With a second read, Mayor Frank Picozzi says the deal the Rhode Island Airport Corporation was prepared to give the city isn’t what he thought it was and would have Main Avenue and Post Road choked with convoys of FedEx delivery trucks.

After telling the City Council RIAC’s revisions to the memorandum of understanding over access and egress to an air cargo hub south of the terminal addressed his concerns, Picozzi realized the agreement was restricted to tractor trailers. He offered an amendment to the MOU to include all delivery vehicles.

However, on Thursday morning in executive session, the RIAC board approved the agreement without the amendment. Now the mayor is seeking for an extension of its appeal to the Federal Aviation Administration’s finding of no significant impact of the $100 million cargo facility, which will divert a chunk of FedEx operations from Boston’s Logan Airport to Rhode Island T. F. Green Airport. Should that request be granted, the submission of final briefs would move from April 9 to June 11.

On Friday, RIAC spokesman John Goodman who, like other RIAC personnel, was excluded from the board’s executive session, confirmed in an email the agreement was approved without revision.  He included reports from the Warwick Beacon and the Providence Journal quoting Picozzi saying that he was ready to sign the agreement once approved by the RIAC board.

He quoted Picozzi as reported by the Journal, "This one (the most recent MOU)  has all of the elements that satisfy me (at long last). It will legally bind RIAC to keep their promises and the promises must be fulfilled before the facility will operate."

Goodman goes on to write, “The RIAC board of Directors - as promised – ratified the MOU yesterday. The mayor told the City Council and various media outlets he would sign the MOU. He is once again attempting to move the goalposts. From RIAC’s standpoint this matter is concluded. Design work and pre-construction activities related to the cargo facility will continue to move forward.”

Picozzi labeled RIAC’s action to sign the MOU “silly” since there isn’t an agreement. He noted how RIAC president and CEO Iftikhar Ahmad have refused to meet in person with him and his staff, preferring to do things through lawyers.

Picozzi emphasized that his commitment is to the residents of Warwick and that enabling heavy cargo vehicular traffic on local roads would impede the development of housing units – condos as well as apartments – in City Centre which after decades in the planning are finally happening. The mayor has said he’s not opposed to the air cargo hub, pointing out that that is progress and bodes well for the local and state economy.

In the public comment portion of the RIAC board meeting, the only member of the public in attendance, Richard Langseth, said that board action on the MOU should be held in open session. No explanation was given by the board, however, Langseth said he was previously told the MOU was in litigation and for that reason would not be voted on in public.

Mayor Picozzi said he would explain the situation to his followers on Facebook. He expects it will take several posts over several days to go over the history of the issue and his concerns for the future development of City Centre.