E.P. Council amends resolution seeking grant monies for Grassy Plains playground

Narrow vote expresses desire to limit scope of proposed project

By Mike Rego
Posted 3/5/20

EAST PROVIDENCE — The much-talked about status of the Grassy Plains playground in Riverside was once again a topic for discussion at the March 3 meeting of the City Council, the body voting 3-2 …

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E.P. Council amends resolution seeking grant monies for Grassy Plains playground

Narrow vote expresses desire to limit scope of proposed project

Posted

EAST PROVIDENCE — The much-talked about status of the Grassy Plains playground in Riverside was once again a topic for discussion at the March 3 meeting of the City Council, the body voting 3-2 to rescind and replace a resolution pertaining to Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management grant monies being sought for the park’s renovation.

The sponsor of the resolution and in whose district the playground is located, Ward 4’s Ricardo Mourato, was joined in supporting the amended stance by Council President and Ward 1 member Bobby Britto and Ward 2’s Anna Sousa. At-Large member Bob Rodericks and Ward 3’s Nate Cahoon voted against.

Originally pegged at a cost to the city of $150,000 in Mayor Bob DaSilva’s Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Capital Improvements proposal, which together with a like-for-like match on the part of the city would have seen $300,000 earmarked for the project, the application the city eventually submitted to RIDEM requests upwards of $400,000 alone from the state.

East Providence’s $150,000 allocation, approved by the council late last year, would be well above the 20 percent match required by the state and would bring the total dollars available for the plan to $550,000. Also of note, the money the council approved in the Capital budget would still be available to rehabilitate the park regardless if the RIDEM grant is approved.

Since the plan became public, however, at both council meetings and a community gathering on the matter over the winter, it seemed a majority of Grassy Plains neighbors were opposed to the proposal coming from the mayor’s office.

While they backed rejuvenating the grounds, they were against the idea of potentially turning the playground into some sort of soccer or athletic “complex.”

In proposing the resolution last week, Mr. Mourato said he was responding to the concerns of his constituents and that he wanted to bring this stage of the discussion to an end.

Mr. Mourato claimed after speaking and exchanging emails with officials at RIDEM, rescinding the resolution would not impact the city in its efforts to procure grants now or going forward.

Quoting RIDEM correspondence, Mr. Mourato read into the record, “Neither withdrawal or subsequent re-scoping of the project would reflect poorly on the city for this or future funding rounds.”

Messrs. Cahoon and Rodericks, in noting their opposition to the resolution, expressed a reluctance to interrupt the application process already underway and cited the council’s ability to review the product before the project can commence.

Each stressed they are in favor of seeing the Grassy Plains playground improved in some fashion. But each noted as well before any money, city or state, is allocated to the project the council must sign off on its proposed usage. Also, a number of community meetings and public hearings are likely to be held on the project prior to it beginning.

“I generally don’t support not asking for money,” said Mr. Cahoon. He continued, “What ultimately becomes of that park is very much still to be determined…Without the funding that opportunity is reduced.”

Mr. Rodericks said he was against the resolution for two reasons. First, the application has been submitted to and “scored” by DEM now only awaiting a decision. Second, he said it was “kind of unusual to renege on an application we put in for monies. We have an opportunity to get about half a million dollars by spending 150,000 …And we as a council still reserve final say in what happens with the project.”

Mr. Britto, like Mr. Mourato, cited the seeming neighborhood concerns as his reason to support the resolution, adding about the recent conversations with residents, “Everybody was for doing something, but not everybody was for the plan.”

Before the vote was taken, Assistant City Solicitor Dylan Conley, who drafted the resolution with Mr. Mourato, told the council the main gist of the amended version was that it specified the “scope” of any renovations at the park. He said it puts in writing any future version of Grassy Plains be in conformance with an original outline of uses contained in a 1975 environmental assessment of the park.

Mr. Conley’s comments appeared to assuage Ms. Sousa, who joined in the majority to later vote to support the resolution.

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MIKE REGO

Mike Rego has worked at East Bay Newspapers since 2001, helping the company launch The Westport Shorelines. He soon after became a Sports Editor, spending the next 10-plus years in that role before taking over as editor of The East Providence Post in February of 2012. To contact Mike about The Post or to submit information, suggest story ideas or photo opportunities, etc. in East Providence, email mrego@eastbaymediagroup.com.