PORTSMOUTH TOWN COUNCIL NOTES

Prudence Island awaits latest water test results

E. coli bacteria prompted boil-water advisory earlier this month

By Jim McGaw
Posted 10/23/18

Prudence Island residents should know by the end of the week whether they can stop boiling their water before use.

Earlier this month, the Prudence Island Water District issued a boil-water …

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PORTSMOUTH TOWN COUNCIL NOTES

Prudence Island awaits latest water test results

E. coli bacteria prompted boil-water advisory earlier this month

Posted

PORTSMOUTH — Prudence Island residents should know by the end of the week whether they can stop boiling their water before use.

Earlier this month, the Prudence Island Water District issued a boil-water advisory because E. coli bacteria was found in a sample collected at the water district's storage tank.

The entire water district was affected by the boil-water advisory, totaling about 700 residents, according to the R.I. Department of Health. Residents on private wells or on Prudence Park Water Co-op were not impacted. 

The water district recommended that customers boil vigorously, for at least one minute, all water used for consumption. Alternatively, customers could use bottled water. The recommendations pertain to water used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and food preparation. 

Town Administrator Richard Rainer, Jr. updated the Town Council on the situation during Monday’s meeting.

“The results of the latest sample should be ready by the end of the week,” Mr. Rainer said. The water district has received two clean test samples so far, but needs a third to ensure the water is safe for consumption, he said.

On Oct. 16, the Prudence island Volunteer Fire Department started distributing potable drinking water to any island resident at the station between 4 and 6:30 p.m. The water will continue to be distributed on Friday through Sunday, Oct. 26-30.

Water will be initially limited to one case of 40, 16-ounce bottles per person, per three days. Anyone who needs help carrying the cases should inform the station. Water can also be arranged to be delivered with advance notice.

As for the reason for the contamination, Mr. Rainer replied, “On Prudence Island, they’re not required to have backflow preventers.”

A backflow preventer is a device installed on a home’s water pipes that allows water to flow in one direction but never in the opposite direction, thereby preventing drinking water from being contaminated.

“This is a problem they’ve had for many many years,” the manager said.

Club hearing continued

A public hearing on a request to transfer a Class BV liquor license to the new owners of the Newport Beach Club, 195 Newport Harbor Drive, was once against postponed, this time to Nov. 26.

At a council meeting last month, Police Chief Thomas Lee requested that the hearing on the license transfer be continued until Monday night due to a police investigation of a Sept. 1 incident at the club.

On that day, a 21-year-old woman working at the club was allegedly slapped on the buttocks by Patrick A. Tinsman, 47, of 91 Old Ocean House Road, Cape Elizabeth, whom she identified as her employer. According to police, an intoxicated Mr. Tinsman also attempted to coerce female employees to consume alcohol during their shift.

Police issued a warrant and Mr. Tinsman turned himself in Oct. 9. He has a pretrial date of Nov. 11.

Chief Lee said he brought the matter to the council’s attention to help the board determine the “suitability” of the license transfer. 

Jennifer Tinsman, president of Velocity NBC, LLC, the corporation that recently purchased the property, is listed as the applicant for the license transfer. The application, Chief Lee stated in a letter to the council, “does not list any role that Patrick Tinsman may hold in the organization, or pertaining to the new management of the Newport Beach Club.”

The continuation of the hearing to Nov. 26 was requested Monday by an attorney representing Velocity NBC.

Annual license renewals

Sitting as the Board of License Commissioners, the council approved a slew of annual license renewals for various businesses in town, including Class A liquor licenses for three package stores. More licenses will be approved when the hearing continues Nov. 13. 

In a related matter, the council heard Town Clerk Jennifer West’s request to put the annual license renewals on a consent agenda, similar to what’s done in Newport and Middletown. 

This would speed up the approval process by letting the council to approve the licenses in bulk, rather than individually or by category. The board would still have the option of pulling an application out of the consent agenda for more scrutiny, as long as a council member or member of the public made such a request beforehand, Ms. West said.

The council decided to give the request more thought and will take up the matter on Nov. 13.

HGTV coming

In other business, Mr. Rainer informed the council that the television show HGTV Beach Hunters will be filming a real estate home-buying show in Portsmouth from Nov. 16 to 18.

The show travels to various beach destinations to help buyers search for their “dream homes on the sand,” according to the HGTV website.

“For the majority of the time, they’ll be on private property filming home tours,” said Mr. Rainer. 

However, the show has also stated its intention to film some of the town’s “scenic beauty spots.” No filming of private property will be allowed without permission, Mr. Rainer said.

PPEF donation

The council unanimously voted to use $500 out of the Town Council contingency fund to be a sponsor for the nonprofit Portsmouth Public Education Foundation’s (PPEF) Fall Social Fundraiser. The event will be held Nov. 3 at the Newport Car Museum in the Raytheon complex.

PPEF raises money to support students and teachers seeking additional enrichment activities both in and out of the classroom.

The council, which has $1,000 total in its contingency fund, made the same donation last year.

AIPC re-appointment

The council voted 5-1 to re-appoint Kathleen Wilson to the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission (AIPC) as a town representative. 

Council member Paul Kesson, noting the AIPC’s non-profit status, voted against the motion.

“I don’t believe we should be putting people on a 501(c)(3) organization as an appointment by the town,” he said.

Portsmouth Town Council, Prudence Island Water District

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