As 2024 began, what were thought to be the two most pressing issues facing Warren over the next 12 months, the town's finances and matters surrounding housing developments, proved to be just that.
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As 2024 began, what were thought to be the two most pressing issues facing Warren over the next 12 months, the town's finances and matters surrounding housing developments, proved to be just that.
Warren entered the new year facing an unexpected fiscal dilemma brought about by the settlement of the outstanding legal case. And the housing developments, all of which were opposed at some point or another, also came to the fore as did the need to finally finish the long overdue update of the town's comprehensive plan.
The latter was eventually approved locally and sent off to the state for its blessing, which should actually occur sometime in early 2025.
The impact to Warren's finances was faced in the spring during the 2024 budget season.
And the housing situation continued throughout the year. Early on the Liberty Street School development was approved as was the Penny Lane project later on after some thoughtful back-and-forth between the parties. And the most notable of them all, "Settlers Green," remains settled and unsettled at the same time as the calendar turns.
A time of renewal
Spring is considered the time of renewal and growth, and in Warren something, better yet someone, new arrived and something, as in the tax rate, most definitely grew.
Days before the official start of the season in mid-March, the town council officially hired Brian Sullivan as Warren's new town manager.
Sullivan spent the bulk of his professional career in law enforcement, rising to chief of the police department in his native Lincoln, R.I. He served in that position for 15 years prior to retirement.
In a similar situation as to what occurred prior to his arrival here, when Warren PD Chief Roy Borges served as interim town manager, Sullivan briefly served as Lincoln town administrator when the previous office occupant, Joseph Almond, left to join the staff of Governor Dan McKee in March of 2021.
“Warren is a very proud community,” Sullivan said of his interest in the job. “People have pride in their community and they want to do what’s best for the community and they want to work hard for it. I find that’s the same as in Lincoln.”
Upon taking the job, the new town manager was well aware of the financial crisis Warren was facing, which led to the next newsworthy item.
In April, the Warren Town Council approved a preliminary budget that included a 5.7% increase in the town's tax levy due almost entirely to the unexpected conclusion of a lawsuit filed against the town back in 2022.
The claim was for what was deemed "gross negligence" by a Warren Fire Department emergency medical technician in response to a car accident on Child Street in October 2018, which resulted in life-long injuries to a 13-month-old child.
The town and its insurer, Rhode Island Interlocal Risk Trust Management, eventually agreed to a $13 million settlement. The trust assumed $5 million of the total, with Warren taking on the remaining $8 million.
The need to begin paying off its portion of the settlement meant the town was required to raise taxes well above the allowable limit of 4% as mandated by state law. Warren received a one-time waiver from General Assembly, which saw the residential property tax rate jump from from $13.66 per $1,000 assessed to $14.44 for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024.
No summer vacation
Summertime in small communities like Warren are usually short of newsworthy events, save for a notable run by a local Little League All-Star team or some other athletic endeavor.
The summer months of 2024, however, were certainly an exception.
June opened with the distinct possibility of the Bristol Warren Regional School District needing to find a new superintendent after Ana Riley was pegged as a finalist for the same position in her native Fall River, where she continued to reside.
Ultimately, however, the Fall River district opted to promote from within, selecting one of its current assistant superintendents, Dr. Tracy Curley, for the position in a 5-1 vote.
The next item of significance to occur came at the end of June when prospective candidates for the general election later in the fall were required to submit the requisite paperwork.
Two sitting town councilors, though, opted not to seek re-election. Brandt Heckert and Steve Calenda opted not to run again in 2024.
Heckert and Calenda were both seated in 2018 for the last of the two-year term according to the former election. They then each won a four-year term in 2020.
In a letter explaining his choice at the time Heckert said, "“My decision to step down is not made lightly. It stems partly from a need to allow time for new pursuits in my life and from a desire to allow new voices and fresh perspectives to emerge in our local government,” he wrote. “I truly hope that the seat I relinquish will be filled by someone who shares a passion for service to our town, someone who is as committed to our community’s welfare as I have strived to be.”
Later in the fall, Calenda said of his decision not to seek re-election, "I think I've accomplished everything that I wanted to do. It's been 15 years with the Town of Warren when you combine zoning and the council. And it was 22 years in the Town of Bristol (where he was a police officer retiring as a sergeant). It's not quite the round number of 40, but 37 years is good enough for me. I feel very comfortable with what I accomplished in both places."
In early July, the town received some stark news regarding its ability to management new housing developments.
Rebuffed locally, the owners of the proposed "Settlers Green" project took their case to state agencies and eventually the legal system where they won in Superior Court.
The rulings allowed Last Ever Realty to pursue its proposal to construct 12 single family homes constructed along with two apartment buildings with a total of 108 units over 16.22 acres at the intersection of Kinnicutt and Denver Avenues.
The owners won based largely on agreeing to meet the requirements of the state affordable housing law's comprehensive permitting element by making 25% of the units available at “affordable" levels.
Fall comes on fast
The happenings kept coming as fall approached. The end of the summer also brought the end to a noteworthy career for one local employee.
Ed Cabral announced he was retiring at the end of the season after a career that spanned over 40 years of public service as an environmental police officer, volunteer firefighter, and the Town of Warren’s harbormaster since February of 2014.
The end of one key element in the planned construction of the new Mt. Hope High School came in mid-October when the Bristol Planning Board officially approved a master plan.
The approval meant the two-story, on the same Chestnut Street site as the current school sits, could go forward as conceived. One of the last sticking points was the inclusion of an artificial turf surface for the renovated athletics stadium.
By year's end, the designed phase had passed the 60 percent complete threshold and the project remained on target to begin with some site work in the spring of 2025 with the full start of construction to take place a few months later in June.
On another school related note, Ann Corrado, a fifth grade instructor at the Hugh Cole Elementary School, was chosen as the Bristol Warren District Teacher of the Year award. Corrado became the district's representative in the Rhode Island Department of Education's 2024-25 State Teacher of the Year competition. Corrado has worked in the Bristol Warren Public Schools since 2011
In addition to Corrado's recognition, Maria Serbst, Hugh Cole as a teacher assistant, was selected as the 2024-2025 District Support Professional of the Year.
The fall concluded with the 2024 General Election when Louis Rego and Derrik Trombley were the top vote-getters in the three-for-two town council race. Tim White finished third.
Trombley, a first-time candidate, received the most ballots cast, 3,087, followed by Rego with 2,652, then White with 2,512.
The new councilors were sworn into office at the final regularly schedule meeting of the body in early December, and came to their posts receiving some positive news from Finance Director David Burlingame.
Burlingame said at the time the town enjoyed a "good month" on the revenue side in November and its coffers "were in very good shape" heading into December with the start of the 2025-26 fiscal year budget season fast approaching.