[Summit] Governor's and Mayor's office messages, charts & video -- merchants, job-training, testing, compliance, Restaurant Week, Slow Streets. Greenway [Covid News no. 345]

Thu Aug 6 06:00:23 UTC 2020

   ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Gina Raimondo <communications at governor.ri.gov>To:Sent: Monday, August 3, 2020, 11:31:22 PM EDTSubject: Support for small businesses

| Your RI COVID-19 News Update |
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| Hi David,
Rhode Island’s small businesses are the backbone of our economy. We've worked hard throughout this crisis to support local entrepreneurs, but there are still a lot of businesses in need of help. That's why I launched Restore RI to provide even more support to small businesses with a direct investment of $100 million. These funds, distributed in grants of up to $15,000, will help businesses facing reopening expenses such as plexiglass, cleaning supplies, and touchless pay technology, as well as fixed costs like rent and utilities.  I'm excited to tell you that applications for the first round of funding are now available on the Rhode Island Commerce website: commerceri.com. |

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| Click the graph to see check the Department of Health's COVID-19 data dashboard.

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RI Department of Health COVID-19 Respon...
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| We're working hard to eliminate barriers so that every eligible small business is able to access these funds. Rhode Island Commerce is working with community organizations across the state to schedule training and technical assistance sessions for applicants. A listing of upcoming information sessions, virtual office hours, and Facebook lives can be found by visiting www.commerceri.com or on www.facebook.com/CommerceRI. 
In addition, for those applicants that might need access to technology, including printers, scanners, or computers, we've set up socially distanced work stations at the Rhode Island Commerce office in Providence. Appointments for this space are required and can be made here.

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Restore RI Application- 1:1 Assistance Request

Applications for Restore RI are now being accepted. To apply, click here: https://crfusa.com/cares/ri-applicatio...
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This money will both help business stay open and keep employees and customers safe. If you own a businesses, you can apply for assistance starting today on the Rhode Island Commerce website: commerceri.com/about-us/restore-ri/
This is just the first step. I'm excited to continue working together with business owners and community leaders to find more solutions to the problems our businesses are facing. If you need help for your business, reach out at CommerceRI.com.
We're all in this together,
-Gina RaimondoGovernor
P.S.: Information is our greatest weapon in the fight against COVID-19, If you or someone you know wants to sign up to receive these emails, you can use this link. |

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|  Governor's Office | 82 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02903  |
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| Hi David,
Thousands of Rhode Islanders and millions of Americans are out of work. They want to work hard, and it’s on us to give them that opportunity. It’s about more than a new job – it’s about providing the education, skills and support for a new career. That approach is what brought us back from recession over the past five years, and it's more important now than ever. That's why we’re dedicating $45 million in federal stimulus funds to train and support up to 7,000 Rhode Islanders for good jobs in the new economy through the Back to Work RI program. We’re supercharging the approach to job training program that has worked over the past few years and making it available to thousands of people whose jobs have been impacted by COVID-19. It’s about targeted training programs with the promise of a job at the finish line, and supports along the way to help you see it through.

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State of Rhode Island: Department of Labor and Training

State of Rhode Island: Department of Labor and Training
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 Today, I want you to hear from graduates of Rhode Island's job training programs about how this unified approach to job training changed their lives. |

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| “I was doing the fast track program at CCRI through the Real Jobs Rhode Island, and I think it’s a great program because I have a new job, a consistent job, with benefits and health insurance, and I’m pretty happy working here. It’s not a big company, but I think it’s a big family and I’m grateful for that.”
Ingridt D., Cranston |

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| “I applied because there was training included and we went over customer service, software hardware requirements, effective communication, active listening, emotional intelligence, and it is still helping me at the job today. And now I am just super grateful.”
Korali K., Riverside |

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| “It was something that changed my life. Thanks to that, I have a wonderful job at Aquidneck Custom. We’re building our second 72’ custom catamaran, and I only want to say thank you to RIMTA, thank you to the state, thank you to Aquidneck for giving me this opportunity.”
Miggel O., Bristol |

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| “The Apprenticeship Program has opened up a lot of doors for me to just continue to grow in the landscape industry. I’ve been able to continue working through the pandemic and all the other chaos that has been going on in the world, so I feel very blessed to be doing what we are doing.”
Sam S., Newport |

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| We know that our job training programs work, and that they've made an enormous difference in the lives of Rhode Islanders. Now is the time to double down on that approach and make sure that our friends, families, and neighbors can get the training and skills for good jobs in growing industries.
We're all in this together,
-Gina RaimondoGovernor
P.S.: Information is our greatest weapon in the fight against COVID-19, If you or someone you know wants to sign up to receive these emails, you can use this link. |

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| Click the graph to see check the Department of Health's COVID-19 data dashboard.

