EAST PROVIDENCE — The city’s landmark water tower in Kent Heights is another step closer to getting the reconditioning it so desperately needs after the council at its Tuesday night, Feb. 7, meeting approved the credentials of two companies.
Based on the recommendation of water superintendent Jim Marvel, the council backed the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) of Amstar of Western, N.Y. Inc. and Atlas Painting and Sheeting, Inc., located in Amherst, N.Y. In total, five commercial and industrial
painting contractors responded to the RFQ for the tower painting and internal rehabilitation project.
The RFQs were reviewed by the city’s technical consultant on the entire Kent Heights project, Tighe and Bond, and municipal staff. In his correspondence to the council. Mr. Marvel noted a third respondent, the Suez Utility Service Company, met the qualifications, but was also serving as a subcontractor for Tighe and Bond to provide inspection services of the work currently being performed at the site. The Kent Heights water project also includes the reconstruction of a multi-million gallon water storage tank and a water chlorination station, work on which is scheduled to be concluded some time in the next few months.
Mr. Marvel added the two other RFQ respondents, Marcel Payeur Inc. and R.J. Forbes, “did not show sufficient experience given that they have not worked on projects of similar size and scope.”
With Amstar and Atlas cleared, Mr. Marvel said the city can now solicit bids from the two companies for the tower work. Among the repairs, the tower’s exterior needs to be stripped and repainted while the protective coating inside also needs to be replaced.
Previously, Department of Public Works director Steve Coutu told the council work on the tower would likely commence as soon as the weather improved around spring time. The then-seated council in November of last year approved an appropriation of up to $2.5 million for the tower rehab project.
AAA building
Following a brief presentation, the council gave its unanimous approval to a revised zoning ordinance at the site of the new AAA Northeast office, warehouse and service complex at 10 River Road off Mink Street and Wampanoag Trail near the border with Seekonk.
Three additional parcels to the original seven-acre expanse, the latter purchased by AAA back in 2015, were deemed undesignated previously but were amended Tuesday to now be declared Industrial 2 or an “I-2” district and included in the development plan.
The retrofitting of the existing 20,000 square foot structure located on the land and new construction of the AAA space is well underway.
Appointments
The council, at the recommendation of president/mayor Jim Briden, unanimously approved the appointment of Ward 3 representative Joe Botelho as its member to the recently formed school buildings committee. The buildings committee will at first be tasked with determining if the high school should be replaced or renovated.
The council also approved the following appointments: Board of Assessment Review, by Councilman Botelho, Gary S. Pascoa, 152 Summit St; Library Board of Trustees-Reappointment, by Councilman Britto, Elizabeth Ingraham, 84 Hood St; Library Board of Trustees-Reappointment, by Councilman Faria, Don Paiva, 81 Harris St; Juvenile Hearing Board, by Councilman Faria, Jason Rafferty, 85 Bluff St; Juvenile Hearing Board, by Councilwoman Sousa, Joan Daft, 11 Ferncrest Drive.
Blizzard reimbursement
Acting city manager Tim Chapman reported to the council the city had recently received $94,000 in reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) for expenses incurred from the blizzard of 2013. To date, FEMA has subsidized East Providence’s snow removal effort from that year to the tune of $170,000. Mr. Chapman, who credited the efforts of city EMA director Wayne Barnes, quipped with last week’s near blizzard the city could be looking at future FEMA reimbursements as well.
Traffic assessment
The council agreed to give Mr. Chapman authority to submit a request to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation for a review of the intersection of Pawtucket Avenue and Veteran’s Memorial Parkway at Bradley Hospital be included in its next series of traffic studies. The council and manager were responding to a recent inquiry by a resident in that location.

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; line-height: 11.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica} span.s1 {letter-spacing: -0.1px}

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; line-height: 11.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica} span.s1 {letter-spacing: -0.1px}