March 28, 2024

Pond View, Neighbors, City: No Resolution Yet. On to Court:

Posted

By Bob Rodericks:

The roughly 16 year long battle between some Rumford neighbors and businesses and Ken Foley and Pond View is evidently not going to get permanently settled until it reaches the RI State Court system. Pond View is also known as Railside Environmental Services, but confusion still reigns in the area. During this last week in September an "off-premises" sign appeared which directs onlookers to "Pond View Metals" at the end of Dexter road. Residents got in touch with the Reporter to point out that the sign is illegal and illegally placed. Residents took a picture of the sign and distributed it to officials. "This picture was taken this afternoon September 21, 2014 @ approximately 1:30 PM. The sign in this picture is located "BACK" again at the end of Waterfront Drive and Dexter Road. This is a prohibited use...," said a neighbor's email missive which went out to various city and state officials. When this sign appeared on this land not owned by PondView about a year ago, the city issued a violation notice to the land owner and also the sign owner. There was a municipal court case heard on this. The sign was removed and hadn't been an issue until it reappeared about a year later. "This piece of land does not belong to Pond View as you are aware. Please advise when the city plans on issuing a notice of violation to the land owner and the sign owner. As usual the city lets the owner of Pond View do as he pleases," said the frustrated citizen's email. "I can't win it seems," city zoning officer Edward Pimentel told the Reporter in an interview today (September, 25, 2014). "Pond View or Railside Environmental Services, isn't happy with me nor are some neighbors who are against them," he said. "About a year and a half ago, that same sign went up and I cited Ken Foley and the land owner with a violation notice. They took it down," said Pimentel. The land where the sign is placed is not owned by Foley or PondView. "When I found out this week that the sign was back, I again issued the parties a violation notice. I issued the notice one day after finding out," noted Pimentel. Two days after the violation notice the sign is still up. "I will be checking it out," said the zoning officer. "There is a business running there, they call it Railside Services, a lot of this will be settled in Court. I can't comment fully as the matter is in litigation and going to the state Superior Court," said Pimentel. "I uphold the city ordinances and laws, that's all I can do. These appeals have to go to court."

The Reporter also spoke with RES (PondView) spokesman Clyde Ames about this latest twist in the case. "Well, we're back in business as we are appealing the city's actions against us," said Ames in a telephone interview. "The sign in question will stay. We have the land owner's permission to place it there," said Ames. "East Providence just continues with this anti-business theme. We weren't treated well in their Municipal Court so we've appealed and we're just waiting for a Superior court date," said Foley's spokesperson. So the disagreements continue and both sides are evidently hunkered down for litigation and a court resolution. Stay tuned.

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