Bringing Neighbors Together

City landscape architect Megan Gardner explains the plan for the park renovations at a public meeting June 12 as Parks Superintendent Wendy Nilsson, right, listens.

Now that the community gardens are in place at the Summit Avenue park, the city is prepared to move ahead with Phase Two of the renovations.

That’s the message that Parks Department Superintendent Wendy Nilsson and landscape architect Megan Gardner brought to a public meeting sponsored by SNA June 12 in the park.

Speaking with about 20 people gathered in the playground area, the two described the specific changes included in the city’s plan, focusing on safety and accessibility for all ages, as well as the procedures needed to implement them.

The renovations include:

– Replacement of all guardrails of play structure with pipe barriers, replacement of clatter bridge with new clatter bridge and pipe barriers, and repainting of all vertical posts and landings with metal paint;

– Installation of 16-inch high hardwood log retaining and seating wall plus lining of play booster side with filter fabric offset 8 feet from end of slide;

– Installation of “smart play nook” for children up to two years old, including a little house made of safe, bright-colored plastic with a ramp into it, open door/archways and surrounded by artificial grass;

– Installation of 6-foot long wood play bridge with dry-stream boulders;

– Installation of a little lending library;

– Planting of a flowering tree;

– Building bench surrounding tree;

– Repainting posts and beam for existing two-bay swing set;

– Removal and repurposing of sand for new sand play area;

– Removal of wood chips and replacement with fiber mulch to 12-inch depth;

– Addition of play area signage.

There was much discussion among the meeting participants about the artificial turf with the consensus that the parks people would determine the best option with the possibility of later replacement if it proves ineffective.

Nilsson and Gardner reiterated that the plastic structures and toys that accumulate in the park no longer meet safety requirements and will be removed, but that signs will be posted to explain why.

The cost of the new renovations was put at about $30,000 and will be met by about $12,000 in grant money from Miriam Hospital that SNA is holding plus city funds augmented by local fund raising. Some of the improvements in the original renovation plan proved to be too expensive, Nilsson said.

A new sign will be installed with the name of the park and Parks Department contact information, plus a new bulletin board may be constructed.

The project is designed to be completed by the end of summer, but the park will not be closed during the work, with just certain areas temporarily cordoned off.

Nilsson encouraged residents to contact the Parks Department with suggestions or questions.

Following last week’s Ward 3 2017 Special Election Candidate “Un-Debate,” a wide-ranging community discussion where candidates listened to citizen concerns, themes from the evening were distilled into a set of written candidate questions by members of the Summit and Mount Hope Neighborhood Associations.

The four candidates who participated in the Un-Debate were invited to answer the written questions. Their responses are posted below by alphabetical order of last name. Christopher Reynolds (I) did not respond to Un-Debate invitations. The candidate responses have not been edited. For those without internet access, hard copies will also be available at the Rochambeau Library and the Mount Hope Learning Center.

All community members are invited to our second candidate event, a more traditional candidate forum, on June 27th at 6:30pm at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School at 35 Camp Street (additional detail here).

Daniel Chaika (D)

Nirva Rebecca LaFortune (D)

David Lallier, Jr. (R)

Mark Santow (D)

Parks Superintendent Wendy Nilsson explains the danger of the Henry Bowen Anthony fountain while crew chief Joseph Wojtanowski, right, SNA President Ethan Gyles, left, and residents listen.

City Parks Department Superintendent Wendy Nilsson says she strongly reminded residents that the fountain in Lippitt Park is strictly off limits because of the danger of playing in it.

“Parents were putting their kids into the water” and ignoring warnings by workers that they had just “shocked” the fountain with a toxic chemical – chlorine – to clean it, she said. In addition, the structure is made of granite, which is extremely slippery when wet, she added.

Nilsson spoke to about a dozen residents June 13 at a public forum at Summit Commons sponsored by SNA. The meeting was called because of a storm of discussion on social media sparked by Nilsson’s request that SNA disseminate her warning about people being banned from getting into the fountain. Comments ranged from preserving the integrity of the historic Henry Bowen Anthony fountain at all costs to tearing it out and replacing it with a splash feature.

The parks superintendent and her crew chief, Joseph Wojtanowski, explained that fountains in parks city wide accumulated all kinds of natural and human waste – including soiled diapers – and had to be cleaned every few days. He said the Lippitt fountain was monitored by park personnel but asked for park users to alert his department if they noticed anything wrong. The chemicals used dissipate in a few hours, Wojtanowski said, but the fountain is not designed for people and is still not safe to climb into.

Nilsson said the cost of installing a splash feature in the park would be about $250,000 and there is no budget for that, especially since there are water facilities in the Billy Taylor park just a few minutes away. She said residents near other parks had been innovative in using inflatable kiddie pools to “get kids wet” during hot days.

