Providence Committee on URRP-Monday, April 28, 2025-5:30 PM
Call to Order and Roll Call
Chairwoman Mary Kay Harris called the Committee on Urban Development and Renewal Planning to order and the clerk conducted roll call. A quorum was established, and attending council members, staff, and administration representatives were recognized.
Item 1: CDBG Budget for Program Year 2025-2026
The committee reviewed the proposed HUD entitlement grant and Community Development Block Grant budget with Director of Housing and Community Development Alyssa McDermott. Following an amendment adjusting Ward 9 funding allocations to the Rhode Island Indian Council and Urban Ventures, the committee voted to approve the budget ordinance as amended.
Item 3: Honorary Renaming of Camp Street to Donald Danny Lopes Way
The committee heard a resolution to honor former Councilman Donald J. Danny Lopes Sr. by establishing an honorary renaming of a portion of Camp Street. Family members and council staff shared remarks highlighting his community legacy, and the committee voted to advance the resolution to the full council.
Item 2: Honorary Renaming of Laura Street to Algonquin Way
The committee considered a resolution recognizing the historic Algonquin House and designating Laura Street as Algonquin Way. Staff and council members highlighted the cultural and community significance of the Rhode Island Indian Council, and the committee voted to approve the resolution.
Adjournment
Chairwoman Harris offered concluding remarks regarding the meeting's resolutions. A motion to adjourn was made, seconded, and approved by the committee.
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Good afternoon, everyone. Today, you have joined the committee on urban development and renewal planning. Today is Monday, April 28. Right? Yes.
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Council I mean, sorry. Madam clerk, could you please call the roll? Chairwoman Mary Kay Harris? Present. Vice Chair, Bumpy Chargo is absent.
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Councilman John Jones South is absent. Councilwoman at the end rates, Present. Councilwoman at a balance? Present. We have three present, two absent.
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We have a bond. Please let the record show that we also have Councilwoman Ambrose here. And Hal Delgado. We have Miguel Young. We also have our solicitor and lawyer, which is a sterile person.
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Right? Yes. And we have our lovely twerks, as you guys know. And we also have Michael from the mayor's office. Michael can help.
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I will flat head home connection in that row. So Michael's here. I mean, it's it's humiliating. I don't mean to do that. I do it with my own kids and mermaids.
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Alright. And, also, we have from our accounting department, Alyssa. Yes. Very. Very.
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Clerk, could you please read the first item into the record? Item number one, communication from his owner, the mayor, dated 03/28/2025, submitting the community development block grant budget for program year twenty twenty five dash twenty twenty six. The following has been invited. M. Fittman, director of housing and human services department of housing and human services.
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Alisa McDermott, director of housing and community development, department of housing and human services. We're gonna turn it over right now to Alisa right now to talk to us about how community block plan.
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Alyssa McDermott, director of housing and community development. Good evening, everyone. It's a pleasure to join you again tonight as we conclude our review of the proposed HUD entitlement grant budget on behalf of mayor Smiley and the department of housing and human services. As a reminder, this budget is the first year of investment under our new twenty twenty five to twenty twenty nine consolidated plan. Over the past few months, we have all worked collaboratively to shape a strategic investment of our federal resources, CDBG, home, ESG, and possible funds to meet the evolving needs of our community.
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This year, we received an overwhelming response. We had nearly a 100 proposals totaling over $20,500,000 in requests, including $12,300,000 in CDBG requests alone. However, given the federal landscape, we are currently operating under a continuing resolution, which means that our funding levels are projected to remain flat compared to last year. And as a result, we built the budget around an estimated allocation and have included a contingency contingency provision in the ordinance to allow for pro rata adjustments once the federal amounts are released next month, mid May, we're told. Yes.
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Throughout this process, we did prioritize proposals that ensured our critical services remain accessible, like food access, childcare, homelessness prevention, and refugee supports. And we also focused on funding facility and housing proposals that will address operational barriers such as fire safety and flood mitigation, and that will create new units, new affordable units for our lowest income residents in the city. I wanna recognize the hard work of our counselors and staff, particularly Kyle Delgado and Robert Baptista for proactively identifying all of the work projects that are now included in the this ordinance. We are on track to finalize and pass the budget by the May 9 docket deadline, keeping us in line for timing submission to HUD. Today, we plan on substituting the mayor's draft budget with the final ordinance, which has been sent to the chair and vice chair ahead of time for review.
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In closing, I wanna sincerely thank all of you for your thoughtful engagement and partnership and collaboration throughout this process, and your commitment ensures that these federal funds will have the greatest possible impact on Providence residents who will need it most. I look forward to wrapping up this work with you and moving closer towards our project and implementation. I'm open to questions if anyone has any.
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Is there any questions from the committee? Okay. With that said, I'm gonna, right now, also hear from who is also a part of our part of the grant for our neighborhood investment strategy. So, please, I would like to hear from you, Colin.
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Thank you, chairwoman. Just wanna echo the sentiments from Alyssa, and thank our partners at HHS and, Mike Napolitano as well. Me and Mike go back and forth on the phone a lot trying to make a lot of this stuff work behind the scenes, so valuable partnerships, you know, making this work behind the scenes. Specifically, in regards to the neighborhood investment strategy grants, we are ready to move forward with the projects as identified with the exception of Ward 9. He just asked that we make an amendment on the floor to his allocation.
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Right now, we have RI Hispanic Chamber of Commerce identified with a double asterisk. He asked if we can change that to, 25,000 for the Rhode Island Indian Council as well as 25,000 for urban ventures and facility improvements. Besides that, the remainder of the budget is intact and ready to move on.
