The Charlestown Town Council is having their second meeting of July on Monday, the 24th starting at 7:00 pm.
The agenda and supporting documents can be read here.
There are very interesting topics scheduled for this meeting. Here are some that people will probably be talking about:
Access to the shore in Rhode Island is a topic that often raises conflict. One long-studied issue is whether the Sand Trail which goes along the barrier beach of Quonochontaug Pond, starting in Westerly and ending at the Quonnie Breachway in Charlestown, is accessible to the public. The Council, in January, considered and tabled, for further study, a resolution asking CRMC to designate the Sand Trail to be a State Right of Way. They will be considering a revised version of the resolution at this meeting.
The Council will consider requesting a Superior Court review of whether Charlestown's election, rather than appointment, of Planning Commission members is legal under State law. The memo in the agenda packet explains how this could be an issue and that it has come up during the work of the Charter Revision Advisory Committee.
The close interactions of pedestrians and vehicles on Charlestown Beach Road has long been a cause for concern. The driving lanes were narrowed a few years ago but that may create more illusion of safety than reality because wide vehicles cannot stay in the marked lanes. This meeting will start a new discussion, searching for safety improvements for vehicle and pedestrian travel.
Charlestown has a Hazard Mitigation Plan which benefits insurance rates and provides the opportunity to receive grants for related work. Now the plan requires updating and the resources to do that are an issue. The Council will discuss options to proceed with an update.
The alarming wildfires in the State this year raises the question of whether a wildfire alert system should be developed in Charlestown. The Council will discuss that.
The Council will discuss the red light traffic camera program along Route 1, possibly deciding whether or not to continue the program.
The new work on Commercial and Village Design Standards was set up to include a Commercial Design Subcommittee that includes one Town Council member. This agenda item will potentially select that member.
Please also note this special meeting announcement: The Charlestown Climate Resiliency Commission will meet on Thursday, August 10, 2023, from 5:00pm -7:00pm at the Town Hall in the Town Council Chambers. The meeting will focus on water. Guests will be URI professor Dr. Thomas Boving, who will talk about the aquifer and ground water issues and Alyson McCann, also from URI, who will answer questions about well water.
Every home and business in Charlestown gets its water from a private well. In response to a growing interest in Charlestown’s drinking water resources, the Climate Resiliency Commission is inviting residents to learn more about their water.
Residents are encouraged to attend and ask questions about their drinking water.
To watch the virtual meeting, click here: Streamed Town Meetings
As usual, people may attend the Town Council meeting in person or online through WebEx, as described in the agenda. People watching online will not be able to comment or ask questions. The video of the session should be available for viewing in the morning after the meeting on the meetings page. It will be down the page in the Past Meetings section.
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