Issue No. 262  l   October 16, 2008   l   Providence, Rhode Island

 

Mayor Cicilline Welcomes United Natural Foods to Providence

Tomorrow at a 3:00 p.m. ceremony, Mayor Cicilline will officially welcome United Natural Foods -- the largest organic and natural foods distributor in America -- and its 21st-century, high-wage jobs to Providence. The move comes at a time when city officials are making every possible effort to preserve our economic momentum despite the challenges posed by the national and state economies.

United Natural Foods plans to move 150 jobs to Providence by the spring and to add ninety new jobs over the following three years.  The bulk of the jobs are non-executive, high-wage jobs in the $65,000 per year range. United Natural Foods is a publicly traded company that distributes over 60,000 different products to over 17,000 businesses all over the nation. Annual sales top $3.3 billion.

Mayor Cicilline had multiple conversations with the company president before the decision to move was reached. PEDP Acting Director Thom Deller and Director of Administration Richard Kerbel also played key roles in the city’s efforts.

The groundwork for the move was laid three years ago when the City partnered with developers Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse and state officials to revitalize the American Locomotive (ALCO) site along the Woonasquatucket River. The site was designed to attract large corporate tenants precisely like United Natural Foods.

The welcome ceremony will take place tomorrow, Friday, October 17th at 3:00 p.m. at ALCO Plaza, 555 Valley Street in Providence.
 

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Greater Kennedy Plaza Working Group Prepares For Next Step in Transformation
Stakeholders and residents offer feedback on Kennedy Plaza programming at reception last night at the Biltmore

 

The Greater Kennedy Plaza Working Group hosted a reception to celebrate the first steps taken this year to transform Kennedy Plaza at a special reception for stakeholders and residents.  Organizers also solicited feedback from participants on how they would like to see the Kennedy Plaza area evolve in the future.

The Working Group is a public/private partnership focused on transforming Kennedy Plaza into a lively public square, rich with activity.  Public programming now includes the Marketplace Bazaar, live entertainment, Farmers Market and much more.  The vice president for Project for Public Spaces, Ethan Kent, was a featured speaker at the reception.  Project for Public Spaces is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization that has helped more than 2,000 communities in 26 countries transform underutilized public spaces into lively, secure destinations.

For more information, please contact Deb Dormody, Program Manager at 401-421-2489 ext. 273 

 

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 4th Annual Providence Snowplow Rhodeo Winners Head to Statewide Competition This Friday, October 17

Mayor’s Chief of Staff and the President of Local 1033 among those who jumped behind the wheel in the Rhodeo’s Celebrity Challenge
 

Roger Williams Park was transformed into an intense obstacle course as the 4th annual Providence Snowplow Rhodeo got underway yesterday. Snowplow operators from the City’s Department of Public Works, Parks Department and Providence Water Supply put their skills to the test as they competed for the top prize and bragging rights.

The competition began with a general driver’s safety quiz.  Drivers were also graded on the precision of the Commercial Driver’s pre-trip inspection.  Then the real fun began when crews maneuvered their trucks through a challenging obstacle course in the Snow Plow Slalom competition. Teams were also graded in a written test, pre-trip inspection, and on their ability to back a truck into a simulated loading slip.  Prizes were awarded for each event for the highest combined score.

The overall winners, Angel Mendez of the DPW Sewer Division and John Goff of the Parks Department, will participate in the State Snowplow Rhodeo on Friday October 17, 2008, also held at Roger Williams Park.

Celebrity Challenge
Top administrators from the City and officials from Laborers International Union of North America Local 1033 (LIUNA) also got behind the wheel of the snowplows in a special Celebrity Challenge.  The celebrity winners were the team of  Sybil Bailey, Human Resources Director and Vicki Virgilio, President, Local 1033.  Other participants included Mayor Cicilline’s Chief of Staff, Deborah Brayton; Pamela Marchand, Chief Engineer and General Manager, Providence Water; Richard Kerbel, Director of Administration, and Alix Ogden, Director of Operations. 

The statewide Snowplow Rhodeo is sponsored by the Rhode Island Public Works Association. The Providence Snowplow Rhodeo is designed to promote safety and the importance of teamwork and is sponsored by the City of Providence and LIUNA Local 1033.  

 

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Mayor Cicilline and the RI Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission To Re-Dedicate Statue on Thursday, October 30th

 

Mayor David Cicilline cordially invites the public to attend the re-dedication of the Abraham Lincoln Statue in Roger Williams Park on Thursday, October 30 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. 

Hosted by the Rhode Island Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, the event will feature dedicatory remarks, music from the Providence Brigade Band, soloist John Britto, the Broad Street School, and student oration of the Gettysburg Address.

Light refreshments will be served.  Signs will be posted around the park to direct guests to the event.  Please RSVP to Carol Corbishley by Monday, October 27th at 401-785-9450, ext. 201.
 

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Feature: My City

Providence Public Housing Goes Green To Save Green

The challenge of meeting the rising costs of home utility payments isn’t just an issue for middle or working America.  For our lowest income neighbors, particularly those who reside in public housing, meeting the challenge means survival.  More than anyone, Stephen O’Rourke, Providence’s Housing Authority (PHA) director, knows that if they can’t meet the cost of heat, electricity, and water for the 2,606 units of housing that he oversees, it can spell trouble.

Considering that nearly 20% of the operating subsidy that the PHA usually receives from the federal government has been cut in the last two years, O’Rourke and his staff had to quickly devise a plan of action to implement their own cost-cutting measures.  Enter the PHA’s new energy conservation project. 

