Okay. Good evening. I wanna say welcome to everyone who showed up today in this, committee and public works. I wanna say welcome to Lee Simpson from Planning and Craig Huttman from DPW Engineering and to Wendy Wendy Nelson and to my colleagues, Consulwoman Helen Anthony and Consulwoman Shirley, welcome. Craig, please call roll.
Chairman Vargas. Present.
Vice Chairman Sanchez. Present. Councilman Espinal. Present. Councilor Arroyas.
Present. Councilman Vargas. We have five present.
Today is Thursday, September 26, and we're going to start 05:45. I'm sorry for the delay because of the weather. Madam clerk, can you please read number one?
Yes. Petition from Thomas Morgan dated 05/18/2023 requesting to abandon a portion of Bentley Lane located on Assessor's Flat 75, Lots 35 And 284 between 38 Collier Street and 36 Collier Street.
Okay. We don't have no proponents, and we have opponents to this number one item. I want to start calling the names. And because of the all the people who took the time to be here, I will give you two minutes to explain and all your concerns. First person will be Adelise Rodriguez.
Can you please come forward and justify? Please say your name and your address for the record.
Just press the thing. Can you put it on for them?
Good evening. My name is Adelise Rodriguez in Thomas Morgan. We are here to discuss the possibility of obtaining what is known as Bentley Lane, a paper street that has not been maintained or used in years. Bentley Lane has been neglected for a long time as shown by historical records and pictures. When we moved into our home, the area was filled with debris including broken glass bottles, needles, and cinder blocks.
We cleaned it up ourselves and make the area safe for our community. Unfortunately, it is still attracts unsafe activities, including illicit drug use. Our goal is to purchase and maintain the portion of Baitlin Lane adjacent to our property. This will relieve the CDO maintenance obligations and improve neighborhood safety by ensuring the area is properly managed. We are not interested purchasing the side of Concord Street as we are as we know there are other neighbors interested in that side.
Collier Street is a dead end street, and there is a playground directly in front of our home. Many children live in our street and use the playground, which the city does maintain and keep up. However, there was a homeless campground behind the playground, and they used Bentley Lane to come and go. And this is why we think that securing this area is so important. Thank you for your attention.
Thank you. Do you like to say something too, sir?
No. She covered everything. Thank you so much.
Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Second name will be Thomas
Moisegan? Oh, that's you. Okay. Thank you. Next one will be Eric
Hello. I believe I signed my name on the wrong form. I'm with the Friends of Adrian Hall Group.
Okay. Not a problem. Okay.
colonel mister Will? Renee Conlon. 50 Concord Street, Province. Renee Conlon. Renee.
Yep. Hi. Hi. Please say your name and your address for the record.
Renee Conlon. 50 Concord Street, Providence, Rhode Island. K? And I'm I'm here going against the petition for Bentley Lane to be divided up and not remaining Bentley Lane. We purchased our house back in 1991, and we've had we've been you know, our kids have gone through the Providence School System, and we've lived on this street for now thirty one years.
Bentley Lane makes an easy access for all the kids on Concord Street to get to the park. That's how we get to the park. Come back. We don't have to go down to the main street, you know, Frost, which is cars coming off the Exit of 95. And you can have a 10 or 15 mile an hour speed limit, but it's not being obeyed.
These cars are flying down here. They're flying down Concord Street, and I don't want my child out there on the edge of that road. So I'm just saying that we've been there for a long time. Bentley Lane's been there for a long time. It's probably got some historical value to it.
We're all part of one of the farms there that came up. So anyway, that's I'm against it. I just wanted to let my voice be heard.
Thank you. Thank you. William Conlon? Please say your name.
You're William Conlin, right? 73 and I don't hear much. But I'm at Bentley Lane. That's what we're here for. Are you saying?
Oh, thank you. Sorry. Is this okay? Sorry about that. But, you know, I've been there for thirty years.
And I'm not talking well right now because I had an accident on my street that I wanted to actually talk to these people about but not now. But I can't talk that much anymore. I went down on my bike. I have no idea. But I took all my kids there.
I have two of my own children plus a third from someone else. And whenever they were there, that's how we got to the park as we went down Bentley Lane. And now my grandchildren crossed with me because it's dangerous. You have to go to the main road where people are getting off the highway and heading for the see, it's another thing. My brain is not working.
It's the place where you can get on those big machines and go somewhere. There's a big place down there. You can get on the the city, you know, has things to go there. People get rides around the city. See, I can't think of the words.
But there's a lot of people walking there and there's a lot of traffic on the main road, so it's dangerous. And there's a lot of kids out there on that street during the day. And a lot of cars pull up and now there's no place for the cars to turn around except for with the kids that are on the street. And it's just a matter of time before someone gets run over. And this man just started blocking things figuring he could because he's got a new place that was built there.
That was always just an open place where people just parked their junk. And a lot of times people pulled up and parked there that nobody wanted there and we'd call the police and they'd get rid of them in a few minutes. But this guy just kind of blocked things up and now no one can get across. He's out scaring people saying he'll stop you. And it just seems terrible to me that this is happening.
I mean, there's there's little things like Bentley Lane all around the city and the town just keeps cleaning them because that's what people want. You know, when they get covered in snow or covered in crap, they're cleaned. And they're not able to do that now. So I just hope for help from the city and stop this thing from being blocked off. Bentley Lane is part of history.
It has been there since the farm. And Bentley Lane, there is a place right on the Bentley Lane where people delivered things from that little hole in the ground down there where the kids pulled things up and got all over the cities. You know, we were delivered things there. So there is history there. All you have to do is look at it.
But I guess it's not up to me. That's all I have to say. Alright. It would be nice if it stays there.
Thank you very much for your time. Thank you. James Hatt, Betty? I
live on 52 Concord Street, is right along the Bentley Way. Since I have lived there, it really has been a throughway to the park. Park is actually more busy with events with softball and football and so forth. And it's severely congested on that street that it empties onto from Concord. And this would, if it were even open more or or, you know, at least saw some further care, it it would help with the parking so they could utilize Concord Street.
Also, I own the barn, the house and the barn on the property. The barn is a concrete barn that I believe has historical significance. I believe it was a storage barn for the water through way on the other side of the park back in the seventeenth century and so forth. I think it should be left open. If there were ever, God forbid, an emergency on that dead end street, that always provided a freeway for an ambulance to get down there.
I know there has actually been some calls reported even as early as the beginning of this summer where that was a problem and and the the peace the police took notice of this. And also, you know, it's very hard that you that somebody comes into our neighborhood all of a sudden, buys a a house, and then without any permission whatsoever builds on city property. Still today his fence stands right in the middle of that what was an open path for the public. Has been, in my eyes, rude to many people in the neighborhood when he did it. Really think that this should be left open for the public use and should not be abandoned by the city of Providence.
Thank you very much for your time. Okay. Does anybody has a question for? Yes, Councilman. From somebody from planning.
At this time, no confirmation.
You. Any other question from the committee members? No. No? So there's no further people who signed the paper, we will close this public hearing for number one, and now we're to pass our number two.
There's no decision making today. It's only a public hearing. So, madam clerk, can you please read number two?
It's petition from Anthony j Bucci junior, Esquire, 155 South Main Street, Suite 405, Providence, Rhode Island 02903, requesting to abandon a portion of Ernest Street.
