[Summit] City Councillor Helen Anthony’s 2nd Ward letter -- Colleges, Covid, Bridge-Work, Council's Meetings & Districts

Mon Jan 11 03:37:05 UTC 2021

   ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Helen Anthony <helen at helenanthony.com>To: 
Sent: Sunday, January 10, 2021, 1:23:47 PM ESTSubject: Providence Ward 2 Letter, January 10, 2021
   An update from City Councilor Helen Anthony  
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Dear Neighbors, 

Happy 2021! This year is off to a dynamic start, and I expect that will continue for our city, state and nation. As COVID-19 continues to impact our state at dramatic levels, let us all remain vigilant to keep one another safe.  

Let's take care of one another. 

Helen
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COVID Updates

   - RI Department of Health
   - City of Providence
   - State of Rhode Island
   - RI Governor's Office
   - Providence Public Schools
   - Commerce RI
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   - Brown: Healthy Brown; Report concerns at 877-318-9184 or 863-3322 or online using this form
   - RISD: COVID Information; Report concerns using this form
   - RI State Police tip line : 401-764-5554
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Providence City Council Meetings

Next City Council Meeting: January  21, 2021. Tune in to meetings on Zoom -- look for a link at the end of the agenda -- or on the Council's YouTube channel. 
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|  Agendas and minutes are posted on the City of Providence Open Meetings Portal. Register to receive notifications (see “register” in upper right corner).  |

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Semester Start at Brown University
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|  Brown students are returning to campus this week.    
   - Several East Side streets will have partial closures to facilitate student move in January 9-12.  Details here.
   - Brown expects about 75% of their undergraduates to return to Providence living on campus, off campus, and in local hotels. 
   - All students will be tested twice during their first week on campus and will be ask to observe a 14-day "quiet period." During this period all off campus students are required to quarantine in their residences.
   - Details on COVID-19 testing and data at Brown can be found at healthy.brown.edu
   - Neighbors are encouraged to connect with Brown's Office of Government and Community Relations at 401-863-3717
   - To report violations, Brown has an online anonymous reporting form here. 
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Providence Redistricting
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|  At the January 7th meeting, the City Council elected five people to the Committee on Ward Boundaries to lead the city’s next redistricting effort. The Providence Home Rule Charter, part of the code that outlines our municipal government, states that every ten years, following the federal census, the City Council will re-examine and re-establish the boundary lines of the fifteen wards of the city. The last redistricting report was concluded in 2012, and you can review it here.

The Process
The Committee on Ward Boundaries will hold at least four public meetings with public comment at various locations throughout Providence to inform a map designating the new boundaries is submitted to the City Council for approval. The City Council will hold at least one public hearing about the plan, and final approval will require support of at least two thirds of the City Council members in attendance. The plan must be adopted by May 1, 2022.

The Committee
The members of the Committee on Ward Boundaries are: City Councilors Mary Kay Harris, Nick Narducci and Rachel Miller; and Community Members Jessica Cigna, Senior Data Analyst at Rhode Island Secretary of State; and Nick Freeman, Assistant Director of The Providence Foundation. I am confident that this Committee will execute its duties with transparency and integrity.

Reintroducing At Large Seats
Having served two years as a City Councilor, I believe the structure of the council itself is a detriment to optimal governance. Providence has a population of approximately 180,000, divided  into 15 wards each consisting of 12,000 residents. The Councilor of each ward is primarily focused on the welfare of its residents, and not necessarily on the City as a whole. Trying to come to consensus on issues such as pension reform, public education, and affordable housing that require broad, coordinated city-wide vision is very difficult, and yet success in these areas is at the core of our ability to thrive as a municipality. I believe the city would benefit from fewer wards and the addition of Councilors at Large who are elected to represent the whole city. A change such as this can only occur with an amendment to the Providence Home Rule Charter.

This idea is not new. In the past it has been discussed and dismissed, but I believe we need to address it again. In January 2022 a Charter Review Commission will be constituted to review and possibly amend the Charter. I intend to raise this issue during the redistricting process in advance of the constitution of the Charter Review Commission.  |

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COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
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|  I have been receiving emails about vaccine distribution, so I want to clarify that all decisions about vaccinations are being managed by the Rhode Island Department of Health. If you need more information please contact the RI Department of Health directly.    
   - About the vaccine: https://covid.ri.gov/vaccination
   - Phase 1 Vaccine Distribution in RI: https://health.ri.gov/publications/guidelines/COVID19-vaccine-phase-1-timeline.pdf
   - Frequently asked questions about COVID vaccinations in RI: https://health.ri.gov/publications/frequentlyaskedquestions/COVID19-Vaccine.pdf
   - The Department of Health maintains a COVID information line at 401-222-8022 which is answered Mon – Fri 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM and   
 Sat – Sun 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM. 
   - RI DOH also provides regular updates during weekly press conferences with the Governor's Office. 
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Henderson Bridge Update
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|  The RI Department of Transportation offers the following update on construction to the Henderson Bridge.   |

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|  "We have been removing the concrete median barrier and installing a temporary one. This will help delineate the existing Henderson Bridge from the new bridge structure being built. We’ve also been working on the temporary ramp to allow westbound traffic to access South Angell Street and continuing our ongoing activities on Massasoit Avenue, including removal of the existing traffic islands and construction of the new sidewalks and wheelchair ramps. 

Work planned for next week includes striping, completion of the temporary ramp at South Angell Street and completion of the project wide temporary traffic signal systems that will help to accommodate the upcoming traffic pattern change, currently scheduled for January 22. More information about this change will be shared with this group, or you can check our News page for our travel advisory once it is posted.

Specific information about the project can be found here.

Click here for the latest lane closure information."  |

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Christmas Tree Recycling

The Department of Public Works reports that Christmas trees will be picked up during the first three weeks of January with curbside recycling.   |

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A Bright Light
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Winter is a time when many of us cozy up to a new book. Our neighborhoods are home to many wonderful "little free libraries" that allow book sharing all year long -- like this box at the corner of Laurel and Wayland.  A map of just some of our home-grown mini-libraries available here.   |

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Our mailing address is:
Providence City Council Ward 2654 Angell StProvidence, RI 02906-5552
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