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A public meeting slated for tonight on casino plans may turn out to be more contentious than officials had wished it to be.
Last week, West Warwick Town Manager Wolfgang Bauer announced that a public meeting, scheduled to take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. tonight in the cafeteria of Deering Middle School, would be moderated by a consultant on retainer by the town to deal with zoning issues for a Harrah's casino should the project gain voter approval on Nov. 7. Bauer insisted that the meeting was not to be a "[complaint] fest," but rather an informational gathering and an opportunity for all residents to meet with the planning consultant and the town's zoning attorney to discuss zoning specific issues.
"This is assuming [the project] is going to happen," said Bauer last Thursday.
However, Thomas K. Jones, vice-president of the anti-casino group West Warwick Citizens Against the Casino, has announced his intent to have representation from his group there picketing the meeting and protesting the proposed casino project. Jones and his group, headed by Frank Lombardo, has been quite vocal in expressing their displeasure with not only the proposed casino, but with the idea that meetings and negotiations both in and out of closed council chambers have been and will continue to go on with the hypothetical existence of a casino in mind as opposed to just strict opposition to the project.
"We're going to have a rally and a picket-line at the meeting. We're going to get as many people there as we can," said Jones, who also had representatives from his group on hand at last night's site walkthrough, an event hosted by Rhode Islanders for Jobs and Tax Relief.
"The particular sign I'm going to be holding is going to tell Harrah's to go back to Las Vegas...another sign we'll have has to do with impact studies. Where are the impact studies? [Harrah's] promises are like butter melting on a hot day. They have no substance," said Jones.
"The whole thing is sort of stupid," countered Bauer, speaking of Jones's plans to protest.
"This is a meeting designed to allow the area residents to work with a planner, an expert planner [Larissa Brown, Chief Planner at Goody, Clancy & Associates], in trying to develop some planning tools and zoning mechanisms to provide as much control over the casino as is possible or desirous. This is their opportunity to tell planners what these restrictions are going to be, what zoning requirements are going to be...I don't think Mr. Jones knows what this is all about," he continued.
Bauer noted that engineers and architectural experts from Harrah's would attend the meeting as well, should any specific questions arise that require their expertise or input.
"[Jones and his group] will have an opportunity to talk about those issues and at least have a chance to express ideas. Residents have never been asked before...I'm completely flabbergasted as to why someone wouldn't want to use this process for their own purpose," Bauer said.
"Mr. Jones and his group are certainly entitled to stand outside with banners, signs and megaphones. They'd be better served going inside and listening to information and sharing information that they may have. But there are some people, no matter what information is being given, they will never be content. They just don't want a casino, period," said West Warwick Council President John J. Flynn (D-Ward 2).
"This meeting is more to understand how it will affect the neighborhood and for people more open minded about the process to listen and share information. With some people, no matter what is said or shown, they oppose the casino on principal. That is their right, but this is intended as a [forum] to express zoning concerns," said Flynn.
Jones emphasized that his group planned to follow the rules of the meeting, whatever those might be. Previous indications from both Brown and Bauer had suggested that a small-group, 'round-table' format may be used to address specific concerns of groups of residents.
"We want to make it clear that we're going to attend these meetings and adhere to the law, but we are going to make our thoughts clearly known: we do not want this casino. We're not going to roll over and play dead for [Harrah's]," |
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