By JOHN HOWELL and ADAM ZANGARI

Questions, questions, questions … there seemed to be no end to them as the Rhode Island Airport Corporation called before City Council Monday for the closure of three streets on a 20-acre wooded property that once contained single-family homes as part of a new air cargo hub.

When responses eventually became scarce, City Council Chairman Steve McAllister recommended continuing the meeting on September 4. The council approved his motion by a vote of 5 to 4.

The unanswered questions include:

• Will the city lose out on the more than 3 acres of roadway for which RIAC has already presented it with a check for $409,000?
• Could the City legally pursue the task if RIAC was not represented by a member of the Rhode Island Bar Association?
• Could the 1.80 m high embankment already under construction with the 2.70 m high wall on top reduce the noise pollution in the adjacent residential area as proposed?
• How much would the proposed South Cargo Facility cost and who would pay for it?
• Would the proposed roundabout to allow semi-trailers to access the cargo center from the Airport Connector actually work?

“We want to move the project forward,” John Goodman, RIAC’s senior vice president for communications, told the council, noting that the city planning committee had recommended abandoning the roads on June 12. Abandoning the roads – city-owned property surrounded by RIAC property – was a benefit to RIAC planning for truck access to the Airport Connector and to the FAA including that in its findings that no significant impacts would be expected. Goodman was accompanied by Dawn Mineker, deputy director for infrastructure. Council members were particularly concerned with how RIAC arrived at the $409,000 value of the roads. Mineker said the amount was based on an estimate, but did not name the company, and on a square-foot value of $2.55 per square foot of comparable land.

“I have serious concerns about the value of the property,” said Ward 5 Councilman Ed Ladouceur. He wanted to know if the city had done an assessment. It has not. Ward 2 Councilman Jeremy Rix questioned the comparable value used in the assessment, pointing out that property value varies depending on adjacent uses. Public member John Simoneau pointed out that the roads cut through the RIAC property and argued that they should be worth more since they impede development of the site.

Third District Councilman Timothy Howe noted that all of the proposed development would be on RIAC property and that he had advocated for the mound and wall as a visual and noise barrier for residents.

Richard Langseth, who has closely followed developments at the airport, questioned whether Goodman could represent the airport since he is neither a lawyer nor a sitting member of the RIAC.

“Where are the RIAC executives? Where is the president of RIAC?” Langseth asked. “We absolutely need to bring the executives of RIAC before the City Council, not an employee.”

After the meeting, he said RIAC failed to include the state of Rhode Island as a riparian in its assessment, which he said dramatically affected the assessment and further clouded the legality of the process. During the meeting, Michelle Komar also questioned the legality of the process, citing a state law that governs the decommissioning of roads when they are no longer used for public use. Although they are no longer used for automobile traffic, the roads are used by residents to walk and walk their dogs. She said in order to be decommissioned, RIAC must prove that the roads “are not used for public use.” Komar noted that UPS and FedEx are basically funding the freight project, aside from a $9.2 million FAA grant to build an aircraft parking lot. She questioned the effectiveness of the operation, adding, “We don’t want to see another land grab.”

Ward 9 Councilman Vincent Gebhart wanted to know how effective a dam and wall would be at reducing noise. Mineker said there have been studies and from what she recalls the structures would reduce noise by five decibels, but did not say at what distance. As for the timeline, Mineker said the air cargo apron should be completed by October and the overall project should be finished by November 2025.

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

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

Council adopts FEMA plan

While the project was not nearly as controversial as the RIAC project, the city’s multi-hazard mitigation plan for FEMA was also questioned by members of the public, who argued that some improvements were needed.

Local resident Barbara Walsh expressed concern about the city’s animal shelters, which she said were not adequately addressed in the plan.

“I was there when the flood happened 10-12 years ago and was part of the frantic effort to get the animals out of there in two hours,” Walsh said. “It was a horrific process and the way it’s addressed here is just one sentence saying the animals are being evacuated to Thayer Rink. But it doesn’t say at all how they get there.”

Walsh, who is blind, also said the city should invest more in advertising to seniors and the disabled.

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

The Council ultimately voted 6-3 not to table the bill, with Rix, Ladouceur and Gebhart all voting against it, and passed it 7-2, with Rix and Ladouceur in the minority.

District 8 Councilman Anthony Sinapi said between the two votes that the city could take residents’ concerns into account as the plan’s approval process continues. The plan now must be approved by the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency and FEMA.

Public comments on Travis and five-year forecast

Monday’s meeting was the first since District 6 Councilwoman Donna Travis officially pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of entering into an illegal land purchase agreement to purchase 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 podium during a public hearing in July 2023.

Cote said the conviction was a “black mark” on the city and that Travis’ conduct during the trial indicated a lack of judgment and leadership on the part of the City Council.

“After the judge explained her crime and reprimanded her, she wanted to know who would pay her back the property taxes she paid during the time she owned the stolen property,” Cote said. “It’s kind of like robbing a liquor store in an Uber and then, when you get caught and charged, asking the judge to make the victim pay the costs.”

Simoneau asked if the city could implement a policy to prevent future cases of illegal land transactions.

“All that would be required is for the city clerk to contact a person currently listed on file each time he receives a waiver deed to confirm whether or not it is a valid transfer of ownership,” Simoneau said.