Feb. 2, 2026 - Regular Meeting

THIS MEETING CAN BE HEARD IN ITS ENTIRETY ON THE TOWN OF MIDDLETOWN WEBSITE WWW.MIDDLETOWNRI.COM OR THE DVD IS AVAILABLE AT THE MIDDLETOWN LIBRARY.

At a Regular Meeting of the Town Council of the Town of Middletown, RI at the Middletown Town Hall, 350 East Main Road, Middletown, RI in person on Monday, February 2, 2026 at 5:00  P.M.

Members Present:

Council President Paul M. Rodrigues, Presiding

Vice President Thomas P. Welch, III

Councillor Peter D. Connerton, Sr.

Councillor Christopher M. Logan

Councillor Charles R. Roberts, Arrives at 5:18 p.m.

Councillor Dennis B. Turano

Councillor Barbara A. VonVillas

POSTED – JANUARY 28, 2026

REGULAR MEETING FEBRUARY 2, 2026

TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF MIDDLETOWN, RHODE ISLAND

The following items of business, having been filed with the Town Clerk under the Rules of the Council, will come before the Council at a regular meeting to be held on February 2, 2026 at 5:00 Executive Session; Presentation Immediately Following Executive Session; Boards and Committee Immediately Following the Presentation and  6:30 P.M. Regular Meeting at the Middletown Town Hall, 350 East Main Road, Middletown, Rhode Island. Said meeting will be conducted in person.  Virtual access will also be provided by telephone conference call/ webinar and members of the public may access and listen to the meeting in real-time by calling 1-877-853-5257 (Toll Free) or 1-888-475-4499 (Toll Free) and entering Meeting ID: 844 4168 7236 or on the web at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84441687236; **however, virtual access is being provided only as a convenience and is not an official "location" where access to the meeting is guaranteed. Being physically present at the meeting is the only way to guarantee complete access to the meeting, as the meeting will not be paused or rescheduled if the virtual access fails.  **

If you choose to join the meeting by zoom or telephone, Council Rules allow for the Public to speak only during the Public Forum and Public Hearings. If calling in by telephone, pressing 9 raises your hand and pressing 6 will unmute.

The items listed on the Consent portion of the agenda are to be considered routine by the Town Council and will ordinarily be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a member of the Council, or a member of the public so requests and the Town Council President permits, in which event the item will be removed from Consent Agenda consideration and considered in its normal sequence on the agenda. All items on this agenda, with the exception of the Public Forum Session, may be considered, discussed, and voted upon in executive session and/or open session.

Pursuant to RIGL §42-46-6(b). Notice – “Nothing contained herein shall prevent a public body, other than a school committee, from adding additional items to the agenda by majority vote of the members. Such additional items shall be for informational purposes only and may not be voted on except where necessary to address an unexpected occurrence that requires immediate action to protect the public or to refer the matter to an appropriate committee or to another body or official.”

Any person not a member of the Council, desiring to address the Council concerning a matter on the docket of the Council, not the subject of a Public Hearing, shall submit a written request to the Town Clerk stating the matter upon which he desires to speak. Persons are permitted to address the Council for a period not to exceed five (5) minutes.

The Middletown Town Council follows the codification of present-day general parliamentary law as articulated in Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised 10 th edition (2000), together with whatever rules of order the Council has adopted for its own governance. The motion to reconsider is one of the motions that can bring a question again before an assembly, and is designed to bring back for further consideration a motion which has already been voted on:

If, in the same session that a motion has been voted on, but no later than the same day or the next day on which a business meeting is held, new information or a changed situation makes it appear that a different result might reflect the true will of the assembly, a member who voted with the prevailing side can, by moving to ** Reconsider** [RONR (10

propose that the question shall come before the assembly again as if it had not previously been considered. (From Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised In Brief, Robert, Evans et al., De Capo Press, 2004)

There were no reconsiderations.

