WBNA GENERAL MEETING                                                                                Tuesday, March 2, 2010 from 7-8:30PM @ WBNA, 1560 Westminster Street

WSPEC sponsored meeting to discuss the future of West Side neighborhood schools--You are invited to join the West Side Public Education Coalition (WSPEC) and Carleton Jones of the Providence School Department in the first of a series of community meetings to discuss the reopening of the West Broadway Elementary School building as well as middle school options in the neighborhood

//////////////////////////////////////////////////

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

West Broadway Neighborhood Association (WBNA) and West Side Public Education Coalition (WSPEC)

Contact: Kari Lang (WBNA), 401-301-3821, 401-831-9344 or kari@wbna.org 

Contact: Bryan Principe (WSPEC), 401-486-2488 or bryanprincipe@yahoo.com

West side groups answer call of Superintendent Brady

Community meets with school department to discuss direction of neighborhood schools 

Providence, Rhode Island – February 26, 2010 – Parents, community groups, and residents of Federal Hill and the West End are attending a neighborhood forum with school department officials next week in response to an initiative proposed by Superintendent Thomas Brady at a Providence School Board meeting earlier this week.

Brady recommends that the school department create a task force to help support and recommit to neighborhood schools, and to actively engage communities and stakeholders in the process. Several community organizations, including the West Broadway Neighborhood Association (WBNA) and the West Side Public Education Coalition (WSPEC) responded enthusiastically to the Superintendent’s call for greater collaboration between the community and Providence Schools.

“This forum is the first of what we hope to be a series of ongoing conversations about the future of our neighborhood schools,” said Kari Lang, Executive Director of the WBNA. “We look forward to working together with the school department to get community input and to find out what’s best for the neighborhood and for our children.”

The two community organizations, along with a group of parents with pre-school age children called New Moms and Dads for Schools (NoMADS), the Providence Preservation Society and state and city officials, advocated for over three years to reopen the West Broadway Elementary School building on Bainbridge Avenue after it was closed due to fire code violations. Earlier this week Superintendent Brady recommended renovating and reopening the West Broadway site, an action that has reinvigorated the community, according to west side education advocates.

“We are ready to go,” said Bryan Principe of WSPEC. “Our community has enormous potential for making our schools the highest performing in the city. West Side parents are passionate about quality education in our neighborhood schools. This is an incredibly exciting time for our community.”

The meeting will focus on the reopening of the West Broadway Elementary School building as well as middle school options in the neighborhood.

The forum will be held on Tuesday, March 2, at the West Broadway Neighborhood Association, 1560 Westminster Street, Providence. 

Community members and the press are welcome to attend.

– 30 –

ATTENTION:  Please attend an important City Plan Commission (CPC) meeting this Tuesday that will impact the neighborhood.

FEDERAL HILL AND WEST END NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN PRESENTATION TO THE CITY PLAN COMMISSION, Tues.day, February 23, 2010 at 4:45PM, at the Department of Planning and Development, 4^th floor Auditorium, 400 Westminster Street

Public comment will be taken on these plans and the commission very likely will vote to adopt the plans.  At issue is height regulations for the neighborhood.  Current, zoning sets limits at 45 feet, at the city charrette last May, neighbors agreed on 75 feet as a maximum.  The City  wants to remove these limits for the area between Dean Street and the I-95 service road to enable downtown-sized buildings to be built in the Federal Hill and West End neighborhood.

During the city charrette last May, neighbors overwhelmingly stated that they wanted to keep our neighborhood a neighborhood and maintain the scale and character of our buildings in this mid-to-low rise neighborhood.  Neighbors agreed that in order to achieve that aim 75 feet (7 ½ stories) was the maximum allowable height which is a compromise from the current 45 feet height limit.  However, the draft plan present ed by the Department of Planning and Development that will come before the CPC and will likely be voted on this Tuesday does not reflect what neighbors want.  It will set a precedent for our historic neighborhood that can not easily be reversed.

