New Shoreham Show-Cause Hearing.

From: Gail Hall
To: Millie McGinnes; Andre Boudreau; Sven Risom; Mark Emmanuelle; Keith Stover; Martha Ball
Subject: FW: Ballards Raggae Disaster
Date: Wednesday, August 17, 2022 10:49:40 AM
Hi
The Doyon’s forwarded their letter to me regarding Ballard’s that they had sent to Maryanne
Crawford and wanted to make sure the council saw it too.

We all greatly appreciate your time and attention to this matter. I am still hearing murmurings
of concern as to if anything will be done. Several people wrote to DBR and received responses
that this issue is in the hands of the licensing boards and police department.

I have a friend of mine who was at the event and she noted that if there had been a fire or
anytime of evacuation necessary, it would have been a disaster. There was elbow room only
on the entire property. I have asked her to send information regarding her eye witness
account.

James Callaghan called me yesterday and I will reach out to him today.
Thanks very much,
Gail

Gail Ballard Hall
Principal Broker/Owner
Ballard Hall Sales Group
461 Chapel Street, PO Box 1885
Block Island RI 02807

cell
401-466-8883 Office
[email protected]
www.blockislandproperty.com
www.luxuryrealestate.com

From: SBC <
Date: Friday, August 12, 2022 at 4:42 PM
To: Gail Hall <[email protected]>
Subject: Fwd: Ballards Raggae Disaster
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:

From: Gary Doyon >
Date: August 9, 2022 at 6:32:52 PM EDT
To: Maryanne Crawford <[email protected]>
Subject: Ballards Raggae Disaster
Maryanne,
In a beautiful town where I have to get permission to change a single window design in
my house, get multiple approvals to have a “special event” in my backyard as not to
harm my neighbors earned privacy, pay taxes willingly for proper governance and
security, watch countless volunteers give huge hours to help those in need and find
myself having to appeal for thoughtful change for peoples basic safety on certain road
stretches, the fact that Ballards can host a disaster at will for the sake of profit, is now
too much!
This establishment has to be reigned in!
Our taxpayer dollars are now being spent to corral the continuing and weekly spectacle
in our downtown of throngs of people who descend on the town and bring no
commerce or positive input to Block Island except to make money for Ballards at our
expense in money, safety and overall life wellbeing. This has got to stop! Hopefully,
there wasn’t another human who couldn’t get care or help while the town and state
security forces were concentrating on the riot in the harbor.
If there is anything that I, or any citizens can do to help out, please tell me. This last
weekend should enable a change to happen. Our island is becoming a joke on social
media and mass media! Is so sad!
Gary Doyon
601 Corn Neck Rd
From: Kate Bird
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Town Council meeting August 22
Date: Wednesday, August 17, 2022 4:25:13 PM
Town Council Members:
I did listen in to the emergency meeting for public listening on the debacle that occurred Victory Day on Block
Island. I’ve also read and listened to various TV, newspapers, social media, and radio accounts that describe the
fights and drunkenness that occurred on the island and ferry.
1. Ballard’s owner Steve Filippi seems to be deflecting responsibility and would like us all to focus on Interstate
Navigation and reduce the issue strictly to under age drinking, although a problem, not the sole problem. Most of
those arrested were closer to 30.
2. Filippi’s comment on radio that it was a typical “laid back” day at Ballard’s defies credulity, but if true, we
certainly have a much bigger problem. He didn’t even feign concern for health and safety for his employees or
customers. I believe his comment reported in the newspaper was “I stopped serving alcohol at 6 pm was in bed by
10 pm and I have a clear conscience”.
3. On TV, I saw a man interviewed commenting on all the plastic injectors strewn all over the premises. He
commented they looked like discarded syringes. An islander, that seldom patronizes Ballard’s, I couldn’t even
imagine what they were. I’ve since discovered they hold alcoholic Jell-O shots. The bar advertises a frozen daiquiri
bar with 100 oz option (not a typo). The message is clear get drunk and get drunk as fast as you can. This reminds
me of the illogical gun argument that guns don’t kill people, people kill people. However, making them as powerful
and available as possible the odds of catastrophe go way up.

4. The videos on social media showed people standing shoulder to shoulder on Ballard’s beach when fights broke
out knocking people down and out of the way. Other videos and photos showed the lines to get in were 5-6 abreast
and ran down the dock into the interstate parking lot and this was before most people eat lunch. They were there to
attend an advertised “free” concert. There were no tickets or limits. Most responsible island establishments are
limited to occupancy of their interior spaces. Why does Ballard’s have the right to allow as many people that show
up at their front door? They are now proposing more “security” to block more entrances therefore exits. I’ve
attempted the path on the south side of their property, to reach pebbly beach, which is littered with heavy rusting
equipment and obstructions making it impassable and I’ve also been present at a town council meeting when the fire
department has cited them for blocking their ability to enter the beach in case of medical rescue or fire. I am unease
even mentioning the possibility of a shooter in such an environment but one early account
in the media mentioned a gun along with razors.
5. I’ve been troubled by the people trying to make this a race, age or class issue that seem also to deflect and
implicate the wrong problem. As with the moped issue, this argument for a limitless, reckless business model over
safety, culture, community, and both natural and human resources is unsustainable and perilous.
Kate Bird
Jane Lane off Westside Road
Sent from my iPhone

From: Martha Andrew
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Show Cause hearing Witness Statement
Date: Friday, August 19, 2022 10:12:02 AM
As a retail business owner for over 13 years on Block Island, I have born witness to many
questionable situations. With the past four years of my business being located as the closest
retail establishment to Ballards Beach Resort, those incidents have skyrocketed.
The events that unfolded on Monday, August 8th caused me to close my store early, fearing
what could possibly happen if I stayed open any longer. This resulted in lost revenue on what
should have been a busy retail day.
While the events that day were certainly exacerbated, events like these are not uncommon for
me to witness, due to my close proximity to Ballards. I have had merchandise stolen,
damaged, absurd amounts of litter left on my front porch, sidewalk and flower beds, fights in
front of my store and displays of merchandise knocked over and broken. My employees and
myself have been harassed and threatened. Unlike other businesses on Water Street, I do not
stay open late. For prevention of more situations like these, and for fear of the worst case
scenario.
From my window, I can see where all of the root of the problem is stemming from. These
tourists are coming straight from the establishment of Ballard's, up the sidewalk into town. I
am their first stop. They are overserved and visibly intoxicated. They ask for bathrooms. They
ask for food. They ask for water. They get upset when I tell them I don't have any of those
things. These are basic things that should have been accessible to them at Ballard's. I believe
that if the alloted capacity of Ballard's was less, they would be better able to serve everyone's
needs. Close attention needs to be paid to how many people are actually in their
establishment. More security and drink limits per person would be a start.
I am not sure what the solutions should be for this situation, but something has to be done.
My business is being directly affected by the mismanagement of another establishment, and it
is not fair. I have the right to feel safe and to operate my business safely.
Thank you for your time.
Martha Andrew
owner of MarMar Boutique and Blockstar
From: kate Butcher
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Please send to town council and Solicitors
Date: Friday, August 19, 2022 1:04:32 PM
To the Town Council,
First off, THANK YOU, for serving our town, and THANK YOU for passing the resolution
last Thursday and having the show cause hearing on Monday.
can't address what happened at Ballards or on the ferry that night, but I can address what
happened in front of my office the weekend of August 6th and in particular August 8th.
My office is located at 596 Corn Neck, across from the Yellow Kittens, and the path to Surf
Beach.
We witnessed a steady stream of very intoxicated humans coming over the dune and from the
direction of Bridgegate square. Almost all of them were either carrying open containers or
smoking weed. Very few of them could control the volume of their not so polite voices, and
some were either stopping to urinate or vomit in the bushes of the BIG lot.
It was a really special time to check in tenants to their long awaited vacation rentals and
welcome them to our Island. I had the pleasure of explaining to one six year old why that
person was falling over while peeing. Good times.
None of this is unique to that weekend. IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. This year has been
particularly bad; August 8th was as bad as we have seen since the days of beach issues on the
4th of July. Public drunkenness and open containers are the norm every weekend.
I am attaching a lovely photo of a gentleman who was stumbling down the sidewalk in front of
my office. He was so proud to let me take his picture with his GIANT drink that he got at
Ballards. His friend had one too, but he fell off the curb while I was trying to take the picture.
The photo was taken the afternoon of August 8.
Again, thank you for your time, and thank you for all you do.
Kate
Kate Atwater Butcher

Broker
Block Island Realty
401-466-5887 office
[email protected]
http://www.birealty.com/
From: Andre Boudreau
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Fwd: Over charged for drinks on 8/6/22 at Ballards
Date: Thursday, August 18, 2022 9:07:09 PM
Sent from my ridiculously expensive handset, on an unreliable network.
From: M H < >

To: Andre Boudreau <[email protected]>
Hi Andre-
I just wanted to put my thoughts out there while Ballard’s liquor license and their
overall business short comings are being investigated. Ballards apparently has a
common practice of overcharging customers for drinks and not clearing informing
customers that an automatic 18 percent tip is added to all food and bar tabs.
My experience was that I ordered three drinks which I specifically requested
where to be Pina colada’s at $25 each. I was charged for 4 drinks twice and my
bill came to $104 plus a non mentioned automatic 18% tip (see attached receipt). I
was speaking with two women ahead of me in line and one was charged $25 and
the other charged $50 for the same pina colada that I received. Ballards did refund
me for the overcharge, but if you look at their reviews on their website and on
their Facebook page you will see this is a common problem. Just expressing my
concerns over what looks like a bigger problem at Ballards.
Thanks for your time-
Melissa Hicks
Jamestown, RI
From: M H >
Date: August 7, 2022 at 10:38:14 AM EDT
To: [email protected]
Subject: Over charged for drinks on 8/6/22
Hi-
I ordered 3 half yard pina coladas from the frozen drink bar yesterday
and was over charged by $29 dollars.
We were actually Leary of even getting drinks from Ballards after
reading so many bad reviews about exactly this on social media.
From: Gail Hall
To: Millie McGinnes; Andre Boudreau; Sven Risom; Mark Emmanuelle; Keith Stover; Martha Ball
Subject: FW: Ballards Raggae Disaster
Hi
The Doyon’s forwarded their letter to me regarding Ballard’s that they had sent to Maryanne
Crawford and wanted to make sure the council saw it too.

We all greatly appreciate your time and attention to this matter. I am still hearing murmurings
of concern as to if anything will be done. Several people wrote to DBR and received responses
that this issue is in the hands of the licensing boards and police department.

I have a friend of mine who was at the event and she noted that if there had been a fire or
anytime of evacuation necessary, it would have been a disaster. There was elbow room only
on the entire property. I have asked her to send information regarding her eye witness
account.

James Callaghan called me yesterday and I will reach out to him today.
Thanks very much,
Gail

Gail Ballard Hall

cell
401-466-8883 Office
[email protected]

From: SBC <
Date: Friday, August 12, 2022 at 4:42 PM
To: Gail Hall <[email protected]>
Subject: Fwd: Ballards Raggae Disaster
Sent from my iPhone

From: Gary Doyon >
To: Maryanne Crawford <[email protected]>
Subject: Ballards Raggae Disaster
Maryanne,
In a beautiful town where I have to get permission to change a single window design in
my house, get multiple approvals to have a “special event” in my backyard as not to
harm my neighbors earned privacy, pay taxes willingly for proper governance and
security, watch countless volunteers give huge hours to help those in need and find
myself having to appeal for thoughtful change for peoples basic safety on certain road
stretches, the fact that Ballards can host a disaster at will for the sake of profit, is now
too much!
This establishment has to be reigned in!
Our taxpayer dollars are now being spent to corral the continuing and weekly spectacle
in our downtown of throngs of people who descend on the town and bring no
commerce or positive input to Block Island except to make money for Ballards at our
expense in money, safety and overall life wellbeing. This has got to stop! Hopefully,
there wasn’t another human who couldn’t get care or help while the town and state
security forces were concentrating on the riot in the harbor.
If there is anything that I, or any citizens can do to help out, please tell me. This last
weekend should enable a change to happen. Our island is becoming a joke on social
media and mass media! Is so sad!
Gary Doyon
601 Corn Neck Rd
From: Jcmkconroy
To: Fiona Fitzpatrick
Subject: Ballards
Date: Thursday, August 18, 2022 9:09:31 AM
Dear Town Clerk and Council ,

I am hoping this reaches the proper address. I appreciate your time. Three years ago we purchased a
summer home in BI. Since then our extended family has come to visit quite often. Our daughter worked
for the conservancy a couple of years back and we are passionate about the preservation of the Island as
well as contributing to its many wonderful businesses .
We have been concerned about Ballards for several years and it seems it is becoming a true hazard. The
masses of people, the amount of alcohol ,and the lack of proper security has seemed to create a perfect
storm for what occured. I am sure that there have been many other instances where great harm has and
could have occured.
I don't know all of the background as to why they have been allowed to continue when they put so many
people at risk. Needless to say, the recent events could have escalated and become a much more
serious event on water. This is just inexcusable.
My family is asking that you do the right thing for the safety of the community and discontinue their
licenses .
The Island would far benefit from another type of establishment. Perhaps even affordable housing units
for the many Islanders who need a suitable place to stay? If this is not possible a more family friendly
place that will promote BI as a safe, wonderful place to visit. That indeed will contribute to revenue that
will be mutually beneficial and would not strain your Police Dept and Harbor Master.
Please do the right thing for your town and for all of the visitors who come to have a good and safe time.
Sincerely,
Mary Kate Conroy
From: Michele Phelan
To: Andre Boudreau; Sven Risom; Martha Ball; Keith Stover; [email protected]; Millie McGinnes
Subject: Ballard"s
Date: Tuesday, August 16, 2022 2:42:49 PM
Hi Everyone:
Just a few comments and thoughts for you to consider (if you already haven't):
1) You mention eyewitness testimony. So many people saw the masses take a left as soon as
they got off the boat. Does this make a difference? We know that the problems that occurred
after the music festival were caused by patrons of Ballard's. Videos are plenty and are all
over. This has to count for something. They show Ballard's, not any other establishment on
the island.
2) If something worse happened, which it could have, don't you as council members have a
responsibility to the community and other visitors to protect all the law-abiding citizens?
Inaction on your part to get tough with Steve Filippi is only going to make matters worse
down the line. We have caught him lying in the past and who is to say that will not continue.
3) When the liquor license hearing comes up this fall, I would think it would be the time for
the council to bring up all the "alleged" misconduct that occurred this summer. Is Ballard's
following all the criteria for a renewal? Can they by law advertise and serve 100 oz drinks,
190 Octane drinks and 153 Grain alcohol?
4) When it comes to outdoor entertainment licenses, why not try to take one year where no
licenses are issued and see if there is a dramatic turn of events. OR: Tell Ballard's that for one
year their outdoor entertainment license will not be issued. (don't know if you can single out
one establishment).
I ask you and the town solicitors to include not only eyewitness testimony at the "show cause"
hearing but the public videos including those on the local television stations, social media and
surveillance videos from Interstate Navigation and other sources.
In addition, it appears that Ballard's Resort is using land that does not belong to them and
never has belonged to them. This should be investigated. I am planning to email the CRMC
and DEM concerning this matter.
Please do the right thing for the entire community. I have my trust in you.
Kind regards,
Michele Phelan
From: Heidi Durand-Lenz
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: 4th of July at Ballard"s
Good morning -

It is my understanding that the Town Council is looking for 1st hand accounts from the public
having been at Ballard during one of their summer event days that turned ugly.

My husband, father and I vacation on the island every 4th of July week. This year was no
exception. After watching the parade, enjoying time at the beach and having a late lunch, we
ventured over to Ballard's to listen to some music.

Upon approach down the docks, the scene of chaos unfolded. There was trash seemingly
everywhere. Empty cups, beer cans, and hard seltzer cans, etc lined the sandy area at the
bottom of the stairs to Ballard's porch.

