Hello Friends & Neighbors,
It's officially summertime in Providence! I hope you take time to enjoy some of the great summertime activities in our City and State -- the Hope Street Farmers Market, the Providence Flea in Innovation Park, Hope Street Festival the first weekend in August, the RIPTA beach bus to avoid becoming traffic to/from South County and so much more!
A few folks have asked me if I'm running for re-election this year -- City Council has 4 year terms, so this term does not expire until the end of 2026! I am grateful that I will be spending my summer continuing to work for this great City (I've got a few ordinances I'm drafting up my sleeve!). However, our friends in the General Assembly are up for election this year - and we have a local school board election for the first time in November.
As always, there's a lot going on - and it's been about 3 weeks since my last newsletter because of it! - so I'll jump right in!
Upcoming Meetings:
Ward 3 Community Meeting, Monday, July 15th at 7pm - Church of the Redeemer
Please join us for our bi-monthly Ward meeting on July 15th at 7pm. Thank you to Ward 3 Committee member Ruth Breindel for hosting us in the community room of the Church of the Redeemer on Hope Street.
We will be joined by Providence Public Schools/RIDE to give a preview of the design and community engagement process for upgrades to the MLK School. We will also be joined by Providence Water (updates on lead pipe replacement) and Miriam Hospital (updates on building construction and ways to engage). As always, we'll have time for Q&A and overall updates.
North Main Street Task Force, Wednesday July 17th at 5:30pm
The North Main Street Task Force will meet at City Hall on July 17th. We will be joined by Grow Smart Rhode Island to discuss Transit Oriented Development and their Main Street initiative. We will also provide updates on safety upgrades and progress on next steps.
Zoom links and final agenda can be found on the City's Open Meetings Portal.
Upcoming Council Meetings: All agendas can be found on the City's Open Meetings Portal.
The Finance Committee will meet at 5:30 on Tuesday July 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th.
The Council will meet at 6pm on Thursday July 11th and 18th.
As a reminder: the Council takes a one-month recess in August.
Ward 3 Infrastructure Updates:
Vincent Brown Rec Center:
Kudos to Vincent Brown Rec Center Director Herlin Perry for creating both a new weight room and dance room at the Rec Center, using space that had previously been unused locker rooms. I was able to support this work by directing Community Development Block Grant and ARPA funding to install internal windows so that the kids can safely use the rooms while still being supervised. See in progress photos below! We are also working on some additional upgrades to the flooring and HVAC systems.
Kerry Kohring Park - Improvements coming July 15 - August 9th
I am excited to see some improvements coming to Kerry Kohring Park on Summit Ave. The parks department will be installing new fencing, as well as grading a few areas, and updating a few spots of the retaining area around the perimeter. There may be some impacts to getting access into the park and community garden while they are actively replacing the fence.
Nathan Bishop Improvements:
As mentioned in a previous Ward letter, I am using some ARPA funds designated for Ward 3 to make improvements to the courts behind Nathan Bishop. Our kids are currently having recess on basketball/tennis/pickleball courts that are not very handicapped accessible and are cracked and crumbling. Later this summer, the courts will be repaved and relined -- and will be improved to deal with stormwater (to avoid more crumbling) and increase accessibility. I know folks were hoping this would be done in the spring, but it's taking a bit longer to get through the process, but is on the way! A big thank you to Council's Director of Project Management Kyle Delgado for helping me keep this on track and the Department of Public Property for managing the contractors.
At the request of the PTO, we will also be installing a sign out front of the school to enable Nathan Bishop to advertise events and make announcements. That should also be installed in the very near future!
Street Trees -Thank you Summit Neighborhood Association & Garden Time!
You probably saw the crews of neighborhood volunteers out planting trees across the Summit and Mount Hope neighborhoods this April (or participated yourself!). Thank you! Through a small Council grant, I was able to support the Summit Neighborhood Association to contract with Garden Time to maintain and water a selection of the trees that are not near anyone's home and which were at risk of poor outcomes. They did a great job this season keeping the trees vibrant and thriving -- see photo below! Thank you!
Get Involved!
There are so many ways to get involved in the workings of the City right now!
Sign up to be a poll worker for either the Primary (Sept 10) or the General Election (Nov 5)! Â Poll workers are essential for our elections running smoothly! The hours are 6am - 7:30pm, with a brief training from either the Board of Canvassers or the Board of Elections. You are compensated for your service. To be eligible, you need to be 1) Registered to vote in RI; 2) able to read the RI Constitution in English, and 3) able to write your own name. Â
Comment on the Hazard Mitigation Plan Update: Every 5 years, the City is required to update its Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP), which makes it eligible for federal funds related to disaster relief. I was on the review team led by PEMA Director (and Ward 3 resident!) Clara DeCerbo. The Plan is now open for Public Comment and can be viewed here.
