by Abigail Appel | Aug 30, 2021 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-7
Council President John J. Igliozzi (Ward 7) today joined Senior Deputy Majority Leader Nicholas J. Narducci Jr. (Ward 4), Mayor Jorge Elorza, the Providence Parks Department, the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, the Providence Housing Authority and members of the Board of Park Commissioners to unveil recently completed improvements at Merino Park, located in the Hartford neighborhood of Providence.
“I am proud to unveil impressive new improvements to Merino Park today. Working with neighbors, the WRWC, the Parks Department, and the Mayor, we have been able to build on the growing list of amenities Merino Park has to offer our community., Residents can now enjoy a beautifully revitalized basketball court and soccer field, along with the other activities areas and green spaces. Parks are a crucial component of quality of life in our city, and I am always glad to allocate funding and resources to ensure that children, families, and people of all ages have access to beautiful, well-maintained parks in every neighborhood,” stated Council President John J. Igliozzi.
Igliozzi, an advocate for city parks, established the City Council Parks and Recreational Trust Fund Account in 2015, which requires developers receiving tax stabilizations to contribute a percentage of their reduced property taxes to the trust fund to go towards parks and recreation capital improvement projects. These recent improvements are the most recent in the Council President’s long-term effort to transform Merino Park. Throughout his tenure with the City Council, Igliozzi has invested nearly $1 million in the park, including the construction of the Woonasquatucket Adventure Park which opened in October 2019, a new playground, new lighting, a new parking lot, security cameras, and a water park.
“We are committed to making Providence a vibrant, thriving community, and that includes providing recreational and green spaces our community can enjoy,” said Mayor of Providence Jorge O. Elorza. “The improvements unveiled today at Merino Park make the park an inviting place for all, and I’m appreciative of our partners on the City Council and in the community who helped make these park improvements a reality.”
The Parks Department oversaw the design and construction for the project, which includes a newly resurfaced basketball court and installation of new backboards. Additionally, the soccer field was revitalized with new turf and irrigation. Council President Igliozzi allocated $113,450 in Capital Improvement Plan funding towards these necessary improvements.
“There is something for everyone along the Woonasquatucket River Greenway,” said Wendy Nilsson, Parks Department Superintendent. “We are thrilled to enhance and revitalize the well-used courts and field at Merino Park as part of our ongoing work to improve courts and fields throughout our City parks.”
Merino Park has over 18 acres of recreational and green space open to the public and is located at 265 Hartford Ave in Providence. This summer, the Parks Department has worked to revitalize seven parks across the city including Arthur and Ruby Lawrence Park, Major Park, Brown Street Park, Father Lennon Park, Morris Ave Tot Lot, Annie Morris Park and the Blackstone Park Woods Trail.
“I commend the Parks Department and my City colleagues for their dedication to the consistent improvement of parks and green spaces in our city. In my role as a city councilman and on the board of parks commissioners, I know the pivotal role that parks play in the social and physical well being of young people in our city. I look forward to continuing these improvement efforts across the city of Providence,” added Senior Deputy Majority Leader Nicholas J. Narducci Jr.
To learn about parks in your neighborhood, visit the Parks Department interactive map here: https://bit.ly/3jsvoao
by Michael Giles | Aug 20, 2021 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-7
“Congratulations to Dr. Javier Montañez on being named Acting Superintendent of the Providence Public School District for the upcoming school year. This is the time for us as a city and state to collectively support the district, and I want to thank Governor McKee for guiding this phase of the state turnaround of Providence schools towards stability and success. Dr. Montañez’s relationships and depth of understanding of Providence schools — both as an educator and a former student — make him uniquely suited to provide a steady and firm foundation, as well as to be an agent of change who can to lead our school district in a positive direction and give our students the excellent education they deserve.”
by Abigail Appel | Aug 10, 2021 | Press Release, Ward-7
Tuesday’s special session of the Providence City Council dedicated to finding solutions to improve public safety.
Providence City Council President John Igliozzi offered the following statement regarding another weekend of violent crime incidents in Providence and the Council’s Tuesday emergency meeting devoted to finding solutions to improve public safety:
“This weekend, our city experienced another unacceptable bout of violent crime with a double murder occurring early Saturday morning and a triple shooting incident occurring early Sunday morning. We must devote every public safety resource at our disposal to end this terrible wave of violent crime, including welcoming a Neighborhood Response Team partnership between the Rhode Island State Police and the Providence Police Department, which Governor McKee has offered on multiple occasions. Too many city residents do not feel safe in their own neighborhoods as this violence continues, and too many visitors are sadly thinking twice about visiting our city’s amazing dining and entertainment establishments.