A young adult was being taken out on a beach wheelchair by medics. He was unresponsive.
The front porch of Ballard's resembled a triage center rather than a restaurant. I recall seeing
a young adult with his leg elevated and an ice pack on his ankle. There was so much madness
it was hard to take it all in.

The most disturbing thing we witnessed was a young female adult passed out completely on
one of the couches. (see attached photo) There was someone with rubber medical gloves
rubbing ice cubes all over her head and chest and there was an EMT from the Block Island
Fire and Rescue also tending to her to try and get her to regain consciousness.

I remember thinking to myself that this girl is passed out cold and barely dressed in this tiny
bathing suit - how dangerous this is for her personal safety.

It was almost simultaneously that we saw two New Shoreham police officers inside the
entrance way to Ballard's. They were very clearly looking for someone. One of them headed
towards the ladies room and the other headed further inside.

We left immediately only to hear a little while later that Ballard's was told to stop service that
day. We later learned of the 'alleged' sexual assault that was reported from there. Based on
what we witnessed, we are very surprised that there was only one and that there was no loss of
life given the conditions that the establishment bred that day.

The photos attached were taken by me and I only wish I had recorded the entire scene.
Heidi Durand-Lenz

To: Millie McGinnes; Nick Attorney
Subject: Fwd: August 8,2022
FYI
From:
To: Andre Boudreau <[email protected]>, Martha Ball
<[email protected]>, Sven Risom <[email protected]>,
Mark Emmanuelle <[email protected]>, Keith Stover
<[email protected]>
Subject: Re: August 8,2022
Reply-To:
-----Original Message-----
From
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; Mball@new-
shoreham.com <[email protected]>; [email protected]
<[email protected]>; [email protected]
<[email protected]>; [email protected] <Kstover@new-
shoreham.com>
Sent: Thu, Aug 18, 2022 8:26 pm
Subject: August 8,2022
Dear Town Council Committee Members,
After the events that occurred on August 8th, we felt the need to express our feelings. In
fact, we came very close to speaking up at the town council meeting on August 10th.
Our family has been a part of Block Island since 1970's. Our family were boaters, then
bought a house, and then went on to build two more homes. The last home became our
parent's sole residence when our father retired and they moved to Block Island. George
and Jean Valentine resided on the island for over 30 years. They became active in the
community with George serving on the Medical Board and Jean an artist involved in the
Spring Street Gallery and church. They loved this island as do their children and
grandchildren. Since their passing we have purchased the home for family to continue to
enjoy. It is our second home which we love.
Every year when visiting we always headed to Ballards for dinner/lunch throughout the
week. We have fond memories of everyone being together and the young ones dancing to
the music, especially the "Chicken Dance" as many have done in the past. However,
Ballards have changed over the years and is not the family friendly place that it once was.
The last time we visited Ballards was about 7-8 years ago to grab a quick lunch with our
daughter and husband. It was over the Fourth of July weekend. Ballards was loud, and
crowded with many drunk people. As we sat on the patio next to the wall we witnessed
disgusting activities as we tried to eat lunch. People were staggering, chest bumping,
vomiting, arguing, and urinating on the beach. The language was vulgar and women were
barely wearing anything. Instead of taking steps down to the beach groups of people would
trample through people eating and climb over the stone wall. Several people did this to us
and consequently rubbed their sweaty and barely clothed bodies (back sides) on our backs
and heads. Totally disgusting!
We now have grandchildren, the oldest 8 years old. We have NEVER brought them to
Ballards , nor will we. We will not expose them to the vulgar language, poor behavior,
drugs, drinking, and indecent exposure that continues to happen all the time at Ballards. It
is not the family friendly restaurant as it once was.
On August 8, 2022 we were down at the ferry waiting for a family member to get off the
Newport ferry. We saw other ferries come in, each pack with rowdy people. The majority
of the people turned left and headed toward Ballards, some running to get there. While
waiting we had walked over to Ballards and saw a very crowded beach filled with lots of
people drinking. How that many people could be in one spot is amazing to us. We saw
police presence and there was a line waiting to get in. It appeared they were checking for
IDs. Members of our younger family also went to Ballards that afternoon to see what was
going on. They ranged in age from 26-32 years old. They were not carded and was able to
walk right in. After looking around they turned and left the chaos.
The behaviors, language, drinking, etc has always been at Ballards. It has a reputation for
serving underage people, continuing to serve the intoxicated, and being a party place for
young crowds. The events that happened on August 8th was the "straw that broke the
camels back". It is time to take a stand and turn this around! This is out of control!
We all love this beautiful island; it's community, artistic flair, beaches, walking trails, shops,
sunrises, sunsets, etc. It is certainly a family friendly place to enjoy and relax.
However, not downtown!
Thank you for taking the time to review things and do what is right for the island and it's
wonderful community.
Sincerely,
Jim and Michelle Valentine

From: Rae Lyn Burns-Dutra
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Ballards
To whom it may concern,

I strongly feel the need to speak up about what goes on when the Ballards crowd is turned loose
at night.
I have 2 businesses in town, Strings & Things and islandog. Both of my stores are very close to
Ballards. In fact I am usually the first open door Ballards patrons encounter on their way out of the
bar.
I was open until 10:00pm for many years, things got really out of hand when covid hit ! Ballards did
not require a mask and the overserved would roll into my shops and try to ignore covid procedure
resulting in verbal abuse.
Several years ago I began closing earlier because of what passes in front of and in my door starting
around 5:00 pm but louder and more rowdy around 7:00pm. My employees and I can hear them
coming, profanity ,fighting, staggering, open container,young girls alone, incoherent and barefoot. I
have personally been verbally abused many times by drunken fools that spent their day at Ballards
and have been grossly overserved.
We began closing at 8:00 in 2020 because the crowds were so obnoxious.
Now closing is listed as 8:00pm but we are sure to tell patrons “it could be earlier as we close when
we hear the drunks rolling up from Ballards”
I will not put up with or expect my employees to deal with rowdy drunks.
As soon as we hear the crowds coming we shut it down. I work Sat.,Sun & Mon nights so I see it all.
The back of my building overlooks the ferry lot, this year the lines have been crazy every weekend.
A couple of years ago a nice young man came into islandog with his pet. He said he was the new
lifeguard at Ballards. I asked how is that going ? He said it was crazy ! He didn’t last long , he came in
the next day and said they wanted him to sell jello shots while he was lifeguarding that was the end
for him.
So because of my location I have endless stories.
In conclusion: is it fair that I ,a small business owner ,open year round should lose income when I
have to close my businesses early because of a business that is grossly overserving their patrons ???

Thank You,
Rae Lyn Burns-Dutra
Strings & Things
islandog

Sent from Mail for Windows

From: Martha Andrew
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Show Cause hearing Witness Statement
As a retail business owner for over 13 years on Block Island, I have born witness to many
questionable situations. With the past four years of my business being located as the closest
retail establishment to Ballards Beach Resort, those incidents have skyrocketed.
The events that unfolded on Monday, August 8th caused me to close my store early, fearing
what could possibly happen if I stayed open any longer. This resulted in lost revenue on what
should have been a busy retail day.
While the events that day were certainly exacerbated, events like these are not uncommon for
me to witness, due to my close proximity to Ballards. I have had merchandise stolen,
damaged, absurd amounts of litter left on my front porch, sidewalk and flower beds, fights in
front of my store and displays of merchandise knocked over and broken. My employees and
myself have been harassed and threatened. Unlike other businesses on Water Street, I do not
stay open late. For prevention of more situations like these, and for fear of the worst case
scenario.
From my window, I can see where all of the root of the problem is stemming from. These
tourists are coming straight from the establishment of Ballard's, up the sidewalk into town. I
am their first stop. They are overserved and visibly intoxicated. They ask for bathrooms. They
ask for food. They ask for water. They get upset when I tell them I don't have any of those
things. These are basic things that should have been accessible to them at Ballard's. I believe
that if the alloted capacity of Ballard's was less, they would be better able to serve everyone's
needs. Close attention needs to be paid to how many people are actually in their
establishment. More security and drink limits per person would be a start.
I am not sure what the solutions should be for this situation, but something has to be done.
My business is being directly affected by the mismanagement of another establishment, and it
is not fair. I have the right to feel safe and to operate my business safely.
Thank you for your time.
Martha Andrew
owner of MarMar Boutique and Blockstar
From: kate Butcher
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Please send to town council and Solicitors
To the Town Council,
First off, THANK YOU, for serving our town, and THANK YOU for passing the resolution
last Thursday and having the show cause hearing on Monday.
can't address what happened at Ballards or on the ferry that night, but I can address what
happened in front of my office the weekend of August 6th and in particular August 8th.
My office is located at 596 Corn Neck, across from the Yellow Kittens, and the path to Surf
Beach.
We witnessed a steady stream of very intoxicated humans coming over the dune and from the
direction of Bridgegate square. Almost all of them were either carrying open containers or
smoking weed. Very few of them could control the volume of their not so polite voices, and
some were either stopping to urinate or vomit in the bushes of the BIG lot.
It was a really special time to check in tenants to their long awaited vacation rentals and
welcome them to our Island. I had the pleasure of explaining to one six year old why that
person was falling over while peeing. Good times.
None of this is unique to that weekend. IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. This year has been
particularly bad; August 8th was as bad as we have seen since the days of beach issues on the
4th of July. Public drunkenness and open containers are the norm every weekend.
I am attaching a lovely photo of a gentleman who was stumbling down the sidewalk in front of
my office. He was so proud to let me take his picture with his GIANT drink that he got at
Ballards. His friend had one too, but he fell off the curb while I was trying to take the picture.
The photo was taken the afternoon of August 8.
Again, thank you for your time, and thank you for all you do.
Kate
Kate Atwater Butcher

Broker
Block Island Realty
401-742-0829 cell
401-466-5887 office
[email protected]
http://www.birealty.com/
To: Millie McGinnes
From: M H <[email protected]>
Hi Andre-
I just wanted to put my thoughts out there while Ballard’s liquor license and their
overall business short comings are being investigated. Ballards apparently has a
common practice of overcharging customers for drinks and not clearing informing
customers that an automatic 18 percent tip is added to all food and bar tabs.
My experience was that I ordered three drinks which I specifically requested
where to be Pina colada’s at $25 each. I was charged for 4 drinks twice and my
bill came to $104 plus a non mentioned automatic 18% tip (see attached receipt). I
was speaking with two women ahead of me in line and one was charged $25 and
the other charged $50 for the same pina colada that I received. Ballards did refund
me for the overcharge, but if you look at their reviews on their website and on
their Facebook page you will see this is a common problem. Just expressing my
concerns over what looks like a bigger problem at Ballards.
Thanks for your time-
Melissa Hicks
Jamestown, RI
From: M H <[email protected]>
Subject: Over charged for drinks on 8/6/22
Hi-
I ordered 3 half yard pina coladas from the frozen drink bar yesterday
and was over charged by $29 dollars.
We were actually Leary of even getting drinks from Ballards after
reading so many bad reviews about exactly this on social media.
When I was in line to get drinks two women in front of me also had
ordered the same drink an one girl said she was charged $50 for a $25
drink, but her friend who ordered the same drink from the same
bartender was charged $25. So this is a problem, I am not the only
one who was over charged on this day. I made sure I got a receipt
because we were going to be leaving to catch the ferry and the bar
was very busy & I did not have the time to wait to find a manager. I
ordered 3 half yards and specifically told Roberto the bar tender that I
wanted the $25 dollar size, which is what I received, but I was
charged $34.66 per drink before the automatic 18% tip. I would also
like to add that when you pay by credit card on the kiosk that the bar
tender hands you, no where does it inform you of the automatic 18%
tip. I am asking that the $29 that I was over charged be refunded to
me. The receipt does not even reflect what I actually purchased.
Seems like some kind of scam going on to me, and it’s not right to rip
your customers off like this. We will be sure to let others know about
this- we live in RI and we go to Block Island at least 4x per year.
Going forward we will not be spending any money at Ballards. Please
contact me and let me know how I will be reimbursed for the over
charge.
Thanks-
Melissa Hicks
(401) 871-6691
[email protected]
From: Ballard's Resort - Beach <no-

[email protected]>
Subject: Receipt for Order #2851 at Ballard's Resort
- Beach
Reply-To: "[email protected]" <no-
[email protected]>

Thank you for your order. Below is a receipt for
your recent visit to Ballard's Resort.
trouble viewing this email?
Ballard's Beach Resort
Block Island, RI 02807
ballardsbi.com

Server: Roberto
Amaton L
Check #2851
Guest Count: 1
Ordered: 8/6/22 2:51 PM

4 Pina Colada $52.00
25 Oz Yard $52.00

Subtotal $104.00
Auto Gratuity
$18.72
(18.00%)
Local Tax $9.82
Total $132.54

C (EMV Chip
Input Type
Read)
VISA DEBIT xxxxxxxx6976

Transaction Type Sale
Authorization Approved
Approval Code 566434
Payment ID sRrWpdtqprnL
Application ID A0000000031010
Application Label VISA DEBIT
Terminal ID 0118de2098464d80
Card Reader BBPOS
MELISSA M HICKS

Only Ballards has it all! Live Music,
Tiki Bars, VIP Cabana's
Roots Fest August 21

In lieu of tips, an 18% gratuity is added
to all checks, all of which goes to our
team.

Download the Toast TakeOut app

Food you love without the wait.
Toast App
© Toast, Inc. 2022. All Rights Reserved.