She said her department is developing an online tool that describes the features of all the city’s parks and is working on redesigning them using more natural materials while maintaining safety. The resource is available at https://pvdgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Shortlist/index.html… and a parks locator is available at http://demo4.geotg.net/providenceparks/ParkLocator/.

One resident at the meeting asked Nilsson for a redesign of the signs explaining why the Lippitt fountain is dangerous and she responded that she would work on that and asked for citizen input. She stressed that the Parks Department welcomes interaction with the neighborhood because “we want to do parks that are meaningful to the community, not for the ease of the Parks Department.”

Candidates, from left, Mark Santow, Daniel Chaika, David Lallier and Nirva LaFortune listen to questions from a resident assisted by co-moderator Mike Ritz.

Voters in Providence’s Ward Three had a public conversation Thursday night about the issues confronting their neighborhood and a panel of City Council hopefuls sat and listened.

About 150 East Side residents gathering at Martin Luther King Elementary School to pose questions to four of the people running to replace recalled Councilman Kevin Jackson. It was the first session of a two-part event cosponsored by the Summit, Mount Hope and Observatory Neighborhood Associations.

In this initial “undebate” stage, neighbors brought their concerns, their questions and their aspirations out into the open and the candidates were instructed to listen only. In the second stage, they will get their chance to state how they intend to address the issues. That will be at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 27, also at King School. In between, the questions raised at the first meeting will be collated, given to the candidates and made public on electronic media. As at the first stage, there will be light refreshments as well as child care.

“You’re in charge, you the voters. You’re affecting the next debate,” said Mike Ritz, who with Angie Ankoma, both of Leadership RI, co-moderated the event.

A new community garden (built about the same time as ours) run by the African Alliance of Rhode Island was substantially damaged earlier this week when a truck ran over their fence and into the garden.  They are looking for volunteers to help with the re-building this Saturday from 9:00 AM to noon at 621 Prairie Ave/Elma St. in Providence

Cordless drills, saws and shovels are needed. They also need use of a truck early (8.30am) to remove the damaged wood.  If you have a truck and can help, their phone number is:  331-5535.

If you have some time to help out on Saturday, that would be wonderful.  As members of a sister organization (with skills!), I’m sure our help and solidarity will be appreciated.

Thanks so much and take care –

Nancy Buron

Summit Neighborhood Community Garden

The tot lot playground in the Summit Avenue Park.

The Henry Bowen Anthony Fountain in Lippitt Park.

The SNA is sponsoring separate public forums on the future of two iconic features of the neighborhood – the tot lot in the Summit Avenue Park and the fountain in Lippitt Park.

The discussion of the playground will be at 5:30 p.m. Monday, June 12, in the park.

The discussion of the fountain will be at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 13, in the Summit Commons café area at 99 Hillside Ave.

In the tot lot, the city Parks Department will present its plans for the next phase in the park’s renovation, the first phase of which implemented the community gardens. This next phase focuses on playground updates, new play features, new safety features, new seating and plantings.

There are more details on Facebook at https://tinyurl.com/y8v65j2o.

In Summit Commons, Parks Department Director Wendy Nilsson will share data, costs and other information to foster discussion and help answer questions (and perhaps even come up with some solutions) prompted by the recent reminders that the Henry Bowen Anthony Fountain is unsafe and off-limits for people, whether to play in the water or be on the structure itself.

The Facebook event here is www.facebook.com/events/282409535498160/.

Please join other members of your neighborhood in either or both of these opportunities to make your views heard.

Mount Hope Neighborhood Association, Summit Neighborhood Association and Observatory Neighborhood Association are proud to work together to co-host this opportunity for our unique and diverse community to come together and consider the future of our representation at City Hall. The series will include two evening engagements at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary on Camp Street.

Evening #1 – Thursday, June 15 at 6:30pm: In the “Un-Debate” format, Ward 3 residents will have the opportunity to speak and voice their concerns to the candidates. Other than a brief introduction, the candidates’ job will be to listen rather than talk. In a conversation moderated by Mike Ritz of Leadership RI and Angie Ankoma, we hope to share our differences and highlight our similarities across the place we all call home. Questions and comments will be distilled by the neighborhood associations into a list that candidates will be given the opportunity to respond to in writing. Written answers will be posted online prior to the second event.

Evening #2 – Tuesday, June 27 at 6:30pm: In the more traditional candidate forum format, moderator Ted Nesi of WPRI will pose questions on a variety of issues to the candidates and allow them to respond and explain their positions. The questions will be developed from the questions and concerns raised during the Un-Debate on the first evening.
Facebook event: www.facebook.com/events/454639951538424

All Ward 3 City Council candidates who qualify for the ballot are invited to participate in both events, regardless of party affiliation. Our neighborhood associations are run as non-partisan organizations, and this candidate series will reflect that.

Light refreshments will be served during each event. Child care will be available.

We hope that you will join us and help us make this conversation great!