Neighborhood News

Summit Neighborhood Association
SNA Aims to Promote Citizen Engagement, Improve Quality of Life in Neighborhood
Founded in 1986, the Summit Neighborhood Association says in its mission statement that it is an all-volunteer membership organization dedicated to expanding citizen engagement and improving the quality of life for local residents and business owners.

The Summit neighborhood is loosely defined by the Pawtucket city line on the north, Interstate 95 on the west, Blackstone Boulevard on the east and Olney and Doyle streets on the south.

The SNA communicates with its neighbors in various ways, including the only print newsletter in the city hand-delivered to 5,000 households and businesses by volunteers three times a year. Electronically, there is the SNA website – www.sna.providence.ri.us – as well as several listservs available to the community at mail.sna.providence.ri.us/mailman/listinfo/summit_sna.providence.ri.us

The organization is run by a board of directors that currently has 17 members, including: Dean Weinberg, president; Kerry Kohring, vice president; Thomas Schmeling, secretary; and Vishal Jain, treasurer. The board meets monthly on the third Monday at Summit Commons, 99 Hillside Avenue, and the public is encouraged to attend. Members of the board are elected at SNA’s annual meeting, which will be April 26 this year.

The SNA sponsors a wide variety of activities designed to improve services to the area as well as boost the quality of life. These include political forums during election periods, public discussions with city and state officials, an annual free music festival, a cook-off competition, caroling during the Christmas season, a yard sale and snow shoveling for residents in need.

The Hope Street Merchants Association, whose commercial corridor runs through the middle of the neighborhood, and the North Main Street Merchants Association, whose business avenue borders the west of the neighborhood, work closely with the SNA on street fairs and other celebrations.

Miriam Hospital, a huge presence in Summit, cooperates with the SNA on activities to benefit the health of the neighborhood as well as its residents.

Music Festival
The signature event the SNA puts on is the music festival, which has been rocking for six years.

Held in August in Lippitt Park, the festival has continued to grow, drawing more than 2,000 people in 2015 and featuring seven bands headlined by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band from New Orleans.

The event was supported by the City of Providence and Miriam Hospital participated by joining with SNA in raising money for the Fresh For All Fund that supports local farmers while promoting access to fresh food.

Besides the music, the park was crowded with food and craft vendors, entertainment and interactive play for children plus a beer garden for adults. Friends, families and neighbors circulated the entire afternoon in a true sense of fun and community.

Fountain Restoration
In the summer of 2011, SNA completed one of its most significant accomplishments, the restoration of the Henry Bowen Anthony Fountain in Lippitt Park.  Built in 1940 to honor a former senator and governor, the structure is made of Rhode Island granite and is one of the rare remaining instances of Art Deco architecture in Providence.

Fountains of that era had no recirculating mechanism for their endless water usage, resulting in massive bills for the city, so in 1982, the fountain was turned off.  In 2007, at the instigation of new SNA board member Jesse Polhemus, the organization embarked on a public/private partnership to restore the fountain.

Thanks to funds from the city, the Champlin Foundation and hundreds of individual donors, tens of thousands of dollars worth of work was done and the water resumed flowing on June 4, 2011. 

However, this year, the fountain was on for only a fraction of its usual season due to leaks. In addition, most of the lights around it have gone dark. SNA continues to prod the city to get the fountain fully operational again.

Community Gardens
The neighborhood improvement that the SNA is focusing on in 2016 is the development of community gardens in the city’s “tot lot” park on Summit Avenue.

This has been underway for a couple of years and is driven by a public-opinion poll done by the SNA that showed widespread support of vegetable garden plots coexisting with refurbished playground equipment.

The city’s landscape architect has designed a plan for 40 garden beds along the north side of the park and the Parks Department has requested bids from contractors to install a water line – the first step in construction.

The governance of the gardens will be up to the community and the SNA has established a committee to develop a governing body and a set of procedures. Notices for planning meetings have been and will continue to be published on the SNA’s website and listserv. All neighbors are encouraged to join in.

