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Town of North Smithfield

February 22nd, 2019 Edition

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN NORTH SMITHFIELD

Message from Town Administrator

Gary Ezovski

In last week’s letter I asked for thoughts on the things this administration still needs to do. As usual, the response was interesting and appreciated. Most were targeting long term needs. Some were focused on ongoing operations like snow plowing. Though the long term was the reason for my question, I welcome all comments and I have already assessed the operations matters and asked for action. It is the long term that I want to address again today. Roadway condition on both state and local roads was the most frequent concern. After that, availability and performance of utilities in the Union Village area were cited as needing attention.

As most are aware, our North Smithfield DPW is not responsible for maintenance or improvement of state highways such as 146, 146A, Greenville Road or Providence Pike. We are however obligated to advocate for the community and indeed the region’s need as it relates to transportation infrastructure. With that in mind I have already requested information to gain understanding of how much resurfacing is already planned to take place in the multiple 146 bridge projects. I am also determined to find a way to encourage consideration of sidewalk installation and sidewalk improvements on other state roads. I must admit however that our chances for success with sidewalks is limited in a time when there is so much need for repair. When I get more information on the resurfacing programs, I will note it here so anyone will be equipped to join our advocacy effort by contacting our state legislative delegation.

On the local road maintenance, we are in process of putting out a request for proposals to pave almost two miles of local roads with hope the available funding will cover the cost. Beyond that, I will be continuing my advocacy for raising our annual budget appropriation for repaving to reach a point where we can do two miles of roadways every year. I am firm in my belief that this must be a regular program that is funded in the annual budget and not through bonding or any other form of borrowing. I encourage anyone who has concern for the condition of our roadways to try to be part of the conversation when our budget is set by the town council this June.

Finally, the replacement of old, undersized Union Village water lines and an extension of a sewer line were raised. I have explained that a sewer line extension requires both a strong neighborhood interest and a circumstance where the cost is reasonable for those property owners. We can be available to discuss any such circumstance. The Union Village water line replacement question is the one that hit a nerve. As some know, we have had discussion about that matter but haven’t brought it to an action point. The water line extension for Mechanic St and Old Great Road which will happen has absorbed available time but we need to get back into evaluation of options in order to prevent circumstances where we are forced to manage this by response to line failures. The fact that the Woonsocket Water Department serves this area, coupled with the line ownership issues, makes this perhaps one of the most complicated matters to resolve, but it isn’t impossible. Big problems are solved one step at a time. I intend to get back into that effort. If a reader of this letter has experience in water system management and would like to join me in finding a way to develop a replacement program, I will welcome the assistance.

The North Smithfield Food Pantry is looking for TWO NEW VOLUNTEER POSITIONS

Please click the links below for a full Job Description

Volunteers are needed for the Sewer Commission and Personnel Board.

Anyone interested in volunteering, please contact Gary Ezovski at 767-2200 ext. 303 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

NORTH SMITHFIELD HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE LAB RENOVATION UPDATE

Message from Superintendant, Michael St. Jean

On Wednesday, February 6th, North Smithfield Schools and the Rhode Island Department of Education met for the initial schematic design review for the new NSHS science labs and renovations.

For More Information on the NSHS Science Lab Renovation Update CLICK HERE

The North Smithfield Heritage Association Needs Your Help!

The North Smithfield Heritage Association plans to hold a Heritage Fair on Monday, May 27th following the town Memorial Day Parade.

We welcome town residents and groups to help organize activities and displays.

The next working group will meet Saturday, March 2nd at 10:00 am at the Forestdale School House. All interested residents and supporters are welcome to attend.

The North Smithfield Heritage Association Announces Forestdale Schoolhouse Public Openings for 2019

The Little Red Schoolhouse is open for visitors monthly, every second and third Thursday and Saturday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

While there, you can view artifacts, relics, and merchandise. You can also conduct historic research.