Next Steps on the Comprehensive Plan: The City Plan Commission has voted to approve the Comprehensive Plan update. The Comprehensive Plan now gets sent to the City Council for our review, public hearings, and edits. You can view the current draft of the plan at this link. Â I will be scheduling at least one Ward 3 meeting on the Comprehensive Plan proposed changes (to be discussed at length in a future newsletter), and will update you on the public hearing date(s) as soon as I have them.
Updates on What I've been Up to on Council:
FY2025 Budget Approved and Signed:
In April, Mayor Smiley shared his proposed budget with the Council in his annual budget address. After that, the Council transmitted the budget to the Finance Committee (on which I serve), who underwent an incredibly thorough and transparent review of the budget. I am very grateful to the Providence residents (and our Ward 3 neighbors!) who sent in comments and/or showed up at the public hearings to advocate.
The final budget is one that I am proud of - though no budget is perfect and we will have room to continue to improve going forward. Some of the key elements include:
The total budget based on municipal tax revenue is $599 million. Many programs are also supported by federal funding and grants, which we encourage - and we appreciated transparency from departments who shared when they utilized additional revenue streams to supplement their work.
The Mayor proposed an additional $3 million for PPSD operations. After significant review, Council was able to add an additional $2.5 million on top of that for a total increase to the allocation of $5.5 million - the first and largest increase in many years. With PPSD's current budget surplus at year-end and additional support from the State, we felt confident they could avoid many of the budget shortfalls PPSD was predicting.
Stormwater and Flooding: We are experiencing significant increases in flooding after major rain events in the last several years. The budget includes funding for an additional crew at the Dept of Public Works to maintain the storm drains to avoid the worst of the floodings.
The budget (with approval by the General Assembly) reclassified our tax structure. There are no changes to tax rates or any tax increases included in the budget. But for clarity and transparency, the homestead exemption has been removed, and replaced by a tax rate that reflects the residential rate as if the last exemption percentage were included. So owner occupied is $10.46 per $1,000; non-owner occupied is still 18.35 per $1000; and Commercial is also still $35.10 per $1,000.
To view the final approved budget (which is approved in a series of ordinances), you can click here.
$400 Million School Building Bond:
The Finance Committee vetted and the Council voted to approve a $400 million school bond -which will be before all voters in November. RIDE and PPSD are in the midst of renovating and modernizing a significant percentage of our school buildings. With the addition of this $400 million, Providence will have 20,000 seats for students in new or like-new buildings: current enrollment is lower than 20,000 -- and I know many of us are hoping that these new buildings will be part of how we attract back students who have chosen other options in the last several years. Our kids deserve to have learning centers that are modern and demonstrate our commitment to their success. This additional $400 million was approved in time to be eligible for a 91% reimbursement from the State (normal reimbursement rate is 84%). It includes funds for a substantial renovation to the MLK School - and we will be working with RIDE and PPSD to ensure that the MLK community has ample real opportunities to have their voices and opinions heard about these renovations.
HOPE Committee:
The Council created - and I am proud to have been appointed to - Â a new committee via resolution that will address policies related to quality education, social services, economic opportunities, and other quality-of-life issues for Providence residents. The Special Committee on Health, Opportunity, Prosperity, and Education (HOPE) will be instrumental in developing pathways for prosperity through comprehensive strategies and community engagement efforts.
Stormwater Task Force:
Providence, like much of the Northeast, is experiencing increased intensity and frequency of storms -- with higher volumes of rain. This is leading to significant levels of flooding across the City. I have been serving (alongside my Ward 2 Colleague Helen Anthony) on a Stormwater Task Force led by the Mayor's Chief of Policy and Resiliency Sheila Dormody and Director of Sustainability Priscilla De La Cruz. We have been investigating how the stormwater management systems in place currently operate and opportunities available to address these issues. Please expect more updates and engagement from me on this over the course of the summer as we develop some recommendations and next steps!
Hurricane and Weather Preparedness:
Related to our increasingly intense storms, we are expecting an active hurricane season the East coast. I was glad to join the Mayor and PEMA Director DeCerbo is sharing information with the community on how the City is preparing for Climate-related disasters and also how community members can prepare and respond when there is a major weather related event. You can see a list of actions you can take at this link -- which includes signing up for the 311 app and CodeRED, as well as the locations of cooling centers and evacuation routes.
Â
Gratitude:
It continues to be such an honor to serve as your Councilperson for Ward 3. You continue to inspire me with all of the ways you contribute to our community -- and I really appreciate every person who reaches out to me to provide comments, ask questions, or testify on a piece of policy. I am also grateful to our friends at the Parlour on North Main Street for their joyful North Main block party last weekend -- bringing music and dancing and fun to North Main!
Please continue to reach out any time. Â With the thorough budget review behind us, I promise much speedier replies!
My Best,Councilor
Sue AnderBois
Comments