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Let Your Voice Be Heard!
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TOWN DAM (#295) SITUATION GETS SERIOUS DEM has listed this as one of the two most dangerous dams in the state of Rhode Island.
The Limerock Dam:
  Read the Journal article:
DEM is quoted as stating, "The DEM classified the dam as high hazard which means that a failure or mis-operation of the dam will result in a probable loss of human life."
And another one printed August 12:
The town of Lincoln has a received a maximum penalty of $1,000 for its neglect in remedying the problem and will have a hearing with DEM on September 4.
To date the Lincoln Town Council has not been given any engineering studies relative to the problem that were done in 2005.
The study done by PARE Engineering has offered three methods of cost analysis to remedy the problem.
1. Complete Dam rehab will cost around 1.9 million
2. Dam Removal will cost around 1.7 million
3. Partial Dam removal is about 1.6 million.
(Federal grants have not come in as hoped for)
However the following further studies are needed:
1. Seepage analysis
2. Operation Manual
3. Subsurface Investigation.
The Town Administrator was fined on July 9 2008.
The Town Council had their regular meeting two weeks after and the Town Administrator did not notify the council as to the severity of the problem nor did he officially notify the council of the penalties involved and chose to appeal without a council vote nor a hearing from the Councils public safety committee, which to date, has not had a meeting on the issue.
In addition the problem does not stop at Lime Rock's dam,further hazards are lurking against the people of Lincoln. They are a half dozen other DAMS IN NEED OF REPAIR.
One in particular is the Barneys Pond dam, which as of this date is also ranked as a high hazard (Life loss Resulting).
Town studies have put the remedial measures to 1.6 million and repairs at $443,000.
Again, to date, this has not been properly funded nor have public hearings been given on either of the two dams to notify people of the high dangers.
History
Back in May of this year, when questioned on this issue at the financial town meeting, the Town Administrator stated that there was no need for further funding on the current budget on these dams and that the problem was not as bad as perceived.
Clearly the state disagrees.
The Town Administrator hand-picked capitol improvement committee has not formally addressed these issues. Instead they chose to identify the senior center as most in need of repair and therefore upon the Administrator's recommendation and without knowing of the seriousness of the Dam problems in Lincoln, the Town Council voted to use up our infrastructure monies and allowed to build a senior center instead. (All of which, with no public hearings)
The Lincoln Taxpayers group feels that an immediate reconsideration needs to be taken on how those monies are spent but more importantly have to properly notify the families of risks and have emergency awareness hearings. The liability to the Town of Lincoln is severe let alone the cost of lives that may be be affected.
TOWN ADMINSTRATOR ALMOND BRINGS UP LONG AGO DECIDED SEWER ISSUE Several years ago, former administrator Sue Shepherd tried unsuccessfully to sneak in the council an ordinance to allow Smithfield business Douglas Lumber to tie into our sewer system, a proposal that was loudly objected to by dozens in public comment and voted down by the council. Now we learn, Almond has resurrected this issue and trying to push it through the council yet again. Why should the taxpayers of Lincoln who already have an overburdened infrastructure underwrite further stress on our sewer system? This would open the door to rampant further development of the northwest section of Twin River Rd., potentially increasing traffic significantly and clogging our already dangerous and overused roads, such as Angell Rd. The Lincoln Taxpayers Association are not in favor of any "foreign" tie in to our sewer, especially in sensitive areas that will alow more development to adversely affect our peace and quiet. This operation may already be underway without any public knowledge until it is too late to object to it. If this is allowed, anything can be built on this site...there are virtually no limits. Please contact your councilman for information on this.
TOWN BUDGET/PROPERTY TAX INCREASE Almond has sent the Budget Board a $16.9-million town government budget for fiscal 2009, a spending plan that he has repeatedly said would be subject to amendment as the town gets more specific figures from the state and its various contractors. For its part, the School Committee has presented the board with a budget plan of $48.96 million, a $2.32-million increase, or 5 percent, over this year’s budget. But like Almond, Supt. Georgia Fortunato said that the schools’ plan will be subject to change as state aid figures become clearer. It will take a property tax increase next year just to keep overall town income even with this year, town officials said at last night’s town Budget Board public hearing. The state’s local property tax cap limits to 5 percent how much more than this year the town can raise via property taxes for next year’s budget. That, combined with lower state aid, puts even more limits on town spending.Budget Board Chairman Kenneth Booth said that, in number terms, the 5-percent taxation limit means the town can raise about $2.4 million more in property tax revenue to finance town and school operations next year.
