by Billy Kepner | Mar 14, 2020 | Community Engagement, Council News, Press Release, Ward-1, Ward-10, Ward-11, Ward-12, Ward-13, Ward-14, Ward-15, Ward-2, Ward-3, Ward-4, Ward-5, Ward-6, Ward-7, Ward-8, Ward-9
Dear Neighbors,
The Members of the City Council have been in constant communication with the Administration, the Providence Emergency Management Agency, the Providence School Department, and Public Safety officials to assess and ensure the safety of our residents during these trying times.
As you are aware, yesterday Governor Raimondo moved the spring vacation of all public schools in the State of Rhode Island to begin on Monday, March 16, 2020. Since that announcement, the Providence School Department has worked to put mechanisms in place to ensure that no student goes hungry.
Beginning on Tuesday, March 17, there will be eight sites across the City where Providence Public School children can access “Grab & Go” lunches for that day and breakfast for the following day. The locations will be open from 11:00 am until 2:00 pm Monday – Friday during the duration of the break, and will continue if the State decides to keep schools closed for a longer period to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Service lines will be located at the front entrance of each school. No families will be allowed in the buildings. Sodexo staff will hand each student pre-packaged meals. To qualify for meals, students must attend a Providence Public School and be personally present at the distribution site.
The Eight Sites Are:
Asa Messer Elementary School located at 1655 Westminster Street.
Gilbert Stuart Middle School located at 188 Princeton Street.
Providence Career and Technical Academy located at 41 Fricker Street.
Mt. Pleasant High School located at 434 Mt. Pleasant Avenue.
Alvarez High School located at 375 Adelaide Avenue.
E-Cubed Academy located at 812 Branch Avenue.
Juanita Sanchez High School located at 182 Thurbers Avenue.
Hope High School located at 324 Hope Street.
During this time we ask that everyone continue to practice safe hygiene by washing their hands, coughing and sneezing into their elbows, using hand sanitizer, and staying indoors and at home if feeling sick.
Every student present in Providence schools on Friday – in grades 3-12 – was sent home with a Chrome Book so that they can access online learning and other tools. Here is a great selection of sites that have waived subscription fees during this period: Online Learning
The City has implemented a 100 person rule for restaurants and bars and has closed all City buildings and many of our cultural sites to protect against the spread of the virus. Today, the City launched a website with information for residents on COVID-19 and our response: Providence COVID-19.
The City is also working with utility companies to ensure that if someone is unable to pay their bill due to lack of income, that their services will not be interrupted. As we know more about these programs we will share them in later updates.
As of now, we are awaiting direction from the Attorney General’s Office regarding public attendance at the City Council meeting on Thursday, March 19 at 7:00 pm. Due to the advice of the Rhode Island Department of Health and the City to implement “social-distancing” we encourage you to watch the meeting on our YouTube Channel or Facebook Page where it will be livestreamed.
For more information on what you should do if you feel that you may have contracted COVID-19, or come into contact with someone that could potentially have COVID-19 please visit the Rhode Island Health Department’s website or by calling the COVID-19 hotline at 401-222-8022.
Sincerely,
City Council President Sabina Matos and the Members of the Providence City Council
by Billy Kepner | Mar 12, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-10
I have just received notice that the owner of 481 Allens Avenue has withdrawn their application from the City Plan Commission for a proposed transfer station that they were hoping to put in place there.
This was due in large part to the advocacy from our neighbors in Lower-South Providence and Washington Park, our partners in local and state government, and the many community groups that have spoken out against this facility that was intended for our backyards.
I want to personally thank all of our partners who were steadfast in voicing their concerns for the safety of our Port and for the residents that live in and around the area.
No longer will Lower-South Providence and Washington Park be a dumping ground. We deserve better, and I will work every day to make sure that happens.
Pedro Espinal
Providence City Council
Councilman – Ward 10
by Billy Kepner | Mar 11, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-8
I was impressed by the courage and integrity of the members of the Providence Ethics Commission who voted that there was sufficient information to move forward with an ethics investigation into Steven Paré, Commissioner of Public Safety.
They met this evening and refused to allow a whitewash predetermined investigation, and were outraged by the same. I will continue to monitor this matter closely and express my opinions.