Summit Neighborhood Association, PO Box 41092, Providence RI 02940. 489-7078, www.sna.providence.ri.us, sna@sna.providence.ri.us. –Kerry Kohring

Fox Point Neighborhood Association
Events this Month
FPNA Board Meeting, 7pm, Monday, January 11 at the Vartan Gregorian Bath House Community Room, 455 Wickenden Street.

FPNA – Fox Point Needs Advocates
Sitting on the tip of the East Side of Providence, Fox Point is surrounded on three sides by water—the Providence River, Narragansett Bay and the Seekonk River. The northern border is somewhat irregular, but roughly ends somewhere south of Brown University and College Hill.

The Fox Point Neighborhood Association, (FPNA), previously known as the Fox Point Citizens Association, was formed in 1993 over concerns about the upcoming re-location of Interstate 195. Twenty-three years later, land use and waterfront development surrounding this long process remain one of the organization’s top advocacy priorities. Other objectives include zoning, licensing, historic preservation, beautification, property taxes, traffic and safety.

FPNA is a membership-driven organization with an active board of directors, who network with elected officials, other neighborhood organizations in the city and coalitions for the environment, waterfront and preservation.

FPNA’s 2016 Project of the Year
Newly invigorated by four new board members, the group already has selected the Wickenden Street Development Initiative for its 2016 Project of the Year. FPNA Board member Vincent Scorziello, who is also president of the newly formed Wickenden Area Merchants Association, WAMA, will be leading advocacy efforts as liaison between the two organizations.

“This shopping area is not only important to the overall health of Fox Point and the East Side, but it is an attraction for Providence’s waterfront and the marketing of I-195 Redevelopment Parcels,” FPNA Vice President Daisy Schnepel says. “We have begun the conversation on necessary street improvements and are looking for fellow advocates.”

Board member Alissa Peterson is leading an effort to increase the organization’s membership participation through improving communication channels. The group also is reorganizing the board, while filling several officer vacancies.

Now that the stadium development is no longer a possibility for the parcels, FPNA returns its advocacy efforts towards construction of the Pedestrian Bridge and adjoining, new parks on the Providence River. In the coming year, the board also will be following development of the Fox Point Greenway on the Seekonk River and the construction of the Blackstone Bikeway through Gano Park.

The Battle of Big Daddy’s
One of the most active episodes in the association’s history occurred in 2001, when it successfully led the charge to strip Big Daddy’s Nightclub of its liquor license. Located at 580 South Main Street on the waterfront, the nightclub, unlike responsible establishments nearby, was notorious for its rowdiness. Public sentiment in the neighborhood was that it posed “a real and present danger.”

The ten-month battle uncovered evidence that Big Daddy’s had illegally served an 18-year-old patron over five alcoholic drinks one fateful night. The youth then walked outside the establishment to shoot and kill another man across the street from Corliss Landing. Other testimony came from over ten police officers regarding their written reports on serious violations at the nightclub.

The Fox Point Citizens Association prevailed and the liquor license was taken away from C.S. Ventures. The successful association battle left a $26,684 legal bill, which was absorbed by fundraising efforts, including a snazzy garden party and silent auction.

The Shooters Issue is Born
Another rowdy waterfront nightclub, Shooters, was closed in 2002, when the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, RIDOT, took possession of the property through eminent domain for the I-195 relocation project. As completion of the I-Way neared, the issue of how this piece of property would be developed became very important to the Friends of India Point Park (FIPP) and FPNA.

The Shooters’ issue was born. Concerned citizens, led by co-chairs, David Riley, FIPP’s Chair and FPNA Board Member Arria Bilodeau, formed the Head of the Bay Gateway Committee to oppose the City’s plan for a high-rise condominium on the property. Instead, the group started a three-year effort, arguing before countless city and state governmental meetings that the shoreline property was an integral part of creating a public waterfront in Providence.

