The Providential Gardener

Rhode Island Floods ~ March 2010

We Rhode Islanders are experiencing the worst flooding in memory this week, with record rainfalls of 8-9 inches in two days and many of our rivers not only at flood stage but at record levels that have broken records set barely two weeks ago. And we're painfully experiencing what "WATERSHED" can mean when too much water has to drain in too little time.

A watershed is essentially a natural, intricate system for draining water from the land. The EPA describes watersheds this way:

"We all live in a watershed -- the area that drains to a common waterway, such as a stream, lake, estuary, wetland, aquifer, or even the ocean -- and our individual actions can directly affect it. Working together using a watershed approach will help protect our nation's water resources."

"John Wesley Powell, scientist geographer, put it best when he said that a watershed is:

'that area of land, a bounded hydrologic system, within which all living things are inextricably linked by their common water course and where, as humans settled, simple logic demanded that they become part of a community.'"

Source: EPA Watershed Website

The Providence Journal published a good description of How a river floods: Rainfall just the beginning, (by C. Eugene Emery Jr., Journal Staff Writer on March 30, 2010. I think I'd reword the title, though, to be "How a river floods: An extraordinary rainfall can be the last straw." The article highlights that even though the rainfall has ended, the flooding will still increase for a while before subsiding. But how we work and plan together to manage our local watersheds BEFORE the rainy days can make things better or worse than they might have been.

This rainfall is so extraordinary that no matter how well we had prepared, Rhode Island would be in an emergency. Many Rhode Islanders work hard to manage our watersheds year in and year out, among them The Friends of the Pawtuxet. I'm sure that a lot of folks don't think the Pawtuxet is their friend today as the river's waters flood their homes and streets, destroying their belongings. But our rivers will continue to need all of us to be Friends, to speak up in public meetings and reasonably deal with the issues involved in development and water management.

The worst flooding is along the Pawtuxet River. Here is the Pawtuxet River Watershed Authority description of this watershed comprised of 64 ponds, 93 brooks, 7 tributary rivers, and 18 dams:

"The Pawtuxet River watershed, located in central-western Rhode Island, is the largest watershed in the state. The river flows generally from west to east. Its headwaters are in the hills of western Rhode Island. Its mouth is in historic Pawtuxet Village between the cities of Warwick and Cranston, the state's second and third largest cities. The watershed encompasses all or portions of the following communities: Coventry, Cranston, East Greenwich, Exeter, Foster, Glocester, Johnston, Providence, Scituate, Warwick, West Greenwich, and West Warwick. The Pawtuxet River watershed comprises the Scituate Reservoir and its tributaries, the North Branch of the Pawtuxet, the Pocasset River, the Big River and its tributaries, the Flat River Reservoir and its tributaries. the South Branch of the Pawtuxet, and the main stem of the Pawtuxet."

Gene Emery's article in the Projo points out some of the factors involved in the buildup of the rivers' waters. I've elaborated a little more on the March 29 PREFLOOD factors:

• A complex river system with several large tributaries and ponds. The Pawtuxet takes the natural runoff from all the smaller streams and rivers listed above that drain into it.
• Land use practices that prevent water from soaking into the ground.
• Development that does not incorporate systems for preventing runoff from roofs and parking lots, such as green roofs, water barrels, rain gardens, catchment basins. 
• Urban sprawl that increases the paved surfaces on our land, and often along our rivers. 
• Pressure to develop wetlands that would absorb extreme amounts of water. 
• Impervious pavement (water can't go through it, so it runs off from paved surface to paved surface eventually going directly into the storm drains). Parking lots can be paved with materials that let the water through, and perhaps damaged pavements could be replaced with this kind of material.
• Weak dams that we have not repaired, maintained well enough, or removed because of cost-cutting, pressures to fund other projects, the economy.... Ongoing proper management of the dams in Rhode Island is critically important on March 31, 2010, although most days it does not seem so. The care of dams requires ongoing voter support for enough DEM staff (which has been seriously cut in the last few years) and for funds for these projects, among other things.
• Acquisition of development rights to land in flood zones to control flooding when it occurs. Rhode Islanders have been champion supporters of open space acquisition bonds. We must continue to support the funding of floodplain projects also.
• Previously saturated ground from earlier rains. The ground was still coping with the record rains of two weeks ago when this latest storm came through March 29-30, 2010. We weren't sitting ducks, but rather we were floating ducks on March 29.

