[Summit] Trucking Center on Providence/Pawtucket line

[Forrest Snyder]

Madeline et al,

I don’t think it’s a done deal. From what I gleaned from the meeting and reading a little bit, there are a number of hurdles which must be passed in order for the park to be sold. First and foremost, Clovis Gregor mentioned a stipulation on at least part of the property that it could not be sold and must be used for the recreational benefit of Pawtucket residents in perpetuity. Secondly, those agencies with interest in the Moshassuck River watershed would seem to have a vested interest - those would include local, state, and perhaps federal agencies.  Perhaps indigenous peoples, too. Greg Gerritt, River Warden for the Moshassuck, thought that there were laws against moving raptor nests. Well, guess what? There’s been a nesting pair of osprey on Morley Field for the past several years. Third, I believe the City of Providence could have some sort of standing in the matter. The Providence Planning Commission has been aware of the project (and rubber stamped it so far), but very few - if any - members of the public have been aware of what’s been going on. It seems to me that those bordering the Pawtucket/Providence line and the affected district (as represented by elected officials) would have some sort of standing. Finally, the most gross aspect of this whole project has been the apparent racism exhibited by the City of Pawtucket, its Planning Commission and Staff with the cooperation of Blackstone Distribution LLC, it’s lawyer and representatives, as well as the investment company behind the venture. This may call the ACLU, Black Lives Matter, and other social justice agencies to get involved. 

Forrest

> On Aug 17, 2022, at 3:54 PM, Sue AnderBois <sue.anderbois at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I dont think so. My understanding having read Steve Alquist's summary is that the Morley Field portion needs ot be approved by the National parks service, so it seems like for the field, there's still some angles to play. 
> 
> On Wed, Aug 17, 2022 at 2:02 PM Madeline Klein <madelineklein at verizon.net> wrote:
> So is that it? They just go ahead with their plan?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Aug 17, 2022, at 12:35 PM, Greg Gerritt <gerritt at mindspring.com> wrote:
>> 
>> I spoke as well and heard Clovis as well.  What I left out was that the company building should stick to only the 13 acres they have, and rebuild the park and provide better River Access as the water will be cleaned up soon.  
>> 'Forest, clovis, really appreciated what both of you said.  greg
>> 
>> On 8/17/22, 12:29 PM, "Forrest Snyder" <forrest at forrestsnyder.com> wrote:
>> 
>>   I attended the Pawtucket Planning Commission meeting last night regarding the Blackstone Distribution LLC trucking center. The proceedings were highly disturbing. The investment company behind the project was represented by a lawyer and 3 engineers. All white. The Planning Commission was all white and two members appeared elderly and unable to hear or follow the proceedings. The Pawtucket planner was white. The district is something like 79% composed of people of color. There are also a very high number of people below the poverty line. The area ranks dead last in Rhode Island municipalities for tree cover. Morley Field is the ONLY green space in their neighborhood. Furthermore, Morley Field is the only public access to the Moshassuck River in Pawtucket. The traffic study for the larger project is incomplete and the engineer could not answer basic questions. They propose 379 parking spaces for delivery vans to replace Morley Field. The Blackstone Distribution representatives spoke about 300 vans like that’s what they were expecting. That’s 600 vehicle trips in and out of the facility using the intersection of Moshassuck and Main Streets every single day. Many of those testifying were minorities or marginalized groups. Not one member of the public spoke in favor of selling the park. The lawyer and the Planning Commission spoke like this was a done deal. The whole thing reeked of institutionalized racism to me. Essentially, the poor black or brown people of Pawtucket are being shat on by the whites with the support of city government. It was that disgusting. 
>> 
>> 
>> 
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>