1.    Executive Session - Pursuant to provisions of RIGL, Sections 42-46-2, 42-46-4 and 42-46-5 (a), (2) Collective Bargaining (IAFF), (5) Lease (Hoogendoorn), (5) Lease (Newport Vineyards) and (5) Land Acquisition (West Main Road).

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to recess open session and reconvene in executive session at 5:01 p.m.

Vice President Welch recused himself from action on Collective Bargaining (IAFF) and left the session at 5:02  p.m.

Vice President Welch returned to the session at 5:42 p.m.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to recess executive session and reconvene in open session at 6:30 p.m.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to seal the executive session minutes pursuant to Section 42-46-7. RIGL

2.    Memorandum of Town Planner, thru Town Administrator, re: Aquidneck Island Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan Adoption.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to receive said memorandum.

Town Planner Ronald Wolanski addressed the Council reviewing the memorandum above and the power point presentation, entered here

3.    Resolution of the Council, re: Aquidneck Island Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan Adoption.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to pass said resolution.

4.    Appointment of six (6) members to the Academic Integration Advisory Committee - to provide recommendations on how to best advance educational integration and regionalization between Middletown and Newport public schools, and how to best improve educational outcomes for all students, terms to be determined.

Discussion centered around the qualifications of the candidates, the formation of a Regional Planning Board under Title 16 of RI General Laws, if the process of regionalization is being rushed, the need to have answers regarding regionalization for the voters, if the Academic Integration Advisory Committee will be able to answer all the questions regarding regionalization, having a meeting with the School Committee regarding regionalization, the City of Newport hiring a consultant, and the City of Newport January 14, 2026 Resolution regarding regionalization.

Don Morin, Middletown, addressed the Council noting opposition to the committee, suggesting the Town Council follow Title 16 which outlines a process for regionalization.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, to table item #4, Councillor Connerton amended said motion to table until such a time as we meet with the School Committee to talk about their involvement going forward, duly seconded; Vice President Welch, Councillor Connerton and Councillor VonVillas voted YES; Council President Rodrigues, Councillor Logan, Councillor Roberts and Councillor Turano voted NO to said motion; MOTION FAILED TO PASS.

Councillor Roberts nominated Justin Buffman, Aimee Caminiti, Virginia Curtis, Gregory Huet, Kasey Kilbride, Lewis Lassow.

Councillor Connerton nominated Councillor VonVillas

The Council was polled:

Councilor Connerton voted for Lewis Lassow, Gregory Huet, Councillor VonVillas, Justin Buffman, Aimee Caminiti and Virginia Curtis.

Councilor Turano voted for Justin Buffman, Aimee Caminiti, Virginia Curtis, Gregory Huet, Kasey Kilbride, and Lewis Lassow.

Vice President Welch voted for Justin Buffman, Gregory Huet, Lewis Lassow, Councillor VonVillas and Kasey Kilbride.

Council President Rodrigues voted for Justin Buffman, Aimee Caminiti, Virginia Curtis, Gregory Huet, Kasey Kilbride and Councillor VonVillas.

Councilor VonVillas voted for Justin Buffman, Aimee Caminiti, Virginia Curtis, Gregory Huet, Kasey Kilbride and Councillor VonVillas.

Councilor Logan voted for Justin Buffman, Aimee Caminiti, Virginia Curtis, Kasey Kilbride, Lewis Lassow and Councillor VonVillas.

Councilor Roberts voted for Justin Buffman, Aimee Caminiti, Virginia Curtis, Gregory Huet, Kasey Kilbride and Councillor VonVillas.

Justin Buffman, Aimee Caminiti, Virginia Curtis, Gregory Huet, Kasey Kilbride and Councillor VonVillas were appointed to the Academic Integration Advisory Committee.

5.    Discussion of proposed dates to meet with the City of Newport regarding Regionalization, re:  Thursday, February 12th, Thursday, February 19th or Monday, February 23rd.

The Town Council requested a meeting with the School Committee prior to meeting with the Newport City Council regarding regionalization.

