Next to DOT garage, Portsmouth resident slams RhodeWorks signs

John Vitkevich not discouraged by small turnout to ‘press conference’

By Jim McGaw
Posted 6/14/17

PORTSMOUTH — John Vitkevich said he selected Saturday, June 10, for his public denouncement of the state’s RhodeWorks signs for a reason.

“We started the Revolution …

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Next to DOT garage, Portsmouth resident slams RhodeWorks signs

John Vitkevich not discouraged by small turnout to ‘press conference’

Posted

PORTSMOUTH — John Vitkevich said he selected Saturday, June 10, for his public denouncement of the state’s RhodeWorks signs for a reason.

“We started the Revolution today, in 1772 — 18 months before the Boston Tea Party,” said Mr. Vitkevich, referring to the burning of the British customs schooner HMS Gaspee by Rhode Islanders on June 10, 1772.

And now he wants to start a small revolution of his own — against the 200-plus blue RhodeWorks signs that are scattered across Rhode Island. As he stood in the park-and-ride right next door to the R.I. Department of Transportation’s (RIDOT) new maintenance facility on Boyd’s Lane, Mr. Vitkevich repeatedly accused the state of trying to pull the wool over taxpayers’ eyes.

Although Mr. Vitkevich called the gathering a “press conference,” only one member of the press — The Portsmouth Times — showed up. The other nine people who gathered there all seemed to be supporters of Mr. Vitkevich’s message.

He’s convinced that the placards, which he calls wasteful, unnecessary and create sign pollution, will come down if enough people press their representatives to put pressure on RIDOT.

“When we all fought the Sakonnet River (Bridge) toll — and I see a lot of familiar faces here — how many people told us we were not going to get that toll off the bridge?” Mr. Vitkevich said. “We pushed them and pushed them and the toll came off the bridge.”

Three town councils — Portsmouth, Tiverton and Middletown — have already passed resolutions asking RIDOT to remove the signs. “I don’t think that the Town of Portsmouth, the Town of Tiverton and the Town of Middletown should be ignored,” said Mr. Vitkevich, who urged everyone to “push our representatives” in getting the signs down. “I’ll be quiet once the signs in those communities come down.”

‘Go Gina!’

Only once voice of dissent was heard during Mt. Vitkevich’s 30-minute diatribe. Just after urging everyone to call RIDOT (401/222-2450) to voice displeasure with the signs, he was interrupted by a car passing through the park-and-ride. A male driver yelled out the window, “Go Gina Raimondo!” before continuing on and parking behind the RIDOT garage.

“He’s a DOT fan,” Mr. Vitkevich quipped. “He must be a contractor.”

Seeing the governor’s name on the RhodeWorks signs is one of his biggest gripes. “Two hundred and fifteen signs should be void of her name,” said Mr. Vitkevich. “Are they campaign signs? Maybe if they are, we get to send her the bill.”

Mr. Vitkevich raised the possibility that the signs may be violating federal law. He cited a recent ruling by the Federal Highway Administration that the hundreds of "I Love NY" highway signs — costing taxpayers $8.1 million — are illegal and therefore must be modified.

In Portsmouth alone, there are 19 RhodeWorks signs, said Mr. Vitkevich. “Does the Town of Portsmouth need 19 signs?” he said while pointing four of them in plain view of the park-and-ride. “It’s sign pollution, it’s wasteful by way of the fact that it doesn’t serve any purpose.”

Several signs point out that a particular job has been “completed.” 

“Then why are those signs still up? Because of the arrogant nature of the director of the Department of Transportation,” he said.

Refutes claimed cost estimates

And then there’s the matter of the signs’ cost to taxpayers. A RIDOT spokesperson told three different reporters that each sign cost $135, Mr. Vitkevich said. However, according to nine invoices that Mr. Vitkevich said RIDOT shared with him, the cost of materials alone for each sign is about $850. 

Mr. Vitkevich said the signs served another purpose. 

“These are subliminal. These are to get us to like that RhodeWorks logo so that we accept that truck toll,” he said, cautioning everyone that the state could end up putting a truck tolling system on the Sakonnet River bridge, despite the fact that the gantry was removed in February 2016.

“Be advised: They never took the block building down on the Sakonnet (Bridge). They didn’t take the generator, they didn’t take the LP tanks and they didn’t take the footings to hold up the gantry,” he said. “That could become another truck toll. Again, over my dead body, but it could happen.”

One of the supporters who turned out Saturday was Jim Lipe of Tiverton. A strong opponent of the Sakonnet Bridge toll along with Mr. Vitkevich, Mr. Lipe said he was equally down on RhodeWorks.

“It’s a continuation of the tolls,” he said. “It’s still a waste of money. No matter what you do, it’s going to effect the cost of living for people in Rhode Island.”

As for the RhodeWorks signs themselves, he said, “What really frosted me was Middle Road. Who has to know Middle Road’s going to be paved?

“We’ll get our state back sooner or later.”

‘I’m not done’

Near the end of his press conference, Mr. Vitkevich acknowledged the sparse turnout but said he wasn’t discouraged.

“We expected a few more people — it’s OK,” he said. “I’m getting the word out. I’m not done. This is a start.”

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