by Billy Kepner | Jun 26, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-1
The Partnership for Providence Parks, Friends of Cabral Park, iPROV Fellow Eleanor Pereboom and Councilman Goncalves
Create Food Share Partnership for the Fox Point Community
Today, Councilman John Goncalves (Ward 1) has announced the launch of a robust community partnership with the Friends of Cabral Park, Providence Partnership for Parks spearheaded by Helene Miller, and iProv Fellow Eleanor Pereboom to provide a safe and reliable food source for the Fox Point community. The program is especially designed for senior citizens who live adjacent to the Park, and the partnership aims to develop community-driven food justice in Fox Point. “Produce in the Park” will officially begin in early July.
“As we are still facing a global pandemic, our elderly population is vulnerable, and we know that access to locally harvested and sustainably grown healthy foods like fruits and vegetables are an essential element in boosting our immune systems,” stated Councilman John Goncalves. “My concern is for our seniors who live in Fox Point and are on a fixed income and don’t always have equitable access to quality fruits and vegetables. I am very pleased that I was able to join forces with these amazing community partners to create an equitable and sustainable food source in our community.”
Although the program does not officially begin until July, Cricket Wireless will be giving away 100 donated bags of fresh groceries to seniors at Fox Point Manor today at 2:00 PM. They will first meet Councilman Goncalves, Helen Miller, Eleanor Pereboom, and community volunteers to pack today’s bags of fresh fruits and veggies at 1:00 PM in Cabral Park. They will then deliver to the management at Fox Point Manor for contactless delivery.
Corey Beverly, Senior Marketing Manager at Cricket Wireless stated, “This event is just one of the food distribution activities Cricket is spearheading in markets across the country throughout the month of June. These initiatives are a part of Cricket Cares platform, which is dedicated to building healthy human connections for happier youth and seniors. Through Cricket Cares, Cricket supports people of all ages by fostering kindness, encouraging healthy mobile habits, and providing additional resources to help individuals overcome challenging times.”
The partnership developed out of the concern around the health risks of crowded public spaces and a scant supply of fresh fruits and vegetable accessibility for vulnerable seniors. Produce in the Park will be offering bountiful shares of locally sourced produce, pre-packaged and available for open-air pick up in a de-densified environment to keep residents safe and well-fed.
“The Partnership for Providence Parks (P3) provides support and resources for neighbors that we call Friends who seek to transform their public parks into thriving green spaces that reflect the unique needs and character of their community. At the core of P3’s mission is the building and strengthening of Friends Groups. Pre-COVID 19, P3 had the honor of working alongside the seniors forming a Friends of Cabral Park with plans to activate the park as a hub of health, wellness, and cultural activities during the summer. Once the pandemic began, the seniors’ need for food access came into sharp focus and the group had the idea to use the park and their Park Friends Group as platforms to address their food insecurity. The Friends worked in partnership with P3, Councilman Goncalves, and P3’s iPROV Fellow, Eleanor Pereboom, to develop “Produce in the Parks”. Today’s distribution of one hundred bags of produce marks the first step in realizing this goal of the Friends of Cabral Park to address the needs of their own community” says Helene Miller, Executive Director of P3.
Produce in the Park is a 10-week subscription program where residents will pick up a carefully curated box of locally sourced vegetables. The program will begin July 8, 2020, and run through September 9, 2020, with pick-up on Wednesday’s from 10 am – 6 pm in Cabral Park on Wickenden Street. Produce shares are $21 per week ($210 for the season). Shareholders can sign up using the form below, which helps subsidize seniors:
Payments can be made weekly but shareholders must commit to the full 10-week program, and SNAP/Bonus Bucks are accepted. For individuals with SNAP/Bonus Bucks the cost will be $4.50 per week.
“We are thrilled that these community partners have come together to offer our residents healthy fruits and vegetables. I look forward to the launch of this program and are grateful to all involved” says the Fox Point Manor Resident Services Coordinator, Gloria Isacco, and Property Manager Karen Fagundes.
