providence geeks

Providence Geeks – June 19, 2013

gcpvd —  June 18, 2013 — Leave a comment

Wednesday, June 19th, 5:30 – 8pm
AS220, 115 Empire Street, Providence, RI
FREE (buy your own food and drink – it’s cheap)
RSVP at Facebook

sendgrid_labs-logoHappy Summer, All! We’ve got a killer June Geek Dinner lined up for you.

It’s well-known that Boulder Colorado-headquartered SendGrid is one of the most successful tech startups of the past decade. The email delivery service helps clients send over 7 billion emails per month.

So far though, few folks realize that SendGrid’s new R&D arm — SendGrid Labs — is based in Providence. Last year, when SendGrid recruited Native RI’er & technology veteran Mike Rowan to build and lead Labs, they told him could locate the team wherever he wanted. To the local tech scene’s delight, Mike choose our fair city.

At the June Geek Dinner, Mike is going to tell the SendGrid Labs story, demo one of its projects, and explain why he thinks Providence has only begun to tap its potential as a technology center.

See you there — you won’t want to miss this!

In Events, Technology , ,
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Providence Downtown Farmers Market Starts June 18, 2013

gcpvd —  June 17, 2013 — Leave a comment

farmers-marketSupport local farmers and business and get fresh, local and healthful produce and homemade treats for you and your family. This year the Farmers Market will have special activities, workshops, games and more for families! PLUS dinner available from Sprout, Rocket Fine Street Food, Mijos + Joedega.

The Downtown Farmers Market is now a dinnertime market! After work every TUESDAY from 3-6pm, stop by Washington St. between Kennedy Plaza and Burnside Park to grab dinner and pick up fresh food for the week. The market will run from June 18 – October 29.

Vendors include:

  • NorthStar Farm
  • Pezza Farm
  • Lane Gardens
  • Mello’s Farmstand
  • Hill Orchards (Starting later in the summer)
  • Pine View Farm
  • Ellie’s Bakery
  • Palmieri’s Bakery
  • Cupcakerie
  • Narragansett Creamery
  • Harvest Kitchen
  • Providence Pudding Pops
  • Rocket Fine Street Food
  • Mijos Tacos
  • Joedega
In Events , ,
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Providence Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Meeting – June 17, 2013

Jef Nickerson —  June 17, 2013 — Leave a comment

Providence Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Agenda
June 17, 2013, 4:30 PM, 444 Westminster Street, First Floor

Agenda

  • 4:30: Introductions
  • 4:35: Approval of May 30 Minutes
  • 4:40: Downtown Circulator (KP and Fountain/Sabin) w/Bonnie Nickerson
  • 5:10: Bike Plan (following up on steering committee meeting)
  • 5:30: Thayer St Plan input
  • 5:40: Crosswalk Buttons
  • 5:50: Downtown Bicycle Parking
  • 6:00: Adjourn

Full disclosure: I am a member of this Commission.

In Bicycles, Pedestrians , , , , , ,
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GC: Photos

gcpvd —  June 15, 2013 — Leave a comment

We haven’t been keeping up very well with all the great photos shared in our Flickr Group. Most of these are from earlier in the spring:

Providence

Photo © provbenson2009

Boat House

Photo © Armadillo Commander

Untitled

Photo © Paul Shelasky

Continue Reading…

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RI Pride festival and parade – June 15, 2013

gcpvd —  June 14, 2013 — Leave a comment

pride

The 2013 Rhode Island LGBT Pride Celebration is Saturday, in Providence.

The Pride Festival takes place along South Water Street from noon to 7:30pm. The parade makes its way through Downcity starting at 8:30pm.

pride-map-2013

Visit the RI Pride website and read the Pride Guide for more information.

In Events , ,
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With seemingly no end in site to all this rain, and our rivers quickly rising toward and beyond flood stage, this video which takes a look at bioswales, a form of storm water retention is quite timely.

Many American cities are growing to the idea that they need to do a much better job handling their stormwater runoff at ground level. In Indianapolis, they decided to not only do that but significantly green the city along its newly opened Cultural Trail. The 8 mile separated biking and walking route loops thru the heart of the downtown and as you’ll see in this short (expanded from our larger work) Karen S, Haley, the Executive Director of Indianapolis Cultural Trail, tells us a little about the substansial and verdant bioswales they installed.

