Leaf Blowers, Upcoming meetings & more PVDWard3 updates

Hello Friends & Neighbors,

Fall has officially arrived in Providence! There are so many fun & spooky events throughout our City during the next few weeks-- I am constantly inspired by how vibrant and involved our communities are.  I hope that you are able to spend time  with friends and neighbors and enjoy all our City has to offer during this time of year!

As always, there's a lot going on this month & many ways to engage, so I'll hop right in!

Upcoming Events & Meetings:

• October 14th at 7pm - Ward 3 Community Forum: I'm excited to join our Senators Mack, Kallman, and Zurier & Rep Ajello at the Ward 3 forum on October 14th at the MLK School. Thank you to the Ward 3 Committee, the Observatory Neighborhood Association & the Mount Hope Neighborhood Association for hosting!

  

• October 15th - 8am -Walktober Walk of North Main Street Improvements: I am excited to be working with AARP's team to support Walktober events throughout the City! Please join us on October 15th at 8am at the corner of North Main Street and Benefit to take a walk and tour some of the newest improvements I am making to prioritize safety along North Main! We will be joined by RIDOT and City Planning staff as well!

  
  

• October 18th: No Kings Rally -- I will be participating in the Indivisible No Kings Rally in Providence on the 18th. I hope to see many of you there as well!

• October 20th at 6pm at the Da Vinci Center -- Ward 4 Neighborhood Meeting:  Councilman Roias has invited me to talk at the Ward 4 Community Meeting about Energy -- how your electricity bills work, how to lower your bills through investments in energy efficiency, what's up with state renewable energy policy, etc. Please join us for the cross-ward conversation!

  
  

• October 21 at 5:30pm: Finance Committee Public Hearing: We will be hearing public comment on investments in sidewalks and safety features for Benefit Street at an open public hearing at City Hall! Benefit Street is a cultural, historic, and economic resource for this City (and Ward 3!). This project is eligible for special financing through RIDOT and and the RI Infrastructure Bank, but needs support from the Council and Mayor to make the investment - come learn more and share your feedback with the Finance Committee! Written comments can be shared with the City Clerk at CityClerk@providenceri.gov

  
  

• October 22nd at 5:30pm: Why Nothing Works Book Discussion & Panel: I am excited to talk with author Mark Dunkelman and Rhode Island leaders about his new book "Why Nothing Works" on how we can "move from frustration to function in public institutions". Sponsored by Neighbors Welcome, Grow Smart RI, and the Providence Foundation - you can register to join at this link

  
  

• October 22nd at 6pm - Moses Brown "Fall Neighborhood Meeting" at Walter Jones Library on Moses Brown Campus. Moses Brown & the Mayor's team are hosting a community meeting about the parking around Moses Brown and impact on neighbors. This is a follow up to the meeting I hosted with DPW earlier this year. It was unfortunately scheduled a time when I already had a prior commitment (see above bullet!) so I will not be in attendance, but I am sending Council staff to listen and follow up so that my eyes/ears can also be in the room.

  
  

• October 31rst Halloween Trunk or Treat! Join Senator Mack and Rep. Kislak and I at Billy Taylor Park on Halloween for our 3rd Annual Trunk or Treat!

• November 3rd at 6pm: Ward 3 Community Meeting! Location TBD - so stay tuned! But we will be joined by RIDE and PPSD staff for updates and conversation on proposed improvements/construction at Hope High and MLK School

• Council Meetings and Committees: As always, you can find up to date information on Council meetings and committees at the City's Open Meetings portal at this link.

Providence & Ward 3 updates:

• Nathan Bishop Courts: You've probably noticed, but the Nathan Bishop Courts are finally under construction! It should be completed by early November, and will feature a mixture of tennis, pickleball and basketball courts and open play space. A big thank you to all of the neighbors who have been so engaged in advocating for these improvements! I will be planning a celebration to commemorate their opening!

• Leaf Blower Ordinance: The Special Committee on the Environment and Resilience passed out the amended version of my leaf blower ordinance, and the Council has now passed it for the 1rst time, with second passage scheduled for Thursday October 16th. (Fun Fact: all ordinances need to pass Council 2x before going to the Mayor's desk). Some mis-information has been shared about what is included in the ordinance, so I just wanted to clarify:

        The proposed ordinance would phase out gas-powered leaf blowers, starting with a seasonal ban to allow use only during the fall months beginning in 2027. The full ban would go into effect in 2033. There is an enforcement mechanism built in that includes a warning, and then fines of $100. I met with advocates and landscapers between the time of the public hearing and introducing the amended version to try to find areas of compromise and address some of the largest concerns from landscapers. I know there are no perfect solutions to the issue, but tried to work to find an area of compromise that phases out the use of the gas leaf blowers without unnecessary harm to small businesses that operate in Providence.

The ordinance needs to pass a second time - and then still needs to be signed by the Mayor. If you are supportive, please let him know - his office's contact info is on this website.

North Main Street  Improvements: I know the intersection at North Main and Benefit has been confusing and dangerous for a long time. I have been hard at work making safety upgrades to North Main.  Thank you to DPW for installing stanchions and paint in support of these efforts! I was proud to work with the Providence Streets Coalition to install many large planters in that intersection as well, to both beautify and make it clear where the new traffic pattern is and create a safer lane for pedestrians and bikers. I always love rolling up my sleeves and getting dirty to get things done -- and was glad to join for the installation!

Responsible News Sources: Amazing Journalist and Ward 3 resident Phil Eil shared a list of reputable local and national news sources at a recent community event!  

Congrats to Alimente! Ward 3 resident Jason Kasdan recently opened a new small dietician business on Broadway called Alimente! Check it out here! I love celebrating new big ventures from Ward 3 residents!

Gratitude: I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve you every day. I am working hard every day - and I can't possibly include all that's going on in this newsletter - so in between newsletters, you can see what I'm up to on my social media on Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram.  

If you are interested in keeping a hard-working do'er in public office, I would be so grateful for any donations in support through this website. '

With Gratitude,

Councilwoman Sue AnderBois