Attending:
Pernilla – Kreatelier
Line – Kreatelier
Lt. Stamatakos – Providence Police Department
Kim – RhodyCraft
Ashley – Creatoyvity
Jan – Stock
Asher – Frog & Toad
John – Green River Silver
Dixie – J. Marcel
HOPE STREET BEAUTIFICATION
Bike Racks
10 more bike racks from the Steelyard in fire engine red will be added courtesy of the Miriam’s grant. They should be installed within four weeks. There will be one more meeting for final approval on the placement. No check from Miriam yet.
Signage
At a previous meeting, Josh had mentioned a “Welcome to Hope Street” street painting. The group had followup questions.
Cigarette Butts
On clean up day, Line & Pernilla observed a lot of cigarette butts up and down the street and particularly in front of restaurants. This had also been noted by Patty Zacks of Camerawerks. Line & Pernilla circulated an email about receptacles for cigarettes.
Is there anything this group can do to encourage smokers to drop fewer butts? A small investment in a receptacle might make a big difference if people have a place to put them. Perhaps signage with the HSMA logo? Is there an ordinance about smoking on the street? It was proposed a subcommittee tackle this issue. Volunteers requested!
BLOCK PARTY
The entertainment and activities are shaping up great including the fashion show, music, climbing wall and etc. Vendors look robust. The goal was 40 and there are already 38 confirmed. There will be a tremendous mix of vendors and nonprofits.
BILLY TAYLOR SKATE PARK
Asher introduced a proposal from a Brown student to place a skate park in Billy Taylor Park in Mt. Hope neighborhood. Rather than one big park which gets crowded, the proposal, which has been successful in other cities, is a bunch of small pocket skateparks placed in existing parks. The construction is broken concrete, rebar, all recycled materials to build the form and then a cement overlay.
The student will present at the Friday morning block party committee meeting. He’d like to attend to fundraise, introduce kids to skateboards and publicize his project.
STREET LIGHTS
The “Bring Light to Hope” committee is Asher, Pernilla, Line, Dan & Jonathan Harris, the engineer and urban planner from JWU. The committee met at the state’s Office of Energy, and with the Commissioner of Energy. The meeting was very productive. The reception was great for a custom, pilot project like this. There actually is money for repurposing old fixtures, but they are excited that this is all new technology.
The next big step is raising the money, which could include a mix of City, State and Federal grants and funds. Right now the committee requires a proper professional proposal that breaks down all the costs. Asher noted that when they did the bumpouts they presented a streetscape, a street design that showed the detailed project and timelines.
At this point, the most popular fixture has been presented with a little tweaking to streamline it and it will be ready as a final design by mid-July.
ENERGY SAVING OPPORTUNITIES
One side note of the meeting at the Energy office was how much assistance there is for businesses who want to reduce energy costs through modernized lighting, air and heating systems. To get an audit on what you currently have and to see where improvements can be made, visit the National Grid website for further info. Start here: https://www1.nationalgridus.com/EnergyEfficiencyServices
PINK WALK / MAKING STRIDES AGAINST BREAST CANCER
Line and Pernilla were contacted by Megan Anderson about a Pink Event, a cancer awareness event and walk in September. It is a cross promotion event sponsored by the American Cancer Society where stores and restaurants are asked both to donate a percentage of proceeds and to encourage others to put on a “pink event.”
Kim of RhodyCraft presented why she felt this was not a good fit for Hope Street Merchants in part because of its large corporate positioning and also because of how funds are distributed. Kim has presented a summary of why she is opposed to it and the organizers have presented their position. It was decided that we can offer them a vendor package to bring a table to the event.
CRIME REPORT
Captain Stamatakos spoke about crime in Providence. The East Side has the lowest crime rate still, but District 8 is going up, although incidences are still light.
The Captain offered that the GroupMe text app that many of us have installed on our phones is working well as a great way to keep the Captain in the immediate loop but should never replace a phone call to the police in a more urgent situation. Anybody who would like to have their number included in the GroupMe list can forward a cell phone number to jan@stockpvd.com
The biggest crime in the district remains theft from autos. Captain S. urges everybody to remove everything from their car when they close it and lock it. This small step of removing value or even perceived value can save windows and doors from breakins.
Of interest to many of us shops and restaurants are unsavory customers. The street has a few regulars and Dixie of J. Marcel has recently filed a “No Trespass” against one. You can’t charge somebody with trespassing in a public place unless you take this step. Should you need to file a “No Trespass,” call the police and they will bring the short paperwork required.
Meeting adjourned.
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