WHY AREN'T OUR ELECTED LEADERS FIGHTING FOR US? Our town is under attack from the state legislature, trying to squeeze every dollar out of the Twin River gambling casino, strategically located in the heart of Limerock, our most picturesque and unspoiled part of Lincoln. First by expanding the operation by adding thousands of slot machines, then by expanding into so called virtual table games, then by increasing hours of operation unti 2 am, NOW looking to open 24 hours per day. The only voices we have to stand up to the state are our town council members...and they are caving in without any fight whatsoever. The lone exception has been state Rep. William McManus. At a recent three hour public hearing in Newport to discuss opening the state's two gambling facilities 24 hours per day, instead of defending what the town has already voiced...no more extended hours....our councilmen have offered no resistance and in fact called 24 hour operation "inevitable". District Three councilman Keith Macksoud, whose district includes Twin River, has gone so far as to say opening 24 hours on the weekends will be "prudent, in that it would gradually introduce this concept to the host communities." He also added "As you might know, in November, 2007 the Town of Lincoln put a non-binding referendum to the voters, asking them if they approved of increasing the hours of operation of Twin River to allow them to stay open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This question was resoundingly defeated by over sixty five percent of the voters.
CITIZENS CONCERNED ABOUT CASINO GAMBLING (CCACG) The Rev. Eugene J. McKenna, President
TOP TEN NEWS STORIES FROM LINCOLN FOR 2007 (as reported by the Valley Breeze)
TOWN COUNCIL APPROVES TWIN RIVER LIQUOR LICENSE RENEWAL Even though the restaurants and bars in Twin River were not even named and the license was deemed "unusual" by the town solicitor because it covers the entire Twin River complex, not just restaurants. More importantly, the existing footprint of Twin River has been greatly expanded and no mention of this was in the liquor renewal, therefore the application was incomplete. Macksoud, Jahnz and McKenna voted to approve with O'Grady and Flynn voted against.
HOUSE FOR SALE MEANS MORE DEVELOPMENT FOR LIMEROCK
The house occupying the corner lot of Twin River Road and Old Louisquisset Pike is for sale and is being prominently promoted for commercial development. (See News Flash page.) In 1994 there were huge zoning changes made all around Lincoln. The intent was to make Lincoln Park a CR-2 zone, from a non-conforming RA-40 zone. At the same time, this change was made to zoning map 42, on which both the house for sale and Lincoln Park are located. In 2001, Lincoln Park's zoning was changed again to CR-1, with three inner zones, A, B and C, in order to regulate the gaming in the center of the property. The second layer was for restaurants and the third for parking. This was written as an amendment to the CR-2 zone and only for Lincoln Park and a 350 foot buffer zone from any homes was to be observed. Apparently, this corner lot and the other parcels of land next to it should be zoned RA-40 from the intent of the original zoning change, not CR-2.
Read this latest information from Dean Lees:
DEVELOPMENT The director of DEM has been petitioned by eight environmental groups, who point out that Rhode Island is the second most developed state in the country and its public lands are at a heightened risk without any rules to protect them. There have been several attempts to build in public lands over the years, including sites in Lincoln. The groups are petitioning for policy suggestions to preserve open space, such as permanent state financing to cities and towns to preserve open space and to offer them the right to refuse sale of land that would remove farms, forests and open spaces. OPEN SPACE IS UP FOR GRABS The Town Council should adopt an ordinance similar to what has been approved in Middletown, where that town council must meet several strict provisions before they can allow town owned open space be developed. The Middletown town council must show that the public need for the property outweighs its worth as open space, that the town is not using more open space than is needed, that the site is the only feasible site for its intended use and that the council has arranged to replace the land with similar land to be used as open space. Why is this a concern for Lincoln? The recently approved acquisition of Camp Meehan is being looked at as a site to build a Little League field instead of preserving it as open space.
WHO'S ENFORCING THE SIGN ORDINANCE IN LINCOLN? An astute building official in neighboring Cumberland has seen fit to remove the unsightly signs illegally posted on utility poles throughout their fair community....why aren't we doing that here? Especially in the area around Lincoln Park, signs are posted promoting buying homes for cash to avoid foreclosure, health insurance and other highly questionable business practices. It is no secret these signs are pandering to poor people in dire straits and may easliy succumb to a phone call from a high pressure salesman. This is not what we need in Lincoln and it is destroying the visual beauty of our town as well. Are our officials sleeping? Do they not see they see these offensive signs? The LTA has taken an active role in removing this visual blight whenever possible and encourage anyone else to do so as well. There is an ordinance that specifically prohibits attaching signs to utility poles for anything other than government agencies and it should be enforced.
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