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Homeless in RI: Let there be… pink? Crossroads isn’t talking.
The lights at Crossroads change color. One can only imaging what May will bring (because Crossroads isn’t talking). Starting April 1st we have transitioned from blue – to pink – or purple-y pink – or is it magenta?
We have asked Crossroads, repeatedly, about details of their blue LED lights – particularly about cost and suitability for the services they provide to those in need as the numbers of homeless grow and grow in the state.
Other than what we learned to produce our first story (below), we have had no response to our requests. We did have a request to clarify our story that the $685,000 cost included other outdoor light work, and that E. W. Audet, the company who did the work, had clarified that. We checked with Audet, and our contact there, who was always forthcoming with details – including our original conversation that the lighting cost noted in the building permit was accurate, and of course included ancillary lighting items such as installation, wiring, etc. They no longer respond to our requests for information.
We have asked – repeatedly – for a breakdown of the costs of the $685,000 – to no response. Interestingly enough E. W. Audet was the winner of a bid sent out by Crossroads for the “Re-imagine Broad Street” project. We have not received the bid or the RFP that they responded to.
We repeatedly asked E. W. Audet, by phone, if this was the cost primarily for the blue LED ring project and this was confirmed. After publication and radio interview on WPRO with Gene Valicenti, E.W. Audet sent us this email: “Our company also completed comprehensive wiring, installed and upgraded street lighting to enhance public safety, and installed and wired new signage at the property.”
We will say this again, E. W. Audet does beautiful work – if you ooh and aah over LED presentations from the Newport Bridge to the big blue cube at what was IGT, it’s them! And we thank them for being professional enough to share the information they did.
We received this from Mike Raia, consultant to Crossroads: I’m working to gather what I can for your latest inquiries. As I work on that for you, I am respectfully asking that you update your story from March 20 and remove the false statements that have since been clarified. Your story erroneously reports that “Audet confirmed that the $685,000 was for the blue lighting project and did not include anything separate and apart from that.”
We asked for the details – with none coming we’ll give them $200,000 for “other” – so, if the top lighting had been found to be “just” $485,000 would we have had concern? We think we would.
We also requested about a week ago a current list of the board of directors, so we could communicate with them. The Board and staff list are no longer on the Crossroads site. We did not receive this. We wrote, twice, to the person we believe is chair of the board, an attorney, and have received no response.
We asked if similar lighting would be put on the roof of the building being built – we did not receive this information.
We tried to request all this information, and more via a FOIA-type or freedom of information type request as they are a non-profit organization, and not a private company. Their response: “Crossroads RI is a private nonprofit organization” – and we were denied.
So for now we are left with this post on the Crossroads Facebook page – of January 27th.
We will continue to make our requests for information – one just yesterday.
This is a developing story
March 20, 2025:
If they receive federal or state dollars, the info should be available somewhere. With them taking the “say nothing” attitude, it says all you need to know. They know they screwed up, and didn’t think that anyone would notice….or care. Good job bringing this to the forefront.
TY – disclosure and transparency, or lack thereof, is the bigger issue – it had us looking where we normally would not. Finding 9 staff members making over $125,000, etc – raises a new level of concern.