6.    Appointment of one (1) member to the Board of Canvassers, Bi-Partisan Board, Democrat or Republican representative, term expiring March 2032.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to reappoint Carmela Geer to the Board of Canvassers, Bi-Partisan Board, term expiring March 2032.

7.    Appointment of one (1) member to the Conservation Commission - 1 vacancy, term expiring July 2027 and 2 vacancies, terms expiring July 2028.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to appoint Elizabeth Drayton to the Conservation Commission, term expiring July 2027.

8.    Appointment of three (3) members to the Economic Development Advisory Committee, terms expiring January 2031.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to reappoint David Lepore, Henry “Rick” Lombardi and Robert M. Silva  to the Economic Development Advisory Committee, terms expiring January 2031.

9.    Appointment of one (1) member to the Middletown Local 250th Commission, terms expiring 2026.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to appoint Blair Cashmon to the Middletown 250th Commission, term expiring 2026.

10.  Appointment of two (2) members to the Middletown Prevention Coalition - 1 vacancy, media sector, term expiring April 2028, and 1 vacancy, business sector, to complete a term expiring, April 2027.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to appoint Alexis Harvey, media sector, term expiring April 2028 and appoint Lindsey Sokol, business sector, to complete a term expiring April 2027.

11.  Appointment of one (1) member to the Pension Trust Fund Committee, term expiring February 2029.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to reappoint Stephen Sams to the Pension Trust Fund Committee, term expiring February 2029.

12.  Appointment of two (2) members to the Planning Board, terms expiring February 2029. (Council may interview applicants.)

Discussion centered around that all applicants with the exception of Matthew Skirzenski have been interviewed previously.

The Town Council requested the Town Clerk to set up an interview for Matthew Skirzenski to be held at the Council Meeting on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.

13.  Appointment of two (2) members to the Roads and Utilities Advisory Committee - 2 vacancies, professional members, terms expiring January 2029 and 1 vacancy, resident member, to complete a term expiring January 2027.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to reappoint Michael Gaston, professional member and reappoint Matthew Sullivan, professional member, to the Roads and Utilities Advisory Committee, terms expiring January 2029.

14.  Appointment of two (2) members to the Senior Center Board of Directors, terms expiring January 2029.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to reappoint Karen Douglas Johnson and Jeanie Mathews to the Senior Center Board of Directors, terms expiring January 2029.

15.  Appointment of two (2) members to the Tree Commission, terms expiring January 2029.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to reappoint Karen Day and Charles DiTucci to the Tree Commission, terms expiring January 2029.

16.  Email communication of Jamoya Ridgell, re:  Resignation from the Middletown Affordable Housing Committee.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to receive said email communication and resignation with regret.

17.  The Town Administrator will provide an update on:

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to begin the Town Projects, School Building Project and Library Building Project updates.

Shared Facilities Director Ed Collins addressed the Council reviewing progress on the Middle High School project, Elementary School project and Library Building Project.

Town Administrator Shawn Brown reviewed the Town Project updates. The Town Projects In Motion are on the Town Website and updated often.

18.  Pursuant to Rule 25 of the Rules of the Council, Citizens may address the town on one (1) subject only, said subject of substantive Town business, neither discussed during the regular meeting nor related to personnel or job performance. Citizens may speak for no longer than five (5) minutes and must submit a public participation form to the Council Clerk prior to the start of the meeting. All items discussed during this session will not be voted upon.

No one spoke during this session.

19.  Approval of Minutes, re: Special Meeting, January 12, 2026.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to approve said minutes.

20.  Approval of Minutes, re: Regular Meeting, January 20, 2026.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to approve said minutes.

21.  Communication of Tax Assessor, re: Cancellation of Taxes for certain Middletown residents.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to receive said communication.

22.  Resolution of the Council, re: Cancellation of Taxes for certain Middletown residents.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to pass said resolution.

