Town of North Smithfield

November 20, 2020

 

 

 

 

Message from Town Administrator

Gary Ezovski

 

Town Hall will be closed on Thursday and Friday next week for the Thanksgiving Holiday so this will be my last newsletter note as North Smithfield’s Town Administrator. I want to pause my focus on all things COVID to express my thanks to all who provided the opportunity for me to serve the town for the last four years. From the start in 2016 we established a clear message that we needed to work together for the benefit of the town. I believe that those with whom I have served these past four years have indeed done that. We didn’t always agree but we found ways forward. We made progress. A document that summarizes our work is available through the link below.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving I say thank you to our staff, to every town council and school committee member, our board and commission members, our many other volunteers, those who worked to get me elected, those who supported our efforts and of course to my family. May we never lose our focus for and our commitment to this great town.

 

 

2016-2020 Accomplishments

 

 

Town Hall Will be Closed

 

Thursday, November 26

and

Friday, November 27

 

Be Safe & Enjoy Your Holiday!

 

No trash pick-up on Thursday and the remainder of the week will be delayed by 1 day.

 

 

 

Expect alternating lane closures for the bridge work at Great Rd & Lapre Rd.

 

 

RIDOT TO START PRE-CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES FOR UNION VILLAGE RAILROAD BRIDGE IN NORTH SMITHFIELD

Starting this week, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will begin pre-construction activities for the $5.2 million replacement of the Union Village Railroad Bridge, which carries Great Road over the Providence & Worcester rail line between Lapre Road and Meadowbrook Drive in North Smithfield.

 

Tree trimming and utility work could result in the need for temporary daytime lane closures. Specific lane closure information will be posted at www.ridot.net/TravelAdvisories [r20.rs6.net].

 

RIDOT expects to begin demolition of the old bridge in the near future, pending finalization of permits with the freight rail operator and weather. Any traffic pattern changes will be announced well in advance.

 

The bridge will be replaced in phases. RIDOT will demolish and replace the west side of the bridge first, then shift traffic onto the newly built portion so it can demolish and replace the eastern side of the bridge. The project will be done in late 2022/early 2023.

 

The Union Village Railroad Bridge is 89 years old and structurally deficient. It carries 17,400 vehicles per day and is a popular route for travel to and from neighboring Woonsocket.

 

All construction projects are subject to changes in schedule and scope depending on needs, circumstances, findings, and weather.

 

The Union Village Railroad Bridge Project was made possible by RhodeWorks, RIDOT's ongoing commitment to repair structurally deficient bridges and bring Rhode Island's transportation infrastructure into a state of good repair, promote economic development, and create jobs.

Learn more at www.ridot.net/RhodeWorks [r20.rs6.net].

 

 

 

North Smithfield Small Business Owners

 

We urge you to apply for a Restore RI grant as soon as possible—funds are set to expire by December 30, 2020.



All Restore RI funds are grants, not loans and they do not have to be repaid. Qualifying small businesses can use the grants to pay for overhead costs including rent and utilities. Eligible small businesses that can show 30% or more in lost revenue for just one month compared to the same month in 2019 will be eligible for a grant of up to $30,000. To see if you are eligible and to apply visit Commerce Rhode Island’s website at: commerceri.com/about-us/restore-ri

 

 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

 

 

RECYCLING CENTER TEMPORARY HOURS

 

Recycling Center drop off hours are Saturdays from 9 AM to 3 PM and Wednesdays from 3 PM to 5 PM ONLY until December 1, 2020. Residents will not be able to drop off outside those regular hours. Residents are welcome to bring yard waste or accepted recyclables.

Curbside yard waste collection is ongoing through Friday, December 4, 2020. Yard waste is collected on the same day as your trash and recycling. 

The town offers free drop off for ridged plastic and scrap metal items as well as used motor oil. Please do not leave items outside the gate after business hours, we will take notice!



If you have any questions please call us at: 401-767-2200 ext 348

 

 

 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

 

 

Click here to Register for Dec. 3rd @6:00pm

 

Click here to Register for Dec. 8th @3:30pm

 

 

 

 

Stamina Mill Office Demolition by EPA

 

 

Click here for the latest update

 

*Tree clearing by the EPA to start next week

 

 

 

 

 

 

North Smithfield's own 2x Grammy Award Nominee

David Rawlings along with his partner Gillian Welch have been featured in

The New York Times Magazine.

 

Click here to read the article

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have received many phone calls inquiring about the car tax bills. To answer the main question, no they have not been sent out.  We are waiting for answers from the State regarding the car tax phase-out & the FY21 budget.

