Richard Bourbonnais

The Multi-Hazard Mitigation Strategy Plan for South Kingstown, Rhode Island, serves as a comprehensive guide to reduce risks from natural hazards and protect the town's citizens, visitors, businesses, property, and natural resources. The plan focuses on identifying and assessing vulnerabilities to hazards such as coastal erosion, storms, floods, and dam failures. It outlines strategic actions across categories including planning and regulation, property protection, public education, emergency services, and post-disaster opportunities, with the aim of minimizing disaster response and recovery costs.

This Safety Action Plan for South Kingstown, Rhode Island, is a comprehensive document outlining strategies to enhance roadway safety and reduce fatalities and serious injuries for all road users. Developed with funding from the Safe Streets for All (SS4A) program, the plan is guided by a Safe System Approach and focuses on key areas including Leadership Commitment, Planning Structure, Safety Analysis, Engagement and Collaboration, Equity Considerations, Policy and Process Changes, Strategy and Project Selections, and Progress and Transparency. The primary goals are to achieve a 75% reduction of roadway fatalities and serious injuries by 2035 and their ultimate elimination by 2045 through detailed analysis of crash patterns, identification of high-risk areas, and implementation of infrastructure improvements and policy changes.

This action plan, developed through the 'Healthy Places by Design' project, outlines strategies for the Town of South Kingstown to support healthier lifestyles and make healthy choices more accessible. It focuses on four key areas: enhancing walking and biking networks, improving access to recreational opportunities, increasing access to healthy food while supporting local agriculture, and revitalizing villages and neighborhoods. The plan aims to achieve these goals through policy amendments, community engagement, and ongoing evaluation to create a more health-supportive environment for residents.

The session began with an interview for a prospective member of the Zoning Board, Russell Brown. Key agenda items included a public hearing for a permit for the Ragnar relay New England Road Race, requiring approvals from the State DOT and adherence to route modifications suggested by the police department. Other public hearings addressed a Class B liquor license for Audrey's Coffee House and Lounge, a Class T theater liquor license for Courthouse Center of the Arts, the expansion of the Middlebridge sewer area, and the codification of a stop sign at Abbey Road and Winter Street, along with street acceptance for the Sheldon Hill subdivision. Communications noted the certification of the Comprehensive Community Plan approval, a resignation from the Affordable Housing Collaborative, and a discussion regarding the status of the Unruly Gatherings/Noise Ordinance, which was previously continued. New business included consideration for a Proclamation for Dysautonomia Awareness Month, the purchase of a CPR compression device for the EMS department, resolutions rejecting and subsequently awarding bids for fire suppression/testing maintenance contracts, and awarding contracts for heating fuel and propane. The council also addressed the purchase of a mower for the Wastewater Division.

The meeting focused on budget work session discussions, prioritizing agency funding requests. The planned agenda involved presentations from the police department and EMS, followed by Human Services, and concluding with radio and communication systems. A significant portion of the discussion involved the framework for evaluating proposals from nonprofit organizations, emphasizing concepts like public versus private goods, and favoring seed money or innovation grants over sustaining grants to foster new ideas. Specific recommendations were made regarding several applicants: full funding for the South Kingston Partnership for Prevention, level funding for the Education Exchange due to concerns about service degradation without a clear revenue replacement plan, full funding for the Wakefield Village Association based on its demonstrated economic benefit, declining the VFW request due to it being a private property repair, recommending partial funding for the Boys and Girls Club of Newport County as a meritorious innovation grant despite potential overlap with town recreation programs, declining the Concrete Couch request due to significant liability concerns and potential competition with local businesses, and noting a small request from the Narrow River Preservation Association.