North Smithfield Town Council - June 15, 2026
Meeting — June 15, 2026
Meeting overview
Agenda at a glance
| Agenda item | Summary | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Executive Session — Pending Litigation | Pound Hill Realty mediation (no vote) and Tomasetti v. Town of North Smithfield, an employee matter (one vote taken); minutes sealed on both. | Sealed session |
| Open Forum (opening) | One resident spoke (see Public Comments). | 1 speaker |
| Board of Licensing — Farmhouse and Wellness Center LLC | License clarified to cover horse boarding for equine-assisted psychotherapy, 642 Greenville Road. | Approved |
| Board of Licensing — TNT Fireworks | Seasonal tent license, 7 Dowling Village. | Approved |
| Pound Hill Realty Zoning Overlay Petition | Withdrawn by the applicant via letter, without prejudice, citing ongoing mediation. | Withdrawn |
| Consent Agenda | Approved (minutes of May 18 and June 1, 2026; monthly departmental reports). | Approved |
| Payment of Bills ($3,787,937.11) | Routine. | Approved |
| Charter Review Committee — Public Hearing | Continued to June 25; ballot-question decision will also be made at that meeting. | Continued |
| FY2026–27 Budget — Public Hearing | Opened and closed with no public speakers. | Closed |
| Police Station Renovation — Financial Update | Remaining balance on four requisitions to Parasol Builders; bond underwriting completed at 3.649%. | Approved |
| Flood Zone Ordinance Amendment (FEMA Map Update) | Time-sensitive update required to preserve residents' flood insurance eligibility. | Approved |
| Grants and Asset Management Update | Extensive update on pending grant applications and the town-wide facilities-condition project. | Update |
| Appointment — Planning Board (First Alternate) | Philip Gasparro, one-year term through November 30, 2026. | Approved |
| Resignation — Conservation Commission | Accepted. | Accepted |
| Tax/Penalty Write-Offs ($4,806.20) | Routine annual write-off of uncollectible balances. | Approved |
| Sewer Billing Correction (Account SS-0032-81) | Correcting a clerical account-numbering error. | Approved |
| Open Forum (closing) | One resident spoke (see Public Comments). | 1 speaker |
Key issues and discussion
Old Great Road — Traffic Safety and Speeding Concerns
A resident raised a detailed public safety concern about speeding on Old Great Road, a short dead-end street with only 18 houses, describing frequent unsafe speeds from delivery drivers and other through-traffic with no reason to be there. He said a neighborhood Facebook post drew responses from over 75 residents describing similar concerns, and asked the Council to consider a physical traffic-calming measure such as a speed hump.
Police Chief Lafferty said this was the department's first complaint specifically about this street and offered to run periodic speed-enforcement details there. The broader traffic-calming question connects to a federal Safe Streets grant application discussed later in the meeting.
Board of Licensing
The Council approved a license for Farmhouse and Wellness Center LLC after clarifying confusion between the agenda listing and the actual application: the property supports an equine-assisted psychotherapy program, and the license allows the operator to board a horse if needed for that therapeutic use. The Council also approved a seasonal fireworks tent license for TNT Fireworks at Walmart East.
Pound Hill Realty Zoning Overlay Petition — Withdrawn
The applicant's attorney of record formally withdrew, by letter, the petition to rezone the Pound Hill Realty parcel to a new industrial special management overlay district. The letter specified the withdrawal was without prejudice to the applicant's remaining legal options or to progress in the ongoing mediation process. This removes the rezoning petition itself from the Council's docket, though the underlying litigation and mediation between the town and the applicant continue separately.
Charter Review Committee — Public Hearing
The Council opened the public hearing on the Charter Review Committee's proposed ballot questions, covering a proposed facilities/capital-assets function among other items. A member of the public said this was the first he had heard of the hearing despite regularly reading the town newsletter, prompting a procedural discussion about agenda notice. The Council voted to continue the public hearing to June 25, at which time it will also decide which questions to place on the November ballot, ahead of the state's August 5 deadline.
Police Station Renovation — Financial Update
The project's Guaranteed Maximum Price remains unchanged, with no new change orders. The Council approved payment of $66,204.78, the remaining balance on requisitions submitted to Parasol Builders. Separately, bond underwriting for the project has been completed, with the bond bid coming in at a favorable 3.649% interest rate; closing is expected in late June. Underwriters reportedly highlighted the town's strong unrestricted fund balance and its practice of not using reserves to cover ongoing operating costs as positive factors.
Flood Zone Ordinance Amendment
The Town Planner presented a time-sensitive update to the town's flood zone ordinance incorporating new FEMA flood maps, already reviewed and approved by Rhode Island Emergency Management. Adoption was required by June 23, 2026 to preserve flood insurance eligibility for residents in mapped flood zones. The amendment was approved with one minor technical correction.
Grants Update
The town provided an extensive update on pending grant applications, most concentrated around the Pacheco Park and Halliwell projects, including state and federal infrastructure and resiliency grants, an already-awarded Scouters Hall kitchen fire suppression grant, and an outstanding request for police station security improvements. The town also reapplied for a federal Safe Streets grant covering roughly a dozen town streets for safety improvements, directly relevant to the Old Great Road concerns raised earlier in the meeting.
On Halliwell, environmental reviews for both the Halliwell and Scouters Hall sites are expected to begin the following week, a prerequisite before federal funds can be drawn down. The town's asset management/facilities-condition project is nearing completion of its data-collection phase, targeting completion in August or September 2026.
Public comments
| Speaker | Summary |
|---|---|
| John Taglio Opening Forum |
Raised concerns about speeding and unsafe driving on Old Great Road, citing frequent near-misses with delivery drivers and strong neighborhood support for the issue. Requested a physical traffic-calming measure and offered to help fund it personally. |
| Resident Closing Forum |
Speaking as a resident and abutter to a nearby quarry property, asked for clarity on the status of an ongoing mediation matter. Was told the mediation itself could not be discussed publicly, but was informed that a related zoning petition had been formally withdrawn earlier in the meeting. |