What can we do now? We just got the Perfect Storm. The rivers are doing what they do ~ drain the land ~ and they will subside eventually. But meanwhile....., and then in the coming months and years, what makes sense to do?

This video is from March 8 (!), WEEKS BEFORE BOTH record-breaking storms we've suffered since mid-March, about buying up development rights to land along the Pocasset and Pawtuxet Rivers to help control flooding.

This video was from March 15, so you can imagine how saturated the land is by March 29:

This video is also from March 15 on Perkins Ave in Cranston. An evacuated homeowner says in it, "...we're going to lose everything again, it's the second time in five years. ... They should just condemn this street and let the river take it. Get rid of all the houses because everyone's in jeopardy."

This is truly an extraordinary situation. We can't do anything about how much rain falls in a day. There will always be flooding now and then. But there are some sensible long-term responses we can make. Anyone can explore YouTube for videos of the latest flood pictures, and local news programs such as the Rhode Show have collections of photos and videos that may raise other issues and give us ideas for future action.

Our watersheds bring Rhode Islanders into a community, and we need to help out our neighbors who have been flooded in the short term. In the long term, we can also learn more about a "watershed approach" and work together to minimize the effects of future floods.

Open Space Conservation Bonds Approved

The Providential Gardener is pleased to publish this report from the Rhode Island Land Trust:

2008 Election Results:
 
Rhode Island Voters Approve Open Space Conservation Bonds!
 
With 97% of the votes counted, 68% approve Question 2 providing the state with 
$2.5 million in bond funding for farmland protection and open space conservation. 
 
Voters in urban communities were especially strong supporters:
79.1 % City of Providence - 2nd highest approval rate after Block Island
73.8 % Central Falls
78.9% Newport
The Highest voter approval was 82.4 % in New Shoreham.
 
Local Land Conservation Bonds  were also Approved
Middletown $2 million passed by  68%
Glocester $500,000  passed by 53.8%

Take the Long View: Vote to Preserve More Open Space in Rhode Island

Last thoughts on Question 2 ~ Maybe you'll see this November 4 and mention the importance of approving the open space bond issue to another RI voter before they go to the polls today:

Despite the economic climate, many more folks urge the approval of Question 2, the Open Space Bond Referendum.

Chip Young's CHANNEL 10 BLOG: Chip Young posted this great recommendation for APPROVING Question 2 - the $2.5 million Open Space Bond Referendum on the Channel 10 blog.  It includes an endorsement by Governors Garrahy and Almond that has been printed as an op-ed in papers throughout Rhode Island.

Lincoln Almond and Joseph Garrahy's op-ed in the Providence Journal, October 23, 2008

Priceless Farmland at Bargain Basement Prices ~ Farmland Op Ed by Rep. Donna M. Walsh of Charlestown, New Shoreham, Westerly, and South Kingstown.

FARM FRESH RHODE ISLAND: This is a clear, dramatic explanation of the impact of previous bond issues on preserving farmland. In an email I received yesterday, they quote Rupert Friday of the RI Land Trust Council:

"Rhode Island has lost 80% of our farmland since 1945.  Today, only 45,800 acres remain in production - less than 7% of the land in the state.  Our remaining farmland is the basis for $100 million in Rhode Island's economy each year.  It is also essential to defining the character of our communities and our quality of life.  Rhode Island has the highest farmland prices in the nation and there is strong pressure to develop this land into new subdivisions."

East Bay RI ~ signed by Connie Lima, Tiverton Land Trust; Abigail Brooks, Sakonnet Preservation Association; Larry Taft, Audubon Society of RI; George Mason, Little Compton Agricultural Conservancy Trust; John Berg, The Nature Conservancy of RI

Valley Breeze Fact Sheet. The Valley Breeze published several op eds from Smithfield, North Smithfield, and Cumberland Land Trust members ~ [ http://www.valleybreeze.com/www/Question_2-fact_sheet.pdf]

I want to be balanced about this, so I've looked for the other side of this issue. All I can find are the following:

THOSE OPPOSED TO Question 2:

Providence Journal editorial in mid-October. Main objection was the cost in this difficult economy. [Online link to this editorial seems to be unavailable.]

RI Republican blog -- objects to both bonds because opposes borrowing in principle and because of the cost of bonds. Believes RI should foot the bill completely for transportation and open space out of our own state budget.

