Join us on Tuesday 5/19 at the State House with our partners Providence Streets Coalition, Neighbors Welcome, and AARP RI!
We are continuing the fight for affordable transportation and housing, restoring full service to RIPTA, and identifying sustainable funding solutions to allow public transportation and its riders to thrive!
🚌🏡Save RIPTA Lobby Day
📆Tuesday May 19
⏰3:30-4:30pm
🏛️RI State House
@providencestreets@neighborswelcomeri@aarpri
🔊🎧 Check out this new episode of our Main Street podcast where we interview John Chan - owner of Chan’s Fine Oriental Dining and total Woonsocket legend! Listen to hear how he transformed a corner of Downtown into an international jazz destination 🎶🎺🎷
Link in bio! #mainstreetri #growsmartri
Calling all Rhode Island (and Connecticut!) bike tourists:
On Monday, May 25 (Memorial Day), from noon - 2 pm at @track15ri in Providence, come meet Denise and Barb St. Pierre, two sisters who are biking up the East Coast Greenway from Miami to Provincetown.
The pizza's on us (or you can order other food and beverages from Track 15). Barb and Denise will share a bit about their @cycle_hope_ride and why they are doing it.
You can also purchase copies of the brand-new updated guide to the East Coast Greenway from New Haven, CT, to Providence. The guide shares route guidance, history and culture, and tips on favorite spots collected from dozens of stalwart Greenway users and volunteers.
Rhode Island is home to nearly 50 miles of the 3,000-mile East Coast Greenway. From the north, the route leaves Massachusetts on the Blackstone River Bikeway, including 10 paved miles along the historic Blackstone Canal, on to Pawtucket and Providence on road to India Point Park at the head of the bay. South of Providence, users can travel south on a complimentary path, the East Bay Bike Path, or continue through downtown to Cranston, where the Washington Secondary Rail-Trail provides 19 miles of continuous off-road travel. Farther west, the Trestle Trail adds 4.8 paved miles, with remaining sections and bridges in place and resurfacing planned to complete the connection to the Moosup Valley Trail at the Connecticut border.
Grow Smart RI is proud to partner with the @eastcoastgreenway , the@1772_foundation and @thirdactorg for this fun meet & greet.
Who doesn't love birthday parties, carousels, and local investing in local businesses??
🎉 🎂🐎
Tonight, May 7, at 6:30 pm at Roger Williams Park Carousel, come celebrate Local Return's 5th birthday alongside fellow community leaders, local business owners, investors, and advocates committed to a thriving Rhode Island economy through community investment.
Grow Smart RI will be there as a proud Local Return partner -- stop by and say hi!
@localreturnri
Next Monday, May 11, at noon, our partners at Neighbors Welcome Welcome will present the results of a public opinion poll of Rhode Islanders' thoughts on housing, conducted by YouGov.
Following the presentation of the poll's methodology and results, a panel of state leaders including Representative June Speakman, Senator Jacob E. Bissaillon, Catherine Taylor of @aarpri , and Randy Rossi of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns will offer their perspectives and respond to the results.
Register for the online session at link in bio.
"Small businesses are not just participants in Rhode Island's economy. They are our foundation. They make up 98% of all businesses in Rhode Island and employ more than half of our workforce. Yet their impact extends well beyond numbers. Small businesses shape the identity of our neighborhoods, create pathways to entrepreneurship, and provide opportunity for individuals who may not see themselves reflected in traditional systems."
Thanks, Rhode Island Current, for this story about the importance of our Main Streets and small businesses in the Ocean State. (link in bio)
#mainstreetri #SmallBusinessWeek
#ShopLocal
Andy Glines, senior project manager at Fuss & O'Neill, led us on a walk yesterday to the Nightingale building, where a former downtown Providence parking was redeveloped into a six-story mixed-use apartment building, opened in 2020.
Andy showed us the trees planted outside the Nightingale along Matthewson Street using the Silva Cell suspended pavement system. The system, manufactured by DeepRoot, filters stormwater runoff from the building’s roof to feed the tree roots. The City of Providence allowed the tree filters to be placed in its right-of-way at the developer’s expense, resulting in healthier trees and broader sidewalks.
Many thanks to Andy for leading a great discussion and fielding many questions from our engaged group of 18 or so.
🌳💧🌆
⏰ Tomorrow: Show your support for renewed funding to expand the Statewide Coordinating Main Street Program!
Senate Resolution S2676 and House Resolution H8316 would appropriate $150,000 for Grow Smart RI to continue working with Main Street America to provide technical assistance training and expand our local network here in Rhode Island, powering the program into 2027.
The RI Senate Finance Committee will consider S2676 tomorrow — Thursday, April 30 — beginning at approximately 4:30 pm in the Senate Lounge on the second floor of the Rhode Island State House.
To speak tomorrow: Sign in on the page of the specific bill in question (S2676.) Plan on speaking for 2-3 minutes and sharing specifically how you, your business, or your community have benefitted from Main Street RI and why you think this program will make a positive difference for Rhode Island.
Written testimony is extremely helpful! Email your support as letters in PDF format to the Senate Finance Committee Clerk Jamie Plume, [email protected], by 1 pm on Thursday.
See link in profile for a one-pager on the Year One programming and impact of Main Street RI.
#mainstreetri
#growsmartri
If you believe this work is important, now is the time to speak up! Please submit written testiony or better yet, join us at the State House on Thursday late afternoon to express your support in person.
This Saturday night, May 2: Our friends at Downtown Woonsocket Collaborative are holding their annual fundraiser, this year with a Hollywood golden era there and a murder to solve! Dress in your best glam outfit and track down clues to discover who "done it" in what room and with what weapon. Includes dinner; cash bar available.
@dwc02895 #mainstreetri
/tickets/murder-mystery-event
🚌💪Buses Mean Business! Transit Forum & Social
Join us for an afternoon talking transit! We’re gathering professionals and advocates for a pair of events highlighting the power of transit for businesses and workers. Join us for one or both!
Both events are totally free to join, please register for the forum at our Linktree!
🚌Commuter Benefits Forum
📆Mon. April 27, 3:30pm
📍 30 Exchange Terr, 1st Floor Auditorium
✏️Register for free at our Linktree
🍸Buses Mean Business Spring Social
📆Mon. April 27, 5:00pm
🚂 Track 15
🥟Complimentary light bites provided courtesy of Association for Commuter Transportation, Patriot Chapter
We ❤️ Central Falls! Newest podcast episode out now, featuring the incredible Rep. Joshua Giraldo, recorded live from La Casona. The smallest city in the smallest state has a BIG and exciting future! Listen at the link in our bio or wherever podcasts are found.
#growsmartri #mainstreetri
🚌BUSES MEAN BUSINESS!!
Join us for a lively conversation with transit professionals and advocates about how public transit benefits both workers and employers! The event will be facilitated by representatives of the Association of Commuter Transportation Patriot Chapter, and joined by panelists from Grow Smart RI, Providence Foundation, Senator Jacob Bissaillon, and RIPTA!
💼🚌Commuter Benefits Forum
📆Mon. April 27, 3:30pm
📍 30 Exchange Terr, 1st Floor Auditorium
🍸Reception to follow at Track 15
Who should attend: Business leaders, legislators, industry organization representatives, HR managers/administrators, union organizers, employees interested in pitching the idea to their employer.
The event is free to attend, but space is limited. Guests are invited to join for a post-event reception at Track 15!