For further information: contact Louise VanHouwe at 401-769-8177

North Smithfield Fire & Rescue Service, Inc.

1470 Providence Pike • North Smithfield, RI 02896

The Town of North Smithfield’s “File for Life program”

The File of Life is a simple, bright colored pouch that contains a card with an individual's medical history, current medications, and any allergies as well as important emergency contact information.

This small pouch, which is usually attached to your refrigerator with the supplied magnet, has a wealth of information for EMS personnel in cases where a patient lives alone, cannot speak or is unconscious. The ability for EMS personnel to know if the patient has a certain medical condition or is allergic to a particular medication, is critical in order for them to receive the best care possible.

The File of Life was made possible by a grant the Town of North Smithfield received through the efforts of Town Administrator Gary Ezovski and is available to any town resident at either North Smithfield Fire station.

HELP US BETTER SERVE YOU!

The Rhode Island “Special Needs Registry”

The RI Special Needs Registry is a database of information that allows police, fire and other community first responders better prepare and respond to the special medical needs of residents in the event of an emergency.

Residents may require extra help during some of these emergencies, including those who:

Use life support systems such as oxygen, respirators, ventilators, dialysis, pacemakers, or are insulin dependent;
Have mobility problems and use a wheelchair, walker, cane, or other mobility device;
Are visually impaired, hard of hearing, or Deaf;
Have speech, cognitive, developmental or mental health disabilities; or
Use assistive animals or a prosthesis.

The Department of Health and the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency have partnered with the states E-911system to notify first responders when they are responding to a household that may have someone enrolled on the Registry.

The information submitted to the Special Needs Registry is only shared with first responders and emergency management officials. The information is held confidentially and is only accessed to assist with the residents safety and well being during an emergency.

Enrolling in this registry is simple. Registration Forms are available for pick up at either North Smithfield Fire station and can be filled out at home and mailed in, or residents may enroll online at https://kidsnet.health.ri.gov/emregistry/form.html

If you or a family member has special medical needs, consider enrolling in this program. HELP US BETTER SERVE YOU!

For the next several weeks, North Smithfield Emergency Management, CERT and REACT will be providing articles on survival preparation for an emergency. Many emergency response organizations have encouraged citizens to have three days of emergency supplies on hand in case disaster strikes, but because we live in a world where terrorism and cyber attacks have created possibilities of long-term outages of every day necessities, we should now consider being prepared for at least two weeks.

Those who have already prepared for three days have a good start as many items for three days will be good for the two week preparation. Flashlights, radios, extra batteries, first aid kits, contact information and manual can opener are items handy for three days or two weeks. Future articles will advise about other necessities that will be required for longer outages.

The key to survival in most cases will be to stay in your own home (shelter in place) as long as it is safe. Have an emergency plan that your family is familiar with and discuss the importance of knowing the location of emergency supplies. Community shelters may become overloaded and not have the abundance of supplies needed to sustain shelter goers for a long stay. First responders may be overwhelmed with disaster emergencies and should not be counted on to provide you with emergency supplies.

Hopefully, the forthcoming articles will give you food for thought in your preparation for a catastrophic emergency. This week's article will discuss GETTING INVOLVED WITH EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, CERT, AND REACT!

Get Involved with Emergency Management, CERT and REACT

There are many ways to Get Involved, especially before a disaster occurs. The content found on this page will guide you to find ways to take action in your community. Community leaders agree the formula for ensuring a safer homeland consists of trained volunteers and informed individuals taking action to increase the support of emergency response agencies during disasters. Major disasters can overwhelm first responder agencies, empowering individuals to lend support.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Learn first aid, join a Community Emergency Response Team in your community, donate to a reputable organization of your choice, and volunteer to respond to disasters and help your fellow Americans. Visit NVOAD.org to learn more.
Volunteer and receive training to support disaster and preparedness efforts in your community.
Teach preparedness curriculum in your school. Download everything you need for grades K-12 through our Ready Kids program.
Promote preparedness online by sharing preparedness tips on your social media account with Ready’s online social media toolkit or public service announcements
Take a free online independent study course through FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute and gain more knowledge to help your community become more prepared.

