Council Not Optimistic About ARA Legal Battle

Several councilors say it is unfair they have no say whether the ARA appeals the recent legal defeat, but the city could be stuck with the bill.

City Solicitor Robert Mangiaratti faced tough questions and comments Monday night from skeptical city councilors about the latest Attleboro Redevelopment Authority legal battle. No councilor spoke in favor of appealing a Bristol County Superior Court judge's decision that the ARA reinstate two fired employees and provide them with back pay, including benefits and interest. Some councilors said the ARA should not continue the with expensive conflict. "Somebody sang a song about 'know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,'" Councilor Mark Cooper said. "It's time to fold … pay off what we have out there, take the loss, cut our losses and make it happen." [Watch the attached videos to see some of the councilors' comments] Regardless of how …

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Judge Rules Against Attleboro Redevelopment Authority

The city solicitor says he has identified several legal issues with the decision that would be the basis for an appeal.

A Bristol County Superior Court judge ruled this week that the state Civil Service Commission was correct when it determined last year that two Attleboro Redevelopment Authority employees were wrongfully fired in 2009. Judge Thomas F. McGuire Jr. ordered the ARA to reinstate Michael Milanoski and Meg Ross to their former positions as executive director and chief financial officer, respectively, with back pay, benefits and interest. Their attorney estimated the ARA owes his clients at least $600,000. In his eight page opinion (it is attached), McGuire wrote that although the ARA board claims it voted to fire Milanoski, Ross and the ARA's other two employees due to lack of funds, the action was actually taken "in an effort to assist" Mayor …

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Letter to Editor

City's Legal Costs Need to Be Put Under the Microscope

Mayoral candidate believes more attention needs to be placed on monitoring Civil Service appeals.

The city’s legal costs need to be monitored closely. Fiscal Year 2011’s actual expenses totaled $306,000 or nearly $200,000 over Budget. Of this amount $106.000 was spent on ARA issues. Recent appeals made by former City employees to the Civil Service have resulted in the Civil Service Commission overturning decisions made by the City. This has cost or will cost the City significant amounts of money over and above legal costs when a final accounting of these cases is made. It is self evident that the City Administration and the Municipal Council needs to determine what went wrong in these cases and recognize that more attention must be made to ensure that Civil Service procedures are properly followed before terminating or disciplining …

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Redevelopment Authority Under Pressure to Fill Attleboro Industrial Park's Vacant Lots

Attleboro Redevelopment Authority took shots from officials on the empty Industrial park on Commerce Way.

The Attleboro Redevelopment Authority has its hands full with filling an empty industrial park, restoration projects and dealing with a lawsuit.  ARA Chairman and former Attleboro Mayor Judith Robbins was under fire by City Assessor Stan Nacewicz during the ARA's Thursday night meeting. Nacewicz said he foreshadowed a gloomy outlook  and dire forecast regarding the fate of various parcels in the city's 189-acre industrial park on Commerce Way.  Nacewicz said  “time is slipping by” to bring businesses to the park, which is still missing power lines and continues to be in severe debt. Ron Dubuc, assistant superintendent of operations for the city of Attleboro, reported that “electrical lines are “going in slowly but surely." “Some of those …

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Rep. George Ross Has Big Plans for Attleboro

State Rep. George Ross plans Attleboro business summit.

It's been less than two weeks since Attleboro resident George Ross took the oath on Beacon Hill as state representative for the Second Bristol District, but he has already fielded dozens of calls from constituents, has bills under study and is studying the three committees to which he has been assigned: the Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities; Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs; and Committee on Public Health. The former city councilman is wasting no time on one of his biggest campaign promises – to organize a business summit.  Ross is working with United Regional Chamber of Commerce President Jack Lank to bring the summit to Attleboro. He's already made several calls to colleagues to have representation …

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Public Weighs in on Riverbank Restoration and Walk

It was the first public presentation of the city's plan for a riverwalk.

The Attleboro Redevelopment Authority held a special session to present a slide show on plans for the Ten Mile River Bank Stabilization and Restoration Project, encourage feedback and field any concerns. An attentive audience of two dozen people included board members, city officials, a representative for Sen. Richard Ross,  Attleboro Garden Club members and abutting property owners met at City Hall to see the plans designed by Michelle West and Rick Claytor of the Horsley Witten Group of Sandwich. West assured everyone that bank stabilization and invasive species management will have little impact on the river bank. "There is not massive bank erosion," she said. "Measures can be used such as using core rolls made of fibrous material or …

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ARA Forging Ahead on Riverbank Restoration

ARA reviews Riverwalk Projec plans.

Attleboro Redevelopment Authority wants more public opinion on the proposed plans for the Riverbank Restoration Project. As part of the downtown urban renewal plan, the ARA received funding from an environmental grant to forge ahead with the Ten Mile River riverbank project. Michelle West, a representative of Horsley Witten Group, Inc. of Sandwich, presented initial design plans for the project with maps of the overall layout, pictures and a summary of the work they have done to the ARA at Friday's meeting.  "We did a field reconnaissance survey on bank erosion and on native and invasive species," West said. "Our plan is is to remove Japanese knotweed (the most invasive species),  create a 25-foot buffer restoration area and take stream-…

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