05.22.09

Rhode Island Appropriations Requests

Financial Services and General Government

 

City of Providence

Department of Planning and Development

Providence, Rhode Island

Rhode Island Center for Life Sciences, Research, Development and Commercialization

Request: $750,000

The City of Providence requests funding for a planning, site selection, and project economics study to support the creation of the Rhode Island Center for Life Sciences, Research, Development and Commercialization in the City's Jewelry District. The proposed center will support research and development capacities in the life sciences, particularly in the areas of human disease research, vaccine and drug development, bioprocess research, and biomedical-oriented life sciences. Funding will support the preliminary scoping and design work for the center, which will pool resources and talent from Brown University, the University of Rhode Island, and other institutions and businesses. The preliminary scoping and design will create approximately 14 jobs, while the center, once established, could support up to 1,200 employees. This center has the potential to transform the Jewelry District into an area of research-driven activity and economic development, which is critical to future economic growth in the state of Rhode Island.

 

Rhode Island School of Design and Brown University

Partnership for Sustainable Design/

Rhode Island Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (RI-CIE)

Providence, Rhode Island

Request: $1,600,000

Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and Brown University of Providence, Rhode Island requests funding for collaboration between their two small business development assistance efforts. The RISD Partnership for Sustainable Design will provide intensive technical assistance for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and early-stage product developers who will participate in collaborative design projects that will connect them to RISD's art and design expertise in areas of renewable energy, alternative materials processes, and sustainable product design. Brown University's Rhode Island Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (RI-CIE) will provide a central location for early stage Rhode Island-based ventures to access the collaboration, support, and expertise they need to transfer ideas into successful enterprises. A portion of the appropriated funds would go toward seed funding for new businesses. This partnership would leverage investments by Brown, RISD and the Rhode Island Economic Development Council to promote entrepreneurship and business development in Rhode Island. Hard data will be maintained on the number of users, companies launched, and new jobs created.

 

Town of Middletown

Middletown, Rhode Island

Aquidneck Corporate Park Improvement Project

Request: $1,381,400

Town of Middletown, Rhode Island, seeks federal funds for phase 2 of the Aquidneck Corporate Park improvement project. Additional funding would be used in conjunction with the local municipal match of up to $1 million to install new signs, improve street lighting, replace the entire road system, build pull-off areas at entrances, install sidewalks throughout the park, and construct a wind turbine for renewable energy generation. Aquidneck Corporate Park is an industrial/corporate park originally built in the 1970's by the Town to create economic growth. The park has the largest concentration of defense-related businesses in Rhode Island. It currently has 44 businesses, employing approximately 2,500 employees. These enhancements will help the park to remain competitive and attract new high-tech and defense-related businesses that will offer high-paying job opportunities.

 

 

Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies

 

American Sail Training Association

Newport, RI

Out-of-School Programs for At-Risk Youth

$250,000

The American Sail Training Association (ASTA) of Newport, Rhode Island seeks funding for educational after- and out-of-school programs for disadvantaged youth who otherwise would not have a chance to experience America’s maritime heritage on the water.  The focus of ASTA is teaching American youth the values of sailing and its impact on growing their character, learning team building, and developing leadership qualities.  A proven methodology that ASTA has used with schools around the United States is "experiential learning,” which connects a student's textbook lessons to real life experiences.  These programs create a direct link between ships and the classroom to show the application of math, science, and history to the ocean environment.

 

Big Brothers of Rhode Island

East Providence, RI

Mentoring for At-Risk Fatherless Boys in Rhode Island

$100,000

Big Brothers of Rhode Island, (East Providence, Rhode Island) requests federal funding to help match 60 fatherless boys, ages 7 to 18, from low-income, single-parent families statewide with Big Brother mentors and professional social services.  The beneficiaries of this project will have outings with their Big Brothers once a week, outside of school. Each outing will last two to five hours, and the mentorships will last for a minimum term of one year. Each participant, parent, and Big Brother receives ongoing direct professional support and social services in order to promote healthy, long-term, active relationships. Services are targeted to meet each child’s particular needs.

 

Burrillville Police Department

Burrillville, RI

Emergency Operations Center Technology

$100,000

The Town of Burrillville, Rhode Island seeks funding to outfit a new Emergency Operations Center that will serve as the hub of any planned response to emergency situations. Federal funds would help equip the Center with technology and communications resources that would ensure that the town meets the standards of the National Incident Management System and the Incident Command System to command, control, and coordinate the use of emergency management resources and responder personnel.

 

Chamber Education Foundation

Warwick, RI

Rhode Island Mentoring Partnership

$800,000

The Chamber Education Foundation (doing business as the Rhode Island Mentoring Partnership) of Warwick, Rhode Island, requests federal funding to help expand mentoring programs statewide to an additional 2,000 additional at-risk youths.  The Partnership will help local programs develop and enhance quality mentoring relationships by matching additional at-risk youth statewide with mentors who are properly screened, trained, and supported to assist young people deal with difficult life circumstances.   The program will also provide intensive, hands-on field support for all mentor program coordinators and will use Internet resources to provide “E-mentoring,” a mentoring relationship conducted over the Internet in a safe and secure environment.

 

City of Newport

Newport, RI

Incident Command Center

$250,000

The City of Newport, Rhode Island, requests funding to outfit an Incident Command Center that would function as a necessary complement to the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) currently in place at the Newport Police Station. This model is supported by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) incident command training at the FEMA Center for Disaster Preparedness.  To accomplish the project, the City Council Chamber, located in a structurally sound and physically accessible building (Newport City Hall) will be: fitted with wireless and/or hard cable computer capabilities; provided with an independent emergency power supply, and equipped with portable partitions to sub-divide and isolate critical task activities within the command center. The center will house federal and state agents and agencies providing pre-incident and post-incident support of man-made or natural disasters.

 

Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence

Providence, RI

Nonviolence Streetworker Program,

$300,000

The Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence (ISPN) requests funding to support its Nonviolence Streetworkers Program, which provides outreach and mentoring for youth at high risk of joining gangs or committing violent offenses. The Institute’s Streetworker program, based in Providence, RI and Central Falls, RI, is a group of outreach workers who serve as advocates for families in court, schools, hospitals, and on the streets. Streetworkers also provide innovative opportunities for young people to commit to nonviolence and offer them resources to build more hopeful and productive futures.  The program collaborates closely with local law enforcement, the Department of Children, Youth, and Families, the Rhode Island Training School, and juvenile re-entry programs, to ensure continuity of support for youth returning from incarceration.

 

i-SAFE

National Program

$5,000,000

 

i-SAFE is a non-profit foundation that provides education to more than six million students nationwide to help them use the internet safely and responsibly.  i–SAFE requests $5 million to assist them in their goal of providing their curriculum to students in every school district in all 50 states.  i-SAFE has already provided its internet safety curriculum to over 7 million students and is currently being used in more than 4,374 school districts across the nation.  Over 75,000 educators have completed i-SAFE’s professional development training. The requested funding would help provide every primary and secondary school in the country with i-SAFE’s world-class Internet safety curriculum. 

 

Ocean Tides School

Narragansett, RI

School-to-Work Training for At-Risk Youths

$645,000

Ocean Tides School, Narragansett, Rhode Island requests funding for a school to work program. The school has been instrumental in turning around the lives of court adjudicated young men and providing direction toward vocational and/or college acceptance. With federal funding, Ocean Tides will expand its culinary, landscape training, carpentry, and marine trades programs to provide career training to young men at risk. The school will partner in this effort with the Whitmarsh House, a residence program for boys who are no longer in state care but do not have families to return to.

 

Pawtucket Police Department

Pawtucket, RI

Sex Offender Law Enforcement Multi-disciplinary Network (SOLEMN)

$3,700,000

The Pawtucket Police Department (Pawtucket, Rhode Island) requests funding to begin a two-year sex offender multi-disciplinary task force to demonstrate a more effective means to manage and locate registered and noncompliant sex offenders.  Funding would pay for 21 Full Time Employees (FTE) in law enforcement, probation officers, a computer forensic expert, prosecutors, a mental health professional, a centralized location to house the task force, and equipment for the members to aid the four Rhode Island cities with the highest density of sex offenders.

 

Providence Police Department

Providence, RI

Gun Violence and Gang Reduction Initiative

$1,000,000

In 2008, for the first time in over five years, the City of Providence experienced an increase in violent crime.  The Providence Gun Violence and Gang Reduction Initiative will provide the necessary funding to increase intervention efforts that specifically address gun-related violence and gang activity that is occurring in the city.  The intervention efforts will consist of both short- and long-term investigations into the illegal possession, use, and trafficking of firearms.  The performance standards shall include: the number of gun and gang investigations conducted, number of arrests made, number of guns seized, and number of successful prosecutions resulting from the initiative.

 

Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network

Washington, DC

Request: $3 million

 

RAINN, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, is the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization. RAINN operates a 24-hour toll-free national telephone line for victims, providing them free, confidential support and information.  The organization also provides education about sexual assault, conducts research on the issue, and helps improve services for victims. 