Produce shares consist of 7-8 share items each week, sourced from local farms that commit to sustainable growing practices to ensure the highest quality for residents. Every week the box will be different based on what is in season. An example share might look like: one pound of cucumbers, one head of lettuce, three peaches, one pound of tomatoes, one bunch of scallions, two ears of corn, and one summer squash.
“The Providence Parks Department is pleased that an accessible neighborhood park will be utilized for the Produce in the Parks program,” said Providence Parks Department Superintendent Wendy Nilsson. “We hope the program will increase food access and encourage the use of many of the City’s beautiful greenspaces to support healthy engagement all summer long.”
In order to keep the community safe, the following COVID-19 Safety Protocols will be in place: masks are required for all; everyone must remain 6-feet apart; anyone who feels sick will be asked to stay home, and the partnership will arrange home delivery; share pick-up times will be pre-assigned to ensure that no more than 15 people are in the Park at any given time; produce will be pre-bagged so that the number of people who touch any given produce item is limited, and finally the program encourages shareholders to thoroughly wash any produce before consuming it.
by Billy Kepner | Jun 25, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-8
Today, the City announced that they would be removing the Christopher Columbus Statue and will be placing it in storage during the renovations of Columbus Square.
This decision was made by the Administration and the Superintendent of Parks, to keep the statue safe during renovation and to ensure an equitable and open process going forward.
After the completion of the project, I will ask that the City’s Special Committee on Commemorative Works which I am a member of, bring this before their body to hear the community’s input on the statue. Any decision they render will then go to the Board of Park Commissioners for final discussion and decision.
James E. Taylor
Providence City Council
Councilman – Ward 8
by Abigail Appel | Jun 25, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-11
Council Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris (Ward 11) joined Kobe Dennis, the YMCA of Greater Providence, the Rhode Island Office of Healthy Aging and her neighbors at Wiggin Village to kick off a new food and fitness program.
“The health and wellbeing of our neighbors is always a top priority, especially in times of a global pandemic. As a community, we must work to adapt to these changing times while staying at our best mentally and physically,” stated Deputy Majority Leader Harris.
Nearly 100 older adults will be receiving twice-weekly meals from now until August, along with exercise bands, fitness instruction, and nutrition tips. Wiggin Village is located in the West End neighborhood of Providence, an area that has one of the largest COVID-19 positive cases in the City.
‘I am so grateful to the YMCA, the Office of Healthy Aging, and the local restaurants who have all worked together to create healthy outcomes for residents in our neighborhood,” added Deputy Majority Leader Harris.
The goal of this program is to encourage a healthy lifestyle among residents throughout the changes that come with social distancing. Currently, the pilot program is prepared to run through August, but may be extended if there is a need and if additional funding is available.
by Billy Kepner | Jun 25, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-5
The Providence Police and Fire Departments in coordination with the Rhode Island State Fire Marshal’s Office has organized a task force dedicated specifically to curb the use of fireworks due to the recent uptick in our city over the past few weeks. Beginning today, June 25th at 7:00 p.m. there will be a dedicated task force of approximately a dozen law enforcement officials working the streets from Thursday through Saturday, responsible for responding to the increased calls for fireworks and noise related incidents.
“Here in Rhode Island, ground-based fireworks and handheld sparklers are legal. But given the cancellation of a number of recent fireworks displays locally, illegal fireworks have become more accessible to the public,” said Colonel Clements. “This has not only been a local but nationwide problem and with this comprehensive effort we will do our due diligence to ensure that this does not continue to be a nuisance within our neighborhoods.”
“This is a great step forward and I commend the leadership of Chief Clements and State Fire Marshal Timothy P. Mclaughlin for their initiative. When I convened a group of City stakeholders last week to discuss this quality of life nuisance, we identified three main areas that need to be addressed: public education on what is and isn’t legal; licensing enforcement for businesses that are illegally selling fireworks; and a coordinated effort by public safety officials to laser focus on hot spot or problematic areas. I am optimistic that this task force is exactly the type of coordination that will help alleviate the problem,” stated City Council Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan.
