Latest news with #BrettSmiley
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Climate
- Boston Globe
Providence will retire its rarely-used emergency sirens, moving fully digital
'It could have actually further confused people,' Decerbo said in an interview with the Globe. The tragedy 'renewed the discourse about public alert and warning' across the country, she said. Advertisement Providence isn't prone to tsunamis, but has experienced Get Rhode Island News Alerts Sign up to get breaking news and interesting stories from Rhode Island in your inbox each weekday. Enter Email Sign Up 'Unless you are right next to it, and outdoors, you really can't tell what the person is saying,' Decerbo said. Indoors, it can only be heard within a half mile. And when the city conducted its regular tests of the sirens, people asked: 'what am I supposed to do when I hear a siren?' The city is now rolling out its new emergency alert plan starting Sept. 1, which includes decommissioning the sirens and streamlining the protocols for two types of digital alerts: one that comes to your phone automatically for life-threatening emergencies, and a second opt-in system for public information that is not life-or-death. Advertisement The recent Under the new operating procedure, a short list of people — including Decerbo, Mayor Brett Smiley, the fire and police chiefs and their deputies — can call the Rhode Island Emergency Management agency to send a Wireless Emergency Alert for a life-threatening emergency that requires an evacuation or shelter in place. (This system is already used for AMBER Alerts and National Weather Service warnings.) The city has pre-crafted messages in English and Spanish, which would then be pushed automatically to cellphones in the selected geographic area. Wireless emergency alerts should be turned on by default, though people can double-check in their phone settings that the sound is on so they can be woken up for a middle-of-the-night evacuation. (While reporting at the emergency management agency, a Globe reporter discovered she had silenced her own alerts.) The existing Clara Decerbo, Providence's emergency management director, can send a CodeRED alert from her computer. Steph Machado/Globe Staff The wireless alerts are useful in a life-threatening emergency like street flooding, for example, when the most dangerous place to be is in a car. Someone passing through Providence when flash flooding hits might not get a CodeRED alert, which is based on their address, but would get the wireless emergency alert. Advertisement While relying on cellphones is not a perfect system — power can go out, and phones can die — installing citywide sirens would be prohibitively expensive, Decerbo said, and still wouldn't solve the issue of residents deciphering what action to take if they hear a siren. Outdoor sirens are no longer considered a key component to emergency alert systems, especially outside of the tornado alley region in the central US, and civil defense sirens that once warned of air raids have been dismantled in most places. Once Providence decommissions its sirens, the only Rhode Island municipality that will still have them is Warren, a coastal town that installed two sirens for weather-related alerts several years ago. Brown University has its own private sirens, which were In Massachusetts, the only outdoor sirens still in use are in the towns within 10 miles of the Massachusetts also uses the Decommissioning the sirens will save Providence $20,000 to $30,000 a year in maintenance, plus the system was due for a pricey upgrade that would have cost $250,000, Decerbo said. Advertisement If something happened in the middle of the night, like the Texas flooding event, the backup plan to the phone alerts would be to send police and firefighters to evacuation areas and go door-to-door and use megaphones. The Texas flooding has prompted scrutiny over the warning system there, and concerns about cuts at the National Weather Service, which sends alerts about severe weather. Decerbo said she is 'very concerned' about national cuts to The city also contracts with meteorologist Steve Cascione, a former TV broadcaster, to help inform the city's emergency decisions. 'Texas is a really tragic and catastrophic example of how important public alert and warning is, and we want everyone to be aware of what we're doing,' Decerbo said. Steph Machado can be reached at
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Will noise cameras be coming to Providence this year? What we know.
