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Mt. Hope News
John M. Twomey
Greater Camp Concerned Citizens
Autumn and all
It’s been a quiet month in the Mt. Hope community, as the leaves have begun falling and the days have grown shorter, and a number of beautiful Indian Summer days (interspersed with the rainy, tail-ends of various hurricanes) have given us some time to relax, here, in Mt. Hope.
Over the last several months the City has generally responded well to the initiatives proposed by Greater Camp Concerned Citizens and have successfully carried out a number of the improvements, with more action promised. I detail that progress further in the section, Progress Report.
The short lived spike in property crimes and drug deals reported here in the September issue seems to have been very short lived indeed, thanks in no small part to the efforts of Lt. Kohen and his dedicated band of community police officers, most especially the young officers who conduct regular foot-patrols through Mt. Hope. As you recall, I reported on an emergency meeting between residents and Lt. Kohen on August 18th, in response to an unusual and unexplainable increase in criminal activity. The response by the Providence Police Department was swift and impressive. In the days following, Major Paul Fitzgerald was seen visiting several of the locales and detectives were seen in the neighborhood gathering information. As promised, Lt. Kohen contacted other divisions of the department who specialize in specific types of activity and brought them into play. The manpower shortage which contributed to the problem was corrected and for the most part Mt. Hope is no longer getting short-changed by having officers pulled for other details. If the Police Department maintains an adequately staffed District 8 Sub-station for all shifts, that alone will go a long way towards maintaining a sense of stability on our streets.
Meeting with the Mayor
A representative from G.C.C.C. met with Mayor Cicilline, Director Rita Murphy, Neighborhood Services, William Bombard, Traffic Engineering, and Superintendent of Parks Alix Ogden on September 21st. We discussed the most pressing issue first, the broken liquor bottles and trash that had accumulated in Billy Taylor Park over a number of weeks. On background, we first made initial calls and emails to Neighborhood Services, describing the problem and providing pictures, and we were told by that office that after September 1st parks only get cleaned once a month and that Billy Taylor Park had already been cleaned in September and wouldn’t be cleaned again until sometime in October. Parks Department Policy! But what about the broken liquor bottles on the toddlers playground? When presented with a description of the problem and the photographic evidence, both Mayor Cicilline and Parks Superintendent Odgen agreed that Billy Taylor Park should be cleaned “as needed”. A Parks Department crew arrived at Billy Taylor Park at 8:00 AM the next morning and the park was cleaned. The park has been maintained on a fairly regular basis since.
Also discussed at the meeting were the remaining items on the traffic proposal, the overpass clean-up, and the permanent grill. The Mayor said he would provide a written response to the petition by park abutters opposing the grill, but so far none has been forthcoming.
The Permanent Grill
The permanent grill on a temporary basis in Billy Taylor Park remains a confusing issue, still, on this date of October 4th, even to the Parks Department itself. The legality of the grill remains questionable. At first blush, according to the Deputy Superintendent of Parks, the grill was to be installed on a temporary, trial basis at the request of Councilman Jackson, and was to be used only by permit and only at permitted events.
During a call put in to Parks Department permitting last week, we were told that the Parks Department does not put grills in parks, that it is illegal to light fires in parks. When told that there already was a newly installed grill in Billy Taylor Park, some back-peddling took place, an apology, and we were told that an exception had been made at Councilman Jackson’s request. We then asked about a permit for the grill: is it necessary to pull a permit to light a fire in the grill in Billy Taylor Park? The answer: "We don’t know!" "We’ll have to get back to you." No word yet! Many park abutters who opposed the grill and concerned citizens wishing to raise the quality of life in Mt. Hope have expressed outrage at the Mayor and at Councilman Jackson. One angry Mt. Hope resident pointed out that the grill appears to be in violation of the spirit and the letter of the law according to City Ordinance Sec. 18-17. (Ord. 1914, ch. 40, § 17; Rev. Ords. 1946, ch. 24, § 25) which, briefly, states that only the Parks Department can light a fire in a park. So far the grill has been used at least three times without a permit and each time, public drinking was involved and empty bottles of beer and of hard liquor were left behind in the park. As feared, the grill begets more law breaking. We have not seen the end of this issue.
Progress Report
On a positive note, the Parks Department closed over the top of the Cypress Street overpass walkway with chain link so that no more objects can be dropped on Cypress Street traffic from the overpass. A very important safety concern has been addressed. Hats off and a big thanks to Deputy Superintendent of Parks Robert McMahon.
The Parks Department’s Unsightly Mess Beneath the Cypress Street Overpass:
Still not done. Our G.C.C.C. President, Horace Mabray, spoke with the Parks Department last week and they again promised to have the fence fixed by weeks end but they did not meet their deadline.
New crosswalks on upper and lower Pleasant Street: Traffic Engineering has promised to look into painting crosswalks in these locations.
Yield to Pedestrian signs: Traffic Engineering tells us that these signs are on order and will be in soon, and installed at the crosswalks.
Our Men in Blue
When you see our uniformed Men in Blue walking their beat in Mt. Hope show them your support by giving a friendly honk and a wave, and if possible stop for a chat and an encouraging word. These officers have had much more of a positive impact on our Mt. Hope neighborhood than even they realize. Show your support. Be a positive force.
If you have neighborhood news, information, or announcements you would like included in these articles, or for information on Greater Camp Concerned Citizens call Irene at 640-8076, or e-mail jmkt7(at)cox.net.
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