North Smithfield Town Council Meeting - October 06, 2025
Regular Meeting — October 6, 2025
Meeting overview
Agenda at a glance
| Agenda item | Summary | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Payment of Bills | Two sets: FY2024–25 ($29,150.92) and FY2025–26 ($280,294.02). Question raised about Pumpkin Fest expenses — TA confirmed event self-sustains from its own revenue fund. | Approved (both) |
| Pound Hill Realty Quarry Hearing | Could not proceed — applicant’s attorney failed to send certified abutter notice letters within 200 feet. GZA also unavailable. Tabled for re-advertisement with proper notice. | Tabled / re-advertise |
| Code of Conduct Reminder | DeCristofaro proposed resending to all officials with end-of-October deadline. Beauregard publicly refused to sign and urged others to decline. | Discussion only; no vote |
| Municipal Building Review / ECC | CM proposals still being reviewed. Special meeting scheduled October 16 for ECC to present findings. | Informational |
| Parking — Union Square to Park Ave | Discussion of no-parking ordinance enforcement along south side. DOT has jurisdiction over state roads. Police chief invited to next meeting. | Chief invited to next meeting |
| Boards & Committees Engagement | DeCristofaro proposed formal engagement/onboarding session. Refined toward January timeline with AG’s office training. | Proposal to be refined |
| TA Grant Updates | RI Foundation ($10K senior services), beautification award ($2K), Route 146 feasibility study complete, Infrastructure Bank grant ($50K) pending for Mechanic Street flooding. | Informational |
Key issues and discussion
Pound Hill Realty Quarry Hearing — Failed Notices
The scheduled public hearing on the proposed Industrial Special Management District overlay (quarry/mining operations at 14 Pine Hill Road) could not go forward. Attorney Ryan Hurley, representing Pound Hill Realty LLC, took full personal responsibility: the town had provided proper notification and advertising was completed, but the certified abutter letters required by law for residents within 200 feet were never sent. He stated this was entirely his clerical error.
GZA, the town’s peer review firm, was also unavailable. The hearing was tabled to a future advertised date to allow a clean re-start with proper notice, confirmed location, and GZA present.
DeCristofaro raised a separate notice question: the town’s own ordinance may require notification within 1,000 feet rather than the state’s 200-foot standard. The solicitor and TA committed to verifying with the Town Planner before the next hearing. Scott Walling (563 Greenville Rd) expressed deep skepticism that the delay was accidental, suggesting the applicant has a 40-year history of strategically delaying this type of proceeding.
Code of Conduct — Compliance Standoff
DeCristofaro provided a status update on the Code of Conduct sent to all elected and appointed officials in July. She proposed resending it with an end-of-October deadline, noting compliance or non-compliance would factor into her November reappointment decisions.
Beauregard responded that he would not sign it and explicitly stated he would encourage other officials not to sign either. He further indicated that non-signing would be a factor in his own reappointment decisions — in the opposite direction from DeCristofaro’s position. The solicitor clarified that the council had not formally required sign-off as a condition of appointment — it had only been requested. No vote was taken.
During the closing open forum, resident Elizabeth Hammond directly challenged Beauregard on this stance, citing specific incidents of council member misconduct and telling him: ‘You forgot that you work for me.’
Boards & Committees Engagement Initiative
DeCristofaro presented a proposal to formalize support for town boards and committees, citing volunteer feedback that they feel undervalued, disconnected from the council, and unsure of their own roles. The proposal centered on a structured engagement session for developing guiding principles, strategic plans, and action items, with a regular reporting cadence to the council.
Discussion produced several refinements: focusing on newly appointed members as mandatory onboarding, providing plain-language summaries of each committee’s purpose, and including presentations from the AG’s office and Ethics Commission on Open Meetings, APRA, and ethics laws. The TA noted a January training with the AG’s office already planned for town staff that boards could potentially attend. DeCristofaro agreed to return with a revised proposal, likely pushing the timeline to January.
Route 146 Corridor & Development Updates
The TA reported the Route 146 feasibility study is complete and posted on the town website. A Phase 2 study (~$100K total) is being sought through the state’s Municipal Tactical Assistance Program and would include a market study, updated zoning framework for the corridor, and further TIF implementation planning. Other grant updates included an RI Foundation application ($10K for senior services), a beautification award ($2K for flags on 146A poles), and the pending Infrastructure Bank grant ($50K) for Mechanic Street flooding.
Public comments
| Speaker | Summary |
|---|---|
| Paul Vadney 31 Greenwood St, (Opening Forum) |
Difficulty with town permitting portal. Electrical inspector cited him for code violations but refused to identify which specific code provision applied. Had met with staff to resolve one issue and received a permit, but follow-up inspection requirements remain unclear. |
| Mike Clifford 489 Black Plain Rd, (Opening Forum) |
Three issues: (1) proposed punitive consequences for applicants who fail to send required hearing notices; (2) questioned sewer tie-in fees for Main Street 5-lot subdivision — alleging out-of-district rates significantly undercharge new connections; (3) affordable housing compliance concern — a 6-lot subdivision subdivided to 5 may evade the requirement that one lot be designated affordable. |
| Elizabeth Hammond 19 Chester St, (Closing Forum) |
Directly challenged Beauregard’s opposition to the Code of Conduct. Cited specific incidents: a council member mocking a constituent in a private Facebook group, a member under investigation for cutting a tree on public property, unfinished projects (Halliwell cost overruns, quarry delays), a prematurely transferred business license. Told Beauregard: ‘You forgot that you work for me.’ |
| Scott Walling 563 Greenville Rd, (Closing Forum) |
Complained about parking enforcement at high school football games — illegal parking on Providence Pike with no police presence. Also expressed skepticism that the quarry hearing notice failure was accidental, stating the applicant has ‘professionally dilly-dallied’ this issue for 40 years. |