Public comment will be taken on these plans and the commission most likely will vote to adopt the plans.  This meeting is neighbor’s last chance to give public comment on these plans.  We have worked hard to compromise on height limits for the area between Dean Street and the I-95 service road.  The outcome of this meeting will have long ranging implications on the character of our neighborhood and could well begin the encroachment of downtown in our neighborhood.

For more information on the implications of downtown height in our neighborhood, please email wbna@wbna.org and ask for an emailed copy of the West Side Height Impact Study

Please let the WBNA know if you can be present on Tuesday to help keep our neighborhood a neighborhood and keep downtown downtown.

Thank you.

Kari, WBNA

//////////              //////      //////////              //////      /////////////////       ////////    ////////////////        ////////////

Scotch Tasting at The Avery, 18 Luongo Memorial Square

Thursday Feb., 25, 2010 from 6-8 pm

Join the WBNA for a Scotch Tasting at The Avery!

Taste 10 different scotches including a bottle donated by John and Christine West that is a special 19 year old cask-strength bottle from a limited-edition bottling made for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Only 59 bottles were made available in the entire USA.

$40 for WBNA members/$45 for nonmembers

If you're not a fan of scotch, donate $15 for WBNA members and $20 for nonmembers and receive a free glass of wine or beer! 

Purchase tickets at:  http://www.wbna.org/index.php?option=com_content&id=255

We hope to see you there!

*Proceeds benefit the West Broadway Neighborhood Association (WBNA), your local neighborhood association. For more information about the WBNA, go to www.wbna.org.

/////////

 WBNA GENERAL MEETING, Tuesday, March 2, 2010 from 7-8:30PM @ WBNA, 1560 Westminster Street

WSPEC sponsored meeting to discuss middle school options for the West Side

YOU ARE INVITED TO JOIN THE
WEST SIDE PUBLIC EDUCATION COALITION (WSPEC) AND CARLETON JONES OF THE PROVIDENCE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT AT A COMMUNITY MEETING
TO DISCUSS MIDDLE SCHOOL OPTIONS FOR THE WEST SIDE

////////       ////////////  ////////       ///////////// ///     //////////////////   /////

ENEWS 2.11.10

News headlines and upcoming events

• February 12-15, The Providence Children's Film Festival (more info. below)
• Tues., Feb. 16, WBNA Marketing & Membership Meeting at The Avery, 5:306:30PM
• Wed. Feb. 17, 10am-5pm, Get out the Count US Census Celebration @ City Hall (more info. below)
• Tues., Feb. 23, City Plan Commission meeting where there will be a vote to approve the Federal Hill and West End Neighborhood plans, 4:45PM, 400 Westminster St., 4^th floor
• Tues., Feb. 23, WBNA Crime Watch & Neighborhood Action Meeting at the WBNAHQ, 6:30-8PM
• Wed., Feb. 24 Olneyville Friends of the Library meeting, 6:30PM at the Library
• Thurs., Feb. 25, 6-8 PM, Scotch Tasting at The Avery (more info. below)
• Apartment for rent at 1192 Westminster Street, applications being accepted NOW, available March 1, 2010 (more info. below)
• Swim in the open air in OUR own neighborhood! At the Zuccolo Recreation Center (more info. below)
• Weatherization Guide for Historic Buildings from the National Trust for Historic Buildings (more info. below)
• Farm in a Cart Compost Service (more info. below)

------

The Providence Children's Film Festival , February 12-15th, 2010 

The Providence Children's Film Festival presents a delightful collection of animated, live-action, and documentary films for children, youth and families on February 12-15th, 2010 at the Cable Car Cinema and the Metcalf Auditorium, RISD Museum. This 4 day festival of high quality and independent children's films will include the New England premiere of the Oscar nominated animated feature The Secret of Kells, a film where magic, fantasty and Celtic mysthology come together in a riot of color and detail that dazzles the eyes with a sweeping story about the power of imagination and faith to carry humanity fhrough dark times. 