The 2008 $2.5 Million Open Space Bonds Question ~ Yes, it's a Bad Economy, But Vote YES Anyway

 Of course the Providential Gardener supports the Open Space and Recreational bonds issue, even though our economy is in a bad way. It's not possible for me to oppose it!  I hope you'll join me in voting YES on Question 2 next week.

On November 4, 2008, Rhode Islanders will vote on two statewide questions ~

#1 is Transportation funding and #2 is for Open Space and Recreational Development funding. The Providence Journal endorsed the first and opposed the second in an editorial on October 16. The reason Projo gave for supporting the $87 million transportation bonds issue was that it enables Rhode Island to get matching funds, and they felt that the additional $2.5 million open space issue was more than Rhode Island could afford given the current economic situation. Apparently the Projo editors didn't realize that if the $2.5 million for open space and recreational development bonds is not approved, Rhode Island would also lose matching federal and private funds.

The RI Secretary of State website gives background and information about the two bond issues. I'm mainly concerned with the second one (although there is more than $3.6 million for public transit busses in the transportation bond issue) Here's what #2 will do:

Approval and issuance of these bonds will provide funds to the Department of Environmental Management to purchase, or otherwise permanently protect through the purchase of title to, development rights, conservation easements and public recreation easements, greenways and other open space, recreation lands, agriculture lands, forested lands and state parks.

The $2.5 million will be spent between July 2009 and June 2011, and the value to the state, the "useful life" will be "in perpetuity," or as we mortals say, forever, longer than any of us will live to see.

The background on this bond issue is that during the spring 2008 legislative session, the governor originally proposed $5 million, and land trusts and other conservation groups lobbied hard for upping the bond issue to $15 million. For a while in June, it seemed that the open space bond issue was dead, but at the last moment, the legislature approved $2.5 million to put the question on the November ballot and to continue the conservation program rather than ending this effort all together. The importance of this bond issued was outlined on May 7, 2008, in a post on our sister website, What Grows On in Rhode Island News Blog.

The Providential Gardener supports the Open Space Bond this November 4, and joins many other Rhode Islanders in urging you to vote YES. Rhode Islanders have a long history of supporting land conservation bonds ~ more than 70% of us supported open space bonds in 2000 and 2004. The main argument against it this year is the economy and our desire to see that every Rhode Islander has enough to eat, a safe, warm home, and a job, but $2.5 milllion is an investment in our future with everlasting consequences. Remember, though, that it's hard to make money by farming. We love our farmers' markets, we're enthusiastically supporting local agriculture, and we love our beautiful state. We're already sacrificing the other $2.5 million to $12.5 million that we would have approved if we were in a thriving economy and if the legislature had not cut the governor's original proposal and resisted the pleas of conservation groups to increase the governor's proposal. This is the least we can do, to approve this $2.5 million, especially when the transportation bond issue is more than 35 times its size and is also needed for our badly deteriorating bridges and infrastructure ($80 mil), commuter rail ($3.57 mil), and busses ($3.67mil).

The bonds bring in many millions of matching funds and it's short-sighted not to pass them no matter what our current economic problems are.

For more comments on this issue see a recent Forbes article about Rhode Island, an article in the South County Independent, and The Nature Conservancy website.

Farmland and Open Space Protection Funding Bond Referendum

Since local farming and preservation of open space is such a popular cause in Rhode Island and previous bond issues have been overwhelmingly approved, I've posted the RI Land Trust Council's views and supporting information in their entirety on What Grows On in Rhode Island. If this is something you value, please see RI Land Trust Council President Rupert Friday's full appeal on the What Grows On in Rhode Island News Blog.

Edible Forest Gardens

If you follow through on the link to The Real Food Summit (the post before this one), you'll find links to a great green blog by NYU students called The Wild Green Yonder. They work on such things as local food initiatives in New York City. Their post, "Three Shades of Green," caught my eye, as did Edible Forest Gardening, another blog. This fascinating approach is gardening like the forest, as described on the About page:

...Edible forest gardening is the art and science of putting plants together in woodlandlike patterns that forge mutually beneficial relationships, creating a garden ecosystem that is more than the sum of its parts. You can grow fruits, nuts, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, other useful plants, and animals in a way that mimics natural ecosystems. You can create a beautiful, diverse, high-yield garden. If designed with care and deep understanding of ecosystem function, you can also design a garden that is largely self-maintaining....

