Letter: Come out Saturday to oppose RhodeWorks signs

Posted 6/7/17

To the editor:

On Saturday June 10, at noon, I will hold a press conference at the Park & Ride next to the new $7.4 million RIDOT facility at 325 Boyds Lane, Portsmouth.

This press …

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Letter: Come out Saturday to oppose RhodeWorks signs

Posted

To the editor:

On Saturday June 10, at noon, I will hold a press conference at the Park & Ride next to the new $7.4 million RIDOT facility at 325 Boyds Lane, Portsmouth.

This press conference will commemorate the brave action on night of June 9 and the destruction by fire on June 10, 1772 of the English tax ship Gaspee. Gaspee was deliberately lured by Capt. Benjamin Lindsay of the sloop Hannah across the shoals of Namquid Point ran aground on a sandbar. Unable to move until the next flood tide, a Providence town crier went out, inviting all to a meeting at Sabins Tavern for deliberation and spirits.

Just before midnight on June 9, 1772, 64 armed Rhode Islanders with eight men to a long boat with muffled oars rowed out to the Gaspee. John Brown of Providence called for the surrender of the Gaspee and Lt. Dudingston, her captain. One long boat remained with brave Rhode Islanders and Gaspee was ordered burned, and she burned to her waterline. At the break of dawn on June 10, 1772 the ships powder magazine exploded and the Gaspee sank.

This was the start of the American Revolution!

In October 2016, I realized RIDOT Director Peter J. Alviti was deploying his RhodeWork/Gina Raimondo campaign signs, just like Capt. Dudingston of the Gaspee. Nineteen signs in Portsmouth, six in Tiverton and four in Middletown are only 29 of the 215 installed statewide.

Come support this action on a very important Rhode Island historic day in strong opposition to Director Peter J. Alviti and Gov. Gina Raimondo to take them down. My opposition will continue because it’s state-sponsored sign pollution, extremely wasteful spending of more than $200,000. These signs are not transparent or accountable, create 215 new opportunities to crash and contradict “Discover Beautiful Rhode Island.”

On April 26, (RIDOT spokesman) Charles St. Martin shared this quote: “The blue signs that RIDOT puts up temporarily at its construction sites are our way of demonstrating transparency and accountability to the people of Rhode Island. The information on them is accurate and the signs make sure that we and our contractors live up to what we say. They have been very popular. In fact, at a recent transportation conference, both Connecticut and Massachusetts indicated that they will also use signs like ours. They are also temporary. They go up when a job starts, and when a job is done, leaving an area that is greatly improved over when we started, and is landscaped and clean, they come down. Please keep that in mind, they are temporary.”

This quote is a gross misrepresentation of the current RhodeWork sign exposure in Portsmouth. “Completed” (signs) has been up for 30-plus days.

They are in violation of FHWA regulations. No politician’s name can be on any sign where federal funds are used which includes all Rhode Island roads. Our state senator has continuously ignored my complaint and is ignoring the Portsmouth Town Council’s resolution of April 24. 

Please spend 20 minutes and oppose the RhodeWork campaign signs. It will be educational and informative.

John Vitkevich

119 Hummock Ave.

Portsmouth

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