Council OKs $500K for New Cruisers, Coronado Road Maintenance Deal

Warwick, RI — The Warwick City Council OK’d $500,598 for fourteen new Ford Taurus cruisers Monday and authorized Mayor Scott Avedisian to enter an agreement to continue maintaining Coronado Road after RIDOT uses a $1.8 million grant for a pedestrian-oriented upgrade of the street.

The contract for the new cruisers, replacing about 1/3 of the Warwick Police Department’s fleet, was awarded to Colonial Ford of 147  Samoset St., Plymouth, MA.

The purchase had been delayed from the Nov. 16 City Council meeting because Councillors were waiting on comment on the buy from City’s Finance Director Ernie Zmyslinski.

This time, the police cruisers passed 7-0.

Councillors also approved authorizing the mayor to enter an agreement with the RIDOT to continue regular maintenance on Coronado Road after the state uses a $1.8 million grant from the USDOT to make pedestrian-focused improvements to the roadway, said Dan Geagan of the Warwick Planning Department.

The improvements to the street, which lies between Jefferson Boulevard and Post Road, part of the City Centre project, will include repaving, wheelchair ramps, new fences and guardrails, new pedestrian signals, new crosswalks, installation of plantings and clearing of drainage systems.

“It’s really going to improve that corridor,” Geagan said.

The Council also delayed a vote on rescinding their earlier approval of a contract with Solar Flair to handle installations for Solarize Warwick, the city’s local branch of Solarize Rhode Island. The contractor, it turns out, was not licensed to do work in Rhode Island, an oversight Councilman Ed Ladoceur discovered by chance.

Solar Flair has gained a license to operate in Rhode Island since he drafted the resolution rescinding the contract, but Ladoceur said he’d like for three contractors to bid for the job altogether, since the discrepancy requires a new bid.