North Smithfield Public Comment

Sarah and Elizabeth are back with a deep dive into two of North Smithfield's most contentious local issues. First up: the quarry. Known officially as Material Sand & Stone (or Pound Hill Quarry), this operation has been battling the town over grandfathered mining rights, noise ordinances, silica dust, and well contamination since at least 2022 — though the legal saga stretches back to the...

Sarah and Elizabeth sit down with Paul Jones — small business owner, community advocate, and candidate for North Smithfield Town Council — for a wide-ranging conversation about what it actually takes to govern a town well. Follow Paul's campaign at his website, electpauljones.com and get in touch at paul@electpauljones.comFollow Public Comment at  facebook.com / publiccommentnorthsmithfield  ...

In this episode of Public Comment North Smithfield , hosts Sarah and Elizabeth interview Kevin Carrier , a candidate for North Smithfield Town Council and professor of social and political psychology at Stonehill College. Kevin discusses his three core campaign priorities: government transparency , environmental protection , and housing affordability in North Smithfield, Rhode Island. The conversa...

The North Smithfield police station has been a problem since 2014. In this episode, Elizabeth Hammond and Sarah LaFontaine break down the full history — from the original $5.4 million bond that wasn't enough, to a failed $20 million ballot measure, to the $9 million bond that finally passed in early 2026. They dig into what "minimum standards" actually means for the officers and resi...

What do you do with an empty lot where a school used to be? If you're North Smithfield, RI — apparently you think about it for seven years. Elizabeth and Sarah dig into the full Halliwell Elementary saga: the closed school, the demolished building, the $5M in federal grants, the multi-generational center that never quite came to be, and the latest pivot back to Scouters Hall. They break down w...

Follow us on social media @NSpublic comment North Smithfield residents can join the conversation at https://www.facebook.com/groups/northsmithfieldpubliccomment Transcripts are available at our website nspubliccomment.com Correction: Elizabeth mentions volunteering at CPAC in 2010. The conference she mentioned took place in 2011.Sarah and Elizabeth introduce themselves and their podcast — a monthl...