James E. Taylor
Providence City Council
Councilman – Ward 8
by Billy Kepner | Mar 10, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-1, Ward-10, Ward-11, Ward-12, Ward-13, Ward-14, Ward-15, Ward-2, Ward-3, Ward-4, Ward-5, Ward-6, Ward-7, Ward-8, Ward-9
The Providence City Council unveils updated website honoring our long and storied history
centered on our neighborhoods and community engagement
Today, the City Council unveils an updated user-centric website and a rebrand of its communications that pays homage to the City’s storied and diverse neighborhoods.
Council President Matos stated, “Providence residents love and are proud to represent the neighborhoods they come from. The rich history of our city could not exist without the great contributions made by generations of families who hail from every corner of this city. Wards and ward boundaries change over time. What anchors people to Providence are the memories made in settings like Federal Hill, Mt. Hope, and Washington Park. The story of our city is a story of neighborhoods.”
Providence is made up of 25 neighborhoods represented by 15 City Councilors. Those neighborhoods are Blackstone, Charles, College Hill, Downtown (Jewelry District), Elmhurst, Elmwood, Federal Hill, Fox Point, Hartford, Hope ( Summit), Lower South Providence, Manton, Mount Hope, Mount Pleasant, Olneyville, Reservoir, Silver Lake, Smith Hill, South Elmwood, Upper South Providence, Valley, Wanskuck, Washington Park, Wayland, and the West End.
President Matos continued, “We are extremely excited to have our neighbors interact with our new website. This new site is easier to use, navigate, and find relevant information about Councilors and meetings. Most importantly, from the landing page the site establishes a reverence for neighborhoods.”
In addition to the website, the Council will also begin livestreaming Council Meetings beginning in April on both Facebook and the Council’s YouTube Channel.
by Billy Kepner | Mar 10, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-5
At tonight’s City Council Committee on Ordinance’s meeting, Chairwoman and City Council Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5) introduced legislation that requires community engagement through a process which is already in place through the City Charter established City Plan Commission (CPC). The Commission is charged with ensuring that development in the City is consistent with the City’s Comprehensive Plan, and any major street alteration should fall under this open review process.
The substitution requires major street projects or alterations to be treated as Major Land Development Projects as defined in the City of Providence Land Development and Subdivision Regulations. Further, the amendment defines “alterations of a street” as the removal or expansion of on-street parking, installation of bicycle lanes, or installation of traffic calming measures such as permanent speed bumps.
“Over the past several months, I have heard from residents across the City that they feel that they are not part of the decision-making process when it comes to the street in which they live,” stated Chairwoman and Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan. “Transparency in government is critically important. When we are using precious tax dollars to create an Urban Trail rather than fix our sidewalks and roadways or are crumbling schools, we need to ensure that we are prudent in our spending. It is unacceptable that our Capital Improvement Plan only earmarks $12M for sidewalks and $20M for the Great Streets initiative. Following an already established process for outside developers, this creates a process of notification and engagement and will go a long way to help our neighbors better understand what is happening in their community, and allows them to be part of the process.”
The CPC requires three levels of review, technical oversight, complete plans that are drawn to scale, and public information sessions and hearings before a project receives recommended approval and finally sent to the City Council for vetting and passage.
Chairwoman and Majority Leader Ryan continued, “With a system that has been in place since 1996, and has worked well, and allows for the community engagement is an important step in any redesign process. I have been advocating for more community engagement around city projects since last year – when the two-way bike lane was installed on Eaton Street without notice to neighbors and caused a great deal of stress and outrage in my neighborhood. My neighbors and I have been characterized as being ‘anti-bike’ or ‘anti-bike lanes,’ which is simply not true.”
Exemptions to this ordinance include:
- Alterations to sidewalks or curb cuts required for development on private property.
- Installation or maintenance of any public utility.
- Any projects implemented by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation.
This amendment to the Code of Ordinances would not impact any road repairs such as potholes or general maintenance including paving, and restriping of roadway lines. What it does do is call for community engagement around proposals and plans that have a significant impact to the design of any city roadway. It allows the opportunity to create meaningful dialogue with residents about how they want their neighborhoods to be designed.