Here is an article that ran in the Providence Journal

https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20200822/delayed-car-tax-bills-may-be-first-ripple-of-state-budget-tsunami

 

*Please know that ultimately these bills will go out, please budget accordingly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November dates are:

Tuesday, November 17th & 24th @5:30-6:00pm

Saturday, November 21st & 28th @10:00-10:30am

 

 

 

The Food Pantry is a drive through at the Slatersville Congregational Church, UCC at 25 Greene St on the Common. Please line up on Greene St and you will be directed into the parking lot and food will be delivered into your car. You must wear a mask to receive food. You can come to all four of our pantries. Questions call 401-678-0356

 

 

Thank you to our good friends at Wright’s Dairy for their generous donation of milk! We so appreciate your kindness, and our clients say thank you as well!!!!

 

Additionally, thank you but we cannot use additional volunteer help at this time. If you would like to donate money, please mail to P.O. Box 283, Slatersville, RI 02876. If you would like to donate food, please call (401) 678-0356 to arrange a time for drop off. We need soups, canned tuna and chicken, canned fruit and juice, toilet paper and paper towels.

 

November Flavors of the Month are:

Canned Tuna & Chicken, Dry Cereal & Canned Vegetables

 

 

 

 

 

Saint Antoine Resident Walking Path Project

 

 

Saint Antoine Community is excited to announced that they have officially broken ground on their long-awaited "Resident Walking Path Project"!

 

Special Thanks to our North Smithfield friends & project contributors: Paul D. Carlson [Principal, InSite Engineering Services, LLC], Andrew F. Crowshaw [Superintendent, Narragansett Improvement Co.], & Arthur J. Eddy, [Principal, Traverse Landscape Architects] who have each donated a tremendous amount of time, expertise, and technical talent/resources to this amazing project!

 

Saint Antoine Community is incredibly blessed that Paul, Art, and Andy were able to come together, conceptualize our vision, and bring it to life! These next few weeks are going to be very exciting...be sure to follow Saint Antoine Community Facebook page for updated photos on this project!

 

 

 

 

 

ATTENTION NORTH SMITHFIELD RESIDENTS WHO ARE BLACKSTONE, MASS WATER CUSTOMERS

 

(St Paul St / Elizabeth Ave / West St / Middle St / Colerick St / Fountain St)

 

PLEASE READ THE ATTACHED NOTICE REGARDING A WATER BAN

 

 

 

 

 

UPCOMING MEETINGS

Agendas can be found on the Secretary of State Website by

CLICKING HERE

 

Elected Official Inauguration December 1, 2020

details coming soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

Click Here for a List of Previous Newsletters

 

Click Here to Sign up for our Weekly Newsletter

 

Six jurors have been chosen for the Donald Trump New York City trial. The process is at the half-way mark and the jury selection process will continue until a panel of 12 New Yorkers and six alternates have been selected. The former President is accused of falsifying business records in order to cover up payments made to an adult film star just prior to the 2016 election.        The House has delivered its articles of impeachment against the Homeland Security secretary to the Senate. In February, Alejandro Mayorkas became the first Cabinet official to be impeached over his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. All 100 senators will be sworn in Wednesday for a trial that isn't expected to last long. Democrats are expected to vote to either table or dismiss the matter.        The U.S. is preparing new sanctions on Iran after they launched a weekend drone and missile attack on Israel. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced the move today at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank's spring meetings. Yellen said her agency will work with U.S. allies to continue to disrupt Tehran's "malign and destabilizing activities."        Google is facing protests from some of its workers over its contract to provide cloud services to Israel. A group of employees began a sit-in in the workspace of Google Cloud's CEO at the company's San Francisco-area offices Tuesday morning. They said they would not leave until Google met its demands to pull out of the contract.        O.J. Simpson's executor is softening his comments about whether the Goldman family will receive any money from Simpson's estate. Simpson was acquitted of the murder of his wife, Nicole Brown-Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, but was later found liable for 33-and-a-half million dollars in a civil judgment. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, attorney Malcolm LaVergne [[ lah VERN ]] said, "Fred Goldman's claim will be accepted and handled in accordance with Nevada law."        The NBA Play-In Tournament is set to begin tonight. In the Western Conference, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers will visit Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans in a matchup to decide the seventh seed. Elsewhere, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors look to keep their season alive against De'Aaron Fox and the Sacramento Kings. The winner of the game will advance to play for the eighth seed on Friday.