PROVIDENCE – Mayor Brett Smiley's office is advancing plans to crack down on high noise levels in Providence and is seeking a contractor to help install noise cameras around the city. Once city leaders approved the fiscal year 2026 budget in mid-July, the administration was free to revisit Smiley's long sought, but controversial plan. If installed, noise cameras would be able to detect loud music, amplified car mufflers, decked-out motorcycle exhaust systems and other violations against the city's 75-decibel noise limit. If triggered, the technology works by photographing a vehicle's license plate, which the city can use to issue a ticket. It's unclear how much the cameras would cost and when, or where, they would be installed. Anthony Vega, a spokesperson for the mayor, explained that the city is still in the early phases of putting a call out for contractors, also known as a request for proposal (RFP). 'The city is now in the process of developing a RFP to find a vendor to partner with on a pilot program,' he said in a statement. 'Information about the locations, timeline and number of cameras will not be determined until the RFP process is complete.' Smiley's stance is firm on noise cameras Since taking office in 2022, Smiley has insisted on tackling quality of life issues in Providence, including noise levels. The mayor took his noise camera proposal to the General Assembly in 2024 for permission from the state, but both bills died during the session. 'We've got it in this budget. The City Council actually cut some of the funding, but we fought to preserve the rest, and the hope is that by the end of the year we'll have sound cameras in key locations around the city,' he recently told WJAR in an interview. Smiley has previously said that the cameras would be installed evenly around the city to avoid targeting specific neighborhoods. According to research conducted by Brown University's noise lab, Providence's South Side and western neighborhoods tend to be much noisier than their East Side counterparts. The mayor also noted that he's spoken with officials in Newport, New York City and Miami Beach, who have all implemented noise cameras. However, because the technology is fairly new, the mayor's staff hasn't supplemented their plans with extensive research. 'It's not like there's been a lengthy period of annual reports that other communities have started to issue or anything, because this is still relatively new," he said in 2024. Noise cameras are a controversial proposal Some noise cameras critics suggest that the technology disproportionately polices communities of color and that urban noise issues tend to be a result of poor city planning, as opposed to individual offenders. Others also worry about its surveillance capabilities. The ACLU of Rhode Island voiced concerns last year over how Providence would store data and who would be able to access it. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Noise cameras in Providence will ticket loud cars. When they're coming.
Boston Globe
21-07-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Providence principal Scott Sutherland tapped as Johnston superintendent
If anyone knows how to navigate a district overhaul, it's Sutherland, who has had a front-row seat for the Advertisement Sutherland's move is a big blow for Providence, which remains in a state of educational limbo as it's unclear when the district will return to local control. The current takeover is scheduled to end in 2027, but Mayor Brett Smiley asked the legislature to end it this summer. Most people involved in the discussions expected a compromise to return control after the 2025–2026 school year, but no deal has been finalized. This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you'd like to receive it via email Monday through Friday, . Advertisement Dan McGowan can be reached at
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Superman Building owner seeks new tax break. Will it be enough to complete its renovation?
The owner of Providence's long-vacant "Superman Building" says a tax break being considered by lawmakers is "the last piece of the puzzle" needed to restart construction and turn the defunct office tower into snazzy new apartments. The tax break sought by Providence Mayor Brett Smiley and building owner David Sweetser's High Rock Development would exempt construction materials on the Superman Building redevelopment while allowing the owner to claim the maximum $15 million tax credit under the Rebuild Rhode Island program, the state's primary development incentive. Current law doesn't allow property owners to get a sales tax exemption while claiming the full $15 million Rebuild credit. The Senate Finance Committee was slated to vote on the legislation, S1002, on May 27 but rescheduled the vote until Thursday so that it could be amended. It was not immediately clear what specific changes were in the works. An identical House version of the bill, H5741, received a hearing in early April and has not moved since. Although the legislation doesn't mention the Industrial Trust Tower, or Superman Building, by name, there's little doubt that the state's art deco skyline landmark and tallest building was the inspiration. The only projects that qualify for the new break have to include housing units with at least 20% of them reserved for residents making no more than 80% to 120% of the area median income. The deal struck by Sweetser and state leaders back in the spring of 2022 specified that at least 20% of units would be deed-restricted for people making between 80% and 120% of the