 

Roger Williams University

Bristol, RI

Teaching Police Department Initiative (TPDI) 

$750,000

Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island requests $750,000 to assist in their development of the Teaching Police Department Initiative (TPDI). Over the past decade, the Justice System Training and Research Institute (JSTRI) at Roger Williams University has gained an international reputation for the quality and scope of its training programs serving first line, middle-tier, and top-level law enforcement managers. Through a partnership with the New England Association of Chiefs of Police, 10,500 police leaders throughout the region have attended supervisory, management, and leadership training. The TPDI would build on that expertise to provide a national model for a “teaching police department,” similar to a teaching hospital, to enhance the professionalism of the police force through academic and field training, combined with cross training and exchange experiences. The project will be led by the Justice System Training and Research Institute at Roger Williams University (RWU) and the Providence Police Department (PPD), in partnership with the Brown University Medical School and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

 

Save the Bay

Providence, RI

Marine Education Program

$1,000,000

Save the Bay, Providence, Rhode Island requests funding for the Narragansett Bay Marine Education program.  Save the Bay, southeastern New England's largest environmental organization, provides both classroom and on the Bay experiences to youth and adults with limited economic and educational resources. The target audience for the marine education program is middle school students with a special focus on underserved children in Rhode Island’s urban areas. Prior to federal funding, the program served about 11,000 students, primarily from school districts that could afford to pay a portion of the program costs. Now the program’s enrollment is approaching 30,000, with a growing number of students from Providence, Central Falls, and other communities whose students would otherwise be unable to participate. The program provides enhanced science educational opportunities and fosters a respect for the economic, recreational, and environmental benefits of Narragansett Bay. The program also benefits Save the Bay’s mission as a cooperative research arm and a vital link to the Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.  Additional federal funding will allow the program to serve more students, enhancing a new generation of young people’s awareness for the need to preserve and protect our environment.

 

Town of Bristol

Bristol, RI

Silver Creek Restoration

$500,000

The Town of Bristol, Rhode Island, seeks funding to develop and implement a plan for the continued restoration of Silver Creek and its surrounding parks, Thomas Park and Veteran’s Memorial Park.  Silver Creek is a thirteen acre, tidal estuary on the eastern shore of Bristol Harbor.  The creek is tidally restricted, which has impounded freshwater, diminished connectivity with Narragansett Bay, and allowed invasive plant species to flourish in the salt marsh.  The goal of this restoration project is to improve the tidal flushing to the creek and restore the native salt marsh plant community.  The project may have the added benefit of reducing flooding around the creek.

University of Rhode Island

Kingston, RI

Rhode Island Consortium for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

$1,250,000

The University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, seeks funding for a nanotechnology consortium with Brown University.  The consortium will focus on: 1) advances in the synthesis and manufacturing of nanomaterials, including smart nanoparticle-based chemotherapeutic agents and nanoscale sorbents for the capture and sequestration of high-priority environmental toxicants such as mercury; 2) safe nanomaterial design to ensure that nanomaterials are designed and used safely; and 3) nanoimaging technologies that clearly and specifically identify disease progression.  The vision and long-term goal of the consortium is to continue to expand into high payback areas in nanoscience and nanotechnology and to create a pool of highly trained professionals who will launch scientific and entrepreneurial projects that will directly benefit the state and national economy.

 

University of Rhode Island Coastal Institute

Narragansett Bay Window Monitoring Program

Narragansett, RI

$1,205,000

The Narragansett Bay Window Program, Narragansett, Rhode Island requests funding to conduct time series data collections that will measure long-term changes in Bay conditions, while continuing to assess winter flounder, water quality, and hypoxic events.  The Narragansett Bay Window Monitoring Program is a cooperative program to assess the water quality, ecology, fish, and fisheries of Narragansett Bay.  These measurements and assessments are crucial at a time when the Bay is threatened by high nutrient inputs leading to hypoxia, the collapse of major fish stocks, and changes in the annual productivity cycle.  These impacts have been made even more significant as the temperature of Narragansett Bay increases due to global climate change.  All of these parameters are analyzed in relation to efforts to reduce nitrogen inputs from water treatment plants and to improve the physical and ecological conditions of the Bay.  Findings and data will be reported to the Bay managers, the scientific community and the general public. 

 

 

Defense Appropriations

 

Alion Science and Technology Corporation

Middletown, RI

$5,500,000

The Ellipsoidal Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) for Submarine Missions project will support the fabrication, assembly, testing, and parts procurement for an Ellipsoidal Underwater Unmanned Vehicle, with the planned capability of a submarine missile tube launch and recovery system.  This project will help address shortfalls in UUV performance by improving reliability and efficiency, and expanding stowage space for torpedoes.  Funding for this project would create 17 jobs in Rhode Island.

 

 Applied Radar, Inc.

North Kingstown, RI

$6,000,000

The X-Band Interferometric Radar project will complete the development of an X-band interferometric radar (XBIR) by 2012.  The new XBIR radar system under development will provide radar technology for a low-cost mobile HMMVW (Humvee) platform, and will provide a precision targeting capability to counter rocket, artillery, and mortars.  This project will finalize the hardware design, ultimately leading to a field demonstration for the US Army and ultimately transitioned to a DoD program of record.  Funding for this project will help Applied Radar increase its Rhode Island workforce by 20 people. 

 

Aspen Aerogels

Northborough, MA

$7,500,000

The Flexible Aerogel Materials Supplier Initiative will expand the production capacity of affordable, flexible, high temperature, lightweight aero gel materials to provide thermal and acoustic insulation, and thermal control for critical ground, air and sea weapons platforms and personnel protection systems.  Aerogel insulation has the lowest embodied energy per unit of thermal resistance when compared to traditional insulation materials, which reduces energy consumption and the risk to the soldier in fuel delivery.  Funding for this project will help create 25 new permanent employees and 50 new construction jobs in the New England area.  The majority of the work will be performed at Aspen Aerogels’ main manufacturing plant in East Providence, RI.

 

Battelle Memorial Institute

Middletown, RI

$4,000,000

The Harbor Shield project will strengthen port safety by improving threat detection and facilitating collaboration among the Department of Defense and other governmental organizations.  Harbor Shield supports the assembly, integration, and testing of a portal inspection device equipped with Synthetic Aperture Sonar transducers and underwater electro-optical imaging sensors configured to capture under prints of all ships entering and leaving port.  The under prints are then transferred to a shore site where they are analyzed in real-time to identify any parasitic attachments that might be indicative of illicit trade or terrorist activity.  These under prints are then transferred to both a centralized database, and sent to update Harbor Shield systems in other ports.  In this way, a real-time evaluation of ships entering and leaving all ports equipped with Harbor Shield can be performed without impacting shipping.  NUWC will be leasing special test equipment, barge, handling equipment as required, and paying RI state licensing and permit fees to RI DEM, RI CRMC and local regulation authorities. Subcontracts for rental equipment, mechanical machining and electrical hardware, and leasing of special test equipment, will be requisitioned in R.I. as needed. 

 

 

Brown University

Providence, RI

$2,000,000

The Brown University Center for Neurotechnology project will support the development of new brain-controlled assistive technologies and demonstrate the ability for humans with paralysis to use these brain interfaces.  BrainGate technology will stimulate the creation of a broad range of smart, implantable systems to evaluate and treat brain disorders and restore lost functions.  The funds will be used to create local, regional and national collaborative networks to ensure that discoveries at major centers are communicated and used to accelerate neurotechnology development. 

 

Epoxies, Etc…Inc.

Cranston, RI

$4,000,000

The Reduction of Weapons System Downtime Rapid Repair Structural Adhesives project will support the development of Ultra Violet (UV) cure adhesives to rapidly repair structurally damaged military aircraft.  Rapid cure adhesives reduce aircraft and helicopter downtime, and can potentially be utilized to repair damaged aircraft as opposed to full replacement.  The requested funding will help address the factors that have precluded the use of UV cure adhesive systems from aircraft structural repair adhesive applications.   The funding will allow for expanded capital and lab equipment investments, and additional job creation and training. 

 

General Physics Corporation, Business Unit 134

Middletown, RI

$1,200,000

The Virtual Maintenance Engineering Platform (VMEP) Implementation for SSGN Voyage Repair project will support the development, certification, and installation of aVMEP to provide remote repair capabilities on guided missile submarines.  The requested funding will be used to obtain the required military certification and qualify the VMEP system to operate within the Naval secure network.  This project is expected to create 12-15 new jobs in Rhode Island and Connecticut.

 

Hope Global

Cumberland, RI

$4,000,000

The Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) Technology project will support the development, integration, and demonstration of new technologies for RIB’s, which are used by the Navy for a wide variety of missions, including anti-terrorism, force protection, interdiction, search and seizure operations, and search and rescue.  The funding would help create a RIB prototype that is lighter, more durable, less expensive to manufacture and procure, and easier to deploy.  In addition to providing a higher quality and more affordable product for the Navy, this project will also help expand the supplier base, which currently consists of only one vendor on the West Coast.  