“Our office has received many more complaints about illegal fireworks this year than in any past years,” said RI State Fire Marshal Timothy P. Mclaughlin. “We are happy to join the Providence Police and Providence Fire departments on this task force to limit the use of illegal fireworks in our neighborhoods.”
–This is a press release of the Providence Police Department
by Billy Kepner | Jun 24, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-7
After a nearly nine-hour continuous public hearing where Providence Residents called on the City Council to defund and abolish the police, and to provide more social service programs to help city residents in crisis, Providence City Council Majority Whip and Chairman of the Council’s Committee on Finance John J. Igliozzi Esq. (Ward 7) today announced his intention to replicate a program that was launched in Eugene, Oregon, in 1989 by White Bird Clinic, called Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets (CAHOOTS). This proposed pilot program would address the social service needs that are better treated by trained counselors, medics, and crisis managers than the police.
“As Chairman of the Committee on Finance I will be bringing this issue forward and inviting the Providence Department of Public Safety and community partners back before the Committee at our next meeting to discuss the implementation and funding of a pilot mobile crisis intervention unit program similar to CAHOOTS here in Providence,” Stated Councilman John J. Igliozzi.
The program that Igliozzi intends to launch in Providence would be similar to the approach that CAHOOTS has been using since its inception. The Eugene, Oregon based program deploys teams of two unarmed civilian officers with a medic and trained crisis worker to calls that are nonviolent and do not require an armed response. According to their shared data, they handled 18% of the 133,000 911 calls in the City of Eugene last year and only needed to call for police backup 150 times. The program is operated on a $2-million budget and saved the city nearly $14-million in costs of ambulance transport and emergency room care in the past year.
“Monday night, and into the early hours of Tuesday, we heard from more than two hundred individuals that shared their fear, anguish, and concerns over the way police are called upon to handle crisis situations. Several of the 911 calls that our police department is called to answer are situations in which they are not necessarily trained to address. They are trained to deal with violent crimes, not mental health, and social service calls.”
Councilman Igliozzi continued, “In addition to the work I will be doing in Committee, I will be putting forth a resolution at the next City Council meeting calling on the City to officially implement a pilot program that mirrors the success that has been achieved in Eugene, working in partnership with the Police Department, the City Council, and community advocates. It was clear to me that we are a city in pain and abolishing or defunding the police is an unachievable goal in this current budget season. However, I believe we have an opportunity to divert funds from bloated city programs to create and embed a Social Service Mobile Crisis Unit in the Department of Public Safety that can address and alleviate many – not all – of the concerns that we heard from the residents who testified.”
Ebony Morgan from CAHOOTS Crisis Intervention wrote in a statement, “At our roots, Cahoots is innovative, forward-thinking, and dedicated to serving marginalized populations.” The pilot program that Councilman Igliozzi is proposing would mirror what they have achieved in Eugene, but will have a focus on addressing the issues that might be unique to Providence.
“The spending portion of the budget for the City of Providence is nowhere near complete, and by taking the time now to look at the budget holistically we can create the same kind of pilot program here in our City, and I believe we will be better for it.,” stated Chairman Igliozzi.
Chairman Igliozzi will be bringing together stakeholders to discuss how the City of Providence can create a pilot program and work with institutional partners.
by Billy Kepner | Jun 23, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
When the original Public Hearing was Zoom-bombed by hateful rhetoric, this Council made a decision to reschedule it.
We rescheduled it because the Public Hearing is the only opportunity for the community to go on record with feedback on the Administration’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
After 9 consecutive hours of public testimony last night, one thing is abundantly clear: the community is not content with what the Administration has submitted for the Police Department’s budget.
The Council will now engage in the task of examining the Police Department budget to evaluate where amendments could be made that are reflective of the community’s priorities.
We will do this in collaboration with community leaders, public safety officials, and the Administration. We are hopeful that a unified approach will result in safer neighborhoods and a more empowered community.
Sabina Matos, President
Providence City Council
Councilwoman – Ward 15