Daisy Schnepel, FPNA’s president at the time, directed most of the organization’s financing toward the Committee, while also testifying at public meetings. What followed was the MakeShootersPublic.com awareness campaign that included regular news releases, bumper stickers and a website with an on-site petition that garnered over 1,000 signatures of support. The group was successful after the City Plan Commission voted to designate the property for public use instead of residential purposes.

Fox Point’s State Senator Rhoda Perry and State Representative Chris Blazejewski then pushed for the property to be added to a popular legislative proposal for public use of the former Rocky Point Amusement Park land.

Although no development has followed yet, the law recognized that a public waterfront in Providence was critical to the City’s redevelopment efforts.

FPNA is a resource for offering suggestions, providing moral support and sometimes helping to find community matching funds for worthy neighborhood improvements. Please contact fpna@cox.net to tell us more about a potential project that you believe requires special attention and advocacy.
Fox Point Neighborhood Association, P.O. Box 603177, Providence, RI 02906. 270-7121, www.fpna.net, fpna@cox.net. –John Rousseau

Waterman Street Dog Park Association
The Waterman Street Dog Park Association is an East Side community group working to build a state of the art dog park in a derelict patch of woods on Waterman Street.  The vision is to create a beautiful park that not only provides a great space for dogs (and their owners) but also supports the whole community.  The Dog Park Association meets every month at Books on the Square (471 Angell Street), and you can get involved by signing up on the website or emailing watermanstdogpark@gmail.com.

Construction of Dog Park Represents Culmination of Years of Hard Work by East Side Neighbors
Construction has begun on the fence for the Waterman Street Dog Park, and by the time you read this, the fence should have been completed.  In this spring, goats will be brought in to clear the brush in an environmentally friendly way, and the paths and plantings will be laid down.  Once the snow has melted, the park should be ready to open.

There is more good news to report.  With help from Wendy Nilsson of the Parks Department and the folks at Richmond Square, the Dog Park Association has finally reached a solution to a long-standing parking problem.  The city has agreed to move the parking to the north side of Waterman, so there will be no need to cross the street.  Dogs and families will be safer, and traffic will not be disrupted.

As the Dog Park reaches completion, it represents the culmination of years of hard work by a devoted group of East Siders committed to building a state of the art Dog Park for our community.  This project began three years ago when a group of neighbors got together to restart an effort that hadn’t been successful a few years earlier.  There were community meetings, fundraising drives, outreach efforts, and endless discussions with the city.  Now that the park is finally coming together, it shows what our neighborhood can accomplish when we put our minds to it. Waterman Street Dog Park Association. watermanstdogpark@gmail.org, www.watermanstdogpark.org –Samuel Bell

College Hill Neighborhood Association
Who Are We?
The College Hill Neighborhood Association (CHNA) represents residents and renters in the area that runs north-south from Olney to Waterman Street and east-west from Hope Street (including Stimson Avenue) to North Main. In 1984 we became the first neighborhood in the City to incorporate and create its own association. The initial impetus came from parents who wanted to clean up the area next to Hope High field (where Brown Street Park is now) to make it safe and appropriate for children.

Organizers went door to door and soon had over 200 dues paying members. Our first president was Pat Zesk, an attorney with Edwards & Angell. Mary Moore was the vice president.

In the early days of CHNA much of our efforts involved working with Gus Anthony and his Thayer Street organization to keep liquor licenses there under control. We also opposed institutional “overreach” mostly in terms of dorms (RISD and Brown) as well as the size and site location of the Life Sciences Building (we thought it belonged closer to the hospitals in the knowledge district). We dealt with zoning and typical town-gown issues such as excessive partying, overcrowded off-campus student housing or properties not maintained.

CHNA Holds its Annual Meeting
On December 7, CHNA held our annual meeting and holiday party. At the meeting, and after a pleasant hour of socializing, our slate of officers for 2016 was approved. Josh Eisen, president; Heidi Heifetz, vice president; Sara Bradford, Treasurer; Anthony Petrocci, secretary.