 

Institute for Creative Technologies

Naval Station Newport, Newport, RI , and the University of Southern California

$4,000,000

The Immersive Naval Officer Training System (INOTS) project will help the Naval Service Training Command and the Navy Officer Training Command Newport extend their training mission and augment their curriculum.  The project will help provide US Naval Officers with the educational tools to develop situational awareness, critical thinking, problem solving, and interpersonal skills.   It will also help the Naval Service Training Command and the Navy Officer Training Command Newport extend their training mission and augment their curriculum.  Specifically, the project enhances the INOTS prototype, using Virtual Human technology and Mixed Reality training environments that combine the live classroom and simulation training.  This project is expected to generate more than 10 jobs in Rhode Island, and over $1.5 million is projected for Rhode Island based subcontractors. 

 

Kelly Space & Technology

Warwick, RI

$5,600,000

The Critical Infrastructure Monitoring and Protection project will support the development of sensing and communications technology to monitor and protect critical infrastructure, such as ports, barracks, and communications facilities.  The system utilizes the Naval Undersea Warfare Center’s (NUWC) advanced fiber-optic sensing technology.  This technology is integrated with a secure, encrypted, internet-based wireless communications architecture and management system capable of monitoring large numbers of sensors at low-cost.  It also allows response teams to coordinate, repair, and conduct maintenance operations from a central command center.  All work associated with this funding will be completed in Rhode Island by Rhode Island employees and vendors.

 

L-3 Chesapeake Sciences Corporation

Ashaway, RI

$4,000,000

The Thinline Towed Array Production project will accelerate the production of the TB-33 Thinline Towed Array system, which provides the detection range and area search rate required for effective anti-submarine warfare operations.  L3 Chesapeake Sciences will employ an initial staff of over 40 engineers, technicians and skilled assemblers in the new Ashaway facility, and an additional staff of 30 technicians and skilled assemblers will be hired to meet production demand.

 

MIKEL, Inc.

Middletown, RI

$4,000,000

The Weapon Acquisition and Firing System (WAFS) project supports the development of an automated weapon setting tool to improve the commanding officer and crew’s ability to make the critical decisions required to ensure a target is successfully detected, classified and acquired.  Funding will help support 12 new jobs in Rhode Island. 

 

Modular Energy Devices

Warwick, RI

$3,000,000

The Hybrid Battery System for the “Silent Watch” Operations project will support the development of a hybrid battery system to provide high performance reserve power to military ground vehicles during field operations.  When vehicle engines are shut down during “Silent Watch” to minimize audio and thermal signatures, the vehicle electronics draw their power from the vehicle battery.  With conventional lead-acid batteries, the operator is required to frequently re-start the vehicle engine to recharge the battery, which exposes the crew and associated ground troops to potential threats.  The proposed initiative will improve reserve power for military vehicles, and has a dual-use application for renewable energy storage.  This project will immediately create 5 jobs in Rhode Island, and 15 long term positions are also expected to be created.

 

New Star Licensing, Inc.

Wyoming, RI

$800,000

The Perfect Seal Non-metallic Compression Rings for Fuel Efficiency project will support the research of new valve seal technology for application to Army vehicle engines.  The improved seal and cylinder substantially reduces piston/cylinder friction and increases compression levels.  The modified engine is expected to yield an estimated minimum 5 percent increase in fuel economy and reduced emissions.  This project will create about six new jobs in Rhode Island. 

 

Northeast Knitting

Pawtucket, RI

$6,000,000

The Saving Lives and Preventing Injuries with Rugged Electronic Textile Vital Signs project supports the development of electronic textiles to provide remote information on the physiological status of soldiers.  The program will focus on producing Warfighter Physiological Status Monitoring systems to reduce the probability of non-combat related losses in the training base.  This technology can also be used to monitor health status and provide warnings of dehydration, heat stroke and hypothermia.  The funding will allow for the completion of research and development, the production of hundreds of systems for numerous test opportunities, and the possibility of a small scale deployment.  The requested funding will also protect 40 existing jobs, and help create 5-6 additional jobs.

 

Progeny Systems Corporation

Middletown, RI

$3,000,000

The Next Generation Countermeasure (NGCM) Group Behavior project will support the development, demonstration and deployment of an improved anti-torpedo capability.  The technology developed in this program will allow multiple countermeasures to be deployed simultaneously while operating in a complimentary fashion.  This capability has been identified by the Chief of Naval Operations as the #4 priority on the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2008 Unfunded Programs List.  All of the work associated with this project will be completed in Progeny’s Middletown, RI office.  Funding for this project will create about 10 new jobs in Rhode Island. 

 

Textile Engineering & Manufacturing (T.E.A.M. Inc.)

Slatersville, RI

$2,200,000

The 3D Woven Preform Technology for Army Munitions Applications project will support the application of 3D weaving technology that has been developed for armor by the Army Research Laboratory to a range of munitions related applications such as sabots, subcomponents and specialized armor.  This project will enable T.E.A.M. to work closely with the Army Research, Development and Engineering Command to develop, test and evaluate light weight 3D Woven Preform designs.  The full appropriation of this project will protect 18 jobs in Rhode Island, and will immediately create five new jobs in Rhode Island. 

 

Textron

Providence, RI, and Wilmington, MA

$10,000,000

The Tactical RPG Airbag Protection System (TRAPS) project will support the development, testing and qualification of external airbag technology, which protects military vehicles by inflating and encapsulating rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) before they would hit a vehicle.  The TRAPS project is expected to be ready for production within 12 months.  Textron maintains an office in Providence, RI which employs over 600 people.

 

University of Rhode Island

Kingston, RI

$4,200,000

Standoff Sensors, Detection of Explosives and Explosive Devices (IED’s) project would support testing and development of improved capabilities to detect Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), utilizing URI’s Homeland Security Center of Excellence in Explosives Detection, Mitigation, Response and Characterization, in collaboration with small business Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) and Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (RIDS).  The funding will create and test a fieldable system for standoff explosives detection and enable the deployment of this technology in Afghanistan, Iraq and other areas where IED threats exist.  The two highest priorities identified by the Joint IED Defeat Office are standoff detection of IEDs and the defeat of IED fabrication networks, which are addressed in this project. 

 

University of Rhode Island

Kingston, RI

$2,700,000

The Counter-IED project will support improving Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detection capabilities through the application of a chemical detector, supplied by Rhode Island manufacturer Atlantic Coast Creations.  The project will also fund the development of new blast-resistant materials in collaboration with a Rhode Island-based company, TPI Composites.  This project is expected to immediately generate 80 jobs in Rhode Island. 

 

Zebra Technologies International

Warwick, RI

$2,500,000

The Navy AIT Logistics Modernization Initiative project supports the modernization, integration, and improvement of the Navy’s capabilities to track weapons and supplies.  It will also provide a technology solution that meets DoD/Navy Information Assurance and Security policy requirements.  This project will address the Navy’s unfunded requirement to modernize its supply and logistics structure with up-to-date automatic identification technology (AIT) and radio frequency identification (RFID) solutions.  This technology will help lower the risk of inaccuracies, mis-identification/routing and limited asset visibility while munitions are in use, storage or transport throughout the world.  Initial job impact at Zebra’s Warwick, RI facility will be limited, primarily because this is a research and development facility, but opportunities for growth are significant as a result of Zebra’s role as a key supplier and team member in the Navy’s RFID implementation plan.

 

 

 

Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education

 

Application of Social Networking Theory to EMR Adoption in RI: $300,000

Rhode Island Quality Institute, Providence, RI

Rhode Island Quality Institute requests $300,000 in funding to increase the rate of electronic medical record (EMR) adoption among physicians.  The RIQI recognizes that improving healthcare quality and reducing healthcare costs is highly dependent on the decisions of health care providers to move forward with the adoption of EMRs.  Rather than a single entity broadly promoting EMR adoption across all audiences, this project draws upon the scientific research done by Everett Rogers and others that focuses on diffusion of innovation. This request for funding focuses on Phase II of the project, which is to identify and implement opportunities for rapid diffusion of positive experiences from physician leaders to their community members.

 

Arc of Blackstone Valley

Pawtucket, Rhode Island

$750,000        

The Arc of Blackstone Valley of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, requests funding for a pilot program to provide respite, emergency mental health care to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are experiencing a mental health crisis.  Services for individuals with a dual diagnosis of an intellectual disability and a mental health issue are difficult to obtain.  Arc will establish a facility in the community, which, when needed, will be fully staffed 24 hours a day by direct support professionals trained in the needs of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health and behavioral issues.  A crisis team of professionals will be on call to deal with all facets of the traumatic situations.  The Arc of Blackstone Valley will provide the residential facility.  Federal funds will support training and staffing. 

 

Blackstone Valley Community Health Care Inc. 