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To: Millie McGinnes; Nick Attorney
Subject: Fwd: August 8,2022
FYI
From: [email protected]
<[email protected]>
Subject: Re: August 8,2022
Reply-To: [email protected]
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; Mball@new-
shoreham.com <[email protected]>; [email protected]
<[email protected]>; [email protected]
<[email protected]>; [email protected] <Kstover@new-
shoreham.com>
Sent: Thu, Aug 18, 2022 8:26 pm
Subject: August 8,2022
Dear Town Council Committee Members,
After the events that occurred on August 8th, we felt the need to express our feelings. In
fact, we came very close to speaking up at the town council meeting on August 10th.
Our family has been a part of Block Island since 1970's. Our family were boaters, then
bought a house, and then went on to build two more homes. The last home became our
parent's sole residence when our father retired and they moved to Block Island. George
and Jean Valentine resided on the island for over 30 years. They became active in the
community with George serving on the Medical Board and Jean an artist involved in the
Spring Street Gallery and church. They loved this island as do their children and
grandchildren. Since their passing we have purchased the home for family to continue to
enjoy. It is our second home which we love.
Every year when visiting we always headed to Ballards for dinner/lunch throughout the
week. We have fond memories of everyone being together and the young ones dancing to
the music, especially the "Chicken Dance" as many have done in the past. However,
Ballards have changed over the years and is not the family friendly place that it once was.
The last time we visited Ballards was about 7-8 years ago to grab a quick lunch with our
daughter and husband. It was over the Fourth of July weekend. Ballards was loud, and
crowded with many drunk people. As we sat on the patio next to the wall we witnessed
disgusting activities as we tried to eat lunch. People were staggering, chest bumping,
vomiting, arguing, and urinating on the beach. The language was vulgar and women were
barely wearing anything. Instead of taking steps down to the beach groups of people would
trample through people eating and climb over the stone wall. Several people did this to us
and consequently rubbed their sweaty and barely clothed bodies (back sides) on our backs
and heads. Totally disgusting!
We now have grandchildren, the oldest 8 years old. We have NEVER brought them to
Ballards , nor will we. We will not expose them to the vulgar language, poor behavior,
drugs, drinking, and indecent exposure that continues to happen all the time at Ballards. It
is not the family friendly restaurant as it once was.
On August 8, 2022 we were down at the ferry waiting for a family member to get off the
Newport ferry. We saw other ferries come in, each pack with rowdy people. The majority
of the people turned left and headed toward Ballards, some running to get there. While
waiting we had walked over to Ballards and saw a very crowded beach filled with lots of
people drinking. How that many people could be in one spot is amazing to us. We saw
police presence and there was a line waiting to get in. It appeared they were checking for
IDs. Members of our younger family also went to Ballards that afternoon to see what was
going on. They ranged in age from 26-32 years old. They were not carded and was able to
walk right in. After looking around they turned and left the chaos.
The behaviors, language, drinking, etc has always been at Ballards. It has a reputation for
serving underage people, continuing to serve the intoxicated, and being a party place for
young crowds. The events that happened on August 8th was the "straw that broke the
camels back". It is time to take a stand and turn this around! This is out of control!
We all love this beautiful island; it's community, artistic flair, beaches, walking trails, shops,
sunrises, sunsets, etc. It is certainly a family friendly place to enjoy and relax.
However, not downtown!
Thank you for taking the time to review things and do what is right for the island and it's
wonderful community.
Sincerely,
Jim and Michelle Valentine

From: Caitlin Hawkins Musto
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: BI Ferry Experience on August 8th
Date: Monday, August 15, 2022 3:18:17 PM
Millie McGinnes,
I am a native Rhode Islander who has spent all my summers visiting Block Island. My husband and I hosted our 200
person wedding there in August 2016.
On Last Monday, August 8th, we were on the 1:30pm PJ - BI traditional with our two girls, ages 3 & 1. The ferry
extremely overcrowded- the most crowded I have ever seen in 36 years- and felt very unsafe. There were large
crowds of scandalously dressed women who were near naked in front of my young children. People were smoking
weed and vaping weed in the cabin itself as well as drinking heavily. We overheard multiple loud disagreements
laced with profanity from passengers.
Additionally, the lines for the bathrooms & concessions were incredibly long and looped around the seating area,
where there were no seats or tables available. People were standing and blocking the hallway areas in large groups.
I have never felt unsafe on the ferry before, but this time was different. It was an uncomfortable experience and my
husband and I tried our best to shield our little girls from the inappropriate language, open drugs & nudity present.
We quickly learned from a trusted crew member that Ballard’s was hosting a large reggae festival, and assumingely
the majority of passengers were day tripping there. This particular crowd was not only disrespectful to the other
passengers, especially those with small children in tow like myself, and to the crew, but most of all to the culture of
island itself. This is not the Block Island we know and love.
The crowd went left when they came off the boat.
Please, do all you can to restore the reputation of this special island. News of the brawls at Ballard’s and on the ferry
have made its way across the globe. We received many messages from loved ones and friends both near and far
inquiring after our safety from seeing this travesty on the news. The overcrowding, excessive consumption of
alcohol and underage serving that some business are legendary for needs to end.
Thank you,
Caitlin Musto
Sent from my iPhone

From: Bill Randall
Subject: Ballard"s Solutions
Well first of all I wouldn't close the place down at all you're not going to affect the owners
you're going to affect all of the workers they are the ones that will be hurt from that.. secondly
if reggae happens again he has to have more security that's a must
--Suggestions maybe the town should send an employee or someone to watch his place inside
for over serving and he pays for those people..
-- he can't really sell tickets because the beach and the bar is opened as one but maybe he can
limit the inside to 600 people and have a separate entrance to the beach outside for the rest of
the people and of course security guards watching everything with him paying the bill
-- it's a tough balance the business wants a lot of people to come to the island no one wants
trouble on the island that's where the extra security comes in that Ballard pays for then the
ferry makes so much money with all these extra people they pay for their own Security on
certain days when they need it
And I'm sure they can figure out when they need it from past experiences
It's not only Ballard's that capitalized on all those people coming to the island the Overflow
went to many more restaurants so everyone benefited for all those extra people so maybe they
should be a fee for other businesses to pay on certain days for extra security
--- no one knew it was going to be this crazy it's a shame but things happen we all think we're
in a paradise and shielded from that but it will happen so there is Solutions we can be prepared
next time
From: Brian Fleming
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Ballards Security
Date: Saturday, August 13, 2022 8:17:54 PM
Hello,
I'm not sure if this is relevant, but the scanner Ballards uses to check ID's is pretty easy to circumvent, and it cannot
be relied on.
I'm an former military police officer and I've worked bar and nightclub doors for about 4 years. In that time I
perfected the art of catching fake ID's by eye, and I've taught classes to numerous security personnel, barstaff and
managers at various locations. I have caught well over 1000 fakes, and I have a sample box of about 120 from just
about every US state, new and old versions that I use for training. I have tested these fakes against scanner apps; box
scanners, liquor store scanners (all with permission). About 60% of them scan perfectly. 100% of more recent fake
models scan (new MA; new RI, new CT, new NH, etc). The barcode has been cracked by the manufactures for a
long time and it's a massive security flaw.
TIPS & STOP training are both also insufficient unfortunately, I have taken both classes and neither came close to
teaching enough information about ID verification to be successful. Everyone I've trained that is already certified
has said I blew their mind with what they didn't learn from those courses.
The ID book is also a no go, the newest fakes look quite like the real thing and a flat page isn't enough to really
check out security details. Black lights don't matter either, fakes have good UV ink.
For that reason, no one I train uses a scanner, black light, or book. They can spot a fake before it's even taken out of
the wallet on plastic texture and photo contrast - which are the only two things the fakes don't get perfect; but they're
very close.
As for Ballards, after the fight on the ferry (2 of which were underage, highly likely they were at ballards) and the
numerous anecdotal reports of underage drinking making it into the news, I reached out to Ballards offering to assist
in training their staff and pointing out the flaws in their scanners.
They did not respond, which can only tell me they aren't interested in genuinely stopping underage drinking. The
scanner might be an excuse to keep prying eyes away, rather than an actual security measure.
-Brian Fleming
From: Gail Hall
To: Millie McGinnes; Andre Boudreau; Sven Risom; Martha Ball; Mark Emmanuelle; Keith Stover; Maryanne Crawford
Subject: Ballard"s Liquor License
Hi everyone,
I attended the meeting on Thursday night and happy to see the attendance and the number of
people willing to speak. I went to the meeting with high hopes and left feeling deflated and
concerned for the future of this place we call home. I know I am not of great importance here,
and this is not about me, but it is about the place where I live and the safety that I no longer
feel getting onto our public transportation. That may sound dramatic or silly but it is real. Just
because Steve cancelled his next big event doesn’t mean the characters that frequent his place
will not come back, unless of course he is only allowed to serve food.

This is the talk of the town as you well know. I am hearing comments from visitors from
Boulder Co, Providence RI, San Francisco CA to name a few and all said that when licensing
is violated in their town, the liquor license gets suspended immediately.

I just reviewed the liquor license laws for our Town, Section VII, Revocation and Fines, and
Section D allows for immediate revocation when instances outlined below take place . What
more has to happen before this section warrants action. Does someone have to die? I am not
being dramatic here, just very matter of fact.

Also please see Section 3. This calls for the licensee to provide proof that they did not cause
this problem and it seems as though the legal advice the town council is obtaining is that we
the people have to prove that this actually happened.

Also please note Section 2. The licensee assumes responsibility for preventing its patrons
form disturbing the surrounding neighborhood. Failure to do so shall be grounds for
Revocation or suspension.

Steve has stated to Gene Valicenti in a radio talk show interview that he does not control what
people do when they leave his place of business. He also went on to say he has a clear
conscience when he goes home at night. In my opinion, Steve has no moral compass.
REVOCATION AND FINES
1. The Board of License Commissioners may revoke or suspend any license that it has
issued or impose a fine up to $500 for each offense, if:
0. The license holder has breached any express condition imposed on the license.
1. The license holder has violated the provisions of State law concerning alcoholic
beverages, including but not limited to the rules and regulations of the Liquor
Control Administration.
2. The license holder has violated the provisions of these rules and regulations or
any applicable Town Ordinances.
2. For the purposes of this section, the licensee assumes responsibility for preventing
its patrons from disturbing the surrounding neighborhood. Failure to do so shall
be grounds for revocation or suspension of a license or imposition of a fine.
From: Andrea Moynier
To: [email protected]; Fiona Fitzpatrick
Subject: Ballard"s Concerts and Events
Letter to the Editor and all Members of Town Council:
Town Council, please do what is best and safest for this community as a whole. It is time for
the Council members to serve this community, to immediately enact some regulations and
guidelines for all concerts and events held at Ballards Beach Resort. Present conditions at
Ballard's have shown without a doubt that Ballards is an unsafe and dangerous establishment.
We know that the ferries are impacted greatly by these events, and this becomes a burden to
our town. Why should other island businesses have to take a hit due to the bad publicity these
events have now generated, right during the height of our summer season? This is not right. I
suggest imposing and enforcing a real limit on the number of patrons allowed on the Ballards
property both inside and on the entire beach area. All future events should be ticketed in
advance, with a maximum capacity that is way lower than presently allowed, one that is
actually safe and regulated.
Thank you for your efforts,

Andrea Moynier
Spring St.
--
seabreezeblockisland.com
From: Jillkirby Seppa
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Ballards
Date: Monday, August 15, 2022 10:36:40 AM
Hello
I was at reggaefest if the town solicitor wants to speak to me but I did not see our experience
as anything negative. The crowd was mostly 30s, 40s and 50s, there were a lot of people there
and I heard in the morning that Ballards stop letting people in as they hit capacity. Anyway
I’m happy to be available but I don’t think I have anything negative to share. I was shocked to
see that video the next day, it was not indicative of the nature of the event from where I was.
This was my friends and I playing soccer at reggaefest. I do have some video in front of the
stage of the bands playing.
Wishing everyone all the best as the issues are addressed and resolved.
Best
Jill
To: Andre Boudreau; Millie McGinnes; Sven Risom; Martha Ball; Keith Stover; Mark Emmanuelle;
[email protected]; Maryanne Crawford; [email protected]
Subject: Ballard’s
Good afternoon,
Knowing that the council has received numerous emails, and accounts of what happened VJ
Monday at Ballard’s, I need not. But I do have a question to ask; When is enough, enough?
Will it take a more serious incident, possibly a death, or a mass shooting, or when you have
to pass thru a TSA type metal detector when traveling to the island, before we see action or
change? That would negatively impact Block Island forever- a huge scar emotionally on this
entire community.
Secondly, it is time to take back control of a town public beach. Bill Huggins did the research
by way of aerial plot maps that shows Ballard’s does not own 2/3 of the beach east of the
breakwater. The people do, the town does. Ballard’s has fenced it off, erected structures and
claimed it for their own profit and exploitation. I beg you to reclaim this beach. It would
automatically reduce the number of people drinking on the beach and hopefully restore safety
and beauty to this part of the island. As a long time member of this community I am sending
this email as a call to action for our town to step up and take the necessary actions to address
this rapidly growing safety concern.
Thank you,
C. Champlin Starr
Beach ave
From: Millie McGinnes
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Fwd: B.I. Bulletin Board] Statement from First and Second Warden
From: Joseph Teja >
To:
Sent: Tue, Aug 9, 2022 2:14 pm
Subject: Re: B.I. Bulletin Board] Statement from First and Second Warden
Millie - I was on a ferry last night, and I can tell you first hand that in my 10+ years on this island (now
living here full time), I have never seen the type of traffic on the boats I witnessed Monday night, not even
during the worst of the pandemic. What on earth is going on? What is Interstate Navigation's
role/responsibility in the conduct of their marketing that may have resulted in the types of things we're
now seeing on the island and on the ferry? We all know what the July 4 weekend was like at Ballards -
and I hardly even go downtown. This seems pretty nuts to me.
Does the town council have any specific plan to address the situation? Schedule a public meeting?
Between the ferry and the mopeds, I frankly give little credibility to the statement "As a Council, we are
committed to making Block Island a healthy community and a wonderful place to live and visit and are
united in that goal." Sounds like BS to me. Feel free to pass that on to the wardens.
Joseph Teja
Mitchell Lane

On Tue, Aug 9, 2022 at 2:05 PM 'Millie McGinnes' via Block Island Bulletin Board
<[email protected]> wrote:
We are shocked and saddened by the incident on the Block Island Ferry last night and we appreciate
the work of the first responders who took action to restore order. As a Council, we are committed to
making Block Island a healthy community and a wonderful place to live and visit and are united in that
goal.

André Boudreau
First Warden
Town of New Shoreham

Sven Risom
Second Warden
Town of New Shoreham

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From: Sven Risom
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Fw: August 8th, Monday
Can you please send this to Nick and James.

Thanks
Sven
From: Constance Corbett >

Sent: Friday, August 12, 2022 6:57 PM
To: Andre Boudreau <[email protected]>; Sven Risom <srisom@new-
shoreham.com>; Martha Ball <[email protected]>; [email protected]
<[email protected]>; Keith Stover <[email protected]>; Millie
McGinnes <[email protected]>
Subject: August 8th, Monday

I attended the Town Meeting last night, and I decided to write to you about my experience on Tuesday,
August 8th, 2022.
My Sister, her daughter, and her daughter’s twin 9 year old daughters were all in attendance.
We arrived at Ballards around 12:30pm. The line had gone down outside quite a bit, as it had been awhile
since the ferry had arrived. We walked right in, as we had no backpacks and we were with little ones. We
were not stopped to have our ID’s checked. We found a table. There was a consistent line that passed
directly behind the end of our table heading towards the beach and bars.
The waitress brought us menus and paid us special attention, as we had the young ones with us. She
recommended we get our orders in fast, as another ferry was coming in and that meant another surge in the
crowd. We ordered drinks and lunch. We waited about an hour + and the kids meals showed up.
My niece decided to take a quick tour of the band area at the far lefthand side of the building where there
was a band playing. She was gone approximately a 1/2 hour.
While she was gone, we were still waiting for our adult lunches. The waitress came with new straws and
left. As we waited, I heard some raised voices behind me. I glanced at my sister, when at the same time, I
felt someone fall against my back behind me. My sister’s face was one of concern and the voices became
louder. I turned around and saw two men in a heightened argument and returned my eyes to my family.
My sister was grabbing one niece to pull away from the table and my other niece was on her knees
crawling towards her grandmother. At this point, a chair was pushed into myself and the niece on the floor.
The table was shoved towards my sister. I did get a bruise and my niece also mentioned she had been hit.
Once I knew the children were out of the way (there was nowhere further they could go, as it was so
crowded we couldn’t get out without taking them past the argument), I returned my attention back to the
two men who were ramping up their tempers.
My reaction was to raise my hands in a protective, yet directive manner. I yelled for them to BACK OFF,
BACK OFF, THERE ARE CHILDREN HERE, STOP (I was within a foot of the two of them). I continued
to use my hands and voice to finally get some attention and they settled enough to have their friends break
them up. During this time…the tables around us were all aware of what was going on, and some females
yelled to my sister to pass the girls over to get them away from the situation. At one point I went to grab an
arm of one of the men, but decided it would aggravate the situation and instead I repeatedly tapped one of
the men until he was aware of my family’s situation and how they were affecting us. One of the twins was
crying. He was not happy with me yelling or touching him and said so in no uncertain terms. His friends
led him away…he then returned…but again…his friends led him away. The other man was at the table
behind us. A person from that table assured me all was good at that point and that man who had been in the
argument apologized. The atmosphere in the area did not settle down for at least another 15 minutes.
My niece came back, the food arrived. My sister and I, were not hungry at that point. I went in to find the
waitress and paid our bill. A man approached me in the main dining hall and said he would have done the
same thing for his children and that thank goodness I was a female, because a male presence may have
escalated the situation into a physical one.
We left about 2:30. Once we were out of the building, I realized I had left my hat inside at the table.
My niece had a NS policeman take her in to get it. The line was again very long to get in, and he helped
her get past that.
During our time in the restaurant we saw one state policeman walk by and one security person on their
cellphone walk by. During our situation, no one came by or was there to offer assistance. We were in
trouble for @15 minutes start to finish. Our waitress who was wonderful, was so busy, she was not in the
area to observe either.
I don’t know how I feel about Ballards, the ferry, Reggaefest, etc. When my adrenaline finally came down,
I cried. It was a bad experience for all of us. It was not the experience my niece had planned for. My
grand nieces will always remember the fear and aggressive argument. My sister and I joked saying we were
the flight and fight sisters…she jumped to remove the kids, and I jumped to maintain a barrier between
them and the argument. Laughter seems to lighten the load. I do now know that it was no place for us to be.
At the same time, we should have been able to be there and be safe and be served in a timely manner. All
those people were hot and hungry and drinking. I can only imagine the fear of the families on the boat just
wanting to get home safely after a long hot day on the island. I do remember the Ballards of 25 years ago.
The one of today certainly does not need to be the same, but I do believe it should be a safe place for
everyone.
I don’t know how our experience will add to the events of the 8th or to your knowledge of the situation, but
it sounded like you wanted personal accounts. I hope in some way, it helps to make a difference. This is
our third summer here. I do not want to make enemies. I would appreciate this letter be kept in confidence,
for now, among the Town Council members. Feel free to contact me. Text is best, as living on the West
Side, our internet and cell service is not reliable. 860-304-3596
Respectfully,
Connie Corbett/West Side Rd., homeowner
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Fwd: Action to curb Ballards
For distribution…
From: Robin Krawczyk <r >

Subject: Action to curb Ballards
First let me start by thanking you for serving as first warden and dedicating much
time, effort, and personal energy to bettering Block Island.
I am saddened, frustrated, and ashamed by the inexcusable behavior of the

Ballard's ownership. It is a disgrace that they are able to bring thousands to this
island advertising "drink and party all day". It is appalling and unpardonable that
their patrons are served to excess and either perpetrate or become victims of
crime, petty and violent. It has become eminently clear over the past years that
Ballard's ownership does not respect the island or its elected officials.
It is time for the town to take real action. Do you all know if they report
accurately a head count to the island? Do they accurately report the revenue from
their operations? Do they pay their taxes accurately? Are they following ALL
town, county, state, and federal laws?
Does the town have the resources to ascertain this information?
It appears that Interstate Navigation responds to and communicates with Ballards.