Josh then offered his recap of the association’s activities over the past year. Among some of our recent initiatives:

• The beginning of discussions with Park Superintendent Wendy Nillson on a renewal project for Prospect Terrace.
• Hosted a public forum with Mayor Elorza, Councilman Zurier, top leadership of the Department of Public Works and the Mayor’s office to discuss ways to improve the snow removal process.
• Hosted public meetings on the new Brown Engineering Building project and the PawSox stadium proposal.
• Continued our ongoing collaborative participation with the Ward 2 Committee, the Brown Community Working Group and the Thayer Street Planning Stakeholder Committee.
• Continued collaborative interaction with the Thayer Street District Management Association. 
• Worked with DPW and representatives from local private schools to add additional school zone signs to address potential dangerous areas.

In terms of our current activities, Josh announced we have joined Brown, Capstone Properties and others in opposing the renewal of the liquor license of Shark Bar and Grille on Thayer Street. We are also working with the City Planning Department on an equitable metered parking plan for our area.

Brown Announces Changes in its Master Plan
During the annual meeting, Brown alerted us to the amendments to their five year master plan they will be presenting to the City Plan Commission on January 21. The major change will involve the tearing down of seven houses along Brook Street and converting the resulting area into well-landscaped surface parking to temporarily alleviate current parking shortages on Thayer. It is expected within five years, that the school will have a proposal for new residential or administrative uses for the space. Residents interested in learning more about the specifics can visit Brown University’s website. Mayor Elorza also came to offer holiday greetings and answer questions from the attendees. In all, it was a pleasant and quite useful evening. We thank the Lippitt House for hosting the event and appreciate their commitment to the neighborhood.

Two Art Projects coming to Thayer Street
Thayer Street welcomes a Pop-Up Art exhibition “In Transition” at 271 Thayer Street, the former home of City Sports, as the first project in a plan to install art exhibitions in empty store front windows. The exhibition represents a collaboration between TSDMA and Artbeat, a Brown student organization. Local community artists Linda Handel and Nick Guilbert created the work which will run through January 31. A second art exhibition “Giant Wreath” by Carrie Hype will be installed at 284 Thayer Street above Kartabar Restaurant and will be on display through early February,

We’d Love You to Join Us
As 2015 comes to a close, we’d like to wish our neighborhood best wishes for the upcoming year and hope you include in your New Year’s resolutions joining as a member of CHNA. College Hill Neighborhood Association. PO Box 2442, Providence, RI 02906. 633-5230, www.collegehillna.com, chna@collegehillna.com –Barry Fain

Wayland Square Monthly Meeting
Wednesday, January 27, 2016, from 7-8:45pm, Books on the Square, 471 Angell Street at Elmgrove Avenue, next to CVS. Free and open to all.

This will be our first meeting since October 2015.

Commercial Retrospective
Fifty years ago, the Square wasn’t much of a gourmet haven, since the only eating places I remember were the Newport Creamery on Angell & Wayland (where Red Stripe is now), Rufful’s (est. 1957, now the Wayland Square Diner) and the Wayland Manor’s restaurant, plus maybe a deli. Even Minerva Pizza was in the future.

On the other hand, there were some small specialty food shops that have now given way to the expansion of Haruki East (formerly Mavericks, formerly Penny’s) and the Salted Slate (formerly Farmstead cheese).

Something of the opposite trend happened in clothing and shoes, as the Square now has more specialized shops and no branches of the former big department stores downtown, like Gladding’s.

CVS now has to stand in for various variety stores and drug stores that were unable to withstand national business trends. Hall’s Drugs used to dominate the small enclave on Elmgrove & Lloyd, but now gone the way of many other local pharmacies unable to compete for insurer’s business with the giant national chains.

Only fleetingly did Wayland Square have any bookshops fifty years ago; now both Books on the Square (which just celebrated its 20th anniversary) and the Paper Nautilus (formerly Myopic Books) have planted some pretty sturdy roots. But there are no toyshops left.