average median income. The original 2022 deal between Sweetser, Gov. Dan McKee, then-Mayor Jorge Elorza and House and Senate leaders included a roughly $65 million public financing package, of which $26 million would come from the state, $15 million from Providence and $24 million from the federal government. (This does not not include the 30-year city property tax treaty.) Rhode Island Commerce estimates that the sales tax exemption would give High Rock an additional $4.6 million in savings. In exchange for those state and local incentives, High Rock promised to transform the former bank headquarters into a mixed-use residential tower with 285 rental apartments. Over the following three years, High Rock has pulled construction permits, displayed model units and began demolition work on the art deco landmark, but work eventually stalled with little idea of what it would take to complete the conversion. "Since 2022, construction inflation has only increased the costs of financing this worthy project," Nicholas Hemond, lobbyist for High Rock, wrote in a May letter to the Senate Finance Committee. "This legislation, together with existing programs at the local, state, and federal level, is the last piece of the puzzle towards getting this project back on the track to completion as was contemplated in 2022." High Rock in 2022 said the redevelopment of the Superman Building would cost $285 million and has not publicly updated that estimate to reflect inflation and other cost increases since then. Outside the Senate Finance hearing room, Smiley told The Journal that the last update he had received from High Rock suggested there was still at least a $10 million financing gap for the conversion project. "That's not to say that if this passes the hammers start swinging tomorrow, but we've been told by them that this is a piece of the puzzle," Smiley said. "This is sales tax on construction materials that will never be received if the project never moves forward, so I think it is a financially responsible way to provide a little assistance." The bill is also supported by state construction unions and the business-backed Providence Foundation. Before seeking the sales tax exemption, High Rock was pursuing federal grants for transit-oriented developments. It is unclear if those are still in the funding mix. "There are many complicated layers to financing this project, but this piece would go a long way towards developing this meaningful project for the City of Providence and the State of Rhode Island," Hemond wrote in support of the legislation. "We hope to see you all at the ribbon cutting when the project is done and life returns to the City's center piece forever." This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Superman Building owner seeks new tax break. Will it be enough?
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Smiley: Providence in ‘very preliminary' talks with Matunuck Oyster Bar
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — If there's a way for Providence to help a beloved Rhode Island oyster bar, Mayor Brett Smiley said the city stands ready to do so. In the wake of a devastating fire at Matunuck Oyster Bar in South Kingstown last month, several fundraisers have been launched and community members have been offering help to the iconic restaurant. RELATED: Rhode Islanders distraught by fire at beloved oyster bar Smiley said the city has had 'some original conversations' with the bar's owner, but they were 'very preliminary.' 'I reached out immediately to the business owner, who I know, and told them if there was a way that Providence could play a role in either a short-term or a long-term solution to the tragedy, that we wanted to do so,' Smiley told 12 News on Monday. 'Most importantly, there's 300 people who work at the oyster bar who don't have jobs right now, and we want to make sure that they find work and that that treasured Rhode Island institution finds a home and can reopen as soon as possible.' Earlier on Monday, The Boston Globe reported that the city's discussions included proposing that the bar open temporarily in Waterplace Park, where Skyline at Waterplace used to be. Skyline at Waterplace had been embroiled in a legal battle with the city since April 2023 when its owners were accused of violating their lease agreement by not keeping the property in good condition. The city's parks department took over management of the building after the city settled with the former owner to evict them. The city finalized that settlement in October. Documents show the city agreed to pay nearly $278,000. In recent months, the city has been showing off the vacant space to interested parties, according to Smiley, who said the city still plans to issue a request for proposal (RFP) sometime this year. 'We're trying to gather feedback from prospective users about what the best use of that facility is,' Smiley added. 'They need us': Fundraisers launched for Matunuck Oyster Bar There are efforts underway to get the oyster bar up and running closer to home. Last Friday, state Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee and Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski introduced legislation that would allow the restaurant to set up outdoor seating in the parking lot across the street. Hagan McEntee's bill is set to be reviewed by the House Committee on Small Business on Tuesday. Sosnowski's companion legislation will also be discussed Tuesday in the Senate Committee on Housing and Municipal Government. Alexandra Leslie (aleslie@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
