be completed by November 2025.

“I was very disappointed RIAC did not have everything ready and settled before coming to the council meeting last night.  They knew that anything the airport proposes in Warwick will be controversial so they need to prepared.  When they come back before the council on 9/4 I hope they have everything settled on their end,” McAllister said in an email Tuesday morning. He did not say whether he thought the city should do its own appraisal of the roads to be abandoned.

A RIAC spokesman did not respond to questions whether a delay in the council action would impact the construction schedule or whether the $409,000 payment to the city was approved by the RIAC board, since there is no record of the action.  

Council passes FEMA plan

While not nearly as controversial as RIAC’s project, members of the public also raised questions about the city’s multi-hazard mitigation plan for FEMA, arguing that it needed some improvements.

Resident Barbara Walsh said that she was concerned about the city’s animal shelters, which she believed were not adequately addressed in the plan.

“I was around for the flooding 10-12 years ago, and I was part of the mad dash to get those animals out of there in a two hour window,” Walsh said. “It was an awful process, and the way it’s addressed in this is simply one sentence that says the animals will be evacuated to Thayer Rink. But it doesn’t say anything at all about how they’ll get there.”

Walsh, who is blind, also said that the city should work more on advertising to seniors and the disabled.

Komar also questioned whether the new Pilgrim and Toll Gate high schools would be designated Red Cross shelters. Currently, both Pilgrim and Warwick Veterans Middle School are, while Toll Gate is not.

The council ultimately decided not to table the bill by a 6-3 vote, with Rix, Ladouceur and Gebhart all dissenting, and passed it by a 7-2 vote, with Rix and Ladouceur in the minority.

Ward 8 Councilman Anthony Sinapi said between the two votes that the city could address the concerns brought up by residents further along in the process of getting the plan approved. It now has to be approved by the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency and FEMA.

Public sounds off on Travis, five-year forecast

Monday’s meeting was the first since Ward 6 Councilwoman Donna Travis officially pled no contest to misdemeanor charges that she filed an illegal land deal to acquire property owned by the Oakland Beach Real Estate Owners Association.

Among those speakers was Rob Cote, who filed a lawsuit against Travis after she ordered him removed from the rostrum during a public comment session in July of 2023.

Cote said that the conviction was a “black mark” against the city, and that Travis’s actions during the trial suggested poor judgement and leadership from the council.

“After the judge explained her crime to her and had reprimanded her, she wanted to know who was going to pay her back for the property tax payment that she made during the time that she had possession of the stolen property,” Cote said. “It’s kind of like getting an Uber to go rob a liquor store, and then when you’re caught and prosecuted you ask the judge to have the victim reimburse you for the expenses.”

Simoneau asked if the city could institute a policy to prevent future instances of illegal land deals.

“All it would take would be for the City Clerk to contact a person currently on file whenever they receive a quitclaim deed to confirm whether or not it’s a valid deed transfer,” Simoneau said.