We are like a band of beggars out there.”

Michael Mello, president of the library’s board of trustees

Council member: Beach bathhouse needs replacing

Although it wasn’t officially added to the list of new spending requests, one Town Council member would like something done about the bathhouse at Sandy Point Beach, which she said is in deplorable condition.

“It’s kind of gross and unsanitary,” said Daniela Abbott, whose children both had to take showers in the bathhouse last summer, which is required for participants in the towns’ beach camp.

The 750-square-foot bathhouse, built in 1959, was listed in a recent Facility Condition Assessment as being the No. 1 priority for replacement among all town buildings. The total replacement cost was listed at $133,650 in the report prepared by Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.

“The Sandy Point Beach bathhouse is in desperate need of repair and is a public safety hazard and completely unacceptable for any municipality,” Ms. Abbott said at an April 24 budget workshop.

Only $3,000 is currently budgeted for upkeep on the structure, which isn’t enough to address its glaring problems, she said.

At the very least, the town should consider demolishing the building this year and cleaning up the site, with perhaps a mobile unit installed for the summer months until a new permanent structure is built.

She acknowledged that may not be possible for this summer, but the town needs to “get the ball rolling on this,” she said.

“To get it done for next summer, something has to be put in budget right now,” she said.

The issue is expected to come up again when the council adopts the provisional budget on Monday, May 13.

— Jim McGaw

PORTSMOUTH — The town’s 2020 fiscal year budget would be pushed to the brink of the state-mandated tax levy cap of 4 percent if a slew of new spending requests is approved Monday night, May 13.

That’s when the Town Council will approve its provisional spending plan for 2019-2020. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at Town Hall. After that, a public hearing on the budget will be held on Wednesday, June 12, at Portsmouth Middle School, and the council will adopt a final spending plan on Monday, June 24.

When council members began deliberating on Town Administrator Richard Rainer, Jr.’s proposed budget on April 23, they were looking at total expenditures of about $64.78 million, with about $54.09 million to be raised through general property taxes. That’s $1.78 million more than the current figure of $52.31 million, representing a 3.41-percent increase that keeps the town under the 4-percent cap.

The proposed tax rate for the next fiscal year is $16.38 per $1,000 of assessed value, a 41-cent increase over the current rate. If Mr. Rainer’s budget were to be passed as presented — without the potential additions — the owners of a home valued at $400,000 would see their property tax bill increase from $6,388 to $6,552, a $164 jump. 

More civic support

However, at its April 24 workshop, several council members proposed new additions to the budget, totaling $246,300 in all. Almost half of that, $122,300, came in the form of additional civic support, which would push Mr. Rainer’s request of $927,824 to $1.05 million for entities such as the Portsmouth Free Public Library, the Portsmouth Multi-Purpose Senior Center and the Prudence Island Volunteer Fire Department.

Although he acknowledged he didn’t anticipate the town would fund the entire amount, council member Leonard Katzman agreed to seek an additional $80,000 for the island fire department after hearing from Bob Dragon, the fire chief there since September 2018. 

“For the past three years we haven’t gotten the funding that we’ve needed to maintain and excel in our repairs and training and all the things you need a fire department to do,” said Chief Dragon, who requested $250,870 from the town, or about $80,000 more than what Mr. Rainer had recommended.

Council members proposed adding several new requests under civic support, including the Common Fence Point Improvement Association (CFPIA) Community Hall, which is undergoing a major renovation to transform the building into an arts and wellness center for the wider community. Council Vice President Linda Ujifusa proposed the town support the hall to the tune of $20,825.

Conley Zani, CFPIA president, said the trustees have already put in $750,000 toward the project through grants and dontions.The budget request was primarily to fund programs for senior citizens, said Ms. Zani, noting that seniors normally get charged $5 to take part in a fitness or arts class. 

“With the support of the town, we’d be able to let them in for free,” said Ms. Zani, adding that the hall also works with local nonprofits. It’s time the town partnered with the community hall, she said. “We’re trying really hard to position ourselves as a resource for the town.”

Jim Garman, the town’s historian, spoke in favor of the request. “The enthusiasm that is generated in that building is extraordinary and it’s all due to Conley’s effort and her support staff,” he said. “I know this from the historical society: You can’t just live on grants.”

Council member Andrew Kelly requested an additional $10,000 for the senior center for a total of $90,000 in civic support, a 12.5-percent increase over the current amount. 

He asked for another $5,145 for the library so it receives the full amount as requested: $524,880. That represents a 2-percent budget increase, compared to Mr. Rainer’s proposal for a 1-percent hike.

In the 2016-2017 budget year, trustees had to raise $65,000 to keep the library going, said Michael Mello, president of the library’s board of trustees. Over the past 30 years, the group has written more than $3 million in grants.

“We are like a band of beggars out there,” Mr. Mello said. “If we’re not doing the job efficiently or effectively, I would suggest the town take over the library. We would be willing tomorrow to sign the documents to give you the books, the building, the staff — everything. We need your support. $5,100 more? Give me a break.”

In addition to the CFPIA hall, the council added two new groups to the civic support list: Clean Ocean Access ($5,000), which hosts regular shoreline cleanups around town; and the Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District ($1,000), which has assisted the town in stormwater treatment projects. 

Larry Fitzmorris, head of Portsmouth Concerned Citizens, cautioned the council not to expand the civic support list, which he said was pared down about a decade ago due to budget constraints.

“There’s a limit to which citizens can pay these bills. Also, these organizations can approach these citizens individually, and that’s where the charity should be, in my opinion,” he said.

Recreation director

Council member Daniela Abbott proposed adding $75,000 to the bottom line of the budget in order to make the parks and recreation director a full-time position.

Currently, the job is part-time but the director, Wendy Bulk, is working considerably longer hours and has brought in significant revenue to the town that would offset the increase, Ms. Abbott said. Nearly $30,000 in revenue is already being projected for the upcoming summer camp alone; a full-time position would bring in even more income for the town, she said.

“We have something like $38 million worth of town properties and we would like to increase the amount of revenue we generate for them. Unfortunately, I don’t think we can increase revenue unless we have somebody full-time on the staff that can actually do the job; it’s more than a 20-hour-per-week job,” she said, noting the council agreed on March 11 to make the position full-time “as soon as possible.”

Rosemary Davidson, chairwoman of the Glen Park Committee, supported a move for a full-time rec director. “Especially in the summer and in the busy months, you need someone who has their hand in everything,” she said.

Ms. Zani, who has written many grants for the CFPIA hall improvements, agreed. “I think if you don’t have a full-time parks and recreation director, you won’t get the big dollars from the van Beurens and the Champlins. They need to know that somebody is in charge and driving it forward,” she said.

Mr. Fitzmorris said the town was projecting an increase in revenue for the recreation department from the current $21,000 to $85,000 next year. “It doesn’t look like a reasonable expectation for revenue increases to me,” he said. “I think we need to see the revenue before we start expanding the salary and benefits for the director.”

Bumping against the cap

Mr. Rainer reminded the council that it charged him with keeping the next budget within 1 percent of the inflation rate of 3.4 percent. He “just missed it” with a budget calling for total expenditures that were 2.41 percent over the current spending plan, he said.

The $246,300 in proposed new expenditures calls for a 3.73-percent increase, he said. “You’re $65,205 from the cap,” the administrator said.