NORTH SMITHFIELD – Town officials have been working on a number of applications for funding to move major projects forward, pursuing grants for the planned multi-generational center, an extension of water lines to the high school and middle school, and more.
Town Administrator Scott Gibbs provided an update to members of the Town Council this week on the ongoing efforts to obtain funding from both state and federal sources. He also noted that a recent request for proposals to provide the town with grant writing services brought in six bids.
Gibbs noted that the deadline to submit applications for federal appropriations was Friday, March 21.
“We are submitting three congressional appropriation requests this week,” he said.
Two of those grants could help to fund the project to build a new community center on the property that once held Halliwell Elementary School, an effort now moving forward after years of debate and discussion. Members of the new Halliwell Multi-generational Building Committee guiding the project – made up of former members of the now dissolved Halliwell Review and Multi-Generational Advisory Committees – met on Thursday to discuss the next steps in the initiative. The town was already approved for $5 million in federal grants to fund the effort, but early designs have found that even the most basic structure to serve the town’s needs will cost $6 million.
Meanwhile, Rosewood Consulting, the firm now twice hired by North Smithfield officials for temporary stints doing grant work, is on retainer to complete documentation for the congressional grants that have already been approved.
“We’re also now keying up to fill out all of the documentation regarding the previous awards to the town,” explained Gibbs.
Gibbs said a third new federal appropriations grant application will aim to address another infrastructure improvement, with extension of town water lines to the high school and elementary school. The district has been working on remediation efforts to address contaminants beyond the state standard found in one of the wells that serves the schools under an agreement with the Rhode Island Department of Health since last year.
The administrator said the town’s current grant writing firm – G & G Municipal Consulting – is also pursuing funding for the Halliwell project with submission of a Community Development Block Grant application. He said a second CDBG application will aim to secure funding for improvements to Scouter’s Hall.
Yet another grant writing initiative will look for funding to cover engineering fees for design of a culvert that contributes to flooding on Cherrybrook Avenue through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program. Gibbs said the town plans to go back to FEMA at a later date for the funding to complete the work.
“We have to have the engineering done first,” he said. “We have a lot of stuff going on.”
Gibbs said he hopes to set up a committee to evaluate the six proposals submitted for more permanent grant writing services. That group will ultimately submit a recommendation to councilors.
“The decision will be made at a public meeting of the Town Council,” Gibbs said.
Good luck with using FEMA….Trump, Musk, and Noem plan to shut it down or make significant cuts to it. Shift.
This is such a small town, does NS really need a huge build, adding to operational costs…
TDS is real!! Only a matter of time before it’s a recognized disability.
Yes tjj it is, unfortunately you’re victim of the disease as it blinds you. Why did this comment even need to get posted is beyond me, as it mocks and lessens the effect of people with actual disabilities. Disturbing nonetheless.
It’s bad enough to raise taxes, but to also add interest if those taxes are not paid within a short time of each payment due. Glad I live in a place where the taxes are due once a yr, with a grace period to boot, before any interest is considered, and has many many services for all ages, esp the elderly. I was astonished to see a neighbor house taxes due, no wonder they foreclosed. Paying for cancer treatment took its toll. Had to give up their house. And you will be seeing more. This nation and trying to keep up its infrastructure and operations is being tested incredibly. The towns will suffer with all the cut-backs. Sell and move before your own personal nightmare begins. You’ll know when the time is right. It is much less in taxes and expenses living elsewhere. Deciding between food, meds, taxes, oil, is increasingly harder even with programs. They too will be cut. Help if you can. It’s a good feeling.
You’re right Suzy. And not only that, if you are late the first quarter of the fiscal year, they charge you interest on the balance for the entire year, just not what’s on what’s due in that quarter. I don’t know how that’s legal but they do. Government equals legal mafia!
I empathize immensely, as I had to pay for/monitor, my late dementia-parent’s bills for several yrs and after passing away. Penalizing late tax payments quarterly is just plain sad. Adding to financial burden.
My child in NC, has a custom house valued 2.5 times MORE than the tax value of my late NS parent, and pays much LESS than what parent had to pay. And that has been consistent for yrs. One heck of a difference. We have tremendous services available.
But, parent wanted to stay in NS home they built rather than move to me. Reluctantly, respected that decision. Plan B, lol….
Social Security gets taxed by RI, not where I live. Only federally taxed. And it seems not all RI counties do decent disability/veteran/elderly, discounts. Let’s face it, taxes and house values are raised high enough to offset any deductions in revenue to operate it, burdening others. Adding to discord, which adds to hating the elderly, the less fortunate, jealousy.
Hard times, hard decisions for many in NS, esp as they age, to try and make ends meet. And many have no one, or somewhere else to go,nor the funds to do so. Is why I harp on helping each other if one can, as we do here in my state/area. Makes you feel good helping out another.
I became aware some neighbors often intimidated, ridiculed, stole from my parent, blew their fallen leaves to and dumped debris onto my parent’s property when a new house went up where they normally dumped. Meeting them later, they laughed about it. Seems NS does not accommodate compost pick up weekly/year-round, as where I live, so residents have to burn it or bring debris elsewhere, or pay a lawn service to take it away. More costs. Something I will never understand, was the lack of respect/appreciation, self-respect, when my parent kept to themselves, was quiet, clean, kept the property beautifully maintained. That was our experience. But alas, not all are like that in NS!
NS is a small beautiful town, grants are less than a big town sadly, and all expenses pretty much fall to the taxpayer. And with Trump and Musk, will be impacted even more I bet.
Yes indeed, some of us understand your plight, and others. Suggest moving if one can. Beautiful state but too expensive, visiting is better! Lol. Never regretted our permanent move.
Do take care. God bless.
Amen. This is what you say after you hear a prayer. Under Donald Trump the federal government is cutting funding of many programs so the chances of getting a federal grant or a state grant that is funding with federal funds is highly unlikely. I also question whether or not the original $4M is still available since it has been so long the grant may have expired or been reconsidered. Now with the funding cuts coming to education, Medicaid/Medicare, social security, and other programs, the state and town will be lucky to fund current operations and spending cuts will need to be made especially in education. Also taxpayers will not be able to absorb these funding cuts through higher property taxes as taxpayers will be struggling to afford basic necessities when tariffs are implemented. It looks like it may be time for the town to tighten the belt. The town of NS voted for Donald Trump now you have to live with the decisions and reductions in federal funding.
Are you upset with the current administration in general or the reckless, wasteful and fraudulent spending that lead to the need to cut federal funding in order to preserve our hard earned tax payer money? Do you need someone to generate a list of garbage our federal taxes have been used for? Do you need a list of “unaccounted” funds that we have dished out?
I an not upset but if you consider education spending wasteful and fraudulent then when education funding is cut in North Smithfield and as a homeowner I do not wish to make up the shortfall for what you consider wasteful and fraudulent. In other words NS will need to cut education spending and reduce the number of teachers. Second NS has a large elderly population that depend on social security and Medicare to survive and pay taxes so when those funds are cut for those people that are what you consider fraudulent and wasteful I also do not wish to make up that shortfall. Now if actually believe that Trump is cutting waste you are uneducated because Trump is just shifting the wasteful spending to his billionaire pals. I also find spending $3M for a round of golf wasteful instead of feeding tens of thousands of people for a year.