Pawtucket, Rhode Island

$1,000,000

Blackstone Valley Community Health Care (BVCHC), a free-standing, not-for profit, federally funded community health center serving low income and uninsured residents of Pawtucket and Central Falls, has recently undertaken a significant facilities expansion program. The expansion program will allow the organization to meet the existing medical and dental needs of its 14,000 patients. BVCHC’s expansion will also provide greater access for the burgeoning Medicaid and uninsured populations that are in need of health and dental services in the Pawtucket/Central Falls area. The organization completed the first phase of its expansion with the successful opening of the state’s largest dental clinic for low-income and uninsured patients in 2007.  Federal funding will support phase two of BVCHC’s expansion, which calls for the construction of a new, 30,000 square foot health clinic to replace the aging John Cunningham, MD Health Clinic located at 42 Park Place. The new facility will be built on BVCHC’s parking lot, adjacent to the new dental clinic. The new health center clinic will feature 30 medical exam rooms, allowing for a significant increase in the number of underserved patients currently receiving care at BVCHC.

 

Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island

$1,000,000

Brown University seeks funding for a medical simulation laboratory in its planned medical education building, a key part of the redevelopment of Providence’s jewelry district.  The medical simulation laboratory will consist of simulated patient care rooms and a control center, which will allow for state-of-the-art education that will span the spectrum of physician skills from basic and advanced physical examination to the performance of the most demanding procedures that confront the generalist.  Sophisticated, high fidelity medical simulation mannequins provide trainees with the ability to observe changes in physiology associated with severe conditions, such as trauma and shock, in an environment more conducive to teaching and learning than the acute care setting.

 

Butler Hospital

Providence, Rhode Island

$350,000

Butler Hospital, of Providence, Rhode Island, requests funding to establish the Butler Hospital Center for Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics in Alzheimer's disease.  This Center will combine an advanced brain imaging laboratory, an infusion center, and a functional outcomes laboratory to improve early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease.  The brain imaging lab will identify neuroimaging markers for early detection of Alzheimer's disease by analyzing complex structural and functional images of the brain.  Analysis of these complex images from multiple sources, including MRIs, positron-emission tomography (PETs), and functional MRIs, requires sophisticated hardware and software and a network backbone that can support efficient data transmission and analysis.  The infusion center will provide a technologically advanced, safe and comfortable setting for patients to receive extended infusions of emerging AD treatments.  The Center will also include facilities for tissue sampling and tissue banking, which are essential for identifying the earliest diagnostic markers for Alzheimer's disease.

 

CharterCARE Health Partners

North Providence and Providence, Rhode Island

$1,400,000

CharterCare Health Partners, a newly-formed parent corporation created by the affiliation of Roger Williams Medical Center and St. Joseph Health Services of Rhode Island, seeks funding to fully integrate the two hospital's information systems to establish one common hardware platform with full business continuity thereby creating an electronic medical record and computerized physician order entry, as well as supporting applications.  This project will benefit thousands of patients through improved care and safety standards, and will enable physicians to order medications and procedures based on improved integrated decision support and clinical functions.

 

City Year, Inc

Providence, Rhode Island

 $200,000

City Year Rhode Island requests funding to expand the capacity of its “Whole School Whole Child Initiative,” a school-based strategy to that aims to improve the conditions that lead to student success and increased graduation rates.  Funding would focus on middle school students, supporting mentoring for 65 at-risk students, providing in-class assistance to at least 200 students, and providing City Year-led afterschool programming for 325 students.

 

Clinical Mental Health Services for the Homeless: $63,750

Crossroads Rhode Island, Providence, RI

Crossroads Rhode Island is the primary provider of services to Rhode Island’s homeless families and individuals.  The requested funding would pay for a full-time staff position for a licensed psychologist or clinical social worker in Crossroad’s Social Services division.  This individual would provide counseling and psycho-therapy to chronically homeless adults with histories of trauma and severe mental illness.  The target population for this project is chronically homeless adults who have experienced severe mental illness, but do not qualify to receive services through the PATH program.  These individuals are likely to have histories of psychiatric hospitalizations, substance and alcohol abuse, criminal activity, learning disabilities, low educational attainment, and a lack of successful work history.  This population will also include Veterans who are suffering from severe post-traumatic stress and other mental health issues.  Through therapy, participants will experience substantial improvements in their mental health status, which will directly affect their employability and housing prospects. 

 

Clubhouse with recovery opportunities for people with mental illness: $313,100

Providence Clubhouse Development Group, Providence, RI

Providence Clubhouse Development Group requests $313,100 in funding to develop an independent, ICCD-certified clubhouse to provide all adult Rhode Islanders living with mental illness opportunities for recovery through work, in a community of mutual support.  In clubhouse recovery takes place through work, first in the clubhouse and subsequently in transitional employment in the community. The project includes all activities necessary to open this clubhouse, including recruitment of staff, creation of a network of employers, publicity for planned activities, and acquiring funding from other sources.

 

CODAC Behavioral Healthcare, Inc.

Cranston, Rhode Island

$3,100,000

CODAC Behavioral Healthcare, Inc. seeks funding for the construction of a new substance abuse and behavioral health care treatment facility, to be built on CODAC-owned property, adjacent to its existing facility.  The new facility will be energy efficient, more accessible for individuals with disabilities, and will help consolidate and delivery of services for co-occurring disorders under the same roof.

 

College Crusade of Rhode Island

Providence, Rhode Island

$400,000

The College Crusade of Rhode Island, Providence, Rhode Island requests $400,000 for mentoring services to help students go to college.  The College Crusade of Rhode Island was founded by a public-private partnership of state and business leaders to address the impact of high dropout rates.  Students apply for membership in the program in sixth grade and, if admitted, receive mentoring until they graduate from high school.  College Crusade also provides comprehensive academic, social/personal career awareness, and college preparation programs and services.  The program services 4,000 middle school and high school student in low-income urban school districts, specifically Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, and Woonsocket. 

 

 

Connecting for Children and Families (CCF)

Woonsocket, Rhode Island

$400,000

Connecting for Children and Families (CCF) of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, seeks funding to implement the Woonsocket Center for Working Families.  Modeled on the "Center of Working Families" initiative developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, this project will work to provide access to a suite of services to help support families, including: 1) workforce development (job training and career development; job placement, and job supports such as transportation, counseling, case management, and health care access), 2) family economic support services (financial education and financial counseling to maximize income and increase financial assets and financial benefits such as the EITC and Child Care Tax Credits), and 3)  community development investments.

 

Continuum of Care Program (CCP): $1,117,985.24

The Providence Center, Providence, RI

The Providence Center requests $1,117,985.24 in funding to help people who have succeeded in intensive treatment services but still face significant barriers. CCP addresses specific barriers and helps formerly incarcerated individuals rebuild their lives. The Providence Center plans to expand the number of beds available to CCP clients by 10 beds with the purchase or lease of another residence. An estimated total of 40 adult clients will participate in supportive housing.  The Providence Center’s Staying Connected program works with each individual to help keep them connected to a positive social network and identify personal goals. Men and women enrolled in CCP will receive support through Staying Connected and help in connecting to different services throughout the state through a telephone and case management based aftercare service, which is based on a Robert Wood Johnson model.

 

Education for Democracy Act

$35 million

Education for Democracy Act programs help students learn about the fundamentals of their government and how apply the lessons of civics to their school environments.  The “We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution ” provides curriculum to help students at the upper elementary, middle, and high school levels to learn about the underpinning of our system of government—the Constitution and Bill of Rights.  “We the People:  Project Citizen” focuses middle, high school, and post secondary students on local and state government.  The School Violence Demonstration Program seeks to improve students’ overall civics knowledge and help them apply it to their roles in their communities and schools. 

 

Emergency Room Behavioral Unit at Kent Hospital: $1,000,000

Kent County Memorial Hospital, Warwick, RI

Kent County Memorial Hospital requests $1,000,000 in funding to add a specialized behavioral health unit to our emergency room. Centrally located in Warwick, RI, Kent’s emergency room is the second busiest it the state.  They seek to create a separate behavioral unit so that children and adults presenting with primary psychiatric issues can receive the care they need in a dignified and safe setting.  A separate unit will allow them to improve care to this patient group.  The new unit will be staffed by behavioral health specialists and psychiatrists who can diagnose and treat people more accurately and efficiently. 

 

Expand Early Detection program in New England: $500,000

The Brain Tumor Foundation, New York, NY

The Brain Tumor Foundation requests $500,000 in funding to expand the Brain Tumor Foundation’s early detection program in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.  In 2009, as part of a nationwide roll-out campaign, The Brain Tumor Foundation will bring “The Road to Early Detection” program to New England, beginning with Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The program will provide affordable brain scans through radiology centers in New England, starting with the states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

 

HealthRIght Health Care Efficiency Program

RI Parent Information Network, Pawtucket, RI

$450,000

 

The RI Information Network, on behalf of a coalition Rhode Island businesses, organized labor, health professionals, consumers, and affiliated organizations requests funding to develop policy and build consensus for the fundamental restructuring of the state health care delivery system in order to control costs, improve quality care, and extend health care coverage to all the state's residents.  The requested funds would move the project to the next stage of development:  building depth of research and policy development capabilities and establishing individualized negotiating teams to marshal support from the diverse constituencies among the HealthRIght membership.  

 

Heritage Harbor Museum

Providence, Rhode Island   

$1,800,000

The Heritage Harbor Museum, Providence, Rhode Island, requests funding for the design of exhibits and education materials on Rhode Island history. The museum will showcase the history of all the ethnic groups comprising the state's diverse population and will house six thematic galleries depicting the full range of Rhode Island's history.  The thematic content of the exhibits will be aligned to the recent standards set by the Rhode Island Department of Education. 

 

Implementation of a Computerized Physician Order Entry System (CPOE): $1,500,000

Women and Infants Hospital, Providence, RI

Women and Infants Hospital requests $1,500,000 in funding to implement a Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) system that is part of a comprehensive medical information system.  This system will significantly improve clinical effectiveness and quality of care for patients at two major regional hospitals in New England.  The scope of the project will include the building and deployment of a computerized system which will allow physicians to enter orders for patient care, medication, diagnostic testing, etc., with immediate access to current patient information and best practice treatment options, whether the physician is in the hospital or accessing remotely via a secure internet access.  This system has been shown to greatly reduce transcription errors, unnecessary medical tests, and the risk of adverse drug interactions.   

 

Kent Hospital's Renovation for Infection Control and Energy Efficiency: $1,200,000

Kent County Memorial Hospital, Warwick, RI

Kent County Memorial Hospital requests $1,200,000 in funding to update the North Wing to current standards and will provide seventeen private rooms with private toilets and showers and also address the HVAC systems and increase support space.  Renovations would also affect the floor above and the floor below, which is the Intensive Care Unit.  The benefits to private rooms include decreasing the rate of nosocomial infections, patient transfers, patient length of stay, and transmission of hospital acquired diarrhea.  Using shared bathrooms is not optimal for prevention and private rooms would provide separate toilet facilities for each patient. The American Institute of Architects’ new guidelines were developed due to evidence that patients who share rooms are more likely to develop nosocomial infections.

 

Landmark Medical Center   

Woonsocket, Rhode Island

$1,800,000     

Landmark Medical Center (LMC) seeks funding to acquire a 1.5 T MRI magnet for its 115 Cass Avenue, Woonsocket Rhode Island campus.  Currently, LMC spends approximately $100,000 per year in transportation costs shuttling patients needing an MRI from its Woonsocket location to its North Smithfield campus 3.5 miles away.  Relocation of the magnet to LMC is not practical or feasible.  With LMC's evolution as provider of tertiary level services for cardiology, the increased field strength of a 1.5 T magnet is needed.

 

Low-income/Minority Outreach Wellness Project: $115,000

Shape Up RI, Providence, RI

Shape Up RI requests $115,000 in funding to According to provide an abundance of health information for Rhode Islanders and methods of exercising and learning to eat healthy.  This includes a weekly wellness newsletter and a team-based competition that works in an effective way to solve problems of weight gain.  The funds will be used to recruit low-income people who do not have access to our workplace-based program or lack the $20.00 enrollment fee.  The fees will be waived for everyone who earns less than $35,000 for a family of four.  One or more of the recruiters will speak Spanish or Portuguese.

 

Meeting Street

Providence, Rhode Island

$980,000

Meeting Street, a community organization helping children with multiple and severe developmental challenges, as well as children with minor delay, seeks funding for Project PRIME (Preparing Rhode Island’s Most Vulnerable Children Through Meeting Street Excellence).  Through Project PRIME, Meeting Street will launch a full service early childhood development program that will take advantage of its accessible, centrally located Providence site and well-established relationships with low-income communities to improve physical, intellectual, and social outcomes for high-risk children.  Children may be at risk due to poverty, developmental disability or delay, or a host of other factors.  Regardless of the cause, many young children at risk are all too frequently entering school behind their peers, a gap that too often increases over time.  Through this model program, Rhode Island's most vulnerable and at-risk children from birth to kindergarten will receive the seamless educational, developmental, mental, and physical health-related services they need to enter school ready to learn.

 

More Hours + More Physicians = More Access: $700,000

Rhode Island Free Clinic, Providence, RI

Rhode Island Free Clinic requests $700,000 in funding to expand access to a full system of primary care that meets the needs of Rhode Island’s uninsured adults.  This project will expand the number of physicians in our Physician Network annually by 50% in 2009, 2010, and 2011, increase the number of annual per patient visits to the RIFC clinic/Physician Network, as compared to their pre-RIFC baseline, and decrease the number of RIFC patients seeking non-emergency care at hospital emergency rooms.  

 

Oasis Health Wellness Center: $270,000

Oasis International, Providence, RI

Oasis International requests $270,000 in funding to provide health care to low income residents of southwest Providence.  The project will provide health care and health education to underserved and undereducated members of the Providence community.  Funds will pay for staff, screening and education materials, medical supplies, and other office needs.

 

National Writing Project

Berkeley, CA

$30 million

The National Writing Project (NWP) is the only national program that focuses on the teaching of writing.  Through a proven professional development model, the NWP gives teachers the skills they need to improve student performance in writing.  Nine separate studies have indicated that NWP instruction for teachers has translated into greater success in writing performance for students.  NWP is a network of more than 200 local writing project sites in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Each NWP site leverages its federal contribution with a combination of state, local, and private funds, making it one of the most cost-effective programs supported by the U.S. Department of Education.  The federal investment in the NWP has contributed to dramatic improvements in the writing skills of millions of students.

 

Northwest Community Health Care

Pascoag, Rhode Island

$500,000

Northwest Community Health Care requests funding to expand its facilities to accommodate increased demand.  Northwest serves the communities of Burrillville, Smithfield, Scituate, Foster and Glocester, providing care to over 8,000 patients a year, regardless of their ability to pay.  Since the original Northwest medical building was last modernized nearly 20 years ago, the patient load has more than tripled from 2,500 patients to a projected 8,000 in 2009.  The proposed renovations will add a second story to the facility.

 

Project Grow: a parent autism training and support package using telecommunication technology: $257,429.90

The Groden Center, Providence, RI

The Groden Center requests funding to develop an innovative model of delivering treatment services to families of young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).  It is a home-based model of parent education which includes an online course in behavioral intervention; parent implemented interventions; a camera/computer system for monitoring, feedback, and data analysis; in person supervision and support for parents; and small group meetings to model procedures and offer support.  The proposed investigation will address these areas of need by delivering services to parents in their homes with the aid of telecommunication technology, resulting in cost and time efficiencies and enabling available supervisors to serve more families.

 

Providence CityArts for Youth, Inc.

Providence, Rhode Island

$100,000

Providence CityArts of seeks funding to support its extended out-of-school time programs for middle and elementary school-aged urban youth.  Through its afterschool, summer, and integrated school day programs, CityArts focuses on visual arts and design, music, dance, theatre, and creative writing.  Each year, CityArts serves a broad spectrum of youth from low and moderate income families, including more than 500 out-of-school-time youth who attend Providence Public Elementary and Middle Schools and Highlander Charter School. 

 

Providence Community Health Centers

Providence, Rhode Island

$3,000,000

Providence Community Health Centers (PCHC) requests funding for construction of a new Urgent Care facility to complement its existing health center locations throughout the City of Providence. The Urgent Care Center will be located in PCHC’s Prairie Avenue location (the former Federated Lithographers Mill Building in South Providence). The new facility will provide much-needed urgent care services to PCHC’s existing patient population, which includes a preponderance of individuals who live in poverty.  Nearby acute care hospitals are handling the vast majority of urgent care visits through emergency rooms, 50% of these cases can be handled in a less expensive, urgent care center.  The new PCHC urgent care facility will meet a growing need within the patient population, allowing for approximately 5,200 patients to receive care.  The new construction project will provide immediate benefits to PCHC’s patient base, allow for significant savings to the overall health care system, and provide an infusion of new jobs and revitalization to a community in distress.

 

Reach Out and Read

Boston, Massachusetts

$10,000,000

Reach Out and Read (ROR) is a widely respected national program that promotes literacy and language development in infants and young children.  ROR has become a powerful and effective program for promoting early language, literacy and school readiness, filling the crucial gap before children have access to traditional early childhood programs. It engages pediatricians and other health providers in guiding and encouraging parents to read aloud to their children from the earliest years of life, and send children home from each doctor visit with a prescription to read aloud together. ROR Rhode Island began in 1999 with four sites and has grown to 41 sites including most health centers and pediatric clinics in the state.

 

 

Reading is Fundamental

$28 million

Reading is Fundamental (RIF) is a national early childhood literacy program that provides millions of children annually with the satisfaction of personal ownership of books as well as reading encouragement.  In its forty year history, RIF has distributed over 300 million books to underserved children.  Books are available from 118,000 centers around the country in locations where children and their parents can easily access them—at Head Start centers, schools, parks, community centers, health centers, and child care centers.

 

Re-Focus, Inc.