For a full listing of films, schedule and workshops please visit:

http://www.providencechildrensfilmfestival.org/

---

Join Mayor Cicilline for the Get Out the Count! Census 2010 celebration

and help us ensure that everyone is counted in the 2010 Census:

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

10 am to 5pm

Bank of America City Center and Providence City Hall

This all-day event will feature:

Free ice skating (with a donation to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank)

Face painting

A visit from the New England 2010 Census van

Performances by the Mexican Ballet Gualupano, Hispanic United Development Organization Dance Academy,

Community Music Works, Jump!, Classical High School Choir and the Providence Academy of International studies.

Sponsored by the Providence Complete Count Committee and CW28

------

Save the Date!!

Scotch Tasting

Thursday February, 25, 2010

6-8 pm

The Avery

18 Luongo Memorial Square

$40 for WBNA members/$45 nonmembers

All our neighbors can come out to support the event

(even if you're not a fan of scotch...)

With a $15 donation receive a glass of wine or beer

and enjoy some great company!

Hope to See Everyone There

Look for an e-vite to follow with details

about the scotches to be tasted.

*Proceeds benefit the WBNA, your local neighborhood association

NOTICE: West Side AFFORDABLE APARTMENT AVAILABLE

WBNA is accepting rental applications for the second floor unit of 1192 Westminster St (formerly the Providence Design House) for occupancy on March 1, 2010. This 1,277 square foot unit has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths and is in a renovated c.1856 Italianate building with modern amenities and historic charm.  The unit is available for families earning at or below HOME income Limits for $900/mo. + utilities.  Please contact Kari Lang at the WBNA for an application at 831-9344 or Kari@wbna.org

*Total Household Annual Income: the following are the HOME income Limits

---

Swim in the open air in OUR own neighborhood! At the Zuccolo Recreation Center

Neighbor Anne Tait organizes summer swimming at the Federal Hill Zuccolo Recreation Center.  The present schedule is from the opening of the pool in mid-late June to mid-late August.  It usually is at least 6 weeks of swimming, on M, W, F from 7:30-9:30. There is a nominal fee to cover the cost of the lifeguard that is required to be hired during this time.  For more information or to sign up contact Anne Tait at 401.831.3212.

---

Weatherization Guide for Historic Buildings from the National Trust for Historic Buildigs

Dear friends, family and colleagues,

Given all the attention to energy conservation, global climate change and the like, I wanted to share with you the Weatherization Guide for Older and Historic Buildings that the National Trust for Historic Preservation has created.  It's designed to help people learn the best ways to improve energy efficiency at their properties.    Here's the link on our website, PreservationNation.org:  http://www.preservationnation.org/issues/weatherization. 

I encourage you to review all the excellent information we've put together before you take on weatherization/energy conservation work at your home or other property. 

Also, we are eager for this information to be shared as widely as possible, so please feel free to forward it to others you know.   

Best wishes,

Wendy  Nicholas, Executive Director, Northeast Regional Office, NTHP

___

Farm in a Cart compost service

The Farm in a Cart compost service is starting in April. Their website is http://farminacart.blogspot.com/ You can sign up for updates and eventually service there.

From a recent update:

"I have built a bin in the Glenham Community Garden in space provided by
Liza Sutton at the South Side Community Land Trust. It is simple, and was
easy to build. I used pallets, and I hope to make it a bit bigger and
paint it in the dry warm weather to come.

Also, I thought that you may be interested in a partial list of
compostable material I will be willing to pick up. If I don't mention
something, and you want to know about it, just ask. We can figure it out.
I will take all your veggie scraps, egg shells, hair, fur, dryer lint,
discarded fruit, bunny droppings, dead flowers, coffee and grass
clippings.

I also would love non-glossy newspaper- but we need to figure out if
people are willing to shred it into smaller strips. That would be the best
for me. Black and white and color newsprint use soy-based ink, so it is a
great carbon source. The same goes for brown paper bags. Would people be
willing to tear these up?

I can't take dog or cat poop, meat, cheese, bread, bones or grease. Or
diseased plant remains. We need to discourage rodents."