Station Fire Memorial Foundation directors resign en masse

WEST WARWICK – Seven of the nine members of the Station Fire Memorial Foundation executive board abruptly resigned en masse Tuesday.

In a statement, the members said they felt betrayed by the two remaining members.

Earlier this year, the board voted 7-2 to ask the town to take by eminent domain the site of the former Station Nightclub, which burned in a fire that killed 100 people.

Dave Kane, a director who resigned Tuesday, said the two dissenting members, Shawn Corbett and Jessica Garvey, worked to foil the move. Kane charged that they secretly persuaded a relative of one of the victims to make an unsolicited offer for the land.

During a Town Council meeting considering the foundation’s request, councilors asked about the offer for the land before declining the foundation's request. The offer by an anonymous buyer caught most of the foundation board off guard and undermined its request, said Kane, whose son died in the 2003 fire.

“It’s one thing to vote against the board. It’s another thing to act against the board,” Kane told Providence Business News Tuesday.

Resigning with him are President Chris Fontaine, Vice President Sus Longiaru, Secretary Susan Rezendes and Directors Carol Ramos, Jane Sylvester and Mike Surtel.

In a statement, the seven said they hoped their resignations “will serve as a wake-up call to the general membership of this organization, that they need to be far more diligent and involved.”

The status of the land that hosted the nightclub long has been in limbo. Relatives of the victims say the property owner, Triton Reality, promised to donate the site for a memorial, but then reneged on the pledge. Triton has denied such an agreement existed.