[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6480379,"mediaKeyId","5681617-5744681f78ac9b7f903e90e0b9268fcd","parentId",5681617,"title","Votes at a glance: Block Island Housing Board, Aug. 26","audioSeconds",3967,"startMs",158000,"endMs",4125000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5681617-5744681f78ac9b7f903e90e0b9268fcd&start=158&end=4125","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5681617-5744681f78ac9b7f903e90e0b9268fcd/thumbnail_158000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6480379/New-Shoreham/Washington-County/Rhode-Island/Votes-at-a-glance-Block-Island-Housing-Board-Aug-26","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6480379-6279c4534bc2472ab3ac5419b331004b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770430736&Signature=WR4PDx9~-9sP3j9BHdw4fllZl~66p8BN5j5z63BGlwDAEPQv15RcIQ~pkWsluRQwNf2rca3MnKDwzzl1a-qD8Ze~GadegvQ~cdPXETW9dk~jNDlWDZftI1l15NW09YbrKfldO53zAe~VSL0yjtWQ0XOyXMqhZ-c4emPJOsnx9nvJIWzlux1Toj1143vH1sp1p-etORX51qWpdXnzO3UTAa~nN2bAAOBL07qvDW1tVI6u9Y9eVHBR8jpdY2IkcP6LaC5RjeiwTrH-nHHgR0jzkKlE8tov3bOrHUonOILfS80Jw73m8xmW~p4Bh7Cy~3bPS7T7rEUcyPa1PuFkBgfOGQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town of New Shoreham","date","2025-08-27T09:16:31Z","article","The Block Island Housing Board took the following formal actions during its Aug. 26 meeting in New Shoreham:

- Approve minutes of July 22 and Aug. 7: Motion made and seconded; chair called for the ayes and approval was recorded.

- Approve financial reports: Motion made, seconded and approved; board directed Chris to meet with department finance to review interest-rate projections.

- Approve annual report: Motion made and approved; the board said the annual report will be rolled out next May.

All three actions were moved and seconded in open session and recorded as approved on Aug. 26. The meeting also included multiple nonbinding directions and staff assignments related to the O’Brien development, procurement and fundraising, which are reported in separate updates.

Provenance: Minutes approval discussion begins ~s=158.235; financial reports discussion begins ~s=269.875; annual report approval at ~s=4120.01.

Ending: The board recorded the three approvals above; other work items were advanced by direction rather than formal vote.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Block Island Housing board, Tuesday 08/26/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The board approved minutes from July 22 and Aug. 7, approved the financial reports and approved the annual report for distribution next May.","taxTitle","New Shoreham, Washington County, Rhode Island","taxId",79696,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6480384,"Housing board introduces Karen Browning as new legal counsel",136,349000,485000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5681617-5744681f78ac9b7f903e90e0b9268fcd&start=349&end=485","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5681617-5744681f78ac9b7f903e90e0b9268fcd/thumbnail_349000.jpg","/articles/6480384/New-Shoreham/Washington-County/Rhode-Island/Housing-board-introduces-Karen-Browning-as-new-legal-counsel","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6480384-f55851fca324638c76052b27ab124158/orig.mp4?Expires=1770430736&Signature=c2U2Eny8TuNws97Nf83MoAPc4-XJRyQa9dU~-mJIT-wU0-QMsdINL~cX-B6-sQ1MoK3N01HgAwjgW3GvpSYxxd5eoDDlSIb8h5DE03AWxCSmJt~VpDpZnNmSDc62GAAKLJGoiwzMboX5cbBUxrUEmGD6N5bgz5z25YmY6Xj0JBk2E9jLMauZ21VqFx11pQ-loVpt9diLTobAZ33t3wrDTxdI3Q-Qx3imA3c~3PxFSlOZT~QHLYYstOC7OynzMnGCaQ2kqmVL2DvDa6UdoWdYWwhOuVrQVeg9Cf4~JnNTvFM73KDo8783nXOyExTfYcKjDc5Jo7N1Ml7XCb3CnSnN8A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Block Island Housing Board on Aug. 26 introduced Karen Browning as the board’s new legal counsel and reviewed her background in land use and development law.

Karen Browning told the board she represents planning and zoning boards, practices land use and real estate law in Newport and operates the Destin Tall Browning Law firm. She said she has experience with residential and commercial development matters and environmental law and offered ongoing availability to the board by email or telephone. Board members noted Browning’s prior work on the board’s ad hoc group to rewrite affordable housing ordinance language and praised her contribution to simplifying the ordinance draft.

Why this matters: The board anticipates needing legal support on condominium association formation, modular vs. condominium configuration questions, and other real-estate law issues as the O’Brien development proceeds.

Browning said she is available to take questions and to support the board as the project advances; the board asked staff to forward specific questions to her in advance of meetings so she can research and be prepared for in-meeting advice.