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RI Department of Health COVID-19 Response Data Hub

This is the Rhode Island Department of Health's Data Hub Site for the COVID-19 Epidemic.
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| Governor's Office | 82 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02903 |
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| Hi David,
Delays in testing have been a major area of concern. Increased demand around the country has led to longer turnaround times--sometimes as long as a week or more. That's unacceptable, and fixing this problem has been a top priority. Today, I have some good news to share on this front.  |

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| After a competitive bidding process, Rhode Island has contracted with two labs – Accu Reference and Dominion Diagnostics – that are going to majorly expand our testing capacity and guarantee us results within an average of 48 hours. Starting next week, Accu Reference and Dominion will each run 1,000 Rhode Island tests per day – 2,000 in total. By next month, Dominion will increase their capacity to 7,000 tests per day. That will bring us up to 9,000 tests – including Accu Reference, Dominion, the State Health Lab and some other private labs – that are providing results in 48 hours or less. 
I hope this news encourages more Rhode Islanders to get tested. If you have symptoms – even if it’s just a little cough or a runny nose – we need you to get tested. Starting today, we are expanding our asymptomatic testing to every Rhode Islander 18-39 years old. If you are in this age group, please go to portal.ri.gov and sign up for a test. We know 18-39 year-olds have a higher percent positive than others, and we also know this group is more likely to have the virus without any symptoms, so the ability to get tested is another tool to keep you and your loved ones safe.
Finally, if you are planning to travel to a state that requires a COVID test in order to avoid extended quarantine, you will now be able to get tested here. Beginning this afternoon, you can sign up for a test at portal.ri.gov. The testing will take place at our Convention Center site and we will work as hard as we can to get you results within 24-48 hours.  |

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| Click the graph to see check the Department of Health's COVID-19 data dashboard.

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RI Department of Health COVID-19 Respon...
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| I want to be clear: expanding testing will help us contain the virus, but it does not replace the other steps you need to be taking. You should still be social distancing, wearing a mask, and keeping your groups small. We also need your help in preventing people from engaging in behavior that puts Rhode Islanders at risk. That's why we are setting up a new Crush COVID unit in the Rhode Island State Police to crack down on social gatherings. If you see a large social gathering, we’ve set up a hotline specifically for this unit: (401) 764-5554. 
The State Police will be working with local communities to educate and to enforce. If we all recommit ourselves right now to getting more serious about wearing masks and keeping groups small, we’ll be able to continue our forward momentum. We're all in this together,
-Gina RaimondoGovernor |

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| Governor's Office | 82 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02903 |

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Update from the Mayor’s Office

Providence Restaurant Weeks

Providence Restaurant Weeks Presents:  Stay Local, Eat Well Sunday, August 16 - Saturday, September 12

The PWVCB is still looking for restaurants to participate!!

They are eliminating the confines of a three-course menu and price points.  You simply send them an offer and a price in any of four categories:  breakfast, lunch, dinner and "Chef's Choice."  The Chef's Choice category is like a wild card.  It can be a drink special, a picnic package, a meal for four, a quart of sauce - whatever else you want to sell.  You choose the promotions and the pricing. You can be as creative as you want, just as long as it isn't complicated.

For restaurants to register visit, https://bit.ly/2D0f0Lm

Also, for a list of restaurants already participating, go to Providence Restaurant Weeks

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Providence Restaurant Weeks

Check out the participating restaurants in this year's Restaurant Weeks Present: Stay Local, Eat Well and choose...
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Share your meals during this time on social media and make sure to use the hashtags #PVDEats and/or #RethinkPVD!!

