Newsletter: Town of North Smithfield November 13, 2020

November 13, 2020

Message from Town Administrator

Gary Ezovski

In my note last week, I included the town’s positive COVID 19 case count for the prior 6 weeks which was 8, 6, 9, 18, 21 and 13. This week the trailing six week numbers are 6, 9, 18, 21, 13 and 21 so our town wide numbers are going up just as they are across the state. Obviously, that isn’t what anyone was hoping to see. Many have felt that the case count is high because there is more testing and there is more testing, but from what I have read that rationale doesn’t hold up. We have increased testing but the ratio of increased testing to increased positive cases do not align. The case count has grown much faster than the testing rate. The weather change has not helped. We are in this and it is serious!

We need to heed the warnings of RI DOH and the CDC if we are to avoid more illness, more strain on hospitals and more damage to our economy. It is that simple. Keeping our close contact numbers small, staying home as much as possible especially if sick, social distancing, wearing masks, and washing hands are the only options until a vaccine is approved and distributed.

Please! Protect OUR health by protecting yours!

North Smithfield Small Business Owners

We urge you to apply for a Restore RI grant as soon as possible—funds are set to expire by December 30, 2020.

All Restore RI funds are grants, not loans and they do not have to be repaid. Qualifying small businesses can use the grants to pay for overhead costs including rent and utilities. Eligible small businesses that can show 30% or more in lost revenue for just one month compared to the same month in 2019 will be eligible for a grant of up to $30,000. To see if you are eligible and to apply visit Commerce Rhode Island’s website at: commerceri.com/about-us/restore-ri

RECYCLING CENTER TEMPORARY HOURS

Recycling Center drop off hours are Saturdays from 9 AM to 3 PM and Wednesdays from 3 PM to 5 PM ONLY until December 1, 2020. Residents will not be able to drop off outside those regular hours. Residents are welcome to bring yard waste or accepted recyclables.

Curbside yard waste collection is ongoing through Friday, December 4, 2020. Yard waste is collected on the same day as your trash and recycling.

The town offers free drop off for ridged plastic and scrap metal items as well as used motor oil. Please do not leave items outside the gate after business hours, we will take notice!

If you have any questions please call us at: 401-767-2200 ext 248

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Stamina Mill Office Demolition by EPA

Click here for the latest update

*Tree clearing by the EPA to start next week

North Smithfield's own 2x Grammy Award Nominee

David Rawlings along with his partner Gillian Welch have been featured in

The New York Times Magazine.

Click here to read the article

We have received many phone calls inquiring about the car tax bills. To answer the main question, no they have not been sent out. We are waiting for answers from the State regarding the car tax phase-out & the FY21 budget.

Here is an article that ran in the Providence Journal

h ttps://www.providencejournal.com/news/20200822/delayed-car-tax-bills-may-be-first-ripple-of-state-budget-tsunami

*Please know that ultimately these bills will go out, please budget accordingly

November dates are:

Tuesday, November 17th & 24th @5:30-6:00pm

Saturday, November 21st & 28th @10:00-10:30am

The Food Pantry is a drive through at the Slatersville Congregational Church, UCC at 25 Greene St on the Common. Please line up on Greene St and you will be directed into the parking lot and food will be delivered into your car. You must wear a mask to receive food. You can come to all four of our pantries. Questions call 401-678-0356

Thank you to our good friends at Wright’s Dairy for their generous donation of milk! We so appreciate your kindness, and our clients say thank you as well!!!!

Additionally, thank you but we cannot use additional volunteer help at this time. If you would like to donate money, please mail to P.O. Box 283, Slatersville, RI 02876. If you would like to donate food, please call (401) 678-0356 to arrange a time for drop off. We need soups, canned tuna and chicken, canned fruit and juice, toilet paper and paper towels.

November Flavors of the Month are:

Canned Tuna & Chicken, Dry Cereal & Canned Vegetables

Saint Antoine Resident Walking Path Project

Saint Antoine Community is excited to announced that they have officially broken ground on their long-awaited "Resident Walking Path Project"!

Special Thanks to our North Smithfield friends & project contributors: Paul D. Carlson [Principal, InSite Engineering Services, LLC], Andrew F. Crowshaw [Superintendent, Narragansett Improvement Co.], & Arthur J. Eddy, [Principal, Traverse Landscape Architects] who have each donated a tremendous amount of time, expertise, and technical talent/resources to this amazing project!

Saint Antoine Community is incredibly blessed that Paul, Art, and Andy were able to come together, conceptualize our vision, and bring it to life! These next few weeks are going to be very exciting...be sure to follow Saint Antoine Community Facebook page for updated photos on this project!

Safety tips from North Smithfield Fire & Rescue

Change your clocks = Change the batteries in your smoke & Carbon Monoxide detectors!

We can’t say it enough!

It is so important to check the batteries in your smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarms. This inexpensive item can SAVE A LIFE!

Some smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarms come with a ten year sealed battery. If you have this type of alarm, we ask that you test them periodically. Information about testing can be found in the manufactures instructions. Replace smoke detectors every ten years and carbon monoxide detectors every five years.

Alert - During home inspections, our fire prevention division has found non-certified smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. In most cases, these alarms were purchased through the internet. Please make sure, when buying smoke and Carbon monoxide detectors, they have the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) stamp or the Factory Mutual (FM) stamp. UL and FM certified products are accepted under the Rhode Island State Fire Code.

Heating appliances require maintenance to guarantee efficiency. Failure to maintain this equipment adds great risk for fire and/or carbon monoxide exposure.

· Chimney’s should be cleaned and inspected regularly.

· Boilers should be serviced to include testing and inspection.

· Fireplaces should be cleaned regularly.

Also, remember to use all heating units to the manufactures specification. Space heaters are safe when used correctly.

NEVER use any heating appliance against manufactures recommendations.

As always, feel free to contact the North Smithfield Fire Prevention office at (401) 762-1135 Monday through Thursday between the hours of 07:00 a.m. and 05:00 p.m. for any fire safety questions you may have. There is no fee for us to come to your home, for a fire safety inspection to make sure your home is safe.

Stay Healthy & Safe!