Park Place transformed by Pawtucket Proud Day Volunteers
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The opening ceremony kicked off with welcoming remarks from Mayor Donald Grebien. He explained how important the event was to the City of Pawtucket and how the projects help ensure the City's downtown Growth Center is in top physical shape for residents, visitors and potential investors. Event Chairperson, Linda Dewing of Places & Spaces Realty, shared how the contributions of each of the 38 companies involved helped to make the day possible.
Following the ceremony, volunteers split out to three project sites to work for the day.
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SITE 1: Wilkinson Park on Park Place
Volunteers worked to clean up, plant mulch and landscape around the Statue, Monuments, benches and throughout the park. Landscaping included the removal of dead bushes, trimming of overgrowth and cleaning up the fountain.
SITE 2: Parking Garage on Main Street
Two groups of volunteers worked to beautify the municipal parking garage on Main Street. One group of volunteers repainted the three-story stairwell, while another group created hanging gardens along outer edge of the garage's third floor. The hanging garden project was inspired by work done earlier this spring by Digital Manufacturing students from the Architecture Department at the Roger Williams University. The work helped to brighten the garage and bring life to the structure.
SITE 3: Memorial at Old Colony Bank Building
Volunteers tended to the memorial in front of the Old Colony Bank building at 347 Main Street. The memorial was dedicated to USMC Cpl. Antonio P. Maciminio Jr. in 1966. Volunteers, pulled weeds, spread compost, planted flowers and mulched the site.
Lunch was provided at Wilkinson Park from the Plouffe's Cup-N-Saucer. Following the Noon break volunteers returned to their work sites to complete projects and also weeded near the entrance to the Main Street garage and laid mulch along the edge of the municipal parking lot on the northwest corner of Main Street and Park Place West.
As the work day came to a close the 70 volunteers returned to Wilkinson Park for a Closing Ceremony. Mayor Grebien again thanked the volunteers and sponsor for their support. Pawtucket Foundation executive director, Thomas Mann, later thanked each of the local companies that participated as volunteers or as financial or in-kind sponsors. In addition, Mann presented the Foundation's annual Golden Bucket award to the work crew from Bristol County Savings Bank. The bank's eight volunteers worked passionately throughout the day and served as a great example of the effort put forth by all the Pawtucket Proud Day volunteers.
This was the eight year the Foundation has hosted Pawtucket Proud Day. In that time more than 1,000 volunteers have worked at 60 sites across Pawtucket and Central Falls.
The Pawtucket Foundation thanks all of the corporate and in-kind sponsors as well as the City of Pawtucket for annual support.
2011 SPONSORS
Bristol County Savings Bank
Collette Vacations
Alliance Blackstone Valley Federal Credit Union
Butler & Messier Insurance Agency
Dunkin Donuts
Extreme Clean Laundry
Pamela Hughes
E.B. Properties
NEPTCO
IN-KIND SUPPORT
The Apex Companies
Blackstone Valley Tourism Council
City of Pawtucket
Citizens Ice Co.
Cup-N-Saucer
New Urban Farmers
Nice Slice Pizza
Pawtucket Credit Union
Ronzios Pizza
Proud Day Overview
Pawtucket Proud Day was organized by The Pawtucket Foundation to bring the city’s business community together to create an impressive showcase of public spaces, neighborhood parks, and “gateways” of our city. The annual event was conceived by Collette Vacations CEO and Pawtucket Foundation Co-Chairman Daniel J. Sullivan as a way of demonstrating the commitment of the local business community to the revitalization of Pawtucket. The City of Pawtucket, represented by Public Works Director Jack Carney, contributes significant technical support, equipment, and humanpower to help make the effort a success.
Project History:
- 2010 - The full force of volunteer efforts were focused on building the "Garden of Life", a community garden a public housing facility, Galego Court. The project, a joint venture with the New Urban Farmers and Pawtucket Housing Authority, transformed a one-acre site into a community garden for 350 residents of the facility. During Proud Day volunteers built, painted, filled and planted vegetable and flower beds, built composting sites, a tool shed and benches and tables and cleared debris. In addition, volunteers cleaned a soccer field, hung new basketball nets, unveiled a donated sculpture, planted fruit trees and mulched paths. A video of the day is available on Youtube: 2010 Pawtucket Proud Day. A follow-up video is also available: 2010 Proud Day Follow-Up.
- 2009 - Featured sites include the Tolman Esplanade and hosting the official wall raising at Pawtucket's first Habitat for Humanity home. Volunteers also worked at the Central Falls YMCA, Slater Mill, Downtown tree wells, painting the Pawtucket Arts Collaborative and Tim Healy Way. The second annual Golden Bucket Award was presented to Ron Leitao from the Public Works Department for his efforts to prepare the Tolman site for volunteer work prior to Proud Day.
- 2008 - Presented with the first annual Golden Bucket Award for outstanding leadership in ensuring the success of Pawtucket Proud Day was, City of Pawtucket Public Works Director Jack Carney. Volunteers undertook projects at seven sites. 1. Landscaping at the Pawtucket History Research Center 2. Painting and landscaping at the Central Falls YWCA 3. Painting a mural and installing a community message board at the PCDC/Barton Street Tot Lot 4. Landscaping at four local schools 5. Landscaping and clean up at the corner of Barton and Dexter Streets 6. Clean up and landscaping at Hodson Park/Slater Mill 7. Landscaping in Downtown Pawtucket planters and tree wells.
- 2007 – Volunteers concentrated in the focus area of tidewater improvement projects. To that extent, the main project sites were Slater Mill historic site, Varieur Elementary School, and Perez Park. Volunteers landscaped the picnic area, tore down a condemned playground and landscaped a park respectively.
- 2006 – Volunteers focused on the area north of downtown into the Barton Street neighborhood. Projects are planned in coordination with the April event (Earth Day) so that there is a continuum of efforts following the Keep Our Neighborhood Beautiful celebration in April.
- 2005 – Volunteers worked on the beautification and clean-up of downtown Pawtucket to create the Pawtucket Civic Mural in the municipal garage, to save the downtown trees, and to give the area a visual lift by planting trees, flowers, and shrubs throughout the commercial district.
- 2004 – Pawtucket Pride Day concentrated on cleaning up the approaches and “gateways” leading to McCoy Stadium, prior to the International League All-Star Game in July.