FREE MASKS

The City of Providence still has an abundance of masks to provide organizations. If your organization is interested in receiving masks, please fill out the form (which is available in both English and Spanish):

Mask form-SPANISH

Mask form-ENGLISH

Update from Planning & Development

Neighborhood Greenway Virtual Meeting

On August 25th at 6:00 PM, the Department of Planning and Development will host a virtual public informational meeting about upcoming Neighborhood Greenway projects. This meeting will allow community members to learn more about neighborhood greenways and how they ﬁt into the larger Great Streets and Urban Trail Network vision.

 During the meeting, City staff will provide an overview of proposed changes (which may include restriping, shared lane markings, speed lumps, and wayfinding signs) planned for the following streets in Fall 2020 to reduce speeding and improve safety:

   - Delaine Street (Manton to Harris)
   - Tuxedo Avenue and Amherst Street (Atwells to Valley)
   - Sonoma Court (Delaine Street to Donigian Park)
   - Oxford and Ontario streets (Allens to Elmwood)
   - Sackett Street (Elmwood to Broad)
   - Farragut and Vermont avenues (Roger Williams Park to Michigan Ave)
   - Peace and Waverly streets (Prairie to 6/10 Service Road)
   - Fricker and Lockwood streets (Atwells to Westminster)
   - Knight, Washington, and Winter streets (Westminster to Prairie)

This meeting will be held virtually, accessible via Zoom at this link: Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting or by calling 888-475-4499 and entering meeting ID 948 9242 7836.

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Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting
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In mid-August, flyers will be distributed along these streets to encourage their attendance at the August 25th virtual public meeting. This event is also posted to Facebook at Neighborhood Greenway Virtual Meeting

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Neighborhood Greenway Virtual Meeting
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In the Great Streets Master Plan, the City identified three main types of investments in the citywide Urban Trail Network:

 Off road shared use paths (similar to the off road sections of the Woonasquatucket River Greenway bike path or the East Bay Bike Path)

On road, two way, physically protected paths (similar to the recent two-way path constructed on Clifford Street in Downtown, or the planned path along the Woonasquatucket River on Kinsley Avenue)

Neighborhood greenways (modest enhancements— such as wayfinding signage, speed lumps, or shared lane markings— along smaller residential side streets to reduce speeding and ensure these streets are safe for people walking and biking)

The streets listed above fall under the third category of “neighborhood greenways”.

We hope you are able to join us to learn more about these investments on August 25th. Please let Alex Ellis (aellis at providenceri.gov) know if you have any questions in the meantime.

Slow Streets

We are still actively seeking to enlist new volunteers, so if you have anyone in mind that would like to participate in the program, please send them this link to register: Slow Streets - Call for Volunteers

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Slow Streets - Call for Volunteers

The City of Providence is seeking volunteers to assist with our Slow Streets program. Please complete the form b...
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P.S. Volunteers will receive a cool shirt with Fiona the Sloth on it (from Roger Williams Park Zoo)

Also, as an update Brown/ Camp St. and the RWP loop have been removed from the program!

For more information on this program, visit Providence Slow Streets - City of Providence

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Providence Slow Streets - City of Providence

Now, more than ever, it’s important to keep Providence residents safe and healthy. To provide residents extra sp...
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Update from the Department of Art, Culture, & Tourism

POPArt! Kits

This week, the Partnership for Providence Parks in collaboration with the City of Providence Department of Art, Culture, & Tourism, will be distributing another 600 POPArt! Kits to locations near meal-sites!

For more information on this initiative and the full schedule, go to ACT and the Partnership for Providence Parks present POPArt Kits! – Art, Culture + Tourism

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ACT and the Partnership for Providence Parks present POPArt Kits! – Art,...

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For other enrichment opportunities across the City, visit Eat, Play, Learn PVD | Eat, Play, Learn PVD

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Eat, Play, Learn PVD | Eat, Play, Learn PVD

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Have a nice rest of your week!

Best,

Working Remotely

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Alexis E Kievning
Neighborhood Liaison
Preferred Pronoun: she/her/hers

Department of Planning and Development
Joseph A. Doorley Municipal Building
444 Westminster Street
Providence, RI 02903
Akievning at providenceri.gov
(401) 680-8400 | Ext: 5408
Call to Connect | PVD311

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PVD 311 - City of Providence

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