That is why I have called an emergency meeting of the Providence City Council for Tuesday at 5:45 PM. This emergency meeting is devoted to finding solutions. We are eager to hear from Public Safety Commissioner Steven Paré, Police Chief Hugh Clements, Michael Imondi of the Providence Fraternal Order of Police, and Cedric Huntley of the Nonviolence Institute for their perspectives on what resources they need to stop these violent crimes and restore public safety in every Providence neighborhood.”
by Abigail Appel | Aug 7, 2021 | Press Release, Ward-7
Providence is a great city, with great people. Sadly, last night we experienced more violence and loss of life. We cannot allow violence to define our city. Our residents, business owners, and visitors need to feel safe. I am pledging to dedicate the full resources Police Chief Clements needs to restore the safety and security of our neighborhoods, including immediate support to get our new police academies up and running as quickly as possible, and community police officers out on the street. I will continue to work with the Chief to obtain additional public safety support through collaboration with local, state and federal programs and partners to help our police department protect our residents.
by Abigail Appel | Aug 6, 2021 | Press Release, Ward-7
On Thursday evening, the Providence Police Department arrested an individual in connection with the shameful attack on an innocent woman by a gang of ATV riders earlier this week.
I commend Colonel Hugh Clements and the officers of the Providence Police Department on their swift work to bring the individuals involved with this heinous incident to justice. The Police Department has my full support as they continue to work to identify and arrest the other criminals involved in this horrible assault.
There is no place in our city for anyone who wishes to bring harm onto others. Criminals in our city must know that we will harness all necessary resources to put a stop to this unacceptable behavior until residents can feel safe on our city streets again.
by Abigail Appel | Aug 5, 2021 | Press Release, Ward-7
Council President Igliozzi Letter To Governor McKee Requests Assistance From State Police To Help Providence Police Department In Stopping Violent Crime Wave Providence Is Currently Experiencing
Providence City Council President John Igliozzi has sent the letter below to Governor Dan McKee asking the Governor to deploy Rhode Island State Police troopers to assist the Providence Police Department in stopping the violent crime wave the City is currently experiencing:
August 5, 2021
The Honorable Governor Daniel McKee
Office of the Governor
82 Smith Street
Providence, RI 02903
Re: Deploying the Rhode Island State Police to Assist Providence
Dear Governor McKee:
I’m writing to you under deeply upsetting circumstances. As you know, the headlines regarding crime in the city of Providence over the last few weeks have been shocking—murders, drive-by shootings, stabbings, gang incidents, and roving throngs of ATV and dirt bike riders terrorizing our neighborhoods. Just last weekend, a 24-year-old woman was killed at random in a drive-by shooting. And on Tuesday, another young woman was pulled from her vehicle and assaulted by a mob of ATV and dirt bikers.
This wave of violent crime is unacceptable, and we need to act immediately to restore public safety and make our city’s residents once again feel safe walking and sitting outside in their own neighborhoods. Like the rest of Rhode Island, the capital city re-opened in recent months as the pandemic improved, and residents and visitors alike have resumed dining out, listening to live music, and patronizing our small businesses. The rampant violence we are experiencing threatens all of that; we need to ensure that Providence is welcoming and inviting for everyone who lives and visits here.
The Providence Police Department is doing everything it can to respond to this violent crime wave, and I have full faith in Police Chief Hugh Clements and the men and women of the force. Unfortunately, our police department is stretched thin, with only 400 police officers, down from the approximately 500 officers we had during the period Providence successfully implemented community policing—one of the main drivers behind the decline in violent crime in the city during the 2000s.
The City Council is working to restore the Providence Police Department back to 500 full-time officers, including funding for a new Police Academy which we approved in our FY 2022 budget. However, these efforts will take time to return the force to the level it should be, and Providence needs help now.
Governor, you have been kind enough to offer the help and support of the State to the people of Providence, to complement our police force with members of the Rhode Island State Police. Based on the recurring and heightening violent attacks in our city, I am respectfully requesting that the State Police be deployed in the appropriate fashion, in coordination with Providence Police Chief Hugh Clements, to help quell this surge in violence, and rebuild the public’s confidence in the safety of our city.
Please let me know the next steps to begin the process of working collaboratively with the State Police to make our city and our neighborhoods safe again.
Sincerely,
John J. Igliozzi
Council President