They too seem to operate with more interest in their own financial needs than the
town's but it is particularly disgraceful that they appear to adjust their schedule to
meet Ballard's entertainment timetable.
Ballards, Interstate, and the moped companies represent a threat to the ongoing
well-being of our small and fragile island and its community. For the past few
years, we have all been concerned and entwined in debate and discussion on these
topics with little or nothing to show for it.
What do you all need in order to take more effective action to curb the damaging
behavior of these businesses? Many are willing to help in any way possible.
Thanks, Robin Krawczyk & Wade Appelman, #1780 Corn Neck Road
From: Kate Bird
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Town Council meeting August 22
I did listen in to the emergency meeting for public listening on the debacle that occurred Victory Day on Block
Island. I’ve also read and listened to various TV, newspapers, social media, and radio accounts that describe the
fights and drunkenness that occurred on the island and ferry.
1. Ballard’s owner Steve Filippi seems to be deflecting responsibility and would like us all to focus on Interstate
Navigation and reduce the issue strictly to under age drinking, although a problem, not the sole problem. Most of
those arrested were closer to 30.
2. Filippi’s comment on radio that it was a typical “laid back” day at Ballard’s defies credulity, but if true, we
certainly have a much bigger problem. He didn’t even feign concern for health and safety for his employees or
customers. I believe his comment reported in the newspaper was “I stopped serving alcohol at 6 pm was in bed by
10 pm and I have a clear conscience”.
3. On TV, I saw a man interviewed commenting on all the plastic injectors strewn all over the premises. He
commented they looked like discarded syringes. An islander, that seldom patronizes Ballard’s, I couldn’t even
imagine what they were. I’ve since discovered they hold alcoholic Jell-O shots. The bar advertises a frozen daiquiri
bar with 100 oz option (not a typo). The message is clear get drunk and get drunk as fast as you can. This reminds
me of the illogical gun argument that guns don’t kill people, people kill people. However, making them as powerful
and available as possible the odds of catastrophe go way up.

4. The videos on social media showed people standing shoulder to shoulder on Ballard’s beach when fights broke
out knocking people down and out of the way. Other videos and photos showed the lines to get in were 5-6 abreast
and ran down the dock into the interstate parking lot and this was before most people eat lunch. They were there to
attend an advertised “free” concert. There were no tickets or limits. Most responsible island establishments are
limited to occupancy of their interior spaces. Why does Ballard’s have the right to allow as many people that show
up at their front door? They are now proposing more “security” to block more entrances therefore exits. I’ve
attempted the path on the south side of their property, to reach pebbly beach, which is littered with heavy rusting
equipment and obstructions making it impassable and I’ve also been present at a town council meeting when the fire
department has cited them for blocking their ability to enter the beach in case of medical rescue or fire. I am unease
even mentioning the possibility of a shooter in such an environment but one early account
in the media mentioned a gun along with razors.
5. I’ve been troubled by the people trying to make this a race, age or class issue that seem also to deflect and
implicate the wrong problem. As with the moped issue, this argument for a limitless, reckless business model over
safety, culture, community, and both natural and human resources is unsustainable and perilous.
Kate Bird
Jane Lane off Westside Road
Sent from my iPhone

To: Andre Boudreau and Town Council Members
From: Margie and Bill Comings, 808 Pilot Hill Road
Date: August 16, 2022
Subject: Ballard’s Show Cause Hearing
We strongly support actions to suspend Ballard’s Liquor License for at least several weeks and revoke its
Entertainment License for at least the rest of this year.
We look upon the problems at Ballard’s as a wakeup call for the community. What kind of community
are we now and what kind of community do we want to be in the future? As a community we need to
discuss and decide what kind of community we want to be long term. Then, we need to figure out what
steps must be taken to get us there. If we don’t decide what we want Block Island to be, others will
decide for us and we have lost our power to decide our own future. Most likely we will not like the
results…and then it may be too late to bring about change!
As bad as the problems were on Monday night, it could have been much worse. Imagine if Tuesday
night’s power outage had happened the day before. Is there back-up generator capacity at Ballard’s and
at the ferry dock? Herding an inebriated crowd in the dark would be a nightmare.
Some thoughts about administrative actions which could be taken alongside any license actions:
1. Was a Special Event Permit or Entertainment License required for this event? If not, why not? If
it was not required under current Town regulations, it should be amended to cover this type of
event with stronger regulations. It would give the Town much more control and flexibility in
administration.
2. Any outdoor entertainment license (or special event permit) application by Ballard’s or any
other establishment, should prohibit any music festival from being held on holidays or holiday
weekends. There is zero reason to allow such activities on days when the ferries and Block
Island support systems are already taxed to the limit.
3. In the future, no music festival activities should be allowed to last for more than five hours and
should conclude by 4 pm. The Reggae Festival was advertised to start at 9 am and end at 7 pm.
This is clearly too long a time. A four PM cutoff time would get attendees to the ferries at an
earlier hour and allow more time for crowds to disburse. Also, require purchase of tickets for
the event ahead of time. When tickets are sold out, require the event to be closed and
announce such closure on social media.
4. A serious evaluation should be made to redetermine the maximum safe capacity of Ballard’s
both inside and outside. Once these limits are determined, they must be strictly enforced at
Ballard’s (and other establishments) for the health and safety of visitors, residents, and
employees. Fire and Rescue and the medical center can only handle so many people and we
can’t borrow additional emergency people from the next town over.
5. Clearly, too many people are routinely allowed admittance. Serious barriers should be erected
to eliminate people cutting through to the beach without passing through the Ballard’s
checkpoints. Snow fencing is clearly inadequate. Security personnel should be required to meet
accepted professional standards.
6. Continue the rule of no alcohol being brought in to the event and force establishments to do a
better job of carding the attendees or they lose their liquor license...then follow through on this
threat.
7. While it may seem reasonable to require round trip tickets to specify a return time on peak
travel days, there is no way to enforce this. People will wait until the last minute to try to leave
the Island, and the Island is totally unequipped to handle large groups stranded because of
capacity limits on the last ferry. Where would stranded passengers go? How much damage
would they do if left here overnight? There is simply no reasonable alternative to extra
unscheduled ferry trips in these occasions unless you limit the number of tickets sold in Pt.
Judith.
If you the Town Council give them just a slap on the wrist, it will be a signal that the Island is going down
the wrong path. This is a time to take decisive action knowing that this will have serious ramifications.
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Fwd: Save BI - Stop Ballard"s
For distribution
From: Dale Allen < >

Subject: Save BI - Stop Ballard's
Dear Councilman Boudreau:
When we learned of the sexual assault that took place at Ballard's over the July
4th weekend, we questioned whether we should shift our August summer vacation
plans to another location.
Having spent summer vacation days on Block Island since I was a child, I have
seen the evolution of Ballard's. It had been a family spot on the beach, with
dining and casual music for folks to enjoy - these folks being people who
committed to the island with hotel stays or boat slip rentals, along with a few
"daytrippers" who'd come to ride bikes, buy souvenirs and then relax over a meal.
I saw Ballard's evolution as it became a fenced-off, day party, loud music, heavy
drinking environment. This saddened me, and my family.
But we kept coming to Block Island.
We were so disturbed by what happened on July 4th that we considered not

coming. In our family now, we have young women in their early 20s, and this
island did not feel safe. But we love it so much, and have so much joyful history
here, that we kept our faith in your leadership, and we kept our plans in place.
We arrived on August 8th.
We witnessed directly the long lines that amassed to get into Ballard's. We
witnessed the mob that broke down the fence to push their way to get into
Ballard's. Later, we witnessed the ocean of people in the Old Harbor ferry area
who were trying to get off the island. The entire thing was frightening, sad,
disturbing.
I wonder how much more has to happen on this island before Ballard's is forced to
stop. It all has to stop.
We will be watching carefully to see whether or not those who are in charge of
caring for the island – all of you on the Town Council, will have our safety in
mind, or not.
This island is not equipped to be a music event destination. Compare all of the
social and physical infrastructure that is in place at 2,000 to 7000 person musical
venue. None of that is here. These kinds of events – no matter what the music
genre - do not fit this island. Even Ballard's daily level of catering to heavy
drinking and all-day partying needs to be curtailed – seriously curtailed.
Please, save Block Island and Stop Ballard's. Please preserve the sense of
sanctuary here on the island. Those was of us who commit our vacation dollars to
house rentals, hotel stays, boat slips, meals and simple evening fun with music,
etc - we would like to know that you value us, and this island enough to keep it
safe and stop Ballard's greed, disregard and recklessness.
Sincerely,
Dale Allen
http://www.DaleAllenProductions.com
https://m.youtube.com/user/msdaleallen
From: Corlies Black
To: Andre Boudreau; Sven Risom; Mark Emmanuelle; Martha Ball; Keith Stover; Millie McGinnes; Keisha Phillips-
Brown
Subject: Revocation of Ballard"s Liquor License
Dear New Shoreham Town Council Members and Town Solicitors,

I am in support of the revocation of Ballard’s liquor license in agreement with the rules set forth in
the “Liquor License Rules and Regulations for the Town of New Shoreham.” Namely, the rules that
apply include section 7-A and 7-B:

VII. REVOCATION AND FINES
A. The Board of License Commissioners may revoke or suspend any license that it has
issued or impose a fine up to $500 for each offense, if:
1. The license holder has breached any express condition imposed on the license.
2. The license holder has violated the provisions of State law concerning
alcoholic beverages, including but not limited to the rules and regulations of
the Liquor Control Administration.
3. The license holder has violated the provisions of these rules and regulations or
any applicable Town Ordinances.
B. For the purposes of this section, the licensee assumes responsibility for preventing its
patrons from disturbing the surrounding neighborhood. Failure to do so shall be
grounds for revocation or suspension of a license or imposition of a fine.

Additionally, I urge you to invoke your power to immediately revoke the liquor license as outlined in
section 7-D:

D. If the Board of License Commissioners finds that the public health, safety or welfare
requires immediate suspension or revocation, it may suspend or revoke the license and
promptly thereafter provide the licensee with a hearing.

Ballard’s has a proven history of overserving its customers, serving alcohol to minors, and disturbing
the neighborhood. These are clear violations of the state and local license regulations. Furthermore,
as shown by the incidents of August 8, I believe that there is a public health, safety, and welfare
issue which warrants immediate revocation of their liquor license.

As a registered voter and business owner of Block Island, I sincerely hope you will heed the
concerns of your constituents and do what is right in this situation. Our livelihoods and the
reputation of Block Island are on the line.

Best,
Cori Black

Corlies Black
Sales Associate/Owner
Block Island, RI 02807
O: 401-466-8883

August 9 statement by the First and Second Warden: We are shocked and saddened by the
incident on the Block Island Ferry last night and we appreciate the work of the first responders
who took action to restore order. As a Council, we are committed to making Block Island a
healthy community and a wonderful place to live and visit and are united in that goal.
Dear Members of the Town Council and other Officials,
I am puzzled by the statement quoted above. First, it mentions only “the incident on the Block Island
Ferry,” making no reference to drunken brawls at Ballard’s that preceded a bloody fight on the ferry.
Second, any decent person would be saddened by the events of August 8, but who can be shocked?
Ballard’s has a long history of advertising “fests” that draw hordes of people to their venue intent on binge
drinking and mayhem. We have every reason to expect extreme and dangerous behavior on Victory Day
because it happens regularly, not only at specially promoted “fests.” How can Block Island be a healthy
community when the most prominent business on our shore actively endangers us in myriad ways?
As you consider how to respond, please keep in mind that every local newscast for the past 48 hours has
covered the violence at Ballard’s and on the ferry. The story has been reported by newspapers
throughout the east coast. Our local law enforcement, emergency and medical personnel were hit hard.
The State Police were hit hard. Mainland towns were impacted when their police were summoned for
mutual aid. Our Governor was questioned about Block Island in yesterday’s news conference. What
impact does this have on public safety and our public image? How long can “healthy” individuals and
businesses survive when our town is regularly overrun by inebriated thugs coming to party in our midst?
We often hear references to the Block Island “brand.” What would that be? Are we to be a party place
branded by ads featuring scantily-clad women holding over-sized drinks? Or are we to be a wholesome
place to live, work, and vacation with outstanding beaches, family entertainment, hiking trails, natural
beauty, pleasant dining, and unique shopping? Nearly all townspeople and business owners would prefer
the latter, but we can’t achieve that “brand” if we indulge businesses that promote dangerous partying.
The Town Manager and Council also need to engage with Interstate to address the problem of crowds left
behind as the last scheduled boat sails. When on a summer day most boats leaving Point Judith between
8 AM and 4 PM carry many passengers, while those heading north carry very few, Interstate can foresee
a pile-up coming later. People will wait hours for unscheduled boats to arrive and some ugly behavior
can be expected. That needs to be sorted out. Interstate can’t expect the NSPD and State Troopers to
manage their passengers waiting for and making return trips.
The owner of Ballard’s has suggested he does the town a favor by sometimes hiring private ambulances
to transport his impaired customers. But these customers end up being taken to the Medical Center
where they receive care and then rarely pay for their treatment. Who needs a business that makes such
plans, knowing it will likely overwhelm our medical resources with inebriates needing emergency IVs?
Word has it that Steve Filippi closed Ballard’s at 6:30 when his Reggae Fest got out of hand. While
leaving others to deal with (and pay for) havoc he had summoned, Filippi pocketed gains and got a good
night’s sleep. He profits; we pay. It is time for the Town Council to take EVERY STEP POSSIBLE to put
an end to this pattern. No more placating an irresponsible business that is doing irreparable harm to our
town.
Sincerely,
Kay Lewis
Off Cooneymus Road
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Fwd: Please use your power for change
For distribution
From: Heidi Durand-Lenz >

