Scott Avedisian
is 'eager to see
movement.' (Al Alexio)
It appears the General Assembly will not call a special session to discuss funding for the Warwick train station, and will instead take the issue up again when it reconvenes in January.
Meanwhile, state officials are working on alternate plans for the station’s development, and city representatives are fighting to remain a part of the decision making process.
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The scrambling is the result of the General Assembly’s inability to decide if two bills, totaling $171.4 million in funding should be passed together or separately. The first bill would have authorized the sale of $170 in bonds to pay for the construction of the train station and a “people mover” to connect the station to the airport. The second bill would have given the city of Warwick $1.4 million a year in airport related compensation.
“The administration isn’t really anxious to go back into special session at this time for this issue,” said Rep. Antonio Pires, D-Pawtucket, and chairman of the House Finance Committee. “We don’t see the issue of the resolution of the bonds or the monies that are going to Warwick that didn’t take place as a barrier for the progress. We don’t see it impacting Warwick citizens at all.”
But officials in the city of Warwick do see it as an issue.
“Of course when you have any sort of delay people get cynical,” said Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian. “Our city council has come to the table and rezoned for this project. We are eager to see movement in the redevelopment district and the train station.”
Last year the Warwick City Council approved the Warwick Redevelopment District. The plan was to have the train station serve as a centerpiece to the new business district and Intermodal Park linking Amtrak with T.F. Green.
But now, with funding not yet approved, William D. Ankner, director of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation said other options for the station’s development are being looked at – including privatization of the project.
“We need to be able to go ahead with the project no matter what the circumstances,” he said. “There is no doubt that there will definitely be some drawbacks.”
In fact, if the project is developed privately, the city of Warwick stands to lose millions of dollars in annual revenues from the 70-acre Station District – something Avedisian obviously doesn’t want.
“The problem, from the city’s perspective, is that without the bonding approval we have been cut out of the process,” he said. “It’s an issue not only monetarily, but also in that we may now have a good working relationship with the parties involved, but we would rather have some force of law that would allow us to have a seat at the table.”
According to Pires, Warwick will remain a part of the process, as the bonding will most likely be passed when the General Assembly reconvenes in January. The issue at the close of the session, Pires said was attaching funding for the city of Warwick to a state project.
“Whether a bill such as the ($170 million in bonding) should be kept unencumbered is the question,” he said. “The House’s position is that this is such a new process, and to begin tacking on amendments sets a dangerous precedent.”
The Rhode Island Airport Corporation is already collecting customer facility charges at a rate, and according to Pires will continue to do so.
“They can continue to collect charges, and we don’t need to go into special session to discuss that,” he said. “As far as the other bond funding, that doesn’t seem to be an issue right now because it will be some time before they have to go forward with any bond work.”
Avedisian said the city would continue to work on the project with state officials.
“We definitely remain committed to the project,” he said. “I am sure that this is only a bump in the road.”
