In 2016, The Massasoit Club’s Executive Committee borrowed $250,000 to construct a new building. In addition, the Executive Committee then spent all of the money in our Building Fund, and then raided our general fund for even more money. In total, the Executive Committee spent almost a half a million dollars on this project. Rather than hire a professional contractor, the Executive Committee chose to take on this enormous and expensive project by themselves.

Rather than use any standard construction methods, the Executive Committee chose to pour a concrete slab, throw some used, rusted storage containers up and then top it with a half-finished roof. This roof is nothing more than a snow and ice barrier, and not a proper permanent roof. As a result, the roof is leaking quite badly, and the plywood has mold and rot.

As a result of not having the proper building inspections done, a stop work order was issued in February of 2018. Subsequently, the club has not been able to get a building permit to do any work at all on this building.

The information on this project is publicly available. Click here to download and read the City of East Providence’s letter about this disaster. Click here to see that the building permits have been stopped.

Members often ask when the new building will be finished. Unfortunately, at this point there is no clear path forward to finish this project. Sadly, the Massasoit Executive Committee wasted $450,000 of the members’ money on this project, which may never be completed.

Here is a summary of all of the mistakes that the Executive Committee made with this new building:

1. The Executive Committee lied to the membership about how much the building would cost. We were told that the structure would cost $250,000. We have already spent over $450,000 on the structure and it’s nowhere near complete.
2. The Executive Committee did not have a bidding process for this building. Instead, they took it upon themselves to build the entire building.
3. They hired someone as the “architect” who is not certified in Rhode Island and has been retired for many years.
4. They failed to have the necessary building inspections done.
5. They failed to have the necessary 128 certifications performed. For more information, click here