Residents raise Zoom misconduct concern and a drainage complaint; DPW describes recent work and ongoing follow-up

During public comment at the Sept. 2 West Warwick Town Council meeting, two residents raised distinct concerns that prompted staff responses.

Zoom misconduct: Amanda Flynn of 56 Corkdale Drive said her 15-year-old watched the meeting and was exposed to “disturbing” content that appeared on the town’s Zoom feed earlier in the meeting. Flynn asked the council to have police investigate the incident and said she was prepared to file a complaint. Council staff acknowledged the meeting would be edited and that approximately two minutes of video would be removed from the public recording to address the incident.

Drainage complaint: David Legault told the council that stormwater repeatedly runs onto his property and during the most recent storm water reached near his electrical line. He said a drain installed previously seemed to help but that the recent intense rainfall overwhelmed the system. The resident said a drain had been installed and 80 feet of pipe had been placed earlier, but that a third drain still needs lowering and a sidewalk area needs raising.

DPW response: Jeff of DPW said crews had installed 80 feet of pipe and a new drain and had re-asphalted the area after the earlier work; he said the extreme storm produced very rapid runoff and that no local drain could have fully contained the volume in that event. Jeff said staff would look at the third drain and, if necessary, adjust nearby patches and make a trench to better move water away. He advised that follow-up work would continue and asked the resident to coordinate with DPW for inspection and next steps.

Ending: Councilors thanked the residents and asked staff to continue follow-up on both the Zoom incident (editing the recording and investigating) and the drainage issue (site inspection and additional corrective work as needed).