‘Bargain Basement Rental Fees’

Posted 10/9/24

To the Editor,

Cranston taxpayers are generous people. For almost a decade, we have been subsidizing the training of federal, state, city, and private organizations.

Director Anthony …

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‘Bargain Basement Rental Fees’

Posted

To the Editor,

Cranston taxpayers are generous people. For almost a decade, we have been subsidizing the training of federal, state, city, and private organizations.

Director Anthony Moretti reported at the September 23, 2024, City Council meeting that the City of Cranston collected a mere $37,000 in rental income from leasing the Cranston Police gun range between October 2020 and December 2023.

During these thirty-eight months, the following agencies came to Cranston to train, as reported in the CPD Year-End Reports:

  • TF Greene Airport Police  2016—2022
  • RI Department of Corrections  2020—2021
  • RI Municipal Police Academy  2021—2022, Spring of 2023
  • East Providence Police Department  2016—2023
  • Johnston Police Department  2020—2023
  • Smithfield Police Department  2016—2023
  • Retiree Qualifications  2020—2022
  • University of RI Citizens Academy  2016—2021

On average, the City of Cranston collected just $1541 per year, per agency.

It gets more interesting when you review the three years between 2016 and 2018. Eleven more federal, state, city, and private organizations came to Cranston for arms training.

  • Federal Bureau of Investigation  2016—2018
  • Drug Enforcement Administration  2016—2018
  • Immigration and Customs Enforcement  2016—2018
  • Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives  2016—2017
  • US Treasury Department  2016—2018
  • Coventry Police Department  2016 — 2017
  • Pawtucket Police Department  2016 — 2017
  • Brown University Police  2017 — 2018
  • Cranston Police Citizens Academy  2017
  • Firearms Safety Program for Spouses  2017
  • URI Police  2017—2018

There is no readily available data on the rental income generated during this period, nor for the year 2019.

Why has the Cranston taxpayer so generously supported the arms trainings of these organizations? Who is benefiting? 

Residents of Meshanticut, who suffer under the daily barrage of war-like gunfire, have been repeatedly told by Mayor Hopkins that “there’s no money to move or enclose the range.”

I propose to the flummoxed Mayor, Director, and City Council members the obvious solution: raise the rent.

 

Martha DiMeo, of Cranston

letter, mail

Comments

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  • umpwuggly

    My question would be are they just using the space and the monies paid for clean up and maintenance costs? I would also ask does our PD go to other ranges to learn or practice? If our PD is also using other facilities and it's more of a trade than "rent". As far as who benefits? Do you not use our airport, know fellow Citizens going to or have gone to our colleges and universities, have you not traveled all the way to our neighboring Cities and Towns?

    I take offense to "war-like" gunfire, it is what it is range gun fire. When the school has a game are you calling the shouts and cheers "mob-like" shouting? No, of course not.

    Thursday, October 10 Report this