...Forest gardeners use the forest as a design metaphor, a model of structure and function, while adapting the design to focus on meeting human needs in a small space. While you can forest garden if you have a shady site, it is best if your garden site has good sun if you want the highest yields of fruits, nuts, berries, and most other products. Edible forest gardening is about expanding the horizons of our food gardening across the full range of the successional sequence, from field to forest, and everything in between.

I must read up on this! I think it would really suit me with its emphasis on perennials. Personally, I prefer my gardens to require as little intervention from me as possible. I'm still spending a lot of time out there refereeing the reseeding and spreading plants that compete with each other for room. This year, although we are (still!) in a drought, I watered as little as possible ~ I'd just as soon have plants that survive and thrive without needing life-support systems. As far as the lawn goes, well, it goes as far as it will grow well. If there are too many problems with a section of lawn, I make it into another garden. I'd rather have plants that can survive dry spells than be out watering every day or install an irrigation system.

Forest gardening sounds like the way to go. Have you ever heard of Forest Gardening, and do you know anyone in Rhode Island with a "forest garden?"

The Mannahatta Project ~ and, Perhaps, The Mooshausic Project?

The New Yorker Magazine's October 1, 2007, issue has a wonderful article, The Mannahatta Project: What did New York look like before we arrived? Work is underway to develop views of the lay of the land, the ponds and springs, and the vegetation of the island of Manhattan as accurately as possible ~ "down to the varieties of moss."

The Mannahatta Project is lead by Eric Sanderson, a landscape ecologist at the Wildlife Conservation Society. The project has two phases:

• Establish geographical models for Manhattan based on historical records, descriptions, and maps.
• Outreach and public education through posting of signs around the city explaining the natural history of, say Times Square, "to help New Yorkers learn about their forgotten, wild past."

The project will be one highlight of the 400th anniversary celebration of New York City in 2009.

Reading the article made me wonder what the original name of Providence was. It is not mentioned in most recent Rhode Island histories I have at hand here. A little web research, plus a little knowledge of the geographic characteristics of the land where the first English settlement was (i.e., North Main Street just south of Smith Street) indicates it would have been called by the name of the river that entered The Great Salt Cove, the Mosshasuck, which means "Great brook in the marshy meadow; great fish; meadow." Providence was Mooshausic in a document quoted in The History of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, p. 115, by Thomas Bicknell in 1920. This first settlement was at a crossroads of what are now Routes 1, 6, and 44, and it was not inhabited by Narragansetts, I believe, but was used as a meeting place for trading among different tribes in the area. If anyone has more accurate historical information, I'd be happy to have corrections.

Now, if you have ever wandered around downtown Providence, especially on a Waterfire night, you may realize that we have already compiled similar research for what Providence looked like before the English arrived. In the passage under Memorial Boulevard, between Waterplace and the plaza where Union Station Brewery is, the walls have several maps of how the city used to be. In fact, the Mall is sitting in what once was The Great Salt Cove. Take a look at them the next time you are at Waterfire (the next ones are October 6 and 27, 2007).

The New Yorker article has an accompanying slideshow of 11 renderings of such places as Tribeca, Murray Hill, Times Square, and the southern tip of Manhattan, which was originally much smaller than it is today. Boy, did people move a lot of earth around, and probably mostly with horses or oxen and carts.

Providence already has its posted historical illustrations, for instance, of the ford over the Providence River at Weybosset (which means "narrow place or crossing" in Algonquin). You'll see several of these posters on downtown bridges in the Waterfire area. Stop and think about them. 

It's probably a deep-set Rhode Island trait to try to see everything "the way it used to be." I always find it intriguing to imagine how quiet the land once was, but how difficult it must have been to live here; and what vistas there were, and how the landfill wasn't visible from Providence once upon a time (which it now is, folks)! Maybe some creative ones among us will learn from the Mannahatta Project how to do a full-blown Mooshausic Project to help Rhode Islanders understand our state's ecology and our place in it. 

News from The Rhode Island Land Trust Council

The Rhode Island Land Trust Council has a newsletter you might be interested in receiving. To subscribe, send an email request to rfriday@tnc.org

I have just finished putting all the meeting announcements in What Grows On in Rhode Island and in The Providential Gardener Calendar, but there is much more in it I want to pass along to everybody.

