Today Commissioner Infante-Green issued her final reconstitution order of the Providence Public Schools.
I believe that we all must take part in this transformational change. We live in the 21st Century, and our students are being left behind. No one person or entity can do this alone, and we are in this together.
This process is not going to be easy, but I hope this will be an opportunity for true transformation for our school system, and that it serves all of our students. It is essential that all stakeholders, including the City Council, have a seat at the table as we navigate these changes.
The Commissioner has proposed a bold plan, and I look forward to working with her to make sure that Providence City Schools are no longer at the bottom, but that we fix the systemic issues that have plagued our schools for generations, and rise to the top. It’s what our children deserve.
Providence City Council Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan, (Ward 5) announced today that the striping and signage on Eaton Street will be reversed before November 1, 2019. Planned sidewalk and curb cut work will be completed by December 1, 2019 weather permitting.
“I am pleased that the administration has provided a deadline for bringing this project to conclusion,” stated Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan. “While I am not opposed to bike lanes or opportunities that offer multimodal transportation, the city needs to balance all new initiatives with the needs of the surrounding community, particularly when it is a matter of public safety.”
Majority Leader Ryan continued, “I want to once again thank my neighbors for working together to address these genuine issues of public safety. I would also like to thank the Administration for working collaboratively to get this job done as quickly as possible.”
Leader Ryan will continue to advise community members as information becomes available. Please look to City Council social media channels and website for further updates.
I am disappointed, but not surprised to hear that the developer of the proposed Hope Point Tower, Jason Fane, has asked for an extension on his deadline to file his Tax Stabilization Agreement (TSA). More concerning is that Mr. Fane is also requesting a payment agreement for the estimated $300,000 fee required for his TSA.
I have long advocated for a standardized TSA for the I-195 land and throughout Providence, which should avoid a situation exactly like this. Mr. Fane’s latest requests underscore my argument that Providence needs a fair, predictable process for development and TSAs – not just for the benefit of the development community, but also our taxpayers.
We should not be able to cherry-pick projects or developers who circumvent the rules set forth by the City and State. It is not fair to our taxpayers, who subsidize these projects, and it lacks transparency and honesty.
If Mr. Fane needs a payment plan for his filing fee, which is just a fraction of the cost of this proposed building, then how will he be able to finance the $300 million needed to actually build the Hope Point Tower? Our taxpayers cannot afford to foot the bill if this development fails.
I’m a proponent of giving parents choices. Historically, low-income families have never had the real option of choosing which schools to send their children to. The demand for choice is at an all-time high as evidenced by the 3,000 or so families on the Achievement First waiting list alone.
The school decision is one that is intimate to families and we should promote this freedom by providing them more options rather than limiting them.
This past Friday, Senior Deputy Majority Leader Nicholas J. Narducci Jr. (Ward 4) was notified by a concerned neighbor regarding a large amount of dead fish on the perimeter of Canada Pond. He visited the location, and sent pictures to his office that were then shared with the appropriate partners.
“It appears to me that the pond was drained to low,” stated Senior Deputy Majority Leader Nicholas J. Narducci Jr. “As soon as I learned of the issue on Friday I had my staff reach out to the Department of Environmental Management and the City’s Department of Public Works to get answers. There are several theories, and I have invited members of the team involved to join me at tonight’s community meeting to brief my constituents. I have been told that this is an unfortunate side-effect of doing this kind of work.”
The pond was drained to make much-needed repairs to the gates and the dam itself, which will keep the dam in working order for the foreseeable future.
Canada pond is located off Branch Avenue next to Route 146 and is roughly a mile long. Narducci continued, “There have been no significant repairs to the damn since the early part of the last century, and this is an important safety fix for our residents. However, I was assured that the aquatic life would not be harmed. I am deeply disappointed that this happened, and I have been assured that the DEM is working to solve the issue and remove the dead fish.”
As the pond has been drained, workers have come across a great deal of debris. “One of the reasons so many of the fish have died could be because of the disturbance from removing these large items. It’s a reminder that we need to be better stewards of our natural areas,” continued Narducci.
Senior Deputy Majority Leader will be holding his community meeting this evening at 5:30 PM at the DaVinci Center, which is located at 470 Charles Street in Providence. Members from the City’s team working on this project will be on hand to give an update to the project and remediation efforts.
