Warwick Mayor: City Hall Annex To Be Torn Down

WARWICK, RI — The "big ugly monstrosity" behind Warwick City Hall will soon be torn down.

In his weekly video address, Mayor Frank Picozzi confirmed that he has reached an insurance settlement with the Rhode Island Interlocal Trust to either rebuild or demolish the City Hall Annex. Picozzi said the money will go toward razing the building, which he described as "beyond repair."

More than three years ago, pipes burst inside the annex and caused a flood, rendering the structure useless as office space. Municipal offices are now housed at the Buttonwoods Community Center.

Under the terms of the negotiated settlement, the city will pay no more than $182,000 toward demolition costs, mayoral spokeswoman Elizabeth Tufts said today. Documents stored inside the annex are now being moved to Buttonwoods.

"We're working on that, and we're going to get that big ugly building down," Picozzi said on Facebook Live.

Also on YouTube, the mayor said he's getting ready to present his fiscal 2022 budget to the City Council. He said he does not plan to raise taxes. "People are hurting; the economy is not great," Picozzi remarked.

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The mayor talked about using federal COVID-19 relief money for infrastructure, including water and sewer. "We'll come up with a plan." said Picozzi.

Picozzi asked the community to support a plan to restore the historic Conimicut Lighthouse. He said he plans to file a grant application with the office of Congressman James Langevin. The city has owned the iconic lighthouse since 2004.

The mayor wrapped things up by saying that the Gaspee Days Parade will take place this year, and that organizers have raised $23,000. That's still $12,000 short of their fundraising goal.

"We need this parade," said Picozzi. "We need this more than ever because of COVID."