Support your community by participating in FEMA’s individual and community preparedness programs: Citizen Corps, Community Emergency Response Team, Prepareathon, Youth Preparedness

Until Help Arrives

You Are the Help Until Help Arrives (Until Help Arrives), designed by FEMA, are trainings that can be taken online or in-person, where participants learn to take action and, through simple steps, potentially can save a life before professional help arrives. The program encourages the public to take these five steps when there is an emergency.

Call 9-1-1;
Protect the injured from harm;
Stop bleeding;
Position the injured so they can breathe; and
Provide comfort.

Citizen Corps

The Citizen Corps mission is accomplished through a national network of state, local, and tribal Citizen Corps Councils. These Councils build on community strengths to implement the Citizen Corps preparedness programs and carry out a local strategy to involve government, community leaders, and citizens in all-hazards preparedness and resilience.

Citizen Corps asks you to embrace the personal responsibility to be prepared, to get training in first aid and emergency skills, and to volunteer to support local emergency responders, disaster relief, and community safety.

To learn how you can register for Citizen Corps or find a program near you, please contact your local emergency manager or FEMA at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Community Emergency Response Team

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program educates individuals about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.

Register, join or login to your CERT
To learn how you can register for CERT or find a program near you, please contact your local emergency manager or FEMA at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Youth Preparedness

As of May 2014, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, there is a total of 69.6 million children in school or child care in the United States. Emergencies and disasters can happen at any time, often without warning, where you may not be together with your children.

Starting or getting involved with a youth preparedness program is a great way to enhance a community’s resilience and help develop future generations of prepared adults.

Prepareathon

FEMA’s Prepareathon motivates people and communities to take action to prepare for and protect themselves against disasters. Its chief goals are to increase the number of people who:

Understand which disasters could affect their community
Know what to do to stay safe
Take action to increase preparedness
Improve their ability to recover from a disaster
Learn more about Prepareathon

NORTHERN RI REACT

www.northernrireact.org

THE NORTHERN RHODE ISLAND REACT, is a nonprofit organization chartered as team (C-102) by REACT International to provide emergency communications in the public interest. It is qualified as a charity under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. We have been in existence since 1962 serving the residents of Northern Rhode Island.

Adopt a Fire Hydrant

With over 150 fire hydrants and cisterns, (Underground Water tanks), in town, the North Smithfield Fire and Rescue Service is looking for the community's help with keeping them free and clear of snow and ice. After a storm, Fire crews will be out to clear hydrants and cisterns but with only two trucks on the road and such a large number of them, it can take us a considerable amount of time to get to them all. Any help we can get from the community to accelerate the process would be greatly appreciated. If you have a hydrant or cistern on or near your property, consider clearing it out so that we can access it in the event of a fire in the area. Help us help you!

Town of North Smithfield

Department of Public Works – Highway Division

Snow and Ice Removal Policy

Click here for the Snow Removal Policy

TOWN OF NORTH SMITHFIELD DPW

WINTER SAFETY TIPS

Winter brings with it lots of fun activities, but winter also means mounds of snow to shovel and layers of ice to remove. During some snow storms it becomes impossible for our plow drivers to know where the edge of the road is. Here are some helpful tips to ensure safety and efficiency during a snow storm.

Use reflective markers to make the edge of the road more visible for DPW when plowing. This is the best way to ensure trucks stay off your lawns.

Please remove everything from the roadway to clear it for the snow plows to come through (cars, basketball hoops, garbage cans etc.)

