Dear neighbor –
Together, we are building a new, stronger Providence from the ground up. Years of deferred maintenance has led to broken roads and sidewalks, neglected parks and facilities in disrepair across our city. But today, we have changed the way we do business by no longer waiting for things to break before fixing them. We are taking a long-term approach to investing in our public spaces and building a future that is climate-resilient, all while better connecting our neighbors and neighborhoods.
It is with an eye to the future that I joined members of our community and the Providence City Council to sign the City’s FY2020-FY2024 Capital Improvement Plan that you can explore here.
Over the next five years, we will be investing $222 million in projects that touch every corner of our great city. The project list prioritizes roads, sidewalks, parks, recreation centers and publicly-owned facilities while building a sustainable future.
Our once-neglected roads, which we’ve done a comprehensive assessment of, will see major improvements making them safer, better connected and putting us at the cutting edge of urban design.
Our parks will continue to see community-driven renovations, some spaces are seeing improvements for the first time in nearly 40 years, so that every resident has access to a thriving green space within a 10-minute walk.
Our public facilities, like our recreation centers, will see historic investments to ensure Providence residents can use them for years to come and families will continue to receive quality, affordable programming opportunities in their own neighborhood.
I have seen the damage that short-term thinking can do to a city and we have changed that here in City Hall by planning ahead in a responsible and comprehensive way. Investments can be seen and felt in every part of our community and our city is thriving. In addition to record-level investments in our Providence Public Schools buildings, these projects represent more improvements in infrastructure than ever before and we are building a brighter future for us all.
Sincerely,
Mayor Jorge O. Elorza