Here are the meetings they listed. Some are useful nonprofit organizational workshops for environmental groups and some are specifically for land trusts or bay/waterfront groups:

• Multiply Yourself: Growing the Conservation Community ~ November 17, 2007
• Nonprofit Workout Conference: The Ways We Lead, Building Adaptive, Inclusive Organizations ~ November 9, 2007
• Communication & Negotiation Skills: Collaborating Better with Multiple Partners
• What your Land Trust Needs to Know About the IRS, RIDBR and other Regulators
• Sea Grant Symposium: Creating Vibrant Waterfronts in Rhode Island
• Bioneers by the Bay: Connecting for Change ~ October 19-22, 2007
• Passing Municipal Bonds for Land Protection ~ October 24, 2007
• Trail Planning & Design Workshop ~ October 13, 2007
• Federal Conservation CostShare Program Workshops ~ October 9, 10, 11, 2007
• Volunteer Center of RI Workshop ~ Grant Writing II - Advanced ~ October 11, 2007

Publication:

Amending Conservation Easements: Evolving Principles and Practices New Land Trust Alliance (LTA) publication available free for LTA members

News:

Land Trust Accreditation Lottery Update from Land Trust Accreditation Commission

The lottery for 2008 applications closed with over 80 participants.  The Commission announced that it will be able to accommodate all organizations that participated in the lottery in one of three application rounds next year. Land trust interest in the program matches the Commission’s projections for the number of applications it will review 2008.

The Commission will still be evaluating its pilot program in 2008 so it will not yet be at full operations. We expect the number of applications that can be reviewed to grow after 2008. Next year, the Commission will also evaluate the lottery for 2008 applications and determine how it will accept applications in future years.

Funding/Grant Opportunities

Temper of the Times Foundation Grants ~ advertising for the environment

Ever wish you could find funding to support your advertising needs? Temper of the Times Foundation, is a private grant foundation that supports increased environmental awareness through media campaigns.

It was created by the board of directors of The Moneypaper, Inc., in 1997. Since public opinion is often influenced by marketing efforts, The Moneypaper, Inc. decided to create a foundation that would promote the use of standard marketing concepts to increase environmental awareness. Recognizing that organizations working to protect the environment in general have limited access to paid media, the Foundation provides funds to underwrite advertising designed to promote the conservation and restoration of native wildlife, plants, and ecosystems in the United States. Beginning in 2001, the Foundation has also supported earned income media campaigns. Grants are typically between $5,000 and $15,000 and should be used to fund the production of print, radio, or television ads, to pay for advertising space or airtime, or to produce or distribute pamphlets, books, videos, or press packets.

Information & grant applications: http://www.temperfund.org/index.html

Deadline October 15 via email

Environmental Education

Deadline: October 15

The Environment Council of Rhode Island Education Fund (ECRI Ed Fund) is opening the application process for the 2nd Annual Loraine Tisdale Environmental Education Fund awards.
ECRI offers 3 grants of $250 to teachers or environmental organizations for support of projects that:

• Have student participation
• Lead to measurable improvement in an environmental condition
• Involve the community beyond a school in some way

Awards will be made in January 2008 for projects to be undertaken in the Spring of 2008.

Information & Applications: 621-8048 ~ environmentcouncil@earthlink.net

Coastal & Estuarine Habitat Restoration Trust Fund

Deadline: October 17

The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) is seeking pre-proposals for habitat restoration project funding

The fund was established to facilitate the design, planning, construction and monitoring of coastal and estuarine restoration projects as well as to increase opportunities for outreach and education related to coastal habitat restoration.

Municipalities, committees, boards or commissions chartered by a municipality,nonprofit organizations, civic groups, educational institutions and state agencies are eligible to apply.

To submit a pre-proposal, please download a pre-proposal form at http://www.crmc.ri.gov/projects/habitats.html

fill out the form and return it to:

Coastal Resources Management Council
Oliver H. Stedman Government Center
4808 Tower Hill Road;Wakefield,RI 02879-1900

Caitlin Chaffee: 783-7198

Information: http://www.crmc.ri.gov/news/2007_0901_habrest.html

Fund for Wild Nature Grants Program

Deadline: November 2

The Fund for Wild Nature provides "small grants to small groups who get things done." The fund provides money for campaigns to save and restore native species and wild ecosystems, including actions to defend wilderness and biological diversity.