When shoveling snow or operating a snow blower, do not throw snow out into the street or sidewalk. This is not only against State Law (State Law Title 31-22-9), but this will ensure that snow does not freeze in the roadway or sidewalk and cause a hazard for vehicles and pedestrians. Please visit https://www.nsmithfieldri.org/home/news/snow-removal-policy for more information on our snow removal policy.

Trucks are plowing or spreading sand/salt. Stay back from the vehicle at least 100 feet to avoid problems. Plow trucks often have to back up. There are blind spots in the mirrors. For your safety, do not pull directly behind them. They may not be able to see you.

Trash and recycling collections may be canceled if weather conditions warrant. Check our website www.nsmithfieldri.org or call (401) 767-2200 ext. 348 for potenial pick-up delays.

Clear snow from around fire hydrants near your home/business to make them visible for our firefighters.

Winter Safety Tips

Message from NS Fire Prevention Office

We hope everyone had a great holiday season! We wanted to pass on a few safety tips as we enter the “JOYFUL” days of winter:

1. With cold weather comes frozen bodies of water. Never assume that frozen lakes, ponds, and streams are safe to walk on. Always call the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) 24 hour Hotline at (401) 667-6222 to check on ice conditions before lacing up those skates or stringing up the ice fishing tilts.

2. Normally, winter = snow. Some love it and others not so much! Either way, it still falls from the sky, and we all must deal with it. Please try to keep all driveways, sidewalks, steps and other access points to your home free and clear of snow at all times. In addition, keep snow and ice clear of dryer vents, gas meters, and any other ventilation points from your home.

3. Clean your chimney! It is important to have a maintenance plan for your heating devices in your home. Fuel burning appliances require regular maintenance in order to retain efficiency and safety features.

4. Lastly, we cannot have a fire safety release without mentioning the most important thing: Always check and maintain smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home!

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.

Our North Smithfield Animal Shelter is in

Need of Volunteers.

You can volunteer as many or as few days or hours that you can. Every little bit helps! Volunteering at an animal shelter can be a rewarding experience.

Please call the North Smithfield Animal Shelter at 766-0377.

Fiber Arts Gathering

Every Monday from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm (except the 1st Monday of the month)

At the Meadows

2 Village Way

North Smithfield, RI

Join our active group of knitters, crocheters, weavers, darners,quilters and embroiderers.
Beginners and experienced are invited.
Come to learn and share.
FREE, donations accepted

Organized by Engage North Smithfield

North Smithfield Residents Food Pantry

Slatersville Congregational Church

25 Green Street

North Smithfield, RI 02896

The flavor of the month for February is

CANNED FRUIT

Any donations or monetary gifts for the food pantry can be dropped off at the Slatersville Congregational Church between 9:00 am and noon. An additional drop box is available at the Town Hall during regular business hours.

The North Smithfield Food Pantry needs your help on Thursday or Friday mornings from 9:30-11am at the Slatersville Congregational Church to sort and move donated food items. You need to be able to carry boxes up and down stairs.

We still need someone to oversee the rescue and distribution program a few hours a week Wednesday through Friday.

For more information on both positions call 401-769-2773.

Senior Services, Inc. has provided services to seniors and adults with disabilities residing in Northern Rhode Island since 1975, in accordance with the Congregate Meal Program financed through a grant with R.I. Department of Elderly Affairs. Senior Services, Inc. provides nutritionally balanced lunches five days a week at our meal sites throughout Northern R.I.

Senior Services, Inc. offers activities, entertainment, computer classes, Alzheimer's Disease Support Groups, and Wellness programs, which include a weekly blood pressure clinic and exercise classes.

Senior Services, Inc. also offers an Adult Day Care Program ("A Home for the Day"), and a Community Information Specialist who can provide information on eligibility for all state and local programs, including RIPAE.

FEBRUARY 2019 Senior Services Newsletter

FEBRUARY 2019 Calendar of Events

FEBRUARY 2019 Menu

Senior exercise classes at Scouter's Hall, 13 Main Street, North Smithfield include: