The #MiddletownRI Town Council meets with State Senator Louis DiPalma and State Representatives Terri Cortvriend and Alex Finkelman this week and discusses the importance of affordable housing, state aid, traffic and more.
COUNCIL LOOKS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING,
STATE AID, TRAFFIC ON STATE AGENDA
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (JANUARY 8, 2025) – The Town Council would like affordable housing, educational aid and transportation safety featured prominently on the General Assembly agenda for 2025.
During a well-attended session Monday in Town Hall, council members met with State Senator Louis P. DiPalma and State Representatives Terri Cortvriend and Alex Finkelman to discuss the upcoming legislative session.
In the wide-ranging conversation, the trio of legislators said they’re working hard everyday to make sure Middletown’s best interests are represented.
Although no formal votes were taken, council members and legislators generally agreed they needed to band together to try to obtain the best outcomes for all.
“We’re looking forward to some nice positive results,” council President Paul M. Rodrigues said. “If we get one or two of these done, it’s a win. A lot of these things are heavy lifts.”
Early every year, the council sits down with area legislators to discuss what’s happening now and where things are heading into the future on the state level.
With news breaking recently that the state was facing more than $300 million deficit, everyone said solving that financial hole would overshadow conversations in the state capitol.
Still, council members and legislators agreed that didn’t mean that everything would grind to a halt in Providence because there was still important work to be done.
Take the affordable housing discussion across Middletown and the entire Ocean State, Rodrigues said.
Rodrigues said it was important to recognize suburban communities like Middletown needed affordable housing just as much as the Warwicks, Woonsockets and Providences.
That’s especially true considering the state of the current market and anticipated expansion at Naval Station Newport, the US Coast Guard and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the not too distant future.
For several years, Middletown has been looking to bring 50 plus affordable housing units to 26 Oliphant Lane and the former Peckham School at 650 Green End Ave. But that project has proved to be a nonstarter so far because the town hasn’t secured the necessary funding to get the effort off the ground.
The town also bought property at 361-393 East Main Road across from Town Hall with the intention of creating more affordable housing, a proposal that’s not as far along as the Oliphant-Peckham plan.
“Our concern is there’s a lot of discussion, but there’s not a lot of action,” Rodrigues said. “This is going to happen so there needs to be action here that happens pretty quickly."
In response, Cortvriend, DiPalma and Finkelman said affordable housing was definitely a key item they’d be working on upstate.
“We need housing for people to live close to where they’re working,” DiPalma said. “In the case of the Coast Guard, in the case of NOAA, defense, businesses in Newport, businesses in Middletown…we need to look at this in a little different fashion than we have before.”
Rodrigues and other council members agreed that Middletown shouldn’t be overlooked with state educational aid.
That’s an area they said the community continues to take a hit even though the needs of the student population continue to grow and evolve.
“The educational funding piece (from the state) is critical to the town’s budget,” Rodrigues said.
The legislative trio said they didn’t know at this point how much educational aid Middletown was in line to receive. However, they said they understood the huge importance of trying to get every last dollar for Middletown.
“(Educational aid) is one of those things that we need,” DiPalma said. “It’s not a nice to have.”
Councilor Charlie Roberts said getting a grip on traffic was another place the state needed to do more. Noting where he lives on Oliphant Lane is a cut through for traffic between East Main and West Main roads, Roberts said he’d like to see a comprehensive traffic study of all Aquidneck Island, not just Middletown.
“We are dominated by two state highways that effect every single one of our side streets and roads,” Roberts said. “Come to my house in the morning on Oliphant Lane and you’ll see the cut through that happens when my son waits for the (school) bus. It gets bad…It’s increased dramatically. I’ve lived in this town 17 years and I’ve seen it increase.”
There was also a good amount of talk about reviving conversations about linking Coddington Highway to Burma Road through part of Naval Station Newport. Town and state leaders said by their thinking, that third north-south thoroughfare on the island would help alleviate congestion everywhere.
At the same time, they agreed that the idea has been kicked around for a decade plus and hasn’t generated sufficient traction to date.
A big part of that, they said, was that it’s such a significant effort and security concerns at the Navy base make it more than most want to take on. However, they said because it’s what’s right for Middletown — and the region — they wouldn’t give the idea up.
Rick McAuliffe, chairman of the Mayforth Group, the town’s lobbying firm, said he would work in coming weeks to loop US Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and US Representative Gabe Amo into the dialogue.
Besides having a vested interest in Middletown, Naval Station Newport and the entire area thrive, McAuliffe said the federal delegation more than has the horsepower to get the Burma Road ball rolling.
McAuliffe said he would continue to lobby state and federal representatives to keep bringing needed funding to Middletown as well. He mentioned more than $16 million in requests the town has now on the federal level for the Middletown Public Library, a sewer pump station and reconfigurations as well as work for the new middle-high school.
“To us, it makes sense to go after every grant we can possibly go after,” McAuliffe said.
McAuliffe also raised the specter of a potential Base Realignment & Closure (BRAC) review on the federal level over the next couple years. That process takes a look at every military installation across the country and targets potential areas of growth and reductions, something that could obviously have a noteworthy impact on Aquidneck Island and the state.
With that in mind, McAuliffe said it was critical for Middletown to be best prepared for that lengthy process, work to support existing defense operations and position the town to make sure its invaluable and strong.
“I think you need to realize that there may be another Base Realignment & Closure Commission conversation taking place,” McAuliffe said. “There hasn't been one in 16-18 years, but that’s real. They’re going to be looking at the federal level to make cuts.”
Rodrigues thanked everyone for their work to date and efforts to improve Middletown today — and the future.
“I think we need to move on these pretty quick,” Rodrigues said. “I know the town can’t do it by itself.”
Document Link: https://mdl.town/NYCU-LegAgenda25
About Middletown
The Town of Middletown is a vibrant municipality located on Aquidneck Island, known for its scenic beauty, historic landmarks, diverse economy and strong sense of community. For more information about all we have to offer, visit MiddletownRI.gov online.
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