Providence City Councilwoman Sabina Matos (Ward 15), was honored on Thursday, May 17 at The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council’s (WRWC) annual Yellow Perch Cocktail Party with the first annual Fred Lippitt Award.
“Sabina has been a great partner and visionary for Olneyville just like Fred Lippitt right from the start,” stated Den DeMarinis, Jr., Director of Development at Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council. “Her belief in the WRWC has made the organization much stronger and more effective. She supported and helped to fund many of WRWC’s improvement projects, and we thank her for her belief in them. We also thank her for her trust that together we could make these wonderful things happen for Olneyville and folks on the river, her commitment to opening up the river, improving green spaces, and being a champion for improving quality of life and bringing Fred’s vision to fruition.”
Sabina Matos, Providence Council President Pro Tempore stated, “like Fred, I too understand the value of our community’s natural resources. And like many other families in Olnyeville and beyond, we have spent many hours walking, biking, and taking time to reconnect. In this busy, multi-media world the WRWC provides a respite from the barrage of the daily world, and for that I’m thankful. Fred’s vision was to transform the watershed to provide recreation opportunities to the community of Olneyville, to restore the river’s environment, to stimulate the economic reinvestment and promote this amazing neighborhood that so many of us call home. His drive and tenacity to make a better Olneyville and a better Providence inspires me every day to do the same. And I thank the WRWC for recognizing the commitment that I have for our community, and I look forward to continuing advocating for Olneyville and its many fabulous resources for the years to come.”
The mission of the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council is to encourage, support and promote the restoration and preservation of the Woonasquatucket River Watershed as an environmental, recreational, cultural, and economic asset of the State of Rhode Island. To learn more about The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, visit www.wrwc.org.
Tonight, the Providence City Council Committee on Claims and Pending Suits approved a settlement for Ricci v City of Providence. The settlement is still subject to court approval.
“My fellow committee members and I believe that this settlement and its swift resolution is in the best interest of our city,” said Committee on Claims and Pending Suits Chairman, Senior Deputy Majority Leader Nicholas J. Narducci Jr. “As this settlement moves through the court process, we will continue to be vigilant in ensuring that the safety and well-being of our constituents is our foremost priority.”
Tonight the City Council introduced an ordinance allocating more than $5M in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for the city of Providence. Tonight was the first passage of the ordinance by the City Council, and it is expected to be passed for a second and final time at the Thursday, May 17 City Council meeting.
“As Chairman of the Committee on Claims and Pending Suits, I, along with fellow committee members, was tasked with ensuring that these federal dollars were allocated equitably and that the funds would have the greatest impact possible for our community,” stated Senior Deputy Majority Leader Nicholas J. Narducci Jr. “I would like to thank my colleagues for all their hard work to achieve this end. I’m also very proud that we were able to help so many organizations in Providence to continue their good works.”
City Council President David A. Salvatore said, “Collaboration is key to the success of any budgeting process, and this particular process was a success because of the continued collaboration between the Council, Mayor Elorza, and his administration. Because of this collaborative effort, many local organizations will receive much-needed funds to continue their transformative work. Finally, I am grateful for the dedicated leadership of Chairman Narducci and the committee for their hard work on this process.”
The CDBG Program is a federal program that provides communities with resources to address a wide range of unique community development needs. Beginning in 1974, the CDBG Program is one of the longest continuously run programs run by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The 2018-2019 CDBG Budget Highlights Includes:
$473,714.00 in Community Center Grants
$386,135.00 in Public Service Grants
$437,885.00 in Economic Development Grants
$835,961.00 in Housing Grants
$1,118,521.00 in Facility Improvement Grants
$776,250.00 in Neighborhood Investment Strategies Grants
$1,354,201.00 in HOME Investment Partnerships Program
$1,133,603.00 in Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program
$421,403.00 in Emergency Solutions Grants (Programs helping the homeless)
For a complete list of recipients, please visit council.providenceri.com.
