Middletown Meeting Matters -- Town Council | July 6, 2026

MIDDLETOWN MEETING MATTERS 

MIDDLETOWN TOWN COUNCIL

When: Monday night, July 6, 2026

Where: Middletown Town Hall, 350 East Main Road

Absent: None

Of Note:

• Okayed using $65,600 of fines generated from the School Zone Safety Cameras to pay for uniform warning lights and related gear by every school. Town officials said the goal was to have the lights running before the start of the 2026-2027 school year on Aug. 27. At the request of Councilor Chris Logan, the council unanimously asked town officials to craft a resolution for future consideration to restrict some of the School Zone Safety Camera funding for school and road safety. Council members said the camera program was working and making Middletown safer. “It takes time to change behavior and it takes time to change driving habits,” council President Paul M. Rodrigues said, seconding comments from Councilor Charlie Roberts that the more than 32,000 citations issued in school zones since the safety cameras went live was “alarming” and people needed to slow down while driving.
• Got an update from Shared Facilities Director Ed Collins that work on the new Middletown Public Library at 110 Enterprise Center was progressing well and should be wrapped up early next year. For regular project updates, visit https://mdl.town/LBC online to get information from the Library Building Committee.
• Learned that work continues for an affordable housing project at 351 East Main Road, a project that still needs Planning Board and Town Council approval along with public review. Town officials said they continued to work on securing state funding to assist with paying for the proposal, which was expected to add more than 30 affordable units to the community to help provide work force homes.
• Received a proposal from the Middletown Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) to ask the state Department of Transportation (RIDOT) to make part of Valley Road a dedicated temporary bike lane on the existing state road. BPAC Chair Emily Sullivan said grant money has already been allotted for the project, which could eventually create about a 10-mile loop on Valley Road, Coddington Highway and America’s Cup Avenue and Memorial Boulevard in Newport if the lane was well received. Sullivan said the RIDOT would need to sign off on the lane, which received unanimous support from the council.
• Got notice of a July 14 public hearing at 6 pm in the Gaudet Middle School cafetorium, 1113 Aquidneck Ave. on several amendments town regulations for the Middletown Center proposal at 600-740 West Main Road. For more information, visit https://mdl.town/PublicHearing online.

Next Regular Meeting: Monday, Aug. 3, 2026 at 6:30 pm in Town Hall

Document Link: https://mdl.town/MMM-7626

About Middletown

The Town of Middletown is a vibrant municipality located on Aquidneck Island, known for its scenic beauty, historic landmarks, diverse economy and strong sense of community. For more information about all we have to offer, visit MiddletownRI.gov online.

Media Contact

Matt Sheley

Public Affairs Officer

401-842-6543

msheley@middletownri.com