Feds Interview Barletta Supervisor on 6/10 Project, Tells GoLocal Decisions Made by Another Official
Wednesday, April 14, 2021
The ongoing federal investigation related to the dumping of contaminated material in Olneyville tied to the 6/10 construction project is advancing.
Federal agents visited the home of a supervisor of Barletta Engineering — the company is the lead contractor on both the 6/10 project — the state's largest construction project as well as the contractor on another RIDOT project Pawtucket/Central Falls Commuter Rail Station and Bus Hub.
Combined the two projects have received hundreds of millions in federal and state funding.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTTruckloads and truckloads of contaminated material were transported to a Plainfield Street location adjacent to homes and small businesses in June of 2020 by Barletta and under the supervision of the RIDOT.
GoLocal has learned the federal investigation continues.
Latest Developments
On Sunday, March 7, 2021, federal agents interviewed Barletta supervisor Jeremy Oliveira about the Pawtucket/Central Falls Train Station project at his home in Dartmouth, Massachusetts about moving contaminated soil from the Pawtucket site to the 6/10 project site.
Oliveira in a phone interview with GoLocal on Monday confirmed that federal agents visited his home, but denied that he knew where the contaminated soil was being taken for disposal after it left the Pawtucket/Central Falls Train Station site.
“It was my job to load the trucks,” said Oliveira, referring to the dozens of trucks that moved material from the Pawtucket/Central Falls site to the 6/10 Olneyville site on Plainfield Street.
"Nothing goes without Dennis' approval," said Oliveira. "He instructed the trucks to take it to the 6/10 site."
Oliveira’s reference to "Dennis" is Dennis Ferreira. He is the project supervisor on the 6/10 Project who oversees the day-to-day operation of the massive construction project that each day is working on multiple sites across acres and acres in Providence neighborhoods and involves hundreds of workers.
Neighbors have complained that the contamination made their lives miserable. Last fall, one of the families -- Virginia and Teofilo (or “Ramon” to his friends) Carmona who live adjacent to where the contaminated soil was piled, told GoLocal about the impact of the dumping.
"We cannot use our backyard. This is directly all over and often when the wind blows you cannot see because the soil goes everywhere,” said Mr. Carmona.
In October of 2020, GoLocal unveiled the U.S. Attorney in Providence issued subpoenas for materials and witnesses to present before a Federal grand jury relating to the 6/10 project.
Barletta executives did not respond to requests for comment.
Rhode Island environmental officials in November working from a court-issued search warrant examined and took samples from the Pawtucket/Central Falls Trains Station site.
In December, GoLocal unveiled that twice in a week, massive concrete retaining blocks were loaded onto a trailer in Providence and then trucked to the home of Ferreira’s daughter’s home in Weymouth. Identical types of blocks are being installed at the taxpayer-supported 6/10 project.
The concrete blocks were installed as a new retaining wall on the privately-owned Weymouth property.
Ferreira reached by phone in December told GoLocal, "I have no comment."
The Whistleblower and the Initial Investigation
In early September, GoLocal unveiled that one of Rhode Island’s top union officials had repeatedly raised concerns with the lead contractor on the project and with both the Departments of Transportation and Environmental Management regarding contaminated soil being shipped into Providence and dumped.
James White, President of Local 57 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, had notified state officials repeatedly -- and both RIDOT and RIDEM officials had failed to take action.
Rhode Island Department of Transportation’s Director repeatedly denied that there was contamination in the Olneyville site.
Prior to GoLocal unveiling contamination at the Rhode Island Department of Transportation 6/10 Construction site, a State Police officer had begun an investigation and taken samples but the investigation was shut down by Colonel James Manni.
GoLocal secured a copy of this internal State Police memo.
Initially, the State Police began the state’s investigation but it was almost immediately shifted to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management — that agency has only one investigator.
On Saturday, September 5, 2020, Lt. Michael Casey wrote in a detailed memo to Captain Matthew C. Moynihan, a member of the State Police's command staff, regarding contamination.
The memo stated that a retired state trooper had contacted Casey to alert him to the issue. But nearly as soon as the investigation began, it was over. On Tuesday, September 8, 2020, GoLocal broke the story of the contamination, EXCLUSIVE: Union Official Says RIDOT Allows Contractor to Illegally Dump Contaminates at 6/10 Site.
Later that Tuesday morning a meeting was held by Governor Gina Raimondo's office hosted by staffer Nicole Verdi -- that meeting included top staff from RIDEM, RIDOT, and the State Police.
Barletta - $349 Million in RIDOT Contracts
Barletta is part of the 6-10 CONSTRUCTORS JOINT VENTURE and secured $247,630,000 for the 6/10 improvement project awarded in 2017; also in 2018 Barletta was awarded the Pawtucket/Central Falls Commuter Rail Station and Bus Hub, which was $35,796,000. In 2020, Barletta was awarded the Bridge Group 49 - Henderson Bridge project for $65,964,000 — bringing the total to $349,390,000.
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- Feds Interview Barletta Supervisor on 6/10 Project, Tells GoLocal Decisions Made by Another Official