Provenance: Karen Browning’s introduction begins when the chair introduced her to the board (transcript ~s=349.995) and the discussion of her background continues through her description of her firm and experience (transcript ~s=460.95–484.81).

Ending: The board indicated it will rely on Browning for counsel on condo-formation, ordinances and contract review as the housing project moves toward procurement and construction.","The Block Island Housing Board introduced attorney Karen Browning as its new legal counsel; Browning described her land-use and development practice and said she will support the board on condominium formation and other development matters.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6480388,"Housing board picks logo, plans website donations; opts to evaluate PayPal trial",714,529000,1243000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5681617-5744681f78ac9b7f903e90e0b9268fcd&start=529&end=1243","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5681617-5744681f78ac9b7f903e90e0b9268fcd/thumbnail_529000.jpg","/articles/6480388/New-Shoreham/Washington-County/Rhode-Island/Housing-board-picks-logo-plans-website-donations-opts-to-evaluate-PayPal-trial","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6480388-0a01736bd888bf4fac5b625b1ad1451e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770430736&Signature=Vo9Ac-~4WvK5NLlCtH9IRaFAmIBs-uRxaS-QNXlYNeieBQUgBfn-cfg~mB9ng7i5D3pJ3mxuUNqFVRNp226eEFM5bRPnHJfx~3dNcWSNZxBhPXpd~Fai0hF~Pgv-YTuCOWiZJWp9jOGyWp~m~Q0PSJAV4e5mGu5mvsRLi~ANi2UF9zwjJ4ASUSyKIVs52mfL54g8Yt7BKzAQGjS7IFZRKojIN~k1RgxVB93YYSTEQVfOdt4kwrr07WMzamWS~XFAJd1m8E98YFcrBkdSRSTzDx00O81-ZSNdgVYZBwVThcYE7BovYE-qVOYNw0HtiOHwlx5qYezXrxinCsKDXhk4XA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Block Island Housing Board on Aug. 26 announced the winner of a logo contest for its new website, approved posting contest entries on the site and directed staff to develop a mechanism to accept donations online, with an initial recommendation to trial PayPal.

Why this matters: A website and an online donations tool help the board raise visibility and solicit financial support for the O’Brien development and other board activities.

Chris (board member) presented the three top logos selected by the board: the winner, by Kelly Case; second place by Spider Sloemen; and third place by Jose Gallegos. The board said it will post all contest entries on a website page recognizing participants and will distribute a total of $200 in cash prizes to entrants (the transcript recorded a $200 total to be awarded). The board asked staff to prepare an email to notify entrants and to deliver finished files to the website vendor, Visionary.

On donations, Chris summarized a vendor review process that grew from a short list into several options. He said Visionary had recommended PayPal, while additional vendors identified by board members and local contacts include Givebutter, Zephyr and Stripe. The discussion emphasized trade-offs: PayPal generally charges higher transaction percentages but typically no monthly fee, while some specialized nonprofit platforms charge low or zero transaction fees but impose monthly subscription costs (an example raised in the meeting was about $120 per month, or $1,440 annually). Board members expressed concern about donor friction (asking donors to enter card details into an unfamiliar platform) and favored starting with an easy option to lower barriers to donation.

The board directed Chris to prepare a comparative summary of vendor fees and recommended starting with PayPal for an initial six- to 12-month trial to measure donation volume; if transaction volume justifies a monthly subscription with a lower percentage take, the board will reassess. The board also agreed to present the donation link and site materials at the Sept. 13 public forum if the website is ready.

Separately, the board agreed that a detailed procedural document on what the transcript calls the \"5 13 process\" would not appear as exhaustive text on the website’s main pages but instead would be a downloadable document with hyperlinks to relevant town ordinances and other references. The board said the downloadable document would serve as a deeper-dive resource while the website’s main pages remain concise.

Provenance: Logo announcement begins at the board handoff to Chris (transcript ~s=529.115) and donation-platform discussion carries through to agreement that staff will prepare comparative materials and a PayPal pilot (~s=1240.005–1243.845).

Ending: Staff will return to the board with a vendor comparison and a recommendation to start with PayPal for a trial period; the board will revisit the choice if donation volume supports a subscription-based vendor.

