The Charlestown Town Council is conducting important business in special meetings that are scheduled randomly at the call of the Council. As a result, being an informed citizen in Charlestown in 2023 has suddenly become a formidable task, and instead of fostering more transparency and more citizen participation, using special meetings for important business has resulted in less, much less, of both.
“Dark Sacred Night” is a special project of the Princeton University Office of Sustainability. The film is only 15 minutes long. Please watch it and reflect on how lucky we are to live in Charlestown where we can still see the Milky Way.
If you love the stars, there’s a new Facebook group in town you will want to join! ”Charlestown RI Dark Sky Advocates” is dedicated to celebrating our glorious night sky and learning what we can do to reduce light pollution for our health and enjoyment and to protect our environment. Read the post to learn how to join.
When: Monday, May 1st at 7 p.m.
Where: Charlestown Town Hall
Why: Public Hearing on the Tentative 2023-2024 Municipal Budget of $15,825,425.00
The municipal budget represents an increase in spending of $764,492.00, which is a 5% increase over the previous year.
The annual Lyrid Meteor Shower began on April 15 and will continue until April 29, with a peak date on April 23 in the hours just before dawn. The conditions for viewing the Lyrid Meteor Shower are considered optimal in 2023, assuming there will be some clear skies.
Celebrate Trails Day is a nation-wide annual spring celebration held on the fourth Saturday of April since 2013. The celebration encourages people to get outside and enjoy our nation’s exceptional trails and trail systems. In Charlestown, getting outside and connecting with nature is easy with over twenty public open spaces located throughout our town.
When: April 15 to April 22, 2023
Where: The sky above Charlestown, Rhode Island
Why: Charlestown’s dark sky protects the health of both people and wildlife, gives us a fabulous view of the universe, and so much more. Charlestown is an important location for the study and viewing of the cosmos because we have the darkest skies along the coast between New York and Boston. Read more to learn how you can celebrate International Dark Sky Week.
U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (CT) said the only way to significantly speed travel along the existing rail line is to build new track “in places where there isn’t track today. And building new track involves some dislocation.” The proposed Old Saybrook to Kenyon, RI rail bypass that runs through Charlestown will remain part of the forthcoming New Haven to Providence Capacity Planning Study that Amtrak applied for funding for on March 27.
How municipalities respond to the demand for housing has significant consequences not only on community character but also residents’ quality of life and the resources they depend upon for their drinking water, livelihood, and recreational pursuits.
April 8 is the opening day of trout fishing season in Rhode Island and as they did last year, Protect Rhode Island Brook Trout (PRIBT) will be stationed at the most visited spot in the upper Wood River watershed to publicize and promote the adoption by Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) of PRIBT’s proposal for the cessation of stocking of non-native species at this important native brook trout habitat.
The proposed changes overrule local regulations and effectively eliminate single family zoning in Charlestown. This increase in overall housing density is being proposed for Charlestown without any assessment of the cumulative potential impacts of the increased septage on groundwater, drinking water, and the coastal ponds and other water bodies. Putting no limit on the number of bedrooms and allowing any lot to create a new additional dwelling unit that can be used as a summer rental will impact coastal areas especially.
Solar development is responsible for 69% of Rhode Island’s recent forest loss, according to DEM. House Bill H 5540 sponsored by Representative Megan Cotter will establish more responsible solar siting. Your help is needed to support this bill. We need to get it passed. Next Year is too late! Our forests cannot survive another year of clear cutting. Sample testimony in the post, and instructions on how and where to send. Written testimony must be submitted by March 30 at noon.
Multiple bills proposed in this legislative session claim to be about affordable housing, but all that any of them achieve is an increase in the number of market-rate housing units. Increasing supply might work to lower housing costs in some communities, but it hasn’t worked yet in coastal towns. Charlestown is within 3 hours of over 25 million people. The supply of affluent people willing to pay high prices for homes and short or long-term rentals will consume the increase in housing production.
The Southeast New England Program Network (SNEP) hosted a webinar in early March to offer solutions for the difficult problem of balancing housing needs with the protection of clean water. Increased housing growth will have a direct impact on Charlestown’s groundwater quality. State regulations alone are inadequate to protect water quality.
Developers, land use attorneys who represent developers, a gravel bank owner, and other business owners were among those appointed by the Town Council on March 13 to committees to review and rewrite all of the town’s ordinances, propose revisions to the Town Charter, and recommend a new Town Administrator.
When: Tuesday, March 21 at 7 p.m.
Where: Charlestown Town Hall
What: N.O. Bar, LLC, is requesting a Special Use Permit to construct a bar on an existing deck and appealing Charlestown’s Zoning Official’s ruling that the new use is an Outdoor Café. N.O. Bar is located at 523 Charlestown Beach Road.
The Beverage Container Deposit Recycling Act of 2023 has been introduced in the General Assembly. Clean Water Action has provided a form to allow you to contact your state legislators and ask them to support it. Known as the “bottle bill,” this legislation will fight plastic pollution and increase our state’s recycling rate by creating a financial incentive for residents to properly return empty beverage containers.
When: Saturday, February 11 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Where: At the Charlestown Animal Shelter on Sand Hill Road in Charlestown
Mr. Stankiewicz, a true professional, would have served the new Council well, as he has served a number of other Town Councils. Claims seemingly used to justify forcing Mr. Stankiewicz to leave are petty and inaccurate. As a result, the new Council is now wasting time searching for a new Town Administrator, instead of focusing on pressing town matters.
Reporter John Kostrzewa describes a refreshing winter hike by a peaceful stream at Tucker Woods Preserve in Charlestown. This 66.5-acre preserve was farmed by generations of the Tucker family. Now it’s part of an 11-mile corridor of protected open space. A winter walk on a short, forested trail with a long, rich history can brighten a dreary morning during the depths of the season. Link to read the whole story at the Providence Journal.
On January 31, the Charlestown Town Council held an executive session meeting with Joseph Larisa, Charlestown’s Indian Affairs attorney, to discuss the BIA’s proposed change in the rule used to determine whether a tribe was “under federal jurisdiction” in 1934. The proposed rule change is an administrative action and its adoption would effectively overturn the Carcieri v. Salazar U.S. Supreme Court decision. The Council returned to open session after the executive session to announce that they had taken a vote to authorize Attorney Larisa to craft an official response from the town on the rule change and submit the response before the March 1 deadline. The rule change and its importance is explained in the post.
Roughly a third of birds that breed or overwinter on Audubon properties in RI are in decline, while about a quarter may be experiencing growth. Even common birds, like the red-winged blackbird and the grackle, are suffering. Reversing the declines of some birds will be impossible, but it’s not too late for others.
“Birds that migrate, songbirds especially, usually migrate at night,” Calcagno said. “So light pollution can disorient them, can cause them to hit buildings, and it can cause them to be attracted to certain lighting. We have resorts and hotels and all these things along the coast which can affect them. It can cause a lot of birds to not go the way they’re supposed to go; or it can increase mortality from strikes; or they may even fly too far over the ocean to get away from the light, get exhausted and fall out of the sky and not survive.”
At the January 23 Charlestown Town Council meeting I voted with a heavy heart and profound regret to accept the resignation of Mark Stankiewicz, our outstanding town administrator. I voted as I did to forestall Mark’s firing by a hostile majority of the town council who sought to dismiss him despite his excellent 10-year record of service. Mark’s departure is a dark day for Charlestown—where the baseless objections of certain councilors have overwhelmed the best interests of the town.
Many spoke in favor of the Town Administrator, but it could not change the outcome. “I found he guided the town with a very thoughtful and steady hand,” Tremblay said. “He met our expectations with vision, vigor and street smarts, and the street smarts are really important, and he’s got them.” Like others, Tremblay called the decision a “great loss” for the town. No public speakers supported the move. “I can’t understand why we let this valuable resource walk out the door,” Tremblay said.
Mark has served the town masterfully for ten years and has no desire to leave. He is being forced out to avoid being fired because of ongoing difficulties with the Council President unrelated to his outstanding performance as Town Administrator. In every performance review during Mark’s ten years, the Town Council has judged his performance as being superior in all areas of responsibility. Given his great service to the town, it is clearly in the town’s best interest to have Mark continue in his role as Town Administrator.
A Special House Commission on Land Use was created in 2021 to examine how Rhode Island is using and managing its 1,214 square miles. Critics of the ongoing effort, however, claim the outcome is predetermined: reduce regulations and local control to encourage more development.
N.O. Bar, LLC, that manages the Clam Shack located in the Shelter Cove Marina on Charlestown Beach Road, has been before the Charlestown Town Council for a liquor license renewal and is currently before the Charlestown Zoning Board for a Special Use Permit for the construction of an outdoor bar.
Charlestown taxpayers are served by a dedicated Town staff. For example, during the pandemic, ours was the only town in the state to provide uninterrupted services to our residents, and to those who needed assistance, even during the worst of Covid-19. Most Charlestown residents correctly understand that their Town is well managed and have every reason to be happy about the state of its fiscal health.
The increase in overall housing density is being proposed for Charlestown without any assessment of the cumulative potential impacts of the increased septage on groundwater, drinking water, and the coastal ponds and other water bodies. Putting no limits on the number of bedrooms and allowing any lot to create an additional new short-term rental will impact coastal areas especially.