Public comments urge greater transparency by land trust, urge Rescue Barn solar decision and safety changes

Several residents used public comment time Wednesday to raise separate local issues, urging the council to press for more transparency and to act on a volunteer-driven solar proposal.

Chris Blaine asked for an update on a retaining wall near "the mansion" and suggested the town seek reimbursement of legal fees because repairs and disputes have been ongoing for more than a year. He also proposed moving a painted rock to an area near the Indian Cemetery and asked the council to amend an ordinance affecting hunting on town land (Plat 1, Lot 16) to provide refuge for nesting bald eagles.

A second commenter reported on a recent Block Island Land Trust meeting where trustees debated whether to stream and record meetings. The speaker said the trust's lawyers argued against recording and that as taxpayers the public deserved recorded access. "I think it's unacceptable as a taxpayer because they are an 800 pound gorilla or elephant... and we are taxpayers, and we deserve the right to have those meetings recorded and streamed," the commenter said.

Another resident who has volunteered on the Rescue Barn solar proposal asked the council to set an administrative process and a timeline so the volunteer does not have to repeatedly return to the council to press for a decision. "I would like you in a working work session to set up a process whether to do this or not," the volunteer said, urging a clear report back to taxpayers.

The council took no formal votes on the public-comment items but acknowledged the requests and recommended follow-up through staff and committee work sessions.

Provenance: The public comment period is recorded after routine items; speakers addressed multiple community concerns including land-trust transparency, proposed solar work, a painted rock relocation and hunting ordinances.