To: Martha Ball <[email protected]>, [email protected],
<[email protected]>, Andre Boudreau <aboudreau@new-
shoreham.com>
Subject: Please use your power for change
Members of the New Shoreham Town Council -
I am a lifelong Rhode Island resident that has been visiting Block Island since I
was a child. As an adult, my family and I now vacation here every summer. We
are now fortunate to be able to take our kids and grandkids to experience the
island in ways we love.
We have made many friends over the years on the island and consider Block
Island such a special place to make family memories. We were there for the 4th
of July this year and were made aware of the sexual assault that occurred at
Ballards. I was extremely saddened to hear that the council would not address
the issue with a Show Cause hearing because it 'might not even be our business".
Even without the sexual assualt discussion, Ballard's was a mess that day.
Now, just a little over a month later, Block Island is national news for the horrific
ferry incident that was a direct result of the events that took place at Ballards on
Monday.
We were on the island that day as well and left on the 3pm boat. We were
witness to the visible concern of shop owners on Water Street with the lines to get
into Ballard's stretching the length of the ferry lot. They knew nothing good was
to come of that event at Ballard's.
Please, before someone loses their life next time, do the right thing and put
restrictions on capacity at Ballard's. If something like this were to happen in
Providence, I believe the venue's liquor license would be suspended.
I don't want to put my family in danger, or expose them to this type of behavior,
when we visit the island. We shouldn't have to restrict our travel times via ferry
because we don't want to take the last ferry home for fear of violence.
From: Shelly Raposa
Subject: PLEASE SAVE BALLARDS
I am sickened and heartbroken over

all the negativity surrounding
Ballards.
I've been visiting Ballards for 25 +
years during the summer months .
From its origin, I attended the
Country fest and the rock fest, and
never have I ever experienced the
disgusting behavior that transpired
during the reggae fest, in which I also
attended this year.
I know there is a witch hunt out for
Ballards.
Please do not punish Ballards and all
the patrons that enjoy and love this
place because of that ONE music
festival.
Ballards is the only reason why my
friends and I visit Block Island. We
spend thousands of dollars on 3-day
weekend stays throughout the
summer as well as visiting other
establishments while on the island.
I cannot imagine “the block” without
Ballards.
There is truly no place on this green
earth like it.
I will testify for Ballards if need
be….
In closing, I ask that you please find
a way to keep this iconic place and
all that it has to offer.
It saddens me to think there is a
slight possibility my friends and I
may never visit “the block” again.
Thank you in advance for your
attention to this matter.
Sincerely, Shelly
Sent from my iPhone

From: celia gillard
Subject: Please pass this to Town Council
Well, here we go again. Another horrible, embarrassing incident on Block Island.

As if the assaults and debauchery during 4th of July weekend weren't bad enough, we now
have more drunkenness and fighting, all with a common denominator....Ballards.
The incidents from July 4th seem to have been swept under the rug, as there has been no
public follow up, over a month later.
PLEASE DO SOMETHING. This ridiculousness must stop and our town council is the front
line to do just that.
Be strong, do the right thing!
Respectfully,
Lloyd & Celia Gillard
72 West Side Rd
Unit 3
From: Jim Fiorato
To: Millie McGinnes
Cc: Jim Fiorato
Subject: My August 8th Experiences
To The Block Island Town Council

I am writing to you to present my personal experience on Monday August 8th, which was direct,
extremely upsetting and unnerving. The purpose is to document for, and to assist you in your
attempts to change the current atmosphere that seems to consuming the island, especially during
the busy summer months. While this does not attempt to place specific blame on any single entity,
it clearly demonstrates that a difficult and troublesome condition existed before the Ballard’s and
later ferries conflict occurred.

I was on the 1:30 Traditional PJ – BI Ferry. It was extremely overcrowded and felt unsafe. People
were smoking weed and vaping weed in the cabin itself. There were loud disagreements laced with
profanity. There was no place to sit. Overall it felt unsafe, uncomfortable & disrespectful to the
other passengers, especially for the elderly, those with small children. There were large, medium
and small coolers everywhere with many people drinking alcoholic beverages from them. While
there was an occasional crewman passing through my area, it was evident that they were not
capable of controlling the extremely wild, rude and what seemed like it could become a potentially
dangerous crowd. For the time I was on the ferry, 30 minutes prior to departure, the 60 minute
ride and the departure time I did not see any security personnel. A young couple standing next to
me and I even talked about being near the rail should it be necessary to get off the boat in an
emergency. When I got off the boat, I had to turn slightly left to go the parking area where my wife
was meeting me. The vast majority of the boat crowd made the same left turn but continued on east
towards Ballard’s.

After the serious problems that occurred over the July 4th weekend, I find it confusing that the
behavior of visitors on August 8th was shocking and unexpected to anyone on Block Island. Even
the ferry had warnings posted for several days leading up to the weekend about the expected
increase in traffic. Possible solutions: Better management of the events permitted on weekends.
Having a large influx of people, consuming large amounts of alcohol, with no scheduled departure
should not be permitted. At minimum, all day trip passengers should have a scheduled return trip
off Block Island before departing the mainland. People that are overserved and unruly should not
be permitted on the ferry for the safety of other passengers following the guidelines of other modes
of transportation. All coolers should remain on car decks and not accessible during transit.

Thank you for your attention to this important subject. Please confirm receipt of this email
Sincerely,
Jim Fiorato
905 Champlin Road, Box 1375, BI

To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Fwd: Meeting tonight
For council distribution
Sent from my ridiculously expensive handset, on an unreliable network
From: JENNIFER SEEBECK < >

Date: August 11, 2022 at 2 53:49 PM EDT
To: Andre Boudreau <aboudreau@new-shoreham com>, Sven Risom <srisom@new-shoreham com>
Subject: Meeting tonight
Hello gentleman,
I'm working this evening and cannot make the meeting I've emailed you Tuesday with questions but wanted to add something I find rather interesting
First photo is a screenshot of the fight at Ballard's Second photo is another screenshot of one of the individuals being arrested and escorted off of the ferry in Point Judith
They are the same person If Ballard's did their due diligence when the fight broke out on their property maybe no one would have been hurt on the ferry and this entire
disaster would have been avoided
At the very least it's hope and pray that you pull their outdoor entertainment license Their liquor licenses should be pulled but for some reason you all are afraid to stand up to
Steve Filippi
I hope you'll make the right decision here
Best,
Jen Seebeck
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From: Frank DiBiase
To: Fiona Fitzpatrick; Sven Risom; Keith Stover; Martha Ball; Andre Boudreau; Mark Emmanuelle
Subject: Last Night"s Meeting
Attachments: Screen Shot 2022-08-12 at 9.47.03 AM.png
Screen Shot 2022-08-12 at 9.47.43 AM.png
Dear Block Island Council Members,
I just want to take the time and thank you for last night's meeting. I was honored to sit in a room with so much
pride. I feel as though your meeting was focused, professional and heartfelt. I truly hope this ongoing problem with
Ballard's is directly addressed. All of my frustration the past couple of years with the council really stemmed from
being blamed and penalized from Ballard's irresponsibility to manage the sale of alcohol and entertainment. Starting
with the ban of outdoor music in 2020, due to Ballard's promoting large crowds during a national pandemic. I hope
and wish that going forward, businesses are directly cited or warned on paper, so there is a history of
negligence to fall back on.
I would also like to remind everyone, the Spring House ran concerts for many years out here. We promoted large
crowds & entertainment, we always went above and beyond to make our environment safe and enjoyable. I am not
sure how Ballard's got away all these years with concerts on the beach without any town approvals or business plan.
What are the differences between their licenses and ours? Do they even own the land they serve on? b This should
have never been allowed. I hope your attorney really digs into Ballard's negligence, starting with the land they use
and actual property lines. What is permitted use and what is not? I hope this is not a slap on the rist.
In closing, I wish you all the best of luck in the upcoming weeks. I hope you bring back the families and smiles we
all deserve. This bad image needs to be stopped immediately. If I can help in any way please let me know.
Warm Regards,
Frankie
Frank DiBiase III

Spring House Hotel
Block Island, RI
O-401.466.5844
www.SpringHouseHotel.com_____
Spring House Hotel Facebook
Spring House Hotel Instagram
___________________________________________________
From:
To: Millie McGinnes
Cc: Andre Boudreau; Sven Risom; Keith Stover; Mark Emmanuelle; Martha Ball
Subject: Incidents at Ballard"s August 8 2022
Date: Sunday, August 14, 2022 2:43:36 PM
Dear Council,
I am writing, as you requested island folks to do, regarding the incidents at Ballard’s on 8/8/22. My views will echo,
I’m sure, those of almost all of the other folks you will hear from.
In general, we all know that Ballard’s has been a thorn in Block Island’s side for decades. It has been complained
about and simultaneously “tolerated” primarily due to it’s geographic location. Bad things happen thereabout are
relatively “contained”. The patrons walk off the boat, walk into Ballard’s, get drunk, misbehave, walk back to the
boat (having been separated from their money) and go back to the mainland. Ballard’s beach is a very durable place
for this type of use. Sand only requires the raking of trash and it’s ready for the next onslaught. It was all very neat
and tidy, for the most part, until August 8.
I won’t rehash the events of August 8 - I was not there so the videos and hopefully patrons will provide accounts. I
do want to make several points, some perhaps have been made before, some new
We all know there was a fight at Ballard’s and later on the boat, while underway, and the boat had to be boarded by
armed officers and control restored. Testimony of those arrested will determine if they were at Ballard’s all day.
Steve Filippi has claimed that all was well when he closed the bar and he is not responsible for what happened once
patrons leave his place. This is untrue. He is essentially saying “Hey, I made my money - the rest of the problem is
yours.” There have been many cases of bars having been held liable for the actions of overserved patrons after they
left the bar - usually these are drunk driving cases but the principle remains the same. As bad as the incident was on
the boat, it could have been far worse. Imagine if one of the combatants had a gun - in a space where all the
surfaces are plate steel! Imagine if the proverbial “good guy with a gun had been there - again, likely a tragedy
would have ensued. The boat was crowded to near capacity, tempers were flairing, alcohol was prevalent, and
families, children, elderly and bar patrons were all intermixed in a steel plate box, at sea, with no exit and no real
medical staff on board.
It was bad. And now, thanks to Ballard’s, Block Island has a huge black mark on its reputation. Our reputation is
our “stock in trade”. The island’s reputation as a serene and beautiful place welcoming visitors to enjoy wholesome
outdoor life has been dragged through the mud. Repairing this will take years. The notion that Block Island
embraces conservation, families, ‘green’ principles, and pristine waters and beaches will be lost in the noise of
drunken bar brawls and worse - a ferry that is dangerous to board. We on the island know the true and good
character of the island - but “perception is reality” and the perception is now that Ballard’s is Block Island and
Block Island is Ballard’s. All the other good and responsible business owners have been damaged by Steve Filippi’s
arrogance, negligence and greed.
I do not believe Interstate was at all at fault here. I agree with Kate McConville who commended the captain and
crew for rapid notice to authorities and maintaining headway to get to port ASAP. The boat was crowded as it was a
late holiday boat off island. I do not know if it was overcrowded but capacity is determined by the USCG and I have
seen crews counting passengers as they board and I imagine the ticket scanners also tabulate when capacity is
reached. Interstate has to allow passengers to board if they are able and cannot discriminate. In addition, unlike
patrons exiting a bar on the mainland - these patrons have nowhere to go but back on the boat. They do not have
rooms or homes to go to (and rooms are likely 100% booked), camping is not permitted, and there is no other
transportation off the island. In effect, the entire island echos the old last call “You don’t have to go home, but you
can’t stay here.” We charge Interstate with “disposing” of Ballard’s drunken detritus and they do the very best they
can given an unenviable task. We also task Narragansett with dealing with drunks coming off the boat and driving
drunk through their town - I do not envy them or their authorities.
Some at your 8/11 meeting had suggestions: Let Ballard’s charter their own boat, Put state police on the weekend
ferries, More rescue and police to monitor Ballard’s. In my view these are all wrong headed. They accommodate
the horrible operations at Ballard’s rather than getting Filippi to operate Ballard’s as a respectable and civil
establishment. The problem is there is too much money to be made in operating Ballard’s as it is now. This is about
profit - little or none of which stays on the island. Few, if any, island residents work at Ballard’s. Most of the staff
are J1 Visa holders - essentially prisoners for the season. As an aside, I understand that Ballard’s attaches an
automatic 18% gratuity to every sale (even the rental of a beach chair). Is it possible to confirm that the full 18% is
actually distributed to the staff and not pocketed by management? Perhaps RI Dept of Labor and Training has the
power to monitor that.
It should be noted that Ballard’s real estate tax contribution to the Town is about $35,000 plus another $10,000 for
“Personal Property”, whatever that is. This falls far short of the costs that Ballard’s imposes on the Town for Fire,
Rescue, Police services and the burden on the Town’s reputation. I suspect $45,000 is about equal to the gross
receipts for several hours on a summer weekend. In addition, Ballard’s land assessment is for 1.1 Acres yet I can
produce a 2008 survey indicating the land they use totals 3.6 Acres. The survey also indicates Ballard’s has
constructed on Town property to the west and uses conservation land to the south. How the land came to be
Ballard’s and not part of the Federal government’s breakwater could be debated forever, but it essentially was “free”
for them, and the Town under taxes it.
On August 8, as bad as it was, the Island was close to, but spared, a huge disaster. There could have been loss of life,
severe property damage, massive expense and liabilities for the Town, and damage to Block Island’s reputation that
would take many years to repair. This risk was purely for the profit made by one greedy business owner - an owner
who does nothing for the community and leaves little or no money in the local island economy. In short, Ballard’s is
all down side and no up side for Block Island. The Town, the island residents, the island businesses, Interstate, and
the majority of our visitors all suffer the consequences of Ballard’s operations. Those consequences are grave and
could easily become much more so.
I urge the Town to levy the harshest punishments possible in order to force a higher standard of operation - at the
very least this should liquor license suspension during peak season (either this year or next). I also urge the Town to
do a thorough review of all rules and regulations that apply to Ballard’s and apply immediate enforcement actions as
required - including land use, code, ordinance, liquor law and public safety infractions. The violations need to be
stopped and compliance monitored. Further, the Town needs to review the accuracy of the Tax Assessment and
correct any inaccuracies and collect, if possible, under paid past taxes.
Only when Ballard’s operates on a par with other businesses on the island (who are good but not perfect themselves)
will Block Island be able to regain its self respect and former stature. Until then, shame on us.
Thank you,
Sam Bird
Jane Lane
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Fwd: Tonight’s Meeting
For distribution
From:
Subject: Tonight’s Meeting
Town of New Shoreham Town Council:

( Please forward this to all members for me. Thank you. )
Good luck tonight as all of you discuss the July 4th week end and August 8
incident. Stand tall and defend this community. Ballard’s has made it very clear
how they feel about you and this town. How much longer should we endure their
insults?
Jean Payne
Sent from my iPhone

To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Fwd: Ballards incidents
Date: Sunday, August 14, 2022 9:59:59 AM
For distribution
From: Dawn Holmes < t>