Imagine if these became standard for roads in some vulnerable-to-storms- U.S. cities?

From Streetfilms via The Atlantic Cities.

Posted by Jef Nickerson on June 13, 2013 In Environment, Video , , , , ,
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10 reasons why the Apponaug Circulator is ‘not ready to go’

Jef Nickerson —  June 12, 2013 — 8 Comments

The Providence streetcar project is not the only TIGER grant application coming from Rhode Island. RIDOT has also submitted an application for the Apponaug Circulator Long-term Improvements Project .

The Mayor has thrown his support behind the streetcar however the Governor (former Mayor of Warwick) is not on board, saying through a spokesperson to WPRI that the streetcar project is, “not ready to go.”

I contend that it is the Apponaug project is not ready to go, here’s why:

apponaug-4-corners

RIDOT rendering of Four Corners in Apponaug.

1. 20th century traffic solutions

The one-way circulation as it exists today was a temporary response to the construction of the Post Road Extension by-pass built in the 1970′s. High-speed traffic from that bypass was dumped into the one-way circulation to reach Routes 117 and 1 at the southern side of Apponaug.

The current circulator project seeks to relieve problems cause by heavy through traffic and fix “numerous roadway deficiencies [that] exist along all legs the circulator, including narrow lane widths, narrow or nonexistent shoulder widths, insufficient horizontal curves, poor curb reveal, and poorly defined curb openings.” At the same time, it seeks to improve the environment for area businesses, pedestrians, and cyclists.

These wide lanes, wide shoulders, broad curves, and etc. are exactly what make a village center environment such as Apponaug a poor place for pedestrians and cyclists and by extension, a poor place to run a business. This kind of engineering perpetuates the high-speed movement of automobiles and will not help get pass-through traffic to stop and patronize area businesses.

Basically, these conditions extend the road environment of the Post Road Extension straight through Apponaug.

2. Walkability

While the plan calls for reducing the section of Post Road between Four Corners and Williams Corner, the main historic business district, to one lane and installing curb extensions leading to raised crosswalks through that section, the rest of the roadways through the project feature four-lane arterials with wide shoulders; not an ideal environment for pedestrians.

The project features four roundabouts and one tear-shaped not quite roundabout at Williams Corner. While the proposal claims that, “A key characteristic of roundabouts is their ability to handle pedestrian crossings safely,” I’m dubious about the safety of pedestrians in any roundabout that has two-lanes of high-speed traffic moving in each direction. ‘Yield to pedestrians’ and speed limit signs can be put up all over the place, but traffic will move at the speed the road is engineered to allow it to move at.

The business district portion has good pedestrian enhancements, the rest of the project area is not ideal and continues to cut pedestrians off from the surrounding areas.

Continue Reading…

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Guest Post: A Trip to Newport; The Breakers Welcome Center

Guest Post —  June 12, 2013 — 4 Comments

breakers

The Breakers in Newport

An anonymous reader is taking the readers of Greater City Providence to Newport and laying out the proposal set forth by the Preservation Society of Newport County to construct a permanent welcome center on the grounds of the landmark property, The Breakers.

The city of Newport has long been the center of tourism for Rhode Island and much of southern New England. Known for its sandy beaches, sailing, historic architecture spanning three centuries, superb dining, art galleries, and historic landmarks, the city by the sea has welcomed millions seeking to explore, learn, relax, and to enjoy themselves. Tourism is on the rise and museums are in the midst of creating world-class visitor centers meant to provide the proper introduction to an institute, property, or collection. In late August 2012, an article published by the Newport Daily News announced plans by the Preservation Society of Newport County to construct a 3700 sq ft ‘welcome center’ on the grounds of The Breakers. Plans were not yet finalized; however, the Preservation Society had announced that the architectural firm of Epstein-Joslin of Cambridge, MA had been chosen to design a structure that would fit into the historic grove and landscape of the organization’s flagship property.

The intent is to clear away unsightly and temporary structures that house a ticketing venue, seasonal portable toilets, and a vending machine and replace them with a permanent structure. The new structure will house restrooms, café, and ticketing venue.

