The East Providence City Council swiftly moved through their meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 4, acting on a number of issues and bringing up several others for conversation without taking actions for now. Here are some of the highlights:

A new rescue purchased
The council unanimously approved the purchase of a new rescue from the city’s capital expenditures in the amount of $444,069. It is a 2025 Horton Type 1 Ambulance from Greenwood Emergency Vehicles. It will replace the current Rescue 2 out of Riverside, which will now go into reserve use.

“These trucks do 2,000 miles a month,” explained Fire Chief Michael Carey of the purchase request. “Double that for engine hours, because idling time goes unseen at the hospital. They’re good for four years in service, four years reserve, and then it’s time to put them someplace else because they’re done.”

The purchase was praised by Council Vice President Frank Rego, who has been an outspoken proponent for adding more dedicated rescue vehicles into the city’s service.

“Obviously as the city continues to improve equipment for first responders, this is another tool that we need,” he said. “I also look forward to the day that this rescue is working 24/7 for the entire city so that we will get a fourth rescue.”

Dedicated to ‘Big Al’
The council made a resolution that was supported unanimously to dedicate the Riverside Athletic and Recreational Area (known colloquially as ‘The Rec’) in honor of the late Alfred D. Santie, who was known to those in the community as Big Al. The resolution was brought forth by Riverside councilman Rick Lawson.

“We got an awesome city and we’re growing and bringing in so many new Townies and it’s awesome and amazing, but we also have a history here, too. And part of what I’d like to do is make sure people know about the area they’re coming into,” Lawson said. “As a kid growing up in the 80s, Big Al, if you played any youth sport, you knew who he was.”

The resolution described Santie as a “beloved coach and mentor to local youth in football, baseball, and basketball leagues for more than 40 years,” and mentioned he was a lifelong East Providence resident, an East Providence High School Hall of Fame inductee, and a United States Air Force veteran who served in active duty during the Vietnam War. He also served as an employee of the East Providence Water Division for 25 years before retiring in 1992. He passed away in 2007.

Council President Bob Rodericks said that the baseball field at The Rec will remain dedicated to Frank DelleFemine, who was formerly the supervisor of East Providence parks in decades past.

“By this way we will acknowledge Big Al and still remember Mr. DelleFemine,” Rodericks said. The Rec’s official name will thereby be named the “Big Al, Alfred D. Santie, Recreational Park”.

Street near Myrtle to be restricted for resident parking
Councilwoman Anna Sousa, along with president Rodericks, brought forth a new ordinance that would create a resident parking only zone on Ivy Street, from Waterman Avenue to Blanding Street, on both sides of the street, from 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. on weekdays and all day on Saturday and Sunday.

Sousa explained that the ordinance came as a result of the community conversation taking place between owners of the popular Myrtle music venue and the surrounding neighbors, who held an extensive public hearing back in December regarding patrons of the venue taking up residential parking spaces, and allegedly causing other concerns for residents in the area.

The ordinance would require residents who park on the street to pay for a parking sticker every two years, which would need to be displayed on their front windshield.

The ordinance received a first passage, and will be subject to a public hearing during the council’s next meeting on Feb. 18 for additional opportunities to comment, before receiving a vote to be made official.

Beautification committee reborn
Councilman Rick Lawson brought forth a resolution to bring back a five-person committee to serve on an advisory committee for the city council aimed at improving the aesthetics of places throughout the city in the hopes of helping local businesses attract more customers.

“I firmly believe one way to help small business is to make the place their business is at as attractive as possible to help bring in customers,” Lawson said. “We have some really good stuff going on. Waterman Ave., Crook Point Brewing, Rosa’s (Tavern), Jeff’s (Pizza), the Myrtle. I’d like to see what we can do, whether it’s adding greenery, widening sidewalks…Commercial corridors like Waterman Ave., Warren Ave., Taunton Ave., Riverside Square going through Newport, and by extension public parks and playgrounds…Do we have a master plan or are we just throwing stuff in?”

Each member of the council would get to appoint one member to the advisory committee. Terms would be for three years, and they would self-select a chairperson.