Subject: Ballards incidents
Good afternoon,
I’m not sure if these will be helpful, as they were not within the last year, but they
are eyewitness accounts. After the second incident we stopped going to Ballards.
On the first occasion I witnessed an older man, clearly intoxicated on the outside
patio, fall off his chair with drink in hand. People watched until someone alerted
Ballard’s staff. Someone came out, grabbed the man under the arms, dragged him
from where he fell off the chair and lay on the ground, and just propped him up
against the side of the building and left him there.
On the second occasion we were dining at Ballards and an older gentleman was
seated with a much younger woman who was having a hard time walking. He was
fine and reading the menu, she could not keep her head up. He ordered food and
drinks for them. Shortly after the food arrived she began vomiting on the table
and swaying. Staff looked well prepared for this and unfazed and came over with
a bucket and mop to clean things up. We asked to be moved to a different table.
We have not returned since.
As I said because these accounts did not occur between May of 2022 and now I
don’t know if they will be helpful, but thought I would try just in case.
As for the Aug 8 incident we were witness to about 4 hours of parking lot activity.
I actually have bits of a fight on the boat on video. The woman I was talking to as
we were watching was texting her son who was on that boat. He reported the fight
then and said someone had been stabbed or cut. This was before the boat even left
BI. The woman also had 2 young girls and was afraid to get on, so she was
waiting until the last boat, even though she had tickets for an earlier boat. I
offered my house to her and her children for the night so they would not have to
take any boat back, but she had to be to work early the next day.
Another mother I was talking to convinced her daughter’s boyfriend to not leave
and stay another night. Luckily they accommodations and were able to do so.
Many were not.
This is disgraceful when visitors actually feel afraid to be here, and afraid to leave
on the only transportation available.
I’m sure you have seen the videos of the fights inside Ballards and of those
arrested being taken off the boat. A man wearing the same shorts was fighting
inside Ballards and can be seen in handcuffs being escorted off the boat. Mr
Fillippi stated there were no arrests, I ask why not? If this man had been arrested
for the first fight and not allowed to remain there, then the boat incident may
never have occurred. I know it is a what if scenario, but where was the security
and why were the participants allowed to stay?
Thank you for all you are doing and I hope there will be some lasting
accountability for this as well as the underage serving and over serving at so
many island establishments. We need to shut down this party reputation soon.
Kind regards,
Dawn Holmes
Lakeside Dr
And Newburyport, MA
From: Katie & Brian
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Fwd: Ballard’s
Please see me concerns.
Sent from my iPhone
From: Katie & Brian < >

To:
Subject: Fwd: Ballard’s
Hi Roger-
I wanted to forward my email that I sent to the new station in Rhode Island
shortly after I returned to CT from my trip in early July. The establishment we
visited had recently been exposed for serving those underage.
Sent from my iPhone
From: Katie & Brian <

Date: July 22, 2022 at 2:15:22 PM EDT
To:
Subject: Ballard’s
Dan -
I was happy to see your article today. I visited Block Island for the
first time in early July to celebrate my 40th birthday. My friends and
I made the mistake of booking a cabana at Ballard’s on the 4th or
July. What I witnessed was SHOCKING and I will never visit there
again. Here are just a few things we witnessed:
Underage people chugging liquor nips and tossing them on the streets
leading to their bad check at the door.
One young man dropping to the sand and close to be unresponsive

with staff just stepping over him. My friend is a nurse and jumped in
with another adult to help.
Another young man unresponsive that required a wheelchair to be
removed. The response time for first responders was over 45
minutes.
Lines 5 people deep with NO identification asked. I never saw one

person show an ID
Young people vomiting in the sand.
It was reporter to me at restaurant by their staff that they closed the

place down at 6 pm because a 15 year old girl was raped in the bar
area.
Then you think - they hop on a ferry for an hour and drive home!
There is no way these young people were sober to drive or even to be
on a ferry. I can’t even image the stories the ferry must have.
What a shame. Such a beautiful island that can be destroyed by one

single establishment. Business owners have property stolen, yards
full of trash, yards with pee and vomit. This simply should not be
allowed!
I love to go out and have a good time but this experience upset me
greatly. Maybe it’s because I am a high school teacher and have two
boys myself but one day there will be loss of life if not stopped.
https://www.abc6.com/block-island-businesses-busted-for-serving-
alcohol-to-minors/
Thank you for reading my ramble
Katie Blake
Sent from my iPhone

To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Fwd: August 8 Festival Issue
For distribution
From: heather c >

To: [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected], Andre Boudreau
Mark Emmanuelle <[email protected]>, Martha Ball
<[email protected]>, Keith Stover <[email protected]>,
[email protected]
Subject: August 8 Festival Issue
To Whom it May Concern,

I have been visiting Block Island annually for approximately 30 years. We started
out as single 20 year olds renting the four rooms with the shared bath above the
Draper residence at the 1661. Since then our group has evolved into families with
children of all ages. This is our tradition and all of the children love BI as much as
we do. We had hoped to continue this tradition with our children and their
children moving forward. My family and I come for the quaint New England
charm but most importantly the magic that is only Block Island. This year we
came for an extended weekend, August 5, 2022 - August 8, 2022 . We planned
our trip in January around the BI triathlon and eagerly awaited the date to arrive.
Six families from our group attended. Our age range was 8-76 years old. My
children competed in the triathlon and we all had a wonderful day! Yesterday
(August 8) that all changed. The event at Ballard's was the opposite of everything
we believed Block Island to be. We watched as ferry after ferry transported
thousands of people to the island. The over crowding alone was ridiculous and
Ballard's appeared to be well over capacity. I understand recreational marijuana is
now legal in RI. However, when you have that many people smoking marijuana
and drinking in the sun all day it clearly becomes a public health and safety
concern. Many of these people left the festival and came onto Water Street
looking to eat because they could not get service at Ballard's because of the over
crowding. They appeared to be intoxicated. They were loud, rude, angry and
aggressive. I had a 5:00 car reservation otherwise I would have left
immediately. The situation on the island was tense, stressful, and dangerous
which came to fruition yesterday at Ballard's and on a ferry last night. I know
evolution is inevitable, is this the direction that Block Island is choosing to go in?
This is not the island I know and love.
With deep sadness and disappointment,
Heather
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Fwd: 8/8 incidents/ferry and Ballard’s
For distribution
From: Karen Mitchell < >

Subject: 8/8 incidents/ferry and Ballard’s
First, I want to thank you for your service.
I am a summer resident on Block Island and am writing to express my outrage

and embarrassment at the events that transpired yesterday aboard the Block Island
Ferry.
The town has a responsibility to intervene and prevent these kind of incidents
from occurring again in the future. The businesses involved (Ballard’s The Block
Island Ferry) are not taking preventative, responsible action to curtail the drunken
and excessive behavior that happens each weekend.
Our reputation as a small family island is being tarnished and we must show the
public that we are a responsible and safe island. Families should not feel they
have to avoid heading into town in order to avoid the drunken charades that play
out each weekend.
I trust you will investigate these incidents and take whatever action is necessary
from having these events occur again.
Thank you again, Karen Mitchell

1765 Corn Neck Road
Sent from my iPhone

From: Gail Hall
To: Millie McGinnes; Keisha Phillips-Brown
Subject: FW: Sustainable Tourism
Date: Tuesday, August 9, 2022 11:26:30 AM
Hi
I am so sorry I forgot to include you two in the email I have sent to the Town Council this
morning.
Thanks very much for your time,
Gail

Gail Ballard Hall

401-466-8883 Office
[email protected]

From: Gail Hall <G .com>
Date: Tuesday, August 9, 2022 at 9:43 AM
To: Andre Boudreau <[email protected]>, Sven Risom <srisom@new-
shoreham.com>, Martha Ball <[email protected]>, Keith Stover <kstover@new-
shoreham.com>, Mark Emmanuelle <[email protected]>
Cc: Jessica Willi <[email protected]>, [email protected]
<[email protected]>, [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: Sustainable Tourism
Good Morning Andre, Sven, Martha, Keith, Mark, Maryanne, Janette, Jessica and the Block
Island Tourism Council,

I imagine I am not the first letter in your email box nor the last about what took place
yesterday. We all know that something has to change, the question in my mind is to what
authority and control do we have to make a change?.

There is another event at Ballard’s on August 21. Roots & Rhythm from 9 AM to 7 PM.
What kind of control can we place on this event. Can Ballard’s liquor license be revoked for
a time while investigations are underway as to what is happening there? We had friend’s here
over July 4th and their daughter and boyfriend (27 & 29) went to Ballard’s and have never
seen so much underage drinking anywhere. No one in line to enter was carded. They live in
Phoenix AZ, go to large concert venues, shows, etc and have never seen anything like it. They
stayed for 15 minutes and left, they said it was disgusting.

When there are large events at the Narragansett Blessing of the Fleet, I have been told that the
organizers are required to have a fully stocked medical tent with nurses and doctors to care for
the multitude of things that happen when crowds gather. This only solves a minor part of what
is happening at Ballard’s but maybe it’s a start if we cannot revoke their liquor license right
now.

As for the ferry, and controlling drunk and disorderly behavior, I often think back to the
basketball games we attend at Providence
College where young adults have been drinking, are somewhat out of control but kept in check
by the security they provide. The crowd is badly wanting to rush the court but they do not
dare. And when someone is out of order, they are taken away by security. I know someone
on the boat cannot be “taken away” but won’t a stronger security force present eventually send
the message to the public that this behavior is not tolerated? And at the very least provide a
measure of safety for families going home on a day of these events and frankly, all weekends?

A couple of years ago a company was hired to assist the Tourism Council in establishing
guidelines for sustainable tourism and I wonder what happened to that program. I do not
recall if there was a focus on the mayhem that took place yesterday but I suppose now is the
time that it could or should?

There was discussion regarding promotion and when can a portion of promotional funding be
attributed to tourism infrastructure. The Island can only manage so many people, I believe it
is time to put a substantial amount of this money into the stewardship of tourism. It’s time.

The situation that took place yesterday is changing the face of Block Island. I have clients
who are seeing Block Island on the news and wondering what in the world is going on over
here. Sadly, they are finding other places to go.

What can we do, when, and how?
I am very sorry that you are facing this situation and I thank you for your time and attention to
it.

Gail

Gail Ballard Hall

cell
401-466-8883 Office
[email protected]

From: Shirlyne Gobern
To: Maryanne Crawford; Millie McGinnes
Subject: FW: Ballards and licensing visitations
Date: Monday, August 15, 2022 10:23:18 AM
Good morning,

I am sure you both have seen this.

From: Mary E Stover < >
Sent: Saturday, August 13, 2022 9:51 AM
To: Andre Boudreau <[email protected]>; Shirlyne Gobern <townmanager@new-
shoreham.com>; Sven Risom <[email protected]>; John Lehman
<[email protected]>; Keith Stover < >; Andre Boudreau
<[email protected]>; Martha Ball <[email protected]>; Mark Emmanuelle
<[email protected]>
Subject: Ballards and licensing visitations

Dear Council Members,
We are writing to voice our strong support of the Board of License Commissioners to
utilize the expressed authority granted to you to remedy the public safety issue that is
Steve Filippi’s Ballard’s.
Well-documented incidents over the 4th of July as well as on August 8th, necessitate
an immediate response to help ensure the safety of the island, its infrastructure,
residents, and the sustainability of its future.
In particular, we are asking you to act now under the purview of the Town’s Liquor
License Rules and Regulations and invoke section VI: License Restrictions +
Conditions, subsection A wherein “The Board of License Commissioners shall have
the authority to impose restrictions upon a license…to promote the reasonable control
of alcoholic beverages.”
Furthermore, we implore the Commission and the town solicitors to include all
pertinent evidence (including witness testimony, public videos, surveillance videos,
news reports, social media, et al.) in the “show cause” hearing in so much as they
comply with the standards outlined in subsection D which states: “Restrictions
imposed upon a particular license… should be reasonably supported by competent
evidence.”
If the town solicitor can please elaborate on this provision and their definition of
“competent evidence” it would be appreciated.
We also ask the Commission to exercise section VII: Revocation and Fines which
states “The Board of License Commissioners may revoke or suspend any license that
it has issued… if:
· “The license holder has violated the provisions of State law concerning
the Liquor Control Administration and;
· For the purposes of this section, the licensee assumes responsibility for
preventing its patrons from disturbing the surrounding neighborhood. Failure
to do so shall be grounds for revocation or suspension of a license…”
In closing, we would like to leave you all with a grim alternative scenario that I hope
will detract from any legal strategy currently averse to engaging with the Ballard’s
problem aggressively and immediately.
Anyone who has seen the videos or witnessed the overcrowding has likely come to
the same conclusion: we are fortunate things did not end worse. America is in the
midst of a gun epidemic and we would be foolish to think our bucolic Block Island
would be impervious to that level of devastating violence.
Our question to the council and town solicitors is this: With years of complaints about
Ballard’s officially and unofficially submitted to the town and leadership – what type of
legal liability is the town opening itself up to through continuous inaction should the
unthinkable happen?
We look forward to your reply,

Sincerely,
Mary and Monty Stover
Old Town Road
3.
Mary E Stover
Principal Broker
Beach Real Estate
www.biBeachRealEstate.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeachRealEstateBlockIsland

From: Sharon Marini
Subject: Fred Benson Beach
Hi,
Your email came up for town contact. Would you kindly forward this to any appropriate town council members that
should be aware?
After 34 years of highly enjoyable family vacations spent at your town beach, August 2022 was a disappointment
for a few reasons.
First, no rules are being enforced. There are not supposed to be glass bottles, but there were people drinking from
beer bottles as well as other large alcohol bottles including champagne.
Second, dogs are not allowed but every day there were several dogs all around us. I asked a beach staff person if the
rule has changed. She stated, “No technically dogs are not allowed but if your dog behaves we don’t care”.
Third, there was a group of approximately 6 adults that literally set up a hookah lounge. They had a three foot tall
bong with a hose coming out that they passed to eachother while drinking out of bottles of whiskey which were
strewn on the ground around them when emptied. Once they were thoroughly inebriated, the 3 men went off to ride
scooters while the women slept. They were a loud foul mouthed group and the odor of marijuana was stonger than
I’ve ever encountered. It was just untenable to have a relaxing fun day at the beach, particularly with our grandkids
with us.
The beach has become a free for all for bad behavior. It is being run by what appears to be teenagers. Don’t get me
wrong, these kids are very pleasant and work hard, but they are not mature enough nor are they paid enough I’m
sure to deal with out of control rule breakers.
I’m afraid the town beach is becoming overflow for Ballards beach. Please allow me to suggest you make changes
to get it back to the pleasant family beach it always was.
Thank you,
Sharon Marini
Sent from my iPhone

To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Fwd: Concerned owner with children - Pleading for change on island
From: Kristy Kennedy >

To: Andre Boudreau <[email protected]>, Sven Risom
<[email protected]>, Mark Emmanuelle <memmanuelle@new-
shoreham.com>, Martha Ball <[email protected]>, Keith Stover
<[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Concerned owner with children - Pleading for change on island
Good evening, Town Council members -
In advance of the town council meeting tomorrow, I wanted to again urge you to
close Ballards and/or revoke the liquor license. I also implore you for more
security and police presence on the island to uphold laws. Consider potentially no
alcohol to be carried onto the island if not in a car on ferry.
The strength and speed of your actions here and the communication with tourists
is crucial. If the town tries to keep this and the events of July 4th weekend quiet
to save tourism, the complicit response may be an incredible problem and liability
if a child or tourist gets hurt. The PR already looks horrible. No potential tourist
or family visiting should be in the dark on these issues. They need to know the
risks and know the town council is stepping up to enact change to keep the
families safe that want to enjoy this beautiful island. This needs to be about
keeping block island safe and keeping the island’s purpose. This cannot be swept
under the rug. There must be transparency and there must be change and
ramifications. The families with young kids on the island are asking… please
make the island safe for our children.
Again, as an owner, thank you for your attention and for your service to the island
that I’ve loved for 15 years.
Thank you.
Kristy Kennedy
On Aug 9, 2022, at 9:19 AM, Kristy Kennedy

