Woonsocket Radio News Room

MARCH 17, 2025

6:45 P.M.

NORTH SMITHFIELD TOWN COUNCIL
CHANGE OF LOCATION - NORTH SMITHFIELD MIDDLE SCHOOL, 1850 PROVIDENCE PIKE PARTICIPATION FOR THIS MEETING WILL BE IN-PERSON ONLY


The meeting will also be livestream. Please join the meeting (viewing only) from your computer, tablet, or smartphone by clicking on this link:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFgw5KxL950ZgZ_DKz8B-MQ
or go to the North Smithfield YouTube page - North Smithfield Town Meetings
*If technical difficulties occur during the livestream the above specified meetings will resume as scheduled.


Documents related to the meeting will be posted on the Town Council’s page of the Town’s website on Monday, March 17, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., see link here: https://www.nsmithfieldri.org/

FOR BOARDS/COMMISSIONS VACANCIES: https://onboard.nsmithfieldri.org/

FOR ONLINE APPLICATIONS:
https://www.nsmithfieldri.org/FormCenter/Boards-Commissions-5/Application-for-Board-Commission-46


I. OPEN MEETING-PRAYER-PLEDGE
II. ROLL CALL
III. OPEN FORUM – PURSUANT TO 42-46-6 (d) (Maximum 3 minutes per person)
IV. NORTH SMITHFIELD TOWN COUNCIL SITTING AS BOARD OF LICENSING –
Transfer of Liquor License for Buffalo Wild Wings Located at 51 Dowling Village Boulevard
V. DISCUSSION BY COUNCIL, VOTE, OR OTHER ACTION ON PAYMENT OF BILLS
VI. DISCUSSION BY COUNCIL, VOTE, OR OTHER ACTION ON CONSENT AGENDA
All items listed in this section are considered in one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Councilor requests, in which event the item will be removed from the consent agenda.
    A. Town Council Minutes of March 3, 2025
    B. Communications
        1. Animal Control Monthly Reports January and February 2025
        1. NSF&R Monthly Report for February 2025
        2. NS Municipal Court Monthly Report for February 2025
        3. NSPD Monthly Report for February 2025
VII. OLD BUSINESS
    A. Discussion by Council, Vote or Other Action on Status/Progress Report of Specific
    Items
        1. Asset Management – Mr. Gibbs
        2. Grants – Mr. Gibbs
        3. Human Resources – Ms. Alves
        4. Municipal Building Review Task Force – Ms. Alves
    B. Discussion by Council, Vote or other Action on Petition/Application for an Amendment to     the Zoning Ordinance Pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 45-24-50 and 45-24-51 - 45-24-53 as     follows:
        1. Petition/Application for Amendment to Zoning Ordinance filed by Pound Hill Realty,         LLC, c/o 618 Greenville Road, North Smithfield, RI 02896, the owner of the parcel of land         situated off Old Oxford Road, Pound Hill Road and Pine Hill Road in the Town of North         Smithfield, more particularly described as Town of North Smithfield Tax Assessor’s Plat 7,         lot 38, consisting of 89.44 acres (subject property).
        2. Text amendment and a zoning map amendment to the Zoning Ordinance of the Town of
        North Smithfield (the “Zoning Ordinance”). The proposed zoning amendment will create a
        new zoning district “Industrial Special Management District 1 Overlay,” the intent of the
        district is to allow mining, quarrying, sand and gravel extraction, loam stripping, stone
        cutting operations, crushing, washing, and/or processing of materials. The zoning map
        amendment proposes to amend the zoning designation of the parcel of land located at 14         Pine Hill Road in the Town of North Smithfield, more specifically described as Assessor’s         Plat: 7, Lot: 38 (the “Property”) from Rural Agricultural (RA) & Rural Estate Agricultural         (REA) to Industrial Special Management District 1 Overlay.
            a. Continuation of Public Hearing
            b. Discussion by Council, Vote or Other Action
VIII. NEW BUSINESS
    A. Discussion by Council, Vote or Other Action on Approval of Contract Addendum No. 3     from Pare Engineering for Mowry Fire Tower Project – Mr. Pendergast
    B. Discussion by Council, Vote, or Other Action on Resolution in Support of Rhode
    Island League of Cities and Towns 2025 Legislative Priorities – Mr. Gibbs
IX. ADJOURN

Individuals requesting special assistance should contact the Town Clerk’s Office at 767-2200, ext. 504 seventy-two (72) hours in advance of the meeting date.

Agenda posted March 13, 2025

The House Oversight Committee plans to hold hearings on fraud allegations within Minnesota's social services programs. Committee Chairman James Comer invited Minnesota's Governor Tim Walz and its Attorney General Keith Ellison to testify on February 10th. Walz's office issued a statement said the governor is "happy to work with Congress," while also pointing to the committee's track record for holding what he called "circus hearings that have nothing to do with the issue at hand."        Over 20-million Americans are now facing higher health insurance costs after federal tax subsidies expired at year's end. The average cost of premiums through the Affordable Care Act is now expected to rise by 26-percent across the U.S., though it could be lower in states that run their own marketplace. Millions of people are expected to drop their health insurance because of the price hikes.        A lake-effect snowstorm is bringing heavy snow to the Great Lakes region to start the new year. Snow is expected to fall through Friday, with varying snowfall totals. Forecasters expect snow totals downwind of Lake Ontario could approach three feet in parts of upstate New York by Saturday morning. Totals could range from eight to 12 inches south of Buffalo, and parts of Pennsylvania could see up to a foot of new snow by Saturday morning.        Police are still looking for a suspect in the murders of an Ohio dentist and his wife. Columbus Police said officers responding for a welfare check at a residence on Tuesday morning discovered the bodies and 37-year-old Spencer Tepe and 39-year-old Monique Tepe. Officials have said there were no immediate signs of forced entry. However, no gun was found near the victims, so a murder-suicide does not seem likely. Two children under the age of six were also found unharmed in the home.        Elon Musk's AI chatbot, Grok, is admitting it created explicit images of minors. Grok replied to a user's posts Thursday saying there had been "isolated cases where users prompted for and received AI images depicting minors in minimal clothing." In another post, Grok acknowledged that xAI could face possible Justice Department probes or lawsuits due to the images. On Friday, Grok said, "We've identified lapses in safeguards and are urgently fixing them."        Miami is hosting the NHL Winter Classic tonight. This year's edition of the league's annual stadium event sees the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers taking on the New York Rangers. The roof is open at loanDepot Park with Miami feeling a cold snap. This is the farthest south the Winter Classic has ever been played.       

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