Residents press council over Wesley Housing conditions, downtown noise and harbor disputes

A cluster of citizen comments at the Oct. 1 Westerly Town Council meeting focused on housing authority conditions, downtown noise from a popular restaurant, and ongoing harbor‑management disputes.

Several Wesley Housing residents and advocates described mold and health problems in their buildings and said they have not received adequate responses. Carrie Clark told the council, “We have some very serious health issues with mold, and we are getting 0 help from the executive director,” and Helen Clark said an air‑quality report had pages redacted that she needs to show medical providers. The town manager said the housing authority has contracted ServiceMaster for remediation of affected units and that the board has new members and is initiating resident surveys; the council asked staff to invite the housing authority chair to provide an update.

Separately, downtown residents from Canal Street and surrounding blocks urged the council to direct the licensing board to restrict entertainment practices at the Surf Cantina after repeated late‑night sessions with open garage doors and amplified music. Joe Negrelli (licensing-board member and resident) said the licensing board had resolved to require doors be closed when music is playing; residents reported the agreement has not been consistently followed. The town manager said licensing renewals and stipulations could be used to enforce closure of doors during entertainment, including show‑cause hearings or license conditions.

Harbor Management Commission members criticized the council’s handling of a recent executive‑session event and asked for clearer disclosure of documents and commission records; one commissioner alleged the council’s solicitor made inaccurate statements and flagged a possible Open Meetings Act concern. The assistant solicitor and other councilors urged civic decorum and noted some matters remain subject to executive‑session confidentiality or pending litigation.

Councilors and staff responded: the town manager said licensing conditions can be formalized at renewal and enforcement pursued; assistant solicitor said he would look into the legal questions raised by the harbor commission; and the council directed the manager to coordinate a meeting with the housing authority chair to discuss resident concerns.

The council promised follow-up: manager and solicitor staff will clarify enforcement options for licensing, verify remediation measures at Wesley Housing, and coordinate a housing‑authority appearance at a future meeting.