As the flagship property, The Breakers receives roughly half of the visitor attendance that the Society will see annually and collectively in a collection of eleven historic properties. That equals to nearly 400,000 visitors out of 800,000 that will tour the great mansion built by Cornelius Vanderbilt II in 1893-1895. The Breakers is one of the top five most-visited house museums in America, among the notables: Biltmore, Monticello, and Mount Vernon. The Preservation Society is also one of the top four major cultural organizations in New England with the other three in Boston; the Museum of Science, the New England Aquarium, and the Museum of Fine Arts. Comparing to other institutions, the accommodations at The Breakers is subpar.

The proposal, as announced, sparked a wave of letters sent to the Newport Daily News, Newport This Week, and the Providence Journal. Most were against the proposal in various tones, fearing business would be lost at area establishments that are dependent on tourism traffic to the mansions on Bellevue Avenue, while others pointed at historic preservation and the thought of the fabric of the landscape being forever ruined. Whatever the case may be, there are many reasons to not build a visitor center period, especially on the grounds of the mansion.

Continue Reading…

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City Plan Commission Meeting – June 18, 2013

Jef Nickerson —  June 12, 2013 — Leave a comment

Notice of Regular Meeting
Tuesday, June 18, 2013 • 4:45pm
Department of Planning and Development • 1st Floor Meeting Room
444 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02903

Opening Session

  • Call to Order
  • Roll Call
  • Approval of minutes from the May 21st 2013 meeting – for action Director’s Report

City Council Referral

1. Referral 3365 – Petition for a permanent easement for property located at 186 Fountain Street The applicant is requesting a permanent easement to construct an outdoor deck for the restaurant located at 186 Fountain Street – for action (AP 25 Lot 185, Downtown)

Minor Land Development Project

2. Case No. 13-014 MI – 207 Waterman Street (Preliminary Plan Stage) The applicant is proposing to demolish the existing building to construct a four story (approx. 45 feet), 30 unit multifamily development on a lot measuring approximately 11,677 SF. The applicant is proposing to provide 21 internal parking spaces, 45 are required. The development will require dimensional relief from parking and density requirements – for action (AP 14 Lot 516, Wayland)

Adjournment

  • Agenda
In Development, Government , , , , ,
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Pawtucket Commuter Rail Station Public Meeting – June 13, 2013

gcpvd —  June 11, 2013 — 7 Comments

Did you want more transit news today? From the Pawtucket Foundation:

June 13th: 6PM – Commuter Rail Station Public Meeting

You are invited to attend a Rhode Island Department of Transportation and City of Pawtucket Public Meeting

CONCERNING THE POTENTIAL PAWTUCKET COMMUTER RAIL STATION

Thursday, June 13, 2013
Open House: 6:00 PM
Presentation: 6:30 PM

Blackstone Valley Visitor’s Center
175 Main Street, Pawtucket, Rhode Island

pawtucket-commuter-rail-logoThe Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) and the City of Pawtucket invite members of the community to a Public Meeting on Thursday June 13, 2013, to learn more about the Pawtucket Commuter Rail Station Project.

The meeting will take place at the Blackstone Valley Visitor’s Center, 175 Main Street, Pawtucket. Beginning at 6:00 PM, representatives from RIDOT, the City of Pawtucket, and the project team, will host an open house to discuss the project and answer questions. At 6:30 PM, RIDOT will present an overview of the Pawtucket Commuter Rail Project, which is exploring options for a potential station to reintroduce commuter rail service to Pawtucket. The Project will evaluate site, environmental, and rail impacts associated with a new station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Providence Line.

The Blackstone Valley Visitor’s Center is located at RIPTA’s Pawtucket Transit Center and is accessible to persons with disabilities. Spanish translation services will be available at the meeting. Individuals who do not speak the English or Spanish languages or who are hearing impaired may contact RIDOT on or before June 6, 2013, to request an interpreter. Please direct interpreter requests to customerservice@dot.ri.gov or (401) 222-2450.

  • Si esta información es necesaria en otro idioma, llame al (401) 222-2450.
  • Se esta informacao e nevessario emu ma outro lingua, contate por favor (401) 222-2450.
In Pawtucket, Transportation , , ,
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