The fund supports advocacy, litigation, public policy work, development of citizen science, and similar endeavors. The fund does not support basic scientific research, private land acquisition, individual action or study, or conferences. The fund will only support media projects that have a clear strategic value and a concrete plan for dissemination of the final product.

The fund gives special attention to ecological issues not currently receiving sufficient public attention and funding. The fund seeks proposals with visionary and yet realistic goals to create tangible change. All proposals must be highly cost effective.

The fund rarely supports proposals from organizations with annual budgets greater than $250,000. The fund makes grants for projects only in the United States,Canada, and Mexico.

Visit the Fund for Wild Nature Web site for complete program guidelines and application procedures.

Information: www.fundwildnature.org

Providence Tomorrow ~ Rethinking the Northeast Section of the City

A series of workshops for the Mount Hope, Hope, and Blackstone neighborhoods next week should produce some interesting ideas, because a lot of neighbors are taking a strong interest. See the Providence Tomorrow website for details, as well as the post on What Grows On in Rhode Island: Mount Hope, Hope (Summit), & Blackstone Neighborhood Workshops ~ September 24 ~ 27, 2007.

Greg Gerritt has circulated some thoughts about the plan on the Summit Neighborhood Association discussion board. I've posted them here to give them a wider audience. He is particularly concerned to see that vegetable gardens be planted in as many places as possible to give Providence food security. The Providential Gardener wholeheartedly supports this. I've added hotlinked some of the groups or references in Greg's and Southside Community Land Trust's ideas, e.g., US Green Building Council, so readers can easily find more background. ~ SK

North Main Street Project: An Example of Residents Shaping Their Neighborhood

One reason for haphazard, ugly, people-unfriendly, and/or environmentally unsound development is the absence of neighborhood residents in town and city planning processes. Nobody thinks about what it's going to be like to LIVE near the results of development or redevelopment. Some people in Providence, however, are setting an example of constructive and proactive resident involvement in what their own neighborhood could be.

The Providential Gardener will be following their activities as they develop plans and influence changes on the part of North Main Street in Providence that stretches from Branch Avenue/Cypress Street (at the entry of North Burial Ground) to the Pawtucket city line. For those of you not in the immediate neighborhood, this section of North Main Street goes past:

• North Burial Ground, dating from 1700
• the Dexter House (built in 1755) at Rochambeau Avenue,
• "where the Auditorium used to be" (I understand Rocky Marciano's fights were held there, among many other events, but it's now a parking lot for The Miriam Hospital),
• the Armory, headquarters of the RI National Guard 103rd Field Artillery Regiment, and
• the derelict Sears Roebuck building on North Main.

The task is daunting. North Burial Ground isn't in the best of shape, but it could be another Mount Auburn Cemetery (see an earlier story), and several buildings are long abandoned, making for a depressing sight. It's worth your life to cross the street, and this commercial strip isn't well integrated into the neighboring residential areas. You can't walk from nearby homes to banks, dry cleaners, or a grocery store, for instance, because there aren't any. [There's a drug store, though, and a couple of blocks away, a major chain is building another big drug store. What does this mean? Is there only money in serving sick people? Are we all sick yet?]

So what are North Main Street's neighbors doing about this?  What's been done so far? Click on the picture in this post to enlarge it so you can read it for details. In sum:

• Organized a group of partners (click on the picture above for the list)
• Set goals, for instance,
  
  • New jobs for Providence residents [near the neighborhood]
  • More homes and people on North Main
  • Model Smart Growth & green buildings
  • New business start-ups
  • Destination attractions: shopping, entertainment, restaurants, park
  • Safe pedestrian routes and paths
  • Efficient, low-emission transit options
• Identified a process:
  • Define the problem
  • Find out what the neighbors want
  • Figure out how to make happen what folks want
• Align with larger planning processes such as The Providence Tomorrow Initiative's series of charrettes, part of the new Providence Comprehensive Plan. More background on the development of the North Main Street Project are on the Summit Neighborhood Association (SNA) blog. The SNA has a meeting on Monday, September 17, to prepare for the neighborhood charrettes being held the week of September 24 for the Blackstone, Mount Hope, and Summit neighborhoods in the northeastern section of Providence. 

Stay tuned! And send news of others who are making innovative plans for improving their neighborhoods. For instance, here's another neighborhood's plans: a March 2007 story about Washington Park/South Elmwood in Providence.