Warwick

Tollgate’s Five Dollar Revolution

By Marc Comtois | October 9, 2009 |

For the price of a $5 footlong, Tollgate High students can park their car for a year in the school parking lot. Toll Gate Principal Stephen Chrabaszcz said he decided to institute the policy for two reasons. First, to make the campus safer and reduce auto break-ins. Students would have to register their cars and…

AG: Warwick City Council Violated Open Meetings Law

By Marc Comtois | October 8, 2009 |

Flashback to June, during budget hearings held by the Warwick City Council: School Committee member Paul Cannistra has made good on his promise to file an open meetings violation complaint with Attorney General Patrick Lynch, and the AG has agreed to look into it. Cannistra was recently ejected from a City Council meeting in which…

Warwick Payrolls

By Marc Comtois | July 9, 2009 |

Over the weekend I was at a neighborhood July 4th get-together. The group was a mixed one. If I had to guess, most were either a-political or run-of-the-mill Rhode Island Democrats. The topic turned to the recent closing of a local Warwick elementary school and how property taxes just got a big bump (believe me,…

United Healthcare Sues City of Warwick

By Marc Comtois | June 16, 2009 |

United Healthcare is suing the City of Warwick, as reported by Russell Moore at the Warwick Beacon: United Healthcare of New England…claim[s the City of Warwick] violated its own ordinances in awarding a healthcare administration contract for its employees without seeking a joint bid with the school department. The suit asks the State Superior Court…

Taxes Go Up in Warwick

By Marc Comtois | June 5, 2009 |

In Warwick this week, after all was said and done, the average homeowner will see an increase of $146 to their annual property tax bill. Ultimately, despite an attempt to cut more, the schools were level-funded, largely because–with 86% of the school budget locked in–the remaining 14% of cuts would directly affect the students. Think…

They Said, They Said

By Marc Comtois | June 2, 2009 |

Last night, members of the Warwick Schools Administration and School Committee attended a public hearing in front of the City Council to discuss the 2010 budget. Blame was cast, fingers were pointed and recent contracts approved by the School Committee and City Council were compared and contrasted: Under a contract extension negotiated last year, teachers…

Airport Expansion Details

By Carroll Andrew Morse | May 27, 2009 |

Paul Edward Parker‘s story in today’s Projo on the Green Airport runaway expansion and the very good accompanying map mention only the expansion to the Southwest that will force a relocation of Main Avenue (Route 113) in Warwick. Only 11 homes will be required to move, but a number of others will be close to…

Town as Big Business

By Justin Katz | May 5, 2009 |

One could understand, perhaps, the city/town being its own biggest employer in a rural area or suburb with little by way of industry. But Warwick? Bob Cushman writes: According to Warwick’s 2007 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the City of Warwick was the No. 1 employer in Warwick, with 2,900 employees. Number two was Kent Hospital,…

Warwick Closes School, Approves Budget Number

By Marc Comtois | May 4, 2009 |

The Warwick School Committee voted to accept the recommendation of the School Consolidation Advisory Committee and close John Greene Elementary School. Prior to the vote to close John Greene an amendment to redistrict a portion of the area that feeds Warwick Neck school from Warwick Neck to Oakland Beach was approved 5-0. As to the…

In Warwick, Voting on School Budget, Maybe Closing a school?

By Marc Comtois | May 4, 2009 |

The Warwick School Committee will be meeting to vote on the FY 09-10 School Budget and will also render its decision on whether or not to close a school. The meeting is at Winman Jr. High and starts at 5:30, but the Committee will go into executive session almost immediately and the public portion is…