Tonight, the City Council passed a resolution naming next week (May 6-12, 2018) Municipal Clerks Week. The International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC), a professional non-profit association with 14,500 members comprised of City, Town, Township, Village, Borough, Deputy and County Clerks throughout the United States, Canada and 15 other countries has been honoring the work of municipal clerks during the first full week of May since 1969.
The City Council is proud to honor the work of the Department of the City Clerk through a resolution and an exhibit entitled Clerks: The Evolution of Recorded History of City Government from 1636 to the Present, in partnership with Providence City Archives, on display in the Third Floor Gallery of City Hall through the end of May.
“The work that my team and I do on a daily basis is vital to our community,” stated Providence City Clerk Lori L. Hagen. “The City Clerks department does more than take notes at Council meetings – we are the keepers of all historical records related to the democratic process in the city of Providence. Over the past decade, we’ve led the way in digitizing our records to ensure their longevity and that anyone can access them on the city’s Open Meeting Portal. Thus, continuing the long tradition of ensuring transparency in local government.”
Council President David A. Salvatore stated that “the Clerks are the backbone of our municipal democracy, and serve as a resource for historians and constituents alike on the goings on of our municipality. Lori Hagen, Providence City Clerk, and her team continue to do a remarkable job in making sure that the community has access to meeting minutes, notes and recordings of city meetings and I’m delighted to be able to highlight their important work with this resolution and exhibit.”
About the Exhibit:
Clerks: The Evolution of Recorded History of City Government from 1636 to thePresentwill take visitors on a journey through the history of Providence, going back to our first Clerk, Roger Williams. The exhibit will feature several artifacts from the long and storied history of our municipal government including ledgers, town records, various recording instruments and much more.
About the City Clerk Department:
The City Clerk operates under the auspices of the City Council. This department is responsible for maintaining and recording all votes, orders, resolutions, and ordinances made and passed by the City Council as well as those of its subcommittees, and meetings of the retirement board. Furthermore, the City Clerk furnishes the heads of departments and the chairmen of all committees of the City Council with certified copies of such votes or resolutions as they relate to their respective departments or committees.
They are the official repository for all ordinances, resolutions and official documents related to the government of the City of Providence and responsible for the authenticity of all legal documents. In addition, the City Clerk collects and presents to the City Council all petitions concerning abandonments and easements, personal injury and automobile or property damage, as well as certificates of Assumed Business Name and Going Out of Business.
The department also oversees the Providence City Archives and its staff.
About the City Archives:
A formal archival program for the City of Providence was established in 1978 as part of a year-long centennial observance marking the dedication of City Hall. The archives, located on the 5th floor of City hall, houses extensive collections of manuscripts, printed material, maps, blueprints, and photographic images that span the period from the colony’s founding in 1636 to present day.
The nearly 40,000 cubic feet of records detail all aspects of the development and operation of municipal government. Highlights of the holdings include vital and probate records, house and city directories. Local census data, deed books, as well as collections of maps and atlases. These collections offer researchers a unique opportunity to trace the history of New England’s second largest city from its settlement as a coastal village, through its transformation into a national industrial powerhouse in the nineteenth century.
What’s on the Open Meeting Portal:
Committees Completed on the Portal (Agendas, Minutes, Exhibits & Audio)
City Council Meetings – 1993 to Present
Board of Investment Commissioners – 1995 to Present
City Council as a Whole – 1986 to Present
Special Committee on Ways & Means – 2012 to 2014
Commissioners of Dexter Donation – 1990 to Present
Special Committee on Education – 2012 to 2014
Committees in Progress on the Portal:
Board of Contract and Supply – Back to 1995
Retirement Board – Back to 1970
Retirement Board Medical Sub-Committee – Back to 1996
Committee on Finance – Back to 1941
Committee on Ordinances – Back to 1977
Committee on City Property – Back to 1994
Committee on Claims and Pending Suits – Back to 1992
Committee on Urban Redevelopment, Renewal & Planning – Back to 1986
Committee on Public Works – Back to 1994
Environmental Sustainability Task Force – Back to 2005
So far the Clerks Department has uploaded nearly 5,000 meetings to the Open Meetings Portal which can be accessed here: http://bit.ly/openmeetingsportal
