The vote was the latest episode in a wrestling match between the council majority and ardent library supporters who say voters approved funds to move the Maury Loontjens Memorial Library out of its cramped and unsafe building at 35 Kingstown Rd. and into the former Belmont Market in the Pier Marketplace.

NARRAGANSETT — A Love Your Library organizer, Win Hames, on Monday night offered $800,000 to buy the portion of the former Belmont building that the Town Council majority was planning to sell to Pier Liquors for $735,000.

The offer came during a discussion of a motion to approve the sale “of the space currently occupied by Pier Liquors and 12 parking spaces” plus the second floor, and to authorize the town to enter into a purchase and sale agreement "for the sale of this real estate.”

Despite the offer, and despite 90 minutes of speaker after speaker arguing against the deal (a handful expressed support), the three-member majority voted to sell to DSM Pier Realty, LLC, the company associated with Pier Liquors. Council President Matthew Mannix, President Pro Tem Jill A. Lawler and Councilman Richard M. Lema make up the majority.

The vote was the latest episode in a wrestling match between the council majority and ardent library supporters who say voters approved funds to move the Maury Loontjens Memorial Library out of its cramped and unsafe building at 35 Kingstown Rd. and into the former Belmont Market in the Pier Marketplace.

Many of those who spoke objected to the Pier Liquors deal having been made behind closed doors, without an appraisal, without the property ever being listed and without the public, and possible other buyers, ever seeing the asking price. The whole deal was conducted in executive session.

“Shame on you,” several speakers said, naming each of the three.

Anita Langer, a real estate agent who lives on Colonel John Gardner Road, used her three minutes to say: “You just got an offer this evening.” Calling it a multi-offer situation, she said, “Why would you not consider both offers, unless it’s a back-room deal.”

Some argued that the council majority should respect the will of the people as expressed in a 67.8% majority in favor of borrowing $5.8 million in a 2016 ballot question.

Vicki Crowningshield said that voting for the Pier Liquor deal “is basically eclipsing the will of the electorate. Your ego is not big enough to rule Narragansett,” she said. “You don’t just serve only those who agree with you. We want a library, we don’t want an upstairs office space for a liquor store.” She concluded that contrary to what the council majority may have intended, “you’ve united the rest of us in our love of the library.”

After the meeting, Mannix repeated a point that one speaker had made: $735,000 on the table is better than $800,000 offered at a public meeting.

— dnaylor@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7411

On Twitter: @donita22