Providence, Rhode Island

$200,000

Re-Focus, Inc. seeks funding to expand its existing services for individuals with developmental disabilities at a recently renovated facility.  Re-Focus will offer services such as job training, intergenerational learning, cooking and nutrition classes, computer skills, and basic and family literacy to adults and teens with developmental disabilities.  It will serve individuals from Providence, Pawtucket, Cranston, Johnston, North Scituate, North Providence, and Central Falls.  Re-Focus will work with the Northern R.I. Collaborative, which will assist in the management of job training programs.  Re-Focus will use federal funding to support competent, trained personnel who can offer quality instruction to individuals with developmental disabilities to improve their life choices.

 

Rhode Island Afterschool Plus Alliance

 Providence, Rhode Island

$600,000

Rhode Island Afterschool Plus Alliance of Providence, Rhode Island, seeks funding to provide grants to expand and support high quality afterschool, summer learning programs, and other expanded learning opportunities in the core urban communities of Rhode Island.  The Rhode Island Afterschool Plus Alliance will provide direct grants for programs, as well as evaluations and capacity building for local afterschool sites.  The purpose of the project is to improve student achievement in high poverty urban communities in Rhode Island through the systemic integration of high quality expanded learning opportunities, including before-school, after-school, and summer programs into the state education system. 

 

Rhode Island College Foundation  

Providence, Rhode Island

$200,000

The Rhode Island College Foundation seeks funding for technology improvements to Rhode Island College's largest science lecture hall. The building in which this lecture hall is housed, the John C. Clarke Science building, was first occupied in 1962.  Since then, there have not been any significant physical or technology improvements to the facility, which is used for instruction in chemistry, biology, physical science, nursing, psychology, education, and other programs.  Funding would support the replacement of the hall's presentation and communications technologies, which are obsolete or in operable.

 

 

Rhode Island Hospital         

Providence, Rhode Island

$3,000,000

Rhode Island Hospital of Providence, Rhode Island, seeks federal funding to develop and deploy a patient tracking system and improve hospital surge capacity, emergency care system capability, and community and hospital preparedness for public health emergencies.  The hospital had been a recipient of a grant under the Department of Health and Human Services’ Hospital Preparedness Program.  While intended as a three year program, only one year will be funded.

 

Roger Williams Medical Center      

Providence, Rhode Island   

$1,125,000     

Roger Williams Medical Center in Providence, Rhode Island, seeks funding to acquire a new MRI machine, as well as equipment for its Comprehensive Cancer Center.  The upgraded MRI will allow the hospital to perform several important procedures, such as vascular arterial work, gastrointestinal scans, and breast MRIs, which it currently cannot perform.  The goal is to upgrade the MRI equipment at Roger Williams Medical Center so it is on par with other acute care hospitals around the state. The current equipment in use is almost ten years old and has the lowest strength magnet of any used in an acute care hospital setting in Rhode Island.  Similarly, a new ultrasound-guided breast probe for the hospital's Breast Health Program will provide physicians with a tool to diagnose whether a growth is benign or cancerous. With more than 190,000 hospital visits by Rhode Islanders annually, thousands of Rhode Islanders will benefit from this new equipment.

 

Salve Regina University

Newport, Rhode Island

$600,000

Salve Regina University of Newport, Rhode Island, requests funding to expand its Blackstone Valley Workforce Training Initiative in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.  Salve Regina University established the Blackstone Valley facility in the fall of 2006 to provide educational opportunities, particularly in the field of nursing, to adults in underserved northern Rhode Island communities.  To meet the increased need for workforce training and educational opportunities in the northern region of Rhode Island, Salve Regina will build out the University's current space in downtown Pawtucket to create a learning Center fully equipped with cutting-edge technology.  The Learning Center will be a multi-purpose space, capable of use as a classroom, conference area, lecture hall, and distance learning facility.  A critical facet of the Learning Center will be its ability to electronically link educational programs at the Blackstone Valley site to the University's Newport campus.  This will provide students at the Learning Center with access to the Newport campus’ virtual library and enable "conference learning" activities.  In such a setting, students and faculty from northern Rhode Island and Newport will be able to interact and participate in programs of study at the same time.  This project will also establish the infrastructure for workforce training and educational programs to support future needs across the state.

 

Samaritans, Inc.       

Providence, Rhode Island

$350,000

The Samaritans of Rhode Island requests funds to expand and improve its services and Internet-based resources. Funding will enable Samaritans to work collaboratively with the Rhode Island Medical Society to offer access to training information relating to standards of care for assessment and treatment as well as resources available in the state for patients and caregivers.  The Samaritans will also enhance its website, which has seen a tripling in the number of visits since its inception in 2004.  It will also expand its Hotline and Safe Place (free survivor's support group) programs through increased outreach to the state's Spanish speaking populations, as well as for teenagers and their families.    

 

Thundermist Health Center 

Woonsocket, Rhode Island

$700,000        

Thundermist Health Center seeks funding to establish a fitness and wellness program to reduce childhood obesity and improve the health of middle school and high school students in Woonsocket and West Warwick, Rhode Island.  The program will encourage young people to be physically active for a minimum of 1.5 hours each week for eight week sessions in the fall and in the spring.   Students will be measured and weighed at the beginning and end of the program and will learn a variety of fitness activities that can be incorporated into their everyday lifestyle.  By the end of the program, a fitness database will be compiled for future reference and analysis.  A fitness coordinator will continuously modify and develop the program to match current data collection while also educating the community on current and pressing adolescent health issues.  Measures will be taken at the beginning of the program and at the end of the program to track the success of the program, such as weigh-ins and measurements, health assessments, nutrition assessments, and attendance in the program.

 

Town of Lincoln, Rhode Island

Lincoln, Rhode Island

$150,000

The Town of Lincoln, Rhode Island, requests funding to increase the number of hours, services, and programs offered to the public at its Family Literacy Center.  The Family Literacy Center provides low- and moderate-income families access to outreach services and family literacy support including books and activities at no cost.  The goal of the Center is to increase the interaction between children and parents, to transfer learning activities into the home, and to increase parents' support of children's learning outside of the classroom setting.  The facility has experienced unexpected popularity with the parents and children of the village of Manville and currently serves over 400 families despite being open only 20 hours per week.  In order to accommodate growing demand, the Town has purchased a larger building just one block away from the existing center.  The larger building will enable more residents to take advantage of this successful public service. 

 

Urban Collaborative Accelerated Program

Providence, Rhode Island

$250,000

The Urban Collaborative Accelerated Program (UCAP) seeks funding to replicate their successful accelerated learning drop-out prevention program in public school districts outside of Providence.  Currently, most dropout intervention programs begin at the high school level.  UCAP targets middle school students who have fallen severely behind and are more susceptible to dropping out once they reach high school.   The UCAP model allows these students to complete three years of middle school in just two, so when they go on to high school they are with their peers and have developed the academic and social skills they need to persist through graduation and beyond.  UCAP will use federal funding to provide competitive start-up grants and technical assistance to help school districts implement drop-out prevention programs based on the UCAP model. 

 

Urban League

Providence, Rhode Island

$145,000

The Urban League and its subsidiary organizations, Cleanscape and South Providence Development Corporation, propose a 12 month employment and education program for 20 low-income in-school youths of color living in Providence’s Southside, West End, Washington Park, and Elmwood neighborhoods.  The project will integrate summer youth employment, school year academic support, workshops, and industry tours with a transition into higher education, vocational training, or employment in green technology industries.  Each youth will develop an educational plan that will address academic needs and identify a future educational, vocational training, and employment plan that specifically outlines a transition plan to achieve his or her career objectives. 

 

VNS Homecare, Inc. 

Narragansett, Rhode Island

$175,000

VNS Homecare, Inc. seeks funding for the acquisition and deployment of a point of care electronic medical record (EMR) system.  The system will ensure that current, accurate health care information will be instantly available to the clinicians providing patient care in the home and will increase the accuracy and timeliness patient health information.  Eventually this technology will be integrated with hospital HIT systems to facilitate referral information. 

 

Westerly Hospital 

Westerly, Rhode Island

$4,000,000     

Westerly Hospital seeks funding to implement certified Electronic Health Record technology, connected in a manner that provides, according to applicable law and standards, for electronic exchange of health information. This project will improve patient and family-centered delivery of care through better physician-patient-hospital-state communication, enhanced quality of care, improved outcomes, and reduced risk.

 

Wood River Health Services, Inc.   

Hope Valley, Rhode Island

$200,000        

Wood River Health Services, Inc. a federally qualified, non-profit, community health center, seeks funding to establish a satellite office in Westerly, Rhode Island, to provide affordable, primary health care to area residents who are unable to travel to its main office.  Wood River will secure rented space in a high-poverty section of Westerly and would use federal funding for renovations and equipment.  The satellite office will provide primary health care services with two health care providers and support staff.  It is estimated the site will be able to serve 3,800 patients. 