","The board unveiled a logo contest winner and directed staff to establish a donation mechanism on the forthcoming website, recommending a short PayPal pilot while staff compares other vendor fees and transaction costs.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6480392,"Block Island housing board details fall work, financing options for O’Brien development",2551,1344000,3895000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5681617-5744681f78ac9b7f903e90e0b9268fcd&start=1344&end=3895","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5681617-5744681f78ac9b7f903e90e0b9268fcd/thumbnail_1344000.jpg","/articles/6480392/New-Shoreham/Washington-County/Rhode-Island/Block-Island-housing-board-details-fall-work-financing-options-for-OBrien-development","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6480392-9843d9e812cc1f67baf525d30f3883f3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770430736&Signature=hVdPuSZX9NBT1ILh11SD84FRSZD4wrEmP33Yn7WklF3Nwrk9KwXWy9o1-21zT7k7Kd-jSoyxgPauiijBNnTelrASfpxfjZMrwgDQGwApg5S6JSHrWgzM2wgZ9omPgPUwr55BbERAVutxuOlFQ6lhk08Ey5mzhkkK61PgnRIobFuMCX65pj-dYjr9EcxCmYRHTLll0drQRGIVv0loy6rARe9hSdQiFlu9lFjT~eRqFlmDQKuS7TjwQXods44Zud6i61vuzzhd2k6KpCT8zr03FmEp8yowVEu~yoDbOSEJPcd0TeY0Lsa-LP7j5jc6tXxxaAgKaCfxQLXIxZu8XHcXUg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Block Island Housing Board on Aug. 26 discussed plans to resume fall site work, options to close a financing gap and next steps for the O’Brien affordable housing development in New Shoreham.

Board chair (name not specified) told members the board approved a contractor to run sewer, electrical and water onto the site and that fall work is being coordinated with engineers and contractors to avoid a repeat of spring delays. The board also reported an infrastructure bank grant extension through March 31, 2026, giving the project more time to use remaining funds.

Why this matters: The O’Brien project is the board’s largest current effort to add permanently affordable housing on Block Island. Decisions the board makes soon — including unit mix, whether to sell or rent units, and whether to seek bank financing to build all units at once — will shape the project timeline and cash needs.

Board members discussed several site- and construction-level items. They reviewed options for retention ponds or rain gardens and noted that roadway definition and utility roads will be placed this fall; utilities will be brought onto the site but not distributed within it until later phases. The board also reviewed a stone wall recently completed on site and agreed that photos and signage could support donation outreach.

Unit design and market approach were central topics. The architects proposed converting two adjacent two-bedroom layouts into alternating two- and three-bedroom units by shifting an internal wall. Board members agreed the idea merits further study and that the community forum on Sept. 13 is an appropriate venue to collect public input on demand for rentals versus homes for sale. The board said it must have budget estimates available before asking the public to weigh in on sale prices or rental rates.

On procurement, the board agreed to reissue or refresh a request for proposals (RFP) to current and newly identified bidders with a relatively quick turnaround, and to accept alternative approaches, including both modular and stick-built offers, so long as proposals meet the site’s required footprint. The board asked staff to invite previously interested modular bidders to update their proposals and to send the revised RFP to additional modular and stick-built contractors who have shown interest.

Financing to close the project gap was discussed at length. Several board members said outside lenders and experienced partners had advised against phasing the project (build-sell-build) because banks and funding partners typically prefer a clear plan for the full project. The board directed staff to begin initial, preliminary discussions with banks to explore financing that would cover construction for all buildings at once. Rob Grant (consultant referenced in the meeting) was identified as assisting with preliminary numbers. Board members noted that selling all units at market-close might enable the board to retire construction debt, but they also discussed keeping one or more units as rentals owned by public entities to preserve affordable inventory.

The board reviewed potential funding sources and grant opportunities. Members discussed pursuing a turnkey grant program (referenced in the meeting) that was described as worth roughly $50,000 per unit in prior conversations and confirmed plans to pursue a separate Wells Fargo grant that the board estimated at about $13,900 per unit if awarded. The board also referenced existing commitments from the Rusa Foundation (energy-efficiency and solar support) and said they would coordinate grant uses so that efficiency measures and solar installations complement other funding.

Next steps and meeting schedule: The board agreed to concentrate the next meeting(s) on finalizing choices about sales vs. rentals, unit-bedroom configuration and whether to seek construction financing; members aimed to resolve those issues within two to three meetings, targeting a substantive meeting in October. The board also asked staff to prepare materials for the Sept. 13 public forum, including large-format layout drawings and a one-page handout summarizing the project. The board did not take a formal financing vote; it authorized staff to initiate exploratory conversations with banks and to circulate updated RFP documents to bidders.

Provenance: This article summarizes discussion that began when the board introduced \"Item number 7, the O'Brien affordable housing development\" (transcript start ~s=1344.965) and continued through board wrap-up of financing and grant items (transcript end of O'Brien discussion ~s=3888.12).

Ending: The board set an agenda-driven schedule: public outreach at a Sept. 13 forum, more detailed internal discussion in October, and a goal of finalizing build/sell/rent decisions soon so staff can pursue bank financing and updated construction bids.","The Block Island Housing Board reviewed fall construction plans for the O’Brien affordable housing site, discussed extending grant timelines, debated unit configurations, and directed staff to pursue updated bids and preliminary bank financing.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Block Island Housing Board, Aug. 26

Housing board introduces Karen Browning as new legal counsel

Housing board picks logo, plans website donations; opts to evaluate PayPal trial

Block Island housing board details fall work, financing options for O’Brien development