The Pawtucket Town Council voted this week to send a formal communication demanding cleanup at the Blackstone/JK Equities warehouse construction site, after a councilor reported complaints from Woodlawn residents about uncovered contaminated soil and a surge in rats and rodents near the property, according to the Pawtucket Town Council's published meeting recording.
The council took up the matter during discussion of its consent agenda, a routine batch of items usually approved together without debate. Councilor Gregor pulled two related items — a construction update from Jordan Carlick of Blackstone Center LLC and a separate item on a rodent prevention program for Woodlawn residents — for individual discussion rather than letting them pass without comment.
According to the recording, Gregor said there are "tons of contaminated soil dirt piles in and about" the property that should be covered but are not, and that residents nearby have complained about dust blowing onto their homes. Gregor also said constituents in the area reported a heavy increase in rats and rodents entering their homes and property and chewing through belongings, which Gregor linked to the excavation and construction work at the site.
Gregor referenced a rodent prevention program available to affected residents, which the councilor described as allowing people to request rodent control services that would be provided and maintained for properties affected by the construction. Gregor also said the site currently has mattresses and trash scattered around the property perimeter, calling the condition unacceptable.
The council voted to send a communication to the developer directing that the property perimeter be cleaned up. The vote followed a motion by Councilor Gregor, seconded by Councilor Moreno, and was approved by voice vote. A related item calling for a communication to the Department of Public Works and Parks and Recreation regarding a nearby park's condition was not sent as part of this action; council members indicated that particular request lacked a clear connection to the warehouse site and would need to be routed separately.
Separate question about promised jobs
During the public input portion of the meeting, a speaker identified as Pat Ford, who said he represents the Coalition Radio Network, asked the council directly what has happened to job-creation promises tied to the same warehouse project. Ford recalled hearing during earlier hearings on the development that the project would bring "jobs, jobs, jobs" to city residents, and said a sign on the property now appears to advertise that the building is available for rent, which Ford took as an indication that Amazon is not occupying the site as previously expected.
Ford asked whether there were any plans for job fairs or other efforts to connect city residents to jobs at the completed facility, addressing the question to council leadership. In response, a council member stated only, "Can't respond. I don't have a response." No council member offered further information on the record about the site's tenancy or any job-creation commitments during the meeting.
What happens next
The council's action on the cleanup communication is limited to a written demand sent to the developer; the recording does not indicate a deadline for compliance or a scheduled follow-up hearing on the condition of the site. Residents with concerns about rodents or debris near the property were not given a specific city contact during the meeting beyond the rodent prevention program Gregor described. It remains unclear from the recording whether the council intends to revisit the unanswered questions about promised local jobs at a future meeting.