< wrote:
From: Kimberly Hiltermann
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Block Island Debacle
To whom it may concern:
August 8th is a day to remember for sure.
Let’s start with Point Judith overselling every ferry’s departure time due to a need to fulfill
their money hunger. Prior to being let on the ferry itself - no one checks backpacks, no one
checks for weapons - they don’t even have a metal detector. Metal detectors in this age are
portable and easy to get a hold of. The only thing that was checked were tickets - and barely at
that, mine weren’t even scanned.
The reggae fest is an annual event that grows more and more as each year passes. Why aren’t
tickets sold to limit the bodies able to enter? It’s done for concerts. Why aren’t the ballards
security staff checking for weapons? All they care about is alcohol.
Plain and simple - safety and security was compromised starting with the ticket sales and then
the day snowballed. State troopers or New Shoreham police should’ve boarded the return
ferries to maintain peace not let bar drama travel from the bar to the boat.
The reggae festival is a huge money day for the island and should be treated accordingly.
Require patrons to choose a return ferry time like they do on the high-speed. It’s one day
where minor adjustments could’ve made a huge impact.
Many parties are at fault here - not just ballards.
Please feel free to contact me for any and all questions.
Kimberly Hiltermann
From: Nancy Pike
To: Fiona Fitzpatrick; Andre Boudreau; Keith Stover; Sven Risom; Martha Ball; Mark Emmanuelle;
[email protected]
Subject: Ballards
Date: Sunday, August 14, 2022 1:04:30 PM

I am writing to support the Board of License Commissioners in using their authority to remedy the public
safety issue that is Ballard’s “Family Restaurant”.
My understanding is that the capacity of Ballard’s “Family Restaurant” is 600 (if I am mistaken please
excuse) It is a Family Restaurant not a night club. Carding people at the door and pretending that minors
are sneaking around the side past their ferocious security is a ridiculous story.
As with other restaurant/bars each patron should be carded as they order their drinks. In response to
their continued abuse of the law in serving underage patrons (as evidenced by the recent NSPD sting
operation). I would ask that Ballard’s Liquor License be revoked until the end of the 2022 summer
season along with a revocation of entertainment licenses they may have been issued.
Secondly, that they strictly enforce their maximum occupancy. And that they open the side path to the
public beach so that anyone can visit it. No more waiters serving drinks on publicly held land. The
cabana’s which sit on Federal Property should be removed immediately and the federal agency in charge
of that area be notified for enforcement.
As a note on Interstate Navigation, I think during the summer season especially on weekends all ferry
tickets need to be tied to a specific scheduled boat. It would be the same format as the high speed ferry
now uses.
Specifically supported language, I would request that you act under the purview of the Town’s Liquor
License Rules and Regulations and invoke section VI: License Restrictions + Conditions, subsection A
wherein:
“The Board of License Commissioners shall have the authority to impose restrictions upon a license…to
promote the reasonable control of alcoholic beverages.”
Furthermore, we implore the Commission and the town solicitors to include all pertinent evidence
(including witness testimony, public videos, surveillance videos, news reports, social media, et al.) in the
“show cause” hearing in so much as they comply with the standards outlined in subsection D which
states: “Restrictions imposed upon a particular license… should be reasonably supported by competent
evidence.”
I would ask the Commission to exercise Section VII: Revocation and Fines which states: “The Board of
License Commissioners may revoke or suspend any license that it has issued… if:
“The license holder has violated the provisions of State law concerning alcoholic beverages, including but
not limited to the rules and regulations of the Liquor Control Administration and; For the purposes of this
section, the licensee assumes responsibility for preventing its patrons from disturbing the surrounding
neighborhood. Failure to do so shall be grounds for revocation or suspension of a license…”
Respectfully,
Nancy D. Pike, 1444 Cooneymus Road 1078
Nancy D Pike, Owner-Broker

Beach Real Estate
From: Shirlyne Gobern
To: Maryanne Crawford
Cc: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Ballards

From: Jessica Messier
Sent: Tuesday, August 9, 2022 9:22 AM
To: Shirlyne Gobern <[email protected]>
Subject: Ballards

To Whom it May Concern,

While I am not a resident of the island, my family and I have been renting a home on the island for 2
weeks a year for the past 13 years. We love it. We felt safe – until now.

What more is going to have to happen before Ballard’s is given a true penalty for the actions that
ensue there? No more slaps on the wrist because the Flippi family is a State Rep. When will the
liquor license be pulled? When will the festivals that draw the wrong crowd no longer be allowed to
happen? How many more people are going to have to be hurt before something is done once and
for all about this establishment? They are not what Block Island represents and nobody should have
to be fearful of putting themselves or their child on a ferry home after one of the raves at Ballards.

Shut them down!

Jessica Messier
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Corporate Headquarters Mailing Address: BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) 1 Becton
Drive Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417 U.S.A.
From: Joe Loya
To: Andre Boudreau; Sven Risom; Mark Emmanuelle; Martha Ball; Keith Stover; Millie McGinnes; Keisha Phillips-
Brown
Cc: Bob Benjamin; Susan Bush; Marti Dunne; Craig Fontaine; Susan Matheke; Mary McInerney-Forssell; Eliot
Nerenberg; Nancy Thornberry; Sharon L Weinberg; [email protected]
Subject: Ballard"s and the over consumption and abuse of alcohol on Block Island
Date: Saturday, August 13, 2022 10:44:38 AM
I listened in to the Town Council meeting Wednesday evening and fully support your efforts to hold
Ballard’s fully accountable for the events which took place on Monday. August 8. Further, we all recognize
that the issues raised by this event extend well beyond any one business and any one event. I would
encourage the Town Council to take aggressive action with respect to the show cause hearing for Ballard’s,
and more broadly, to hold bars and restaurants accountable for the over consumption and abuse
of alcohol. This lack of accountability has led to far too many incidents, including accidents, fights
and brawls, threatening the health, public safety and reputation of our Island.
Here is a link to the communication that we sent to the BIRA membership base this morning.
https://mailchi.mp/d78e65a9dd32/increased-applications-for-large-homes-5885039
If there is more that BIRA can do to support your efforts, please let me know.
Joe Loya
__________________
Joseph M. Loya
President
Block Island Residents Association
[email protected]
203.470.7999
From: Millie McGinnes
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: FW: Ballards and Interstate debacle

Sent: Tuesday, August 9, 2022 12:09 PM
To: Millie McGinnes <[email protected]>
Subject: Fwd: Ballards and Interstate debacle

For distribution
From: meaghan barrett < >

Subject: Ballards and Interstate debacle
Dear Andre:

I’m sure I’m one of countless emails you are receiving on the subject of the
Ballards’ and ferry debacle last night. I do apologize for being just one more
person complaining. But the situation is alarming - an understatement.

What happened is not a surprised - we have been allowing this to build for many
years and the disaster last night was forecast most recently by the criminal assault
and rape over the 4th of July 2022.

Thinking that this activity can somehow be contained to the Ballards’ corner of
the island is naive and impractical. Already the activity has expanded to Town
and to Mohegan Bluffs Beach.

Please commit to making a change - to making sure that the Ballards ownership is
seriously punished for their past misconduct and not permitted to continue
engaging in unsafe and at times criminal behavior in the future.

In addition, Interstate Navigation must be held accountable for allowing the
drinking and smoking for hours in the ferry area - exacerbating an already delicate
situation. It is my understanding that Block Island Express management controls
their patrons who are waiting for the ferry, prohibits drinking and smoking of all
substances and has not had any problems like what occurred last night.

I do not want to be simply a voice complaining and am happy to help with the
solution where I can.

Very truly yours,

Meaghan Barrett
341 High Street
Block Island
From: Brendan McCollam
To: Millie McGinnes
Cc: Erin McCollam
Subject: Ballard"s and beyond
Attachments: Brendan P McCollam.vcf
Hi Milli,

Thank you to the TC for allowing us nonresident taxpayers to weigh in on current events. I am 54
years old and my parents first brought me to the Island in 1968 when I was 8 months old. I have
been fortunate to have been able to return to the Island every year of my life with my folks
purchasing in Ministers Lot in 1970, a home which I still share with my siblings today. My wife Erin
and I have brought our own children since 1997 and purchased our own home on Lakeside Drive
almost 3 years ago. My eldest daughter is getting married on the Island next month! We have many
Islanders we call friends so it is alarming to see a one particular business sully the name of the Island
while exhausting valuable resources in the process and directly or indirectly negatively affect other
businesses. My parents loved to take us to Ballard’s back in the day but I can tell you we haven’t
even glanced that way in the last 5 years, unfortunate as we love to support the Island businesses
and enjoy the uniqueness of many of them.

The obvious with Ballard’s is the large events with no way to track the number of patrons that
may arrive. The underage drinking has been well documented and the lack of responsibility from Mr.
Filippi is outrageous. Everyone is apologizing for what occurred, yet not a word from the person or
Establishment that caused the issue? He blatantly lied in interviews when he clearly can be seen in at
least two videos as bedlam ensues. Let’s not forget the beginning of Covid when the Island was
essentially struggling thru the summer trying to manage and he had I believe the very same concert
that created similar lines and chaos in town when limits were being put on celebrations like
Weddings! I’m sure you will be examining the call log from the volunteers at the Rescue Squad and
Fire Barn, my guess is that the calls to Ballard’s will far outweigh those to any other commercial
enterprise on the island. Those volunteers are regularly pulled from primary jobs thus stressing other
small businesses on the Island. It all goes hand in hand! One party continues to benefit at the
expense of others. I would ask, what positive does the town get from Ballard’s vs the negative press?
Here in CT we constantly see and hear Ad’s for Ballard’s Beach Resort and until recently all glorified
alcohol consumption! The Chamber needs to remind business that you will reap what you sow…
Block Island was and still is a “Family” destination.

Beyond that I do feel that the Town self creates many of its own issues, mostly unintentionally but
nonetheless the TC and different departments need to regain what has been lost. I would ask, when
did Ballard’s expand onto the beach? What do they actually own? When did they apply for permits
to build Tiki bars? When did they apply to erect multiple stages? Are there permits on file for their
frozen drink bar? Where’s the parking to hold events of that size? What does the outdoor
entertainment permit actually allow? Who approved all those things? When did the meetings occur?
Who inspected all those things and holds his feet to the fire when not in compliance? Don’t look
now but the Block Island Beach House has expanded onto the beach as well! Value his property and
all other commercial properties accordingly! I guess my point is that part of this problem is zoning
and enforcement or lack thereof! Time to get tough and enforce what is already written. If the
From: Steven Filippi
Subject: Ballard’s 2022
Date: Tuesday, August 9, 2022 11:25:13 AM
Good morning. Can you please pass the below information to the Town Council.
1. We have canceled all future Reggae and Rythem/ Roots Bands for this year.
2. We implemented all the procedures that Chief Chabot recommended. Including ID Scanner wrist bands,
monitoring for over consumption and extra security.
3. We only had two minor EMT calls yesterday. Both assisted by our own EMT’s. Both had nothing to do with
Alcohol.
If you would like to have a private meeting about future plans I would be more that willing.
Thank you,
Steven C. Filippi
Ballard’s Resort
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Fwd: Ballard’s “reggae night” fiasco
For distribution
From: Maude Chasse < >

Subject: Ballard’s “reggae night” fiasco
I have never felt the need to contact Town Council, but I must today.
I believe that it’s time to get very tough with liquor license holders. Pull the
licenses for a several days to make the message very clear that they have a
responsibility to the town to keep people from being over served.
Thank goodness nobody was seriously hurt last night. This is not the Block Island
most homeowners want our island to be.
Thank you for all you do; I know tours is not an easy job.
Maude Chasse
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Fwd: Block Island Reggae Fest Calamity
Millie council has this but you don’t so hold it for your files
From: Kevin Totoian >

Cc: Sven Risom <[email protected]>, Mark Emmanuelle
<[email protected]>, Martha Ball <MBall@new-
shoreham.com>, Keith Stover <[email protected]>
Subject: Block Island Reggae Fest Calamity
To whom it may concern,
I have chosen Block Island as a vacation destination every year going back to the
1980’s.
The Reggae Fest on Monday, August 8th was a travesty.
Our family arrived for our anual week-long stay on that day. We headed to the
State Beach while our adult daughter and her boyfriend remained in the Old
Harbor to browse the shops and have lunch.
They met us a short time later and said they had witnessing a stampede of people
pushing down the barrier fence and running into Ballard’s beach concert area.
They said it was a chaotic scene with too few police and security and far too many
festival goers trying to get into the venue.
We were relieved that they were safe, especially as video and news of fights
breaking out on the dance floor area started trending.
We heard police or ambulance sirens during the day. We walked among drunken
festival goers on Water Street.
In the evening we witnessed a sight we had never seen before, a sea of people
filling the entire ferry parking area waiting to leave the island. For safety, we
headed to the other side of the island that evening.
In the morning, news of the events of the previous night were all that coffee shop
workers, townspeople and vacationers were talking about.
To see our beloved Block Island in the NY Post, NBC News, Boston Globe,
countless other news outlets local and national, and even the Joe Rogan podcast in
this disturbing light was very upsetting. We are relieved that something more
terrible did not occur at this event.
If this is the direction that Block Island is heading we will be making other
vacation plans going forward. This would be a sad, sad, development since
coming to this beautiful island has been a family tradition for decades.
Sincerely,
Kevin Totoian
Sent from my iPhone

To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Fwd: Ballards
Attachments: B8438103-5256-4AD8-9B2E-CA5C850ED224.mov
Another thst we have and you don’t

From: Eileen Birk >

Keith Stover <[email protected]>, Mark Emmanuelle
<[email protected]>
Subject: Ballards
I do not envy any of you right now; I can only imagine the pressure you are
receiving. I would like to share a video I saw on Facebook Tuesday morning. I
screen recorded it to show a friend who isn't on social media. When I went to
look for it yesterday, it was gone. As you watch the video, you will see Steve
Filippi in the middle of a fight on the docks in front of Ballards. This specifically
contradicts any assertion that he did not know of any fights or problems.
You don't need me to say Block Island's reputation is getting trampled; incidents
like these do not appear on the news for Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket. They
seemingly have a zero tolerance policy. There's been a clear escalation of severity
of incidents from unresponsive minors, overserved patrons, public intoxication to
physical assaults, sexual assault and now Monday's events.
Please make a meaningful change to revoke Ballard's liquor license before the
next escalation results in a body bag. Change will be met with resistance, but you
have the community behind you.
Thank you.
Eileen Birk
From: Michele Phelan
To: Millie McGinnes; [email protected]; Maryanne Crawford; [email protected]
Subject: Fwd: Yesterday on Block Island
Hi Everyone:
I had emailed the Town Council a couple of days ago but wanted you to see our email as well
before today's meeting.
Thanks in advance for taking the time to read it.
Kind regards,
Michele and Blake Phelan
---------- Forwarded message ---------

From: Michele Phelan <
Date: Tue, Aug 9, 2022 at 12:53 PM
Subject: Yesterday on Block Island
<[email protected]>, Martha Ball <[email protected]>, Keith Stover
<[email protected]>, [email protected] <[email protected]>
Hi:
I am sure you have all seen the videos and more than you want to see. It is time to stop the
madness. Close Ballard's.
When people are afraid to get on the ferry because of safety concerns, things have gone too
far. How the crew on the ferries were treated is just not acceptable. The fights at Ballard's are
real. Block Island is in the news for all the wrong reasons and that is just not fair to the rest of
the community and island visitors who love the island for all the beauty and peacefulness we
have to offer.
We should be featuring the Mary D. Ball and The Triathlon as the weekend's top events.
PLEASE close Ballard's. That establishment is the problem.
KInd regards,
Blake and Michele

To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Fwd: Recent Ballard’s events
From: Sarah Treanor < >

Subject: Recent Ballard’s events
We want to thank you for the commitment you have made serving on Block
Islands’s Town Council your time and effort to make Block Island a special place.
Unfortunately the recent events that that have occurred has frustrated and
saddened us. The behavior of the owners of Ballard's is a complete disgrace
The fact that they are able to bring thousands to this island advertising "drink and
party all day" on Rhode Island television all to benefit from their patrons
appalling and unpardonable behavior. People are are served to excess causing
them to either perpetrate or become victims of both petty and violent crime. It has
become glaringly apparent over the past years that Ballard's ownership does not
respect this island or its elected officials.
It is time for the town to take real action.
In addition, it is apparent that Interstate Navigation responds to and communicates

with Ballard’s and helps maximize the number of people coming to “party” here.
They seem to operate with more interest in their own financial needs than Block
Island’s.
It is clear that Ballards, Interstate Navigation and the moped companies all
represent a threat to this island and its community. For the past few years, we
have all debated these issues but nothing has been done to resolve them.
What do you all need in order to take more effective action?
Sincerely,
Chris and Sarah Treanor

1520 Grace’s Cove Rd
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone

From:
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Vj Monday
Could you please distribute to councilors.

