‘We can come to terms.’”

Mayor Solomon

Although it has invested $750,000 in improvements from fire suppression systems, to air conditioners, and a state of the art recording studio, the Warwick Boys and Girls Clubs is still without a lease for the Cooper Building on Sandy Lane.

Sometime after the former Army Reserve armory was turned over to the city, former Mayor Scott Avedisian reached an agreement in 2017 for the Boys and Girls Clubs to develop a clubhouse for middle school students. The 10-year lease for $1 a year was referred to the City Council for approval, but never came up for a vote.

Arguing that the council had waited long enough, Ward 5 Councilman Ed Ladouceur docketed the lease for consideration. It came before the council Monday and after nearly an hour of discussion, it was referred to the full council where it failed on a 4-4 vote.

Even prior to the vote, Ward 8 Councilman Anthony Sinapi said he had docketed a lease. That lease is slated to come before the council on Nov.4, the day after the election.

Discussion on the first lease focused on the absence of specifics on the space occupied by the club and the argument made by Council President Steve Merolla that without a lease the city could be fully liable should there be an incident in the building. Merolla pushed for approval of the lease, as did Ladouceur, Ward 1 Councilman Rick Corley and Ward 2 Councilman Jeremy Rix.

Mayor Joseph J. Solomon said Wednesday the lease prepared by the Avedisian administration was “an improperly executed document that was never presented to the City Council.”

Solomon was Council President at the time and had the authority to set the docket. He said he was ‘not privy” to the terms of the lease.

Solomon lauded the work of the Boys and Girls Clubs. He said he considers the clubs partners, “and we can come to terms.”

Asked whether he is agreeable to the $1 a year term, Solomon said, “I haven’t examined the numbers.”

Lara D’Antuono, director of the clubs who learned late Monday night that the lease failed to gain council approval said, “We entered into the lease thinking it was a valid lease.” She called the city “good strong partners” and stressed the importance of a program aimed at middle school students. She said she is hopeful the matter of the lease can be resolved as quickly as possible so there is no interruption in service.

D’Antuono said the club occupies about a third of the space on the ground floor of the building and another third of the space, such as the gym, is shared with the city and other youth groups. The last third is city offices. The office of the director of Parks and Recreation is in the building.

In an email, Sinapi wrote, “My resolution will request that we ratify a lease that reflects the current, mutually agreeable arrangement rather than the 2017 document, which entailed an arrangement that has long since been abandoned by both parties.”

Ladouceur said Wednesday his intent was for the council to address an issue that has been lingering for years. He said he was not looking to change anything.