 

 

Street Outreach and Prevention Program: $25,000

AIDS Care Ocean State, Cranston and Pawtucket, RI

AIDS Care Ocean State requests $25,000 in funding to add locations in two cities that have asked for our help Cranston and Pawtucket. The Centers of Disease Control (CDC approved DEBI 2006) has documented that peer to peer education for prevention is the most successful method for impacting adolescents. 

Ensuring Your Community's Access to Quality Behavioral Healthcare: $600,000

The Kent Center for Human & Organizational Development, Warwick, RI

The Kent Center for Human & Organizational Development requests $600,000 in funding to support the purchase of The Kent Center’s new home and will ensure us the ability to serve men, women, children and families who struggle with the devastating effects of mental illness, substance abuse disorders and/or psychological trauma.  Additionally, the new building provides the Center with a solid base of operations from which we centrally administer all of our treatment programs, (i.e. mental health and substance abuse outpatient counseling services, residential services, Mobile Treatment Teams, our clubhouse model of service, and our school) which are located throughout Kent County.  This is the third year that we have sought a federal appropriation for our building. 

 

The Warwick Health Care Initiative: $150,000

Warwick, RI

The City of Warwick, RI requests $150,000 in funding for a two-year continuation of the pilot program/study, known as the Warwick Health Initiative, with City of Warwick employees. Its goal is to improve health outcomes and decrease health care costs. The pilot program combines technology with “hands on” healthcare, using the ER Card to change the way care is delivered in emergency and routine care situations.

 

T MRI magnet for its 115 Cass Avenue, Woonsocket RI campus: $1,800,000

Landmark Medical Center, Woonsocket, RI

Landmark Medical Center requests $1,800,000 in funding to acquire a 1.5 T MRI magnet for its 115 Cass Avenue, Woonsocket RI campus, and to locate the magnet within the current medical complex.  Currently, LMC owns and operates a 1.0 T short bore MRI magnet at its North Smithfield Fogarty campus, approximately 3.5 miles away.  At the time of acquisition, the Fogarty campus offered acute care services and the required physician presence for contrast administration was available.  Subsequently, LMC has evolved to offer tertiary level comprehensive cardiology services, including open heart surgery and angioplasty. With LMC’s evolution to tertiary level services, the increased field strength of a 1.5 T magnet is needed. 

 

Civic Engagement Program/Curriculum for students and families of the Segue Institute

for Learning and Channel One: $175,000

Channel One, Segue Institute for Learning, Central Falls, RI

Channel One - Central Falls - Segue Institute for Learning (Middle Level Charter School) requests $175,000 in funding to incorporate a best practices/civic engagement curriculum that would be offered to not only to the students but also the parents of the community.  The hope is also that parents would become involved and also seek knowledge and information on how decisions are made in their communities, learn about voting rights and registrations and in turn take an active role in what decisions are made on all level of local and state government. The ultimate goal is that the parents and youth involved would take charge of the program and make it a true exercise in community mobilization.

 

Community Library Stabilization Initiative: $1,400,000

Providence Community Library, Providence, RI

Providence Community Library requests $1,400,000 in funding to rescue the public branch system in Providence. Starting on July 1, 2009, 5 branches (Wanskuck, Olneyville, Smith Hill, Foxpoint and Washington park) which are located in and service some of the neediest part of Providence will be closed by the Providence Public Library.  These appropriations funds will be used to enhance public adult education, enhance and support local youth education, provide internet access to underprivileged and disadvantaged citizens, enhance access to other public services, create jobs for Seniors, Youth, Disabled Individuals, Women, minorities and students, enhance facility access for seniors and disabled individuals, provide job training, summer jobs and continuing education opportunities, secure approximately 100 full-time permanent jobs and scores of collateral employment opportunities. 

 

K-8 Mathematics/Science Learning Connections Project: $617,500

East Bay Educational Collaborative, Warren, RI

East Bay Educational Collaborative requests $617,500 in funding to provide 2800 Rhode Island K-8 teachers (and their 120,000 students) with the materials and the means to make mathematics connections (that is, to teach/learn mathematics) at the same time they are learning science.  This will be done by developing science kit specific mathematics lessons and “connections” for each of the 65 NSF developed inquiry science programs currently used in 2800 Rhode Island classrooms.  

 

Peer Assistance and Review: $250,000

Rhode Island Federation of Teachers & Health Professionals, Providence, RI

Rhode Island Federation of Teachers & Health Professionals requests $250,000 in funding to support the four locals in establishing PAR programs by providing guidance and facilitation in program design, selection, training and networking of "consulting teachers", by bringing in national experts to inform program design and implementation and facilitating the alignment of evaluation instruments for new teachers across the four districts to RI's Professional Teaching Standards.  While this effort will initially focus on new teachers, it has the potential to be expanded to veteran teachers in need of peer assistance and to districts beyond the four core urban districts included in this proposal.

 

Physical Education Room and Environmental Education Program: $100,000

Community Preparatory School, Providence, RI

Community Preparatory School requests $100,000 in funding to improve our physical education offerings and our science curriculum.  Funding would be used to convert two medium-sized classrooms into a phys-ed room.  We envision a room for physical education, recess, and after-school programs, with enough equipment to keep 20 students physically active at one time. 

 

Pins and Peers: $245,500

Volunteers in Cranston Schools (VICS), Cranston, RI

Volunteers in Cranston Schools (VICS) requests $245,500 in funding to provide a total after school program for grade 4 students where they will receive mathematics tutorial services in anticipation of the grade 4 state mathematics assessment while at the same time providing a safe recreational activity (bowling).  The money will be spent to provide transportation to and from the program, to administer the bowling and tutorial programs, to provide community service opportunities for exceptional high school students to tutor and provide positive role models for the participants, to provide nourishing snacks, and to purchase self guided mathematics materials and school related supplies for distribution to the student participants.

 

Professional Development Through Digital Technologies: Reinventing Possibilities for Urban School Reform: $51,000

The Learning Community Charter School, Inc., Central Falls, RI

The Learning Community Charter School, Inc. requests $51,000 in funding to provide professional development for 500 teachers in Rhode Island's core cities over the next five years, reaching more than 13,000 students.  Federal funds would support a contracted videographer, photographer, and new media specialist in documenting and disseminating The Learning Community's work, and would establish the technological infrastructure necessary for The Learning Community to become a regional and national hub for smart dialogue about urban school reform and an innovator in new professional development delivery models.

 

Project Discovery education programs: $600,000

Trinity Repertory Company, Providence, RI

Trinity Repertory Company requests $600,000 in funding to use theater to teach students and educators about empathy, conflict resolution, and the human experience. Research shows that theater education improves students’ critical thinking, reading, communication, and leadership skills, as well as their self-esteem, respect for others, and their ability to work effectively in group settings.  Project Discovery provides curricular-based programming to help teach these skills, and instills an awareness of how dramatic work reflects and shapes our society.

 

Rhode Island Legal/Educational Partnership: $100,000

Rhode Island Legal/Educational Partnership, Providence, RI

Rhode Island Legal/Educational Partnership requests $100,000 in funding to help high school students develop an understanding of the workings of the American judicial system.   We are in the process of concluding our senior high school tournament. Our middle school tournament will begin shortly. Unfortunately, our funds are drying up. We need funding desperately to continue to serve our stakeholders, the students of our state. All funding will go towards our budget items.

 

Roof Replacement or Repair: $130,000

Paul Cuffee School, Providence, RI

Paul Cuffee School requests $130,000 in funding to install new flashing, insulate the roof and replace existing roofing material with a 39,000 sf EPDM roof and gutter system, has been estimated at $130,000. This includes a 15-year warranty, and proper removal/disposal of the existing roofing and flashing materials in accordance with OSHA safety standards and Rhode Island’s waste disposal regulations.

 

Supporting Student Proficiency through Middle and High School Articulation: $200,000

Rhode Island Skills Commission in partnership with RI Middle Level Educators,

Providence, RI

Rhode Island Skills Commission in partnership with RI Middle Level Educators requests $200,000 in funding to support schools in their implementation of RI's Secondary Regulations & Proficiency Based Graduation Requirements.   This project will focus on a joint MS/HS effort at bringing RI teachers together to create common assessment tasks at the MS & HS level based on RI's Grade Level and Grade Span Expectations.  These tasks will serve as anchors for instructional units that will be developed by MS & HS teachers to support all students in meeting the standards.  Additionally, the project will bring MS & HS teachers together to assess student work based on the tasks, enabling them to align expectations, better understand the needs of students at all levels and plan appropriate and engaging instructional activities, academic and social supports and transitions between Middle & High School necessary for student success.

 

Rhode Island Youth Violence Prevention: $200,000

Katie Brown Educational Program, Inc. (KBEP), Providence and Pawtucket, RI

Katie Brown Educational Program requests $200,000 in funding to support schools in complying with the Act. KBEP will hire 2 educators to facilitate Rhode Island direct education, implement a state-wide outreach regarding the Act, provide prevention education to 4,000 students without charge, administer seminars for teachers/health administrators, and develop a new high school Teachers Guide. Providence and Pawtucket school systems are the highest priorities for this funding.