23.  Memorandum of Finance Director, thru Town Administrator, re: Fire Department Surplus Vehicles – Engine #1 & Engine #37.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to receive said memorandum.

24.  Resolution of the Council, re: Fire Department Surplus Vehicles – Engine #1 & Engine #37 and the surplus vehicles be salvaged by the Finance Director.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to pass said resolution.

25.  Memorandum of Paul A. Croce, Chairman, Middletown Planning Board, re: Proposed amendments to the Middletown Rules and Regulations Regarding the Subdivision and Development of Land and zoning ordinance, Town Code Chapter 152, necessary to address amendment to state law adopted in the 2025 General Assembly, bills H5794, H5795, and H5801. (Council action is to advertise for a future public hearing.)

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to receive said memorandum and advertise for a future public hearing.

26.  Application for Special Event Permit from the Town of Middletown for Music in the Park – Summer Concert Series, Food Trucks and Lawn Games to be held on Mondays, July 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th,  2026 beginning at 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Paradise Valley Park. (Town Event all fees to be waived)

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to grant said Special Event Permit and waive all fees.

27.  Application for Special Event Permit from Gray Matter Marketing for the Amica Newport Marathon,  Marathon – back half of the Newport Marathon going past Second Beach and Indian Avenue area – Location on Roadways and parking at Second Beach, to be held on Sunday, October 11, 2026, from 7:30 am to 1:30 pm. (Set up at 4:00 am, race completed by 3:30 pm, parking at Second Beach)

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to grant said Special Event Permit.

28.  Application for Special Event Permit from Sherri Paris, Founder and Marine Scientist for New Logic Marine Science Camp, Marine & Environmental Summer Day Camp for children  K-8, July 27th – 31st , 2026 and August 3rd – 7th , 2026 to be held at Third Beach from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to grant said Special Event Permit.

29.  (Public Hearing Advertised)

Application of Middletown Donuts, LLC dba Dunkin Donuts, 811 West Main Road for Additional Hours of Operation for the 2025-2026 licensing year.

Public hearing was declared open.

There being no person present or on zoom desiring to be heard, public hearing was declared closed.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to grant said license.

30.  (Public Hearing Advertised)

Application of Destiny Donuts, LLC dba Dunkin Donuts, 159 East Main Road for Additional Hours of Operation for the 2025-2026 licensing year.

Public hearing was declared open.

There being no person present or on zoom desiring to be heard, public hearing was declared closed.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to grant said license.

31.  (Public Hearing Advertised)

Application of East Main Donuts, LLC dba Dunkin Donuts, 536 East Main Road for Additional Hours of Operation for the 2025-2026 licensing year.

Public hearing was declared open.

There being no person present or on zoom desiring to be heard, public hearing was declared closed.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to grant said license.

32.  Communication of Emily Sullivan, Middletown BPAC Chair, re:  Green End Avenue at Aquidneck Avenue – Missing Pedestrian Connections.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to receive said communication.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, to forward this request to the Town Administrator for review and recommendation.

Town Administrator Shawn Brown noted that he will send a communication regarding this intersection to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation.

A vote was taken.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to forward this request to the Town Administrator for review and recommendation.

33.  Communication of Councilor Turano, re:  Proposal for Consideration of Term Limits for Elected Officials.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to receive said communication.

Councillor Turano addressed the Council reviewing the communication above and the power point presentation, entered here:

Enter powerpoint

Discussion centered around that term limits were mentioned to candidates while campaigning for the last election, Council President Rodrigues noted he does not support term limits explaining that your term limit is every two years when the voters elect you or not and increasing the Council term from two to four years may be too long.

Antone Viveiros, Middletown, addressed the Council reading the following into the record:

Enter here

Discussion centered around how long each current councillor has served, Councillor Connerton noted that the process is not broken, and Councillor Roberts and Councillor Turano would like to continue the conversation regarding term limits.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to adjourn said meeting at 8:27 p.m.

Wendy J.W. Marshall, MMC

Town Clerk