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At this time, I'm taking multiple motions for me.
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Okay. Perfect. You're gonna take
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a motion substitute the complaint from the D.
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A. For that certificate last. It should be why we're doing before we make the change. Correct. Okay.
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We've gotta substitute before we set the motion to substitute grant and block the government grants budget.
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We're going through there.
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I take a motion motion from councilor Grace, second Baptist Newell, August, all in favor. I so and now we Now we take it on the motion to can you repeat that request, please?
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Yes. An amendment to the neighborhood investment strategies line item for Ward 9 identified as Rhode Island Hispanic chambers chamber of commerce facility improvements for 50,000, now to be identified as 25,000 for the Rhode Island Indian Council and 25,000 for Urban Ventures.
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I took a motion. Motion made by councilor Mubakis. Second by councilor Mubakis. All in favor. Aye.
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The motion passed. So we will make that as for member. Not yet. Mhmm.
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At this Before we do a motion to approve as amended, would you like to have this committee sponsor this ordinance while it goes to the floor.
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That makes a lot of sense. That's what we are doing now. Right? Yes. So this is what makes sense in my committees, but sometimes we can get them sponsored.
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Would you like to sponsor Councilwoman Graves? Yeah. Councilwoman Mubakis. And you know myself, of course. Thank you so much.
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Thank you. Now we can approve as amended. And we'll approve it as amended. I take a motion to approve.
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Thank you, ma'am.
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Councilwoman Graves. Motion, second by councilor Graves. All in favor, aye. The motion passed. Alright.
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Thank you for all the hard work you put in. And as you guys know, I'm a newbie, and she has been able to hit the ground running. We appreciate you. Appreciate you. We appreciate the committee's work too as well.
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This is really important that the the community gets this, funding into the community. We appreciate the clerks for their diligence on how they make sure that everything is correct and challenged by us. You know? So we appreciate the mayor for his portion of making sure that we're in alliance with this grant's work. So thank you all.
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Madam clerk, would you please madam clerk, I would like to take the item out of order. I would like to take item three. Item three, resolution honoring the life of former councilman Donald J. Danny Lopez senior and establishing an honorary remaining of parts of Kent Street to Donut, Danilokes, Lake. Thank you.
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Absolutely. I mean, and why did you wanna name a street after mister Danny Wilkes?
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Excellent. Thank you so much for inviting me today and for hearing this in your community. Sure. A lot of it is here in the resolution, which we had read on the floor the night that is introduced.
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May I have the clerk read it
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as well?
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Please. For today. Please. Yeah.
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Whereas Donald J. Danny Lopes senior, a lifelong resident of Providence, Rhode Island, passed away on 04/08/2019 at the age of 83, leaving behind a strong legacy of service to his community. And whereas, mister Lopes served as a Providence city councilman for Ward 3 where he worked hard to improve the lives of the people in his neighborhood and beyond. And whereas, in addition to serving on the city council, mister Lopes was a delegate to the Rhode Island Constitutional Convention, a board member of the Providence Civic Center, and the founding president of SWAT, where he made important contributions to housing and community development. And whereas, mister Lopes also helped working people as president of the two man union at the one forty eight Bar and Lounge, worked as a supervisor for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, and was president of the Rhode Island Seniors Association, showing his dedication to workers and seniors.
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And whereas, mister Lopes was committed to many young people coaching teams such as the Woodlawn Cowboys and Easton Wildcats and making a positive impact on the youth in the community. And whereas, Hamp Street was not just where mister Lopes lived, but a central part of his life and work, making it a fitting place to honor his memory. And whereas the city council wishes to honor mister Lopes contributions to Providence by renaming parts of Camp Street in his memory. Now therefore be it resolved that the Providence City Council hereby establishes the honorary renaming of Camp Street from Cypress Street to Rochambeau Avenue to Donald Danny Lobes Way to celebrate his life, his service, and his dedication to the people of Ward 3 and be it further resolved that upon passage, a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the Department of Public Works so that they may work to manufacture, install, and maintain one or more honorary signs at the designated prominent and appropriate locations along Camp Street, which shall reflect the Donald Danny Lopes' honorary designation, creating a lasting tribute to his legacy, and be it finally resolved that copies of this resolution be shared with the family of Donald j Danny Lopes senior as an expression of the city council's condolences and appreciation for his life and work.
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Thank you. Yeah.
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And thank you.
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Oh, thank you so much for bringing that into the record and for having us here today. I just I'm so honored to be able to offer this resolution up in honor of counselor Wilkes, and he dedicated so much of his life to the city. Has been so important to both Reed and to Camp Street, and his family just had to share it with the city. And so I just feel like the city really needs to honor him in this way with his family. And I guess the work that we're here today, and it's a great thing grab here.
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K. And I think at least one of you want to come share a
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little bit. More than once. You want you can talk about it all day long. That's okay with us. We love hearing about history.
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Councilwoman, you can invite whoever X. Wants to come to the table.
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Please give your name for the record, please. My name is Misty Delgado. Misty Delgado. Good evening, chairwoman Harris and member of the committee and guests. My name is Misty Delgado, and I am the great niece It is with immense gratitude and a full heart that I stand here before I sit here and for you tonight on behalf of our family.
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I want to express our deepest thanks to you, chairwoman, for you, a special thanks to Kai Nogado for not only planting the seed, but watering it and tendering tending to