 

PACE Organization of Rhode Island: $350,000

PACE, Providence, Westerly, and North Smithfield, RI

 

Program of Care for the Elderly, PACE, is requesting funding to cover expenses associate with the expansion of the program site in Providence and the costs associate with the expansion to sites in Westerly, North Smithfield, and East Bay.  PACE manages the health care needs of seniors who would otherwise live in a nursing home.  The program employs over 50 staffers, has cared for over 200 seniors, and has helped 25 seniors transition from nursing homes back into the community.  PACE funds will be distributed as follows: $43,250.09 for expenses related to IT infrastructure, $55,762.68 for supplies for their medical clinic, $43,556.51 for supplies and equipment for their rehab facility $69,774.24 in administrative costs, and $146,434 for transportation costs.  The program saves long-term care expenses for seniors on Medicare and therefore reduces the burden on the taxpayer system.

 

Adult Day Services Information Technology Program: $270,000

Cornerstone Adult Services, Inc., Warwick, RI

Cornerstone Adult Services, Inc. requests $270,000 in funding to transition Cornerstone Adult Services’ information system to a “state-of-the-art” fully integrated system which will put Cornerstone on the cutting edge in delivering high quality community-based long term care and support to our participants and their families.  The goals of this project would be to secure new hardware and software including an internet-based server to connect our centers and administrative offices and to train direct service and administrative staff on the application of the new programs.  Funds requested will be spent on the purchase of hardware and software as indicated below, staff time in set-up and programming and outside consultants and licenses for software programs. 

 

Making the Community Living Option a Reality: $75,000

Ocean State Center for Independent Living (OSCIL), Warwick, RI

Ocean State Center for Independent Living (OSCIL) requests $75,000 in funding to purchase of low-cost home modifications and adaptive equipment that are necessary to make the Rhode Island homeowner's home accessible now that the homeowner- or family member- is experiencing disability due to disease or the aging process.  Funding will enable the agency to purchase ramps, lifts, rails and adaptive equipment, as well as provide low-cost modifications such as doorway openings and bathroom and kitchen re-configurations to address barriers to access in the home.

 

Mentors for At-Risk Fatherless Boys in Rhode Island: $100,000

Big Brothers of Rhode Island, Inc., East Providence, RI

Big Brothers of Rhode Island, Inc. requests $100,000 in funding to prevent juvenile delinquency through one-on-one mentoring.  Support in the amount of $100,000 will result in sixty low-income children from single-parent families receiving long-term mentors.  This funding will help to expand Big Brothers of Rhode Island’s capacity to serve the fatherless children of RI.  Funding will be used to create, supervise and support sixty new Big/Little Brother matches throughout Rhode RI. 

 

Veterans Homeless Prevention Program: $273,995.89

Rhode Island Veterans Action Center, Warwick, RI

Rhode Island Veterans Action Center requests $273,995.89 in funding to provide a multi-services component program to homeless veterans and their families utilizing a blend of employment / training  and supportive services such as: Outreach, Assessment, Eligibility, Emergency Shelter, Substance Abuse Counseling and Referral, Transportation, Workplace Social Skills Training, Permanent & Supportive Housing, Job Referral, Fiduciary Assistance, Employment Preparation, Benefits Counseling and a priority for VA Health Care Enrollment.

 

Senior Center and beach improvement: $500,000

North Kingstown Dept. of Senior Services, North Kingstown, RI

The North Kingstown Dept. of Senior Services requests $500,000 in funding for improvements to accommodate the needs of the elder community has been an issue for the center for the past fifteen years. The North Kingstown Senior Association NKSA, a 501 (c ) 3 organization launched a Capital Campaign for one million dollars to raise additional funding for the project, Including furnishing and equipping the building. Our federal request is for $500,000 for furnishings, fixtures and equipment to serve the program.

 

Providence EITC/Financial Asset Building Campaign: $130,000

John Hope Settlement House

John Hope Settlement House requests $130,000 in funding to increase the number of free tax preparation at the collaborating sites during tax season (January through April), to increase the proportion of tax filers who will earn the EITC, and to provide financial education materials and access to financial services at each site during the EITC Campaign and throughout the year.

 

 

Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

 

Beavertail Lighthouse Restoration: $1,000,000

Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association, Jamestown, Rhode Island

The Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association requests funding to implement the recommendations of a plan it commissioned in 2006 for the repair, restoration, and preservation of six historic buildings and the 259-year-old original light house foundation.  In addition to being the primary sentinel to the entrance of Narragansett Bay, the site is historically associated with the development and testing of fog signaling equipment by the U.S. Lighthouse Board during the mid-1800s.  The site is designated a National Historic Place by the National Park Service.

 

Bristol Storm Drain Culvert: $1,000,000

The Town of Bristol, Rhode Island

The Town of Bristol, Rhode Island, seeks funding to upgrade the Tanyard Book Culvert, which is currently under capacity and causing street and neighborhood flooding during rain storm events.  This project will benefit the Tanyard Brook neighborhood, of about 1,000 residents, and the state and local roadways that currently flood during storm events.  It will allow for roads that currently flood to remain open for use by emergency workers who need to travel through the Town during these events. 

Cranston Wastewater Pump Station Improvements: $1,100,000

City of Cranston, Rhode Island

The City of Cranston, Rhode Island requests funding to make improvements to its Allard, Randall, and Amanda Street wastewater pump stations to help eliminate sanitary system overflows (SSOs) and to upgrade existing facilities to anticipate growth within the City. 

 

East Providence Water Main Cleaning and Lining: $1,000,000

The City of East Providence, Rhode Island

The City of East Providence, Rhode Island requests funding to implement its approved Infrastructure Rehabilitation Plan (IRP) for water main cleaning and lining in order to continue to provide quality drinking water to its residents.

 

Festival Pier Cleanup and Redevelopment: $1,000,000

The City of Pawtucket

The City of Pawtucket requests $1,000,000 in funding for the cleanup and redevelopment of Festival Pier.  The proposed reuse of this site as recreation and open space comes as a result of a riverfront master planning process which began with the establishment of the Pawtucket Riverfront Commission in the early 1990’s.  This funding will help the City of Pawtucket to clean this site and provide its residents with a public recreation site along the Pawtucket River. 

 

Great Friends Meeting House Restoration: $265,000

The Newport Historical Society, Newport, Rhode Island

The Newport Historical Society of Newport, Rhode Island seeks funding for the restoration of the historic Great Friends Meeting House, Rhode Island’s oldest surviving house of worship, and the seat of New England Quaker activity for more than 100 years. This restoration effort will ensure the ongoing, historically-sensitive conservation of this historic building.

 

Island Park Landfill Closure: $1,600,000

Town of Portsmouth

The Town of Portsmouth requests $1,600,000 in funding to properly cap and close the landfill in order to prevent exposure to various pollutants within. The engineering plan is complete and has been reviewed by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM), whose approval requires only a boundary survey and final topographic design of the cap for proper stormwater runoff.  Funds will be spent to place an impervious polyethylene sheet over the landfill and cover with two feet of soil.  Final engineering design and monitoring equipment is also included.

 

John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Construction Projects: $750,000

John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Commission, Pawtucket, Rhode Island

The John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, comprised of 24 cities and towns on 500 square miles of land along the Blackstone River between Worcester, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island, seeks funding to carry out the planning mandates included in P.L. 109-338, the National Heritage Areas Act of 2006.  These mandates call for the updating of the corridor's management plan and other major activities such as the conducting of a Special Resource Study (SRS) to identify resources for possible permanent inclusion within the National Park System, undertaking a boundary study for the possible inclusion of additional communities within the boundaries of the corridor, and the development of a comprehensive plan to guide interpretive and educational offerings with partners over the next five years.  Funding would also be used to continue implementation of ongoing partnership programs and projects as outlined in the plan, The Next Ten Years: An Amendment to the Cultural Heritage and Land Management Plan. 

 

Middletown Stormwater Infrastructure Improvements: $825,000

The Town of Middletown, Rhode Island

The Town of Middletown, Rhode Island requests federal funding for stormwater improvements to address stormwater runoff into Easton's Bay, which often results in the closure of local beaches. The solutions to be implemented are supported by EPA and RIDEM and incorporate low-impact development (LID) technologies utilizing accepted best management practices (BMPs). 

 

Narragansett Bay Commission Combined Sewer Overflow Abatement Project: $10,000,000

The Narragansett Bay Commission, Providence, Rhode Island

The Narragansett Bay Commission seeks funding for Phase II of its Combined Sewer Overflow Abatement project. Each year, the 66 CSOs in the Narragansett Bay Commission District release an estimated 2.2 billion gallons of untreated combined sewage into the Bay and its tributaries, namely the Blackstone, Moshassuck, Providence, Seekonk, Woonasquatucket, and West Rivers. These overflows carry pollutants in the form of sewage solids, metals, oil, grease, and bacteria, which can affect the health of those who swim in CSO polluted water or eat shellfish contaminated by these materials. To protect human health in Rhode Island, certain areas of the Bay are permanently closed to shellfishing, and over 