Can you request that ferry add enough timely boats on Monday of VJ weekend or sell less
tickets in the morning? The hundred of people left waiting for boats not on the schedule and
not able to leave the line for food or drink for fear of losing place or not being able to get off
but also needing to wait hours and hours at the end of their day trip was unexpected to many
and a tough situation taxing our local and state police and dispatch at the end of a long
weekend with multiple events.
This boat has been a problem for several years now with people posting on social media lines
looping around the park and heading down water street since 2018. I am sensitive to staffing
issues which would then suggest that bringing less people over on the earlier boats may be the
solution.
West Side Tax Payer
Please withhold my name as I don’t want to be a part of the other conversations and topics
regarding this weekend.
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Fwd: Town Council-Call to Action
For distribution
From: Millie Starr < >

Subject: Town Council-Call to Action
Good afternoon,
I am writing in response to the unsafe and disrespectful behavior

exhibited this past weekend on the island and on the BI ferry. I am
grateful for the privilege to live on Block Island and be a part of
the extraordinary community that we have. It is upsetting in many ways
to witness this false representation of our home, due to ongoing
actions and behavior of the people coming to visit. I am writing in
support and encouragement of the town council’s actions to limit
underage drinking, address this growing “party scene” image and
restore safety and a sense of security to this island. This letter
serves as a call to action for our town to address the
venues/establishments that are fueling this problem, most recently,
Ballard’s Beach Resort, where this is not the first reportable
incident this summer.
Respectfully submitted,
Camille Starr
Subject: Town Council Meeting/ Ballards
My name Is Lisa Terry. I own a house on Corn Neck Road. I have been coming to BI since the late 80's ,
but I have only owned property for the last 8 years.
My concern with Block Island is that the town does not have the resources to handle large scale events.
Since Ballards seems to have the largest venue in town, they are the biggest threat to a peaceful BI life.
Even if Ballards was a good neighbor, which they are not, the town does not have the resources to
handle a business with a large capacity.
I do not understand how a business like Ballards is still in business. The amount of drunk people that spill
out of their establishment is grounds enough for them to lose their liquor license. They over serve. Take
a ferry home on a Sat or Sunday and you will know that to be true.
On 7/4 I made the mistake of taking a ferry home. I thought that if I waited till the last ferry home I would
have missed the drunk crowd. I was mistaken. There were police in the parking lot and even a State
Trooper with his car getting on the ferry, but nothing was done to keep order in the line to the ferry. It was
not as much of a line as a group of drunk people gathering as close to each other as possible. I do
understand that the police had little that they could do. Three police officers up against a drunk crowd. I
am sure that they made an informed decision to do nothing, but it made many of us feel unsafe. A
woman that I had never met asked if she could travel with my family because she was traveling alone and
felt unsafe. She stayed with us on line and for the duration of the ferry trip.
Block Island has a reputation as being a party island. It is a party island. Who among us has not had
their bike or dingy stolen by a drunk person who was just borrowing it. Who has not seen a dunk person
downtown.
The town is at a turning point, or at least I hope it is. This is not just a problem with Ballards. The town
has to decide how many crises it can handle in any given day. What can our small police dept handle. If
we cannot handle it then we shouldn't be inviting large numbers on the island. Or we need to have better
resources, more police/fire/medical. I do not know how the numbers can be addressed by the town but I
would think that a town would have the ability to limit capacity within it's limits.
I would also like to know who owns the beach by Ballards and why they are allowed control over that
beach.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I do hope that real change can happen on Block Island.
Thanks,
Lisa Terry
654 Corn Neck
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Fwd: Tonights Town Council Meeting
From: Allison Carley < >

<[email protected]>, Mark Emmanuelle <memmanuelle@new-
shoreham.com>, Martha Ball <[email protected]>, Keith Stover
<[email protected]>
Subject: Tonights Town Council Meeting
Dear Town Council,
I do want to start out by saying you guys are doing a great job! The last few years
have been unprecedented and you all really have held it together for our tiny
community.
So much has changed in the last few years (in the world) and, as a result, we have
no other choice but to change with it. While change is so good, transition is not
as fun. Unfortunately, this island is scared of too many opinions and thoughts on
what would work on this island and what won’t and I can’t help but think a lot of
the fear comes from how the island will receive the change. I urge you all to find
a way to say, “yes” to change, real courageous change, so many times we find the
urge to say, "no, that’s not how we do it” and sadly, we need more.
It was only a matter of time that the incidences surrounding Ballards would come
to a head. It feels like we are always in triage mode, identifying the problem after
the fact. As an outsider, it looks and feels like there is no communication or
transparency. I've seen it a thousand times in my career, a quick hallway
conversation can really take a turn for the worst. As a result, the gossip and bad
information is distributed and it creates fear. My 10 year old nephew called me
from the Block Island Club Tuesday and said there was a shooting on the ferry
(for perspective purposes). The head doesn’t know what the feet are doing.
After running and heading very successful, fast paced businesses I always knew
that honesty and transparency kept the wheels on of a $250Mil dollar business.
You guys are running a business and unfortunately, unpopular moves are the only
way to keep the wheels on. It is your job to make everyone accountable for this
mess. And then as you process the problem it is equally as important to provide
solutions.
This island needs a communication liaison, that understands quantifying the
number of visitors expected any given moment. They need to communicate with
the chamber and tourism council so that all businesses are prepared for what is
possible. Action needs to be taken ahead of the moment. We have 365 days a
year to plan for the 4th of July. Interstate must be able to provide the numbers,
tourism must share social platform hits, Chamber has to communicate with the
business owners. Police need to check in with the bars. Tips Certification must
be held to a higher importance. Fines need to be imposed.
I watched a business out here pay more care to a trellis that didn’t look
right(according to the historical society) and taken down in a timely manner when
the entire town could use a massive power wash. Let's get out of the small details
and focus on the bigger issues.
Change is good. Transition stinks. Let's find a way to say yes and make real
change happen.
I am filled with gratitude for everything you all do.

Allison Carley
847 Westside Rd.
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Fwd: time for a change in conduct is now.
For distribution
From: ellie krusewski < >

Subject: time for a change in conduct is now.
Block Island is earning its unfortunate image as a place to drink and act like a bunch of
drunks
Without any consequences or responsibility for unacceptable bad behavior. The time
for change is now.
Ellie krusewski


From: RPK
To: Millie McGinnes; Keisha Phillips-Brown
Subject: Fwd: Steve Filippi"s Ballard"s | A Ticking Time Bomb
---------- Forwarded message ---------

From: RPK <
Date: Fri, Aug 12, 2022 at 1:26 AM
Subject: Steve Filippi's Ballard's | A Ticking Time Bomb
To: <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>,
<[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <kstover@new-
shoreham.com>, <[email protected]>
*Please also forward to town solicitors for question.
I’m writing to voice my strong support of the Board of License Commissioners to utilize the
expressed authority granted to you to remedy the public safety issue that is Steve Filippi’s
Ballard’s.
Well-documented incidents over the 4th of July as well as on August 8th, necessitate an
immediate response to help ensure the safety of the island, its infrastructure, residents, and
the sustainability of its future.
In particular, I’m asking you to act now under the purview of the Town’s Liquor License
Rules and Regulations and invoke section VI: License Restrictions + Conditions,
subsection A wherein “The Board of License Commissioners shall have the authority to
impose restrictions upon a license…to promote the reasonable control of alcoholic
beverages.”
Furthermore, I implore the Commission and the town solicitors to include all pertinent
evidence (including witness testimony, public videos, surveillance videos, news reports,
social media, et al.) in the “show cause” hearing in so much as they comply with the
standards outlined in subsection D which states: “Restrictions imposed upon a particular
license… should be reasonably supported by competent evidence.”
If the town solicitor can please elaborate on this provision and their definition of “competent
evidence” it would be appreciated.
I also ask the Commission to exercise section VII: Revocation and Fines which states
“The Board of License Commissioners may revoke or suspend any license that it has
issued… if:
“The license holder has violated the provisions of State law concerning
the Liquor Control Administration and;
For the purposes of this section, the licensee assumes responsibility for
preventing its patrons from disturbing the surrounding neighborhood. Failure
to do so shall be grounds for revocation or suspension of a license…”
In closing, I’d like to leave you all with a grim alternative scenario that I hope will detract
from any legal strategy currently averse to engaging with the Ballard’s problem
aggressively and immediately.
Anyone who has seen the videos or witnessed the overcrowding has likely come to the
same conclusion: we are fortunate things did not end worse. America is in the midst of a
gun epidemic and we would be foolish to think our bucolic Block Island would be
impervious to that level of devastating violence.
My question to the council and town solicitors is this: With years of complaints about
Ballard’s officially and unofficially submitted to the town and leadership – what type of legal
liability is the town opening itself up to through continuous inaction should the unthinkable
happen?
I look forward to your reply,

Ryan Patrick Kelley
--

Ryan Patrick Kelley
--

Ryan Patrick Kelley
From: Bitourism
To: Andre Boudreau; Martha Ball; Sven Risom; Keith Stover; Mark Emmanuelle; Maryanne Crawford; Millie McGinnes;
Renee Meyer
Subject: Statement from the Block Island Tourism Council
This statement is being sent on behalf of the 7 member board of the Block Island Tourism
Council.
We, the Block Island Tourism Council, fully condemn the horrific and heart-breaking events that
occurred on Monday—which have arguably been building for weeks (years, really). As a council of
islanders, we feel a professional and moral obligation to continue our promotion of the island
as we see it: a place where families, friends—old and new—can come together to enjoy all we have
to offer. For decades we have intentionally not marketed for peak-season tourism, rather, we have
long focused on promoting our amazing shoulder seasons. This year alone we have invested over
$60,000 of local hotel-tax generated revenue to support initiatives that fall in line with our long-term
goals and promote community sustainability. We are eager to collaborate with local leaders and our
community at large to implement long lasting change. This is our Block Island.

The Block Island Tourism Council
To: Millie McGinnes
Subject: Fwd: Save Block Island!
For distribution .
From: LEE MORGAN >

Subject: Save Block Island!
My sister who is visiting the island right now told me the town Council was
having a meeting this evening, fortunately my family and I missed the disgusting
incident that happened Monday night by just a day as we were on the island for a
lovely two week vacation.
To the Town Council of New Shoreham,
I’m sure you don’t have easy jobs, especially now and I certainly don’t envy what
you will have to come up against now but I implore you to save Block Island!
Please, something must be done to change the narrative of what it means to go to
Block Island, today. Like many, I have been traveling to BI since I was a child.
My whole family would vacation every year to the island some of us would take
the Yankee ferry out of New London and others by our boat which was kept in
the Old Harbour. This was in the early 70’s.
My parents were friendly with Paul Filipee Sr.
We would get one of the small simple but comfortable motel style rooms in the
two-story establishment. My parents would go down to the low square bar and
listen to the music played on the little stage, kids would get up and dance to the
chicken dance and everyone would sing “In heaven there is no beer..”
It was full of simple beautiful times picking blackberries, catching crabs, walking
around the island appreciating the beauty for what it was. In my 20’s I sailed with
my brother and stayed in the great salt pond and woke to the sound of the water
lapping, sail boats gently clanging and early breakfast calls from Aldo‘s boat and
delicious pastries (especially hermits which I don’t think they have anymore)
I remember looking up at the beautiful stone and green house on the hill and
wondering what that was not realizing that 10 years later Ray Torrey would marry
my husband and I there and our wedding gifts to our guests was a donation to the
BLOCK ISLAND Conservancy because that’s how we felt we could make a
difference.
Before we got married my husband to be and I would take backpacks and our
bicycles and hop on the ferry and go to Block Island. We loved the beauty the
simplicity and the outrageously gorgeous beaches. I would tell stories of when I
was a kid and told him that not much changed with the exception of a few giant
out of place houses that were being built. We rode our bikes everywhere we love
discovering new trails and grabbing a bite to eat.
Fast forward we had our first child and took our son there when he was just two
months old. He has been going there ever since as well as his younger sister. Our
children now 11 and 13 love Block Island as much as we do. We have taught
them to love and appreciate everything the island has to offer. Swimming, hiking,
clamming, fishing, finding blackberries.. appreciating what the island looks like in
the winter and the spring. They get it - but unfortunately there is a large
population that does not because of certain messaging that is coming from
Ballards, now.
Block Island is not Daytona on spring break. Why should shop owners have to
close their doors because of people stealing merchandise, why should we as a
family be afraid to go to the Old Harbour on a weekend because it’s too chaotic
and too many people are intoxicated. Under age drinking moped accidents car
fatalities sexual assaults bar and ferry brawls what is going on here ?!
Take Ballard‘s liquor license away, all summer if need be -they should pay a fine
too. (and hold all the other bars accountable for serving minors or serving
intoxicated people, I don’t mean to only single out Ballards) Make you’re
messaging cohesive it’s supposed to be The last greatest place on earth not a free-
for-all drinking Mardi Gras style vacation.
The island is getting ruined both physically environmentally optically!!
social media is a blessing and a curse have you read the trash that’s being said
about BLOCK ISLAND?! I am so saddened.
Please do something and quickly or it will no longer be the last greatest place on
earth.
A deeply saddened long time Block Island visitor and her family who would love
to help save the Block..
Lee Morgan
Sent from my iPhone

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From: Gail Hall

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

This establishment has to be reigned in!

Town Council Members:

Sent from my iPhone

To the Town Council,

Kate Atwater Butcher

Sent from my ridiculously expensive handset, on an unreliable network.

Begin forwarded message:

From: M H < >

Thanks for your time-

Begin forwarded message:

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

This establishment has to be reigned in!

Dear Town Clerk and Council ,

Sent from my ridiculously expensive handset, on an unreliable network.

Begin forwarded message:

Dear Town Council Committee Members,

Jim and Michelle Valentine

To whom it may concern,

To the Town Council,

Kate Atwater Butcher

Sent from my ridiculously expensive handset, on an unreliable network.

Begin forwarded message:

Thanks for your time-

Begin forwarded message:

Begin forwarded message:

From: Ballard's Resort - Beach <no-

Roots Fest August 21

Download the Toast TakeOut app

© Toast, Inc. 2022. All Rights Reserved.

Sent from my ridiculously expensive handset, on an unreliable network.

Begin forwarded message:

Dear Town Council Committee Members,

Jim and Michelle Valentine

Sent from my iPhone

REVOCATION AND FINES

Letter to the Editor and all Members of Town Council:

Thank you for your efforts,

Can you please send this to Nick and James.

From: Constance Corbett >

Sent from my ridiculously expensive handset, on an unreliable network.

Begin forwarded message:

From: Robin Krawczyk <r >

I am saddened, frustrated, and ashamed by the inexcusable behavior of the

Does the town have the resources to ascertain this information?

It appears that Interstate Navigation responds to and communicates with Ballards.

Town Council Members:

Sent from my iPhone

From: Margie and Bill Comings, 808 Pilot Hill Road

Date: August 16, 2022

Subject: Ballard’s Show Cause Hearing

Sent from my ridiculously expensive handset, on an unreliable network.

Begin forwarded message:

From: Dale Allen < >

Dear Councilman Boudreau: