City delays start of revaluation field work

The start of field work as part of the state-mandated statistical revaluation process has been delayed, Cranston Director of Administration Daniel Parrillo said Thursday.

Field inspectors from Vision Appraisal had been scheduled to begin data collection on March 31. City Hall made an announcement about the work during the week of March 23, which was publicized in last weeks edition of the Herald.

Parrillo on April 2 said Mayor Allan Fung made the decision to postpone the start of the field work based on discussions with administration officials and the determination that it would be in the citys best interest to do so in light of the current COVID-19 crisis.

Obviously, things evolve day to day with this whole pandemic We kind of just made a decision that were not going to go forward with this right now, he said.

Parrillo said no new start-up date has been finalized, but that officials are confident the work can be completed before the deadline at the end of the current calendar year.

We dont think pushing it back a month or so, or whatever it ends up being, will adversely affect the results, he said.

According to the citys initial announcement, data was to be verified and collected from public view and exterior inspections.

It continues: The city is asking for everyones cooperation in this process by allowing the inspectors access to the exterior of the property which IS required to complete these exterior inspections. There will be NO interior home inspections, but if the homeowner allows it, information will be gathered at the door at a safe distance by practicing social distancing.

Cranston woman, 54, killed in Warwick moped crash

A 54-year-old Cranston woman was killed after her moped crashed on Post Road in Warwick late Monday afternoon.

The woman – whose identity was being withheld pending notification of family – was pronounced dead after being transported to Kent Hospital, according to Warwick Police.

Officers responded to the scene near 3393 Post Road just after 4:30 p.m. following reports of an accident with injuries. Upon arrival, police found the moped in the roadway and bystanders tending to the operator.

Police say an initial investigation determined the moped was traveling north on Post Road when the operator lost control. As a result, the moped struck a curb and then a stone well.

“At this time it appears speed/alcohol/distracted driving were not a factor in this accident,” a statement from Warwick Police reads.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact the Warwick Police Traffic Division at 468-4344.

License seized after bike path incident

Cranston Police have seized the license of an 81-year-old driver who traveled down the Washington Secondary Trail bike path on Sunday, nearly striking pedestrians in a video circulated widely on social media.

Chief of Police Col. Michael Winquist on Monday said the woman operating the vehicle had apparently been attempting to make her way onto Route 10 when she turned onto the bike path.

The chief said the department has notified the Division of Motor Vehicles and an established process will determine whether or not the operator's license should be permanently revoked.

Farina distributes campaign masks

A mayoral candidate’s distribution of cloth masks bearing his campaign logo drew widespread attention – and, in some cases, criticism – over the weekend.

City Council President Michael Farina, who announced his GOP bid for the city’s top job in January, said the concept for the masks – which read “Farina Mayor” in the style of his campaign signs – was first raised by a supporter about two weeks ago.

At the time, he said, the masks were conceived of as a possible tool to allow for door-to-door campaigning in an unprecedented environment – “a need we foresaw based on where we were” in terms of the COVID-19 crisis at that point. The 250 masks were provided as an in-kind campaign contribution and arrived last Thursday, he said.

Once it became clear that the escalation of the crisis would make the use of the masks for their originally planned purpose impossible, Farina said he decided instead to distribute them within his circle of friends and supporters.

He shared an image of the masks, next to a picture of himself wearing one, on his personal Facebook and Instagram pages, also providing contact information for those interested in obtaining one.

The image was shared elsewhere on social media and some news outlets picked up on the story. Many commenters were critical of the masks, suggesting they were in poor taste given the current circumstances. At one point, the council president advised that masks would be available for private pickup during a one-hour window, although that was called off and masks were instead delivered.

Farina, however, said the intent was never to “have a massive giveway.”

“It turned into something it wasn’t supposed to be … We didn’t put out a press release. We put it literally on my personal Facebook page and my Instagram,” he said.

He added: “We had masks we couldn’t use and we wanted to get them into the hands of people that need them, because people can’t get them right now … Everybody that got a mask was extremely appreciative.”

The episode highlights the challenge candidates will face in a year when door-to-door campaigning – a staple of local election contests – appears unlikely to feasible anytime soon.

“This is a different kind of world we’re in now, and it’s going to change the way we campaign,” he said.

-- Daniel Kittredge