This past Tuesday, O’Rourke was joined by Mayor Cicilline and other elected officials to announce a $12.1 million plan to improve and replace years of outdated heating, electrical, and water infrastructures at sixteen of the city’s elderly and family housing developments.  When completed, the energy saving measures is expected to result in a $1.2 million savings in the PHA’s annual utility costs.  City News caught up with O’Rourke to get the details on the plan to save green and go green.

When did you begin working at the PHA?
I started here around 21 years ago in 1987.  I came in as the director but I started out as the director of administration for policy for the city.  Prior to that, I was the implementation director for the department of management studies, which reviewed the city’s operations. 

Since you’ve been the director at the PHA, what would you say were some of the key problem areas that our public housing system faced in terms of its use of energy?
Twenty-one years ago it wasn’t nearly as serious a problem because energy even back then wasn’t as expensive as it is now.  Housing authorities are limited in their funding.  When you look at our operating budget, utilities right now – because of the increase in cost across the board, not just gas, or electricity, but in fact, the two largest increases have been sewer and water – we’ve gone from utility costs running around $3 million about 20 years ago up to $7.5 million projected for this year.  So when it comes to the largest single line item in the budget, utilities, it sort of catches your attention. 

Another reason why energy conservation became even more important is that HUD used to have estimate an average of what you think it would cost you in utilities in the beginning of the year.  So you’d take the last 3 years of utility costs, take the average and put that in the budget for the upcoming year.  Now, climate and weather patterns are unpredictable – it might be a cold year or a warm winter – you really don’t know what you’re doing to spend.  So what HUD used to do is that at the end of the fiscal year, if it was a cold and severe winter and you spent over in your utility budget, they would make it up the following year.  They gave you a year-end adjustment.  Well, four years ago, they arbitrarily stopped doing that.  That was the worst year for the PHA to have that happen, it was a very cold winter, utilities increased dramatically, and we were over that one year about $1.4 million that had to come right out of our operating reserves and really made a huge dent in that pool.  We started realizing then that we had to do even more than what we were already doing in the area of conserving energy.  We had to go the next step.

Which brings us to this week, when you announced, along with Mayor Cicilline and other elected officials, the implementation of a $12.1 million program geared towards improving energy efficiency at some of our city’s elderly and family public housing developments.  What are some of the highlights of this plan?
The energy reduction plan include:
- Decentralization of heating plants at Chad Brown and Admiral Terrace

- Installation of low-flow faucet aerators, showerheads and low flow toilets

- Conversion of fuel oil heating systems to natural gas

- Upgrade existing boiler plants to High Efficiency Units

- Upgrade washers to front loading and

convert electric dryers to natural gas

 

- Upgrade common area and apartment lighting

- Consolidate/Downsize water meters and electric meters

- Install apartment steam valve control systems and thermostats

- Upgrade refrigerators to Energy Star rated units
 
Why is it important that this energy reduction program happens now?
It has to happen now for the housing authority to survive.  We have to save money and one of the things we can do to make effective changes is to lower our utility costs.  We’ve also done a number of other things to shave costs here like larger co-pays, larger deductions in our health coverage, and reduced our staff size.  But these energy upgrades will not only save us money, they’re also more efficient, they’re cleaner operating, and they’re easier to maintain. 

Integral to this is the partnership you have with Ameresco and National Grid.  How did these partnerships come to be and how does each organization play a role in the project?
I serve also as the president of the public housing association of Rhode Island, which is a consortium of all the state’s housing authorities.  Energy conservation is a big issue across the board for all of us, and our energy committee has looked into how we could all conserve energy collectively.  A consulting firm out of Maryland, Enlightened Energy, approached us and did a quick audit of our housing authorities to see if there were things that could be done.  They also helped us prepare RFPs, put together a review process to hire an energy performance contract firm.  We interviewed around six of them and it came down to Ameresco. 

After Ameresco was selected, they did a more thorough analysis of our consumption patterns, the types of equipment and infrastructure we had, and came up with an improvement plan.  The cost for us would be around $12.1 million.  When it’s all completed, these energy conservation measures are expected to result in annual savings in gas, electric and water use of approximately $1.2 million representing a 20% reduction in annual utility costs. 

National Grid came into the fold because of the things we’re undertaking to save energy, they give us rebates.  We’ve estimated this year around $350-400 thousand in rebates and the same for next year.  So if we maximize it, we’re talking about $800 thousand in rebates, which we will put back to a. paying off the loan, or b. doing some additional things under the energy conservation contract. 

When do you estimate this project will be completed? 
It’s a two-year contract, so by 2009.  We’re pretty much on schedule.  All boilers are on line now.  We’re actually providing heat today, which is sooner than when I provide heat in my own house!

How do these green upgrades benefit the residents of the units that are going through the changeover?
It’s certainly more efficient.  Some tenants who don’t have master heating have to pay the cost of utility themselves.  Some of them pay for their own electric bills themselves too. What this will allow is it will be more efficient so they won’t have to pay.  We also have a utility allowance, which is determined by the size of a regular family, the number of bedrooms, the square footage, etc. – the allowance differs based on these figures, but let’s say their allowance is $50, and rent is $250, with the utility allowance they end up paying us $200.  By them saving because of these energy conserving measures, it will be better for them. 

Do you believe that this plan could a make positive impact on Providence’s public housing system in the long term, and if so how? 
In and of itself it would because it’s going to save money for the housing authority, and money that we’ve been paying towards utility costs now can maybe be put into services.  When you lose around $2 million a year in your budget, we’ve had to lay off our entire youth service program.  It’s very fortunate for us that we have a great partnership with the Boys & Girls Club.  So the savings we hope to build will be recycled back to maintenance and services for the residents.

For more on the Providence Housing Authority, go to www.pha-providence.org

 

 

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