Cranston committee approves transfer of 4 Sharp Drive to city, refers Elmhurst Avenue abandonment back to full council and OKs utility pole move

The Cranston City Public Works Committee on Jan. 16 approved an amended resolution to transfer the property at 4 Sharp Drive to the City of Cranston, voted to refer a petition to abandon a portion of Elmhurst Avenue back to the full City Council as new business, and approved a Narragansett Electric/Verizon petition to relocate a utility pole on Elwynn Street.

The transfer of 4 Sharp Drive was presented as a mayoral-sponsored resolution “in accordance with section 2.08.0.08 of city code.” The resolution was amended on the committee floor to add a historical note about the school occupying the property: the amendment inserted language stating that “as of August 2023, and with the approval of the Rhode Island Department of Education, the Charter Academy was renamed the Apprenticeship Exploration School.” The amendment passed on a roll-call vote and the committee then approved the amended resolution by roll call.

Lindsay Tavares, executive director of the Apprenticeship Exploration School, addressed the committee in public comment before the transfer vote. “I’m just here tonight to express gratitude for the council for the consideration of the purchase of our school facility tonight,” Tavares said, and she noted that “the Rhode Island Department of…