A few businesses besides the diner are still going, such as Ed Jaques’ barber shop (est. 1958) and Reliable Gold, now on the Square itself rather than Wayland and Medway.

Wayland Square’s Neighborhoods
Wayland Square differs from much of the East Side in its larger proportion of multi-unit housing to single-family houses. Many residents didn’t live here ten years ago and many will not be here ten years from now.

This makes it harder to form a significant and durable neighborhood association: many of us don’t know our neighbors next door or across the street.

Our neighborhood discussion group (which succeeded the older Wayland Square Residents’ Association in the summer of 2006, nearly ten years ago) consists basically of our Yahoo! Group, this column and very occasional attendance at our monthly meetings. Other associations have regular monthly board meetings in the intervals between annual or semi-annual general membership meetings; we don’t have enough active members to form such a board.

But we have had some large and successful meetings when local interest peaks for candidates’ forums (as it may do this year) or briefings about crime and safety.

More Information
Check our Yahoo! Group’s public message board (below) to stay abreast of current local events and issues. Or join the group to receive regular announcements by e-mail, including select notices of neighborhood meetings, civic affairs and cultural events. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waylandsquare –David Kolsky

Blackstone Parks Conservancy
Secrets of the Blackstone Woodland 
When you see a photograph of little girls hugging a large tree in the Blackstone Parks Conservation District, one thing is obvious: “They get it.” No one has to tell them how precious and exciting nature is.

This particular Blackstone Parks Conservancy (BPC) outing of pre-schoolers to the park overlooking the Upper Narragansett Bay, one of many programs designed to expose children and adults of all ages to the delights contained in these parks, took place in early summer. The last warm-weather program was in early November, and this winter there will be a duck-watching walk, weather permitting. 

The BPC is always exploring ideas for the future, especially by experimenting with ways to protect fragile land – and thus the bay – from the effects of erosion. Invasive plant species are receiving special attention as well. Developing educational programs of many kinds is another priority. 

In November, an audience curious to learn about ancient peoples in the area crammed into an upstairs room of a BPC partner, the Narragansett Boat Club, to hear Archeologist Kevin Smith, Chief Curator and Deputy Director of the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, explain the relative newness of European settlement. He located a small patch of time during which Europeans have been here on a chart showing the 15,000-year span of human history in the area. The audience was agog to learn that Europeans account for only three percent of that history. 

Smith described the changing shape of the land in this area since the Ice Age. Until 3500 B.C. the ocean was 300 feet lower than it is now, and there was no Narragansett Bay, just rivers slicing to the ocean. Evidence of extensive habitation on the western side of bay began later, in 1100-1600 A.D., but no trace has been found in the Park, though the Angell Street is known to follow an old Native American trail down to the water. 

Even looking at more recent times, we know surprisingly little about the land where Blackstone Park sits. We do know that most of the ancient forests of Rhode Island were cut down in early Colonial days and shipped to England. Thus little old-growth forest remains. But we don’t yet know what Moses Brown saw while riding out from his country house (at what would later become Wayland Square). Were all of his hundreds of acres of farmland tilled? Or did he leave some in timber? 

Learning more about the use of Moses Brown’s land could affect our understanding of the small part of it that was deeded to the City as parkland in 1866. These are questions we hope one day to be able to answer with the help of experts able to analyze former land use or researchers willing to explore records at the Rhode Island Historical Society.

One thing we do know is that all of our questions start with wonder – wonder and a kind of delight in the two parks that have been passed down to Providence over more than 150 years, public spaces that the Blackstone Parks Conservancy has the honor to help the Providence Parks Department manage. If we ever need reminding, all we need do is to watch the children in the woods. Blackstone Parks Conservancy, P.O. Box 603141, Providence, RI 02906. 270-3014, www.blackstoneparksconservancy.org, janeannpeterson@gmail.com. –Jane Peterson