Tiverton councilors split over industrial park sale talk

deMedeiros, Janick refuse to join their colleagues in closed session, saying the process needs to be transparent

By Christian Silvia
Posted 1/7/25

Despite protests from two councilors who declined to participate, the remaining members of the Tiverton Town Council met privately Monday evening to discuss Longplex Family and Sports Center owner Jim …

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Tiverton councilors split over industrial park sale talk

deMedeiros, Janick refuse to join their colleagues in closed session, saying the process needs to be transparent

Posted

Despite protests from two councilors who declined to participate, the remaining members of the Tiverton Town Council met privately Monday evening to discuss Longplex Family and Sports Center owner Jim Long’s interest in buying the Tiverton Industrial Park. Previously, Long had made a $2 million offer to purchase the undeveloped park to build an ice hockey ring and car storage.

Council members who attended the executive closed session with Longplex representatives took no vote during the closed door meeting. The morning after, councilor Denise deMedeiros said she didn't even know what happened, as she and fellow councilor Deborah Janick voted against going into executive session and did not attend.

"I'm just tired of playing this game," deMedeiros said. "This should be open to the public."

deMedeiros said Long's proposed purchase offer is widely known, and she believes the lack of transparency during discussions is a detriment to the town and to residents, who she said should know the details of what is being proposed.

"I won't go into" future executive sessions" on the matter, she said. "I just feel that the public needs to know."

Earlier in the day, former councilor Mike Burk sent an e-mail to the council going over his thoughts on any potential deal to sell the park.

“How you choose to proceed, or not to proceed, with this is obviously the decision of this council," he wrote in the e-mail that was also shared with the Sakonnet Times.

"As a taxpayer, I simply ask that any agreement that may come out of tonight or future considerations from any potential buyer ensures that the town (and therefore the taxpayers) gets the best deal possible based on assessments that have been made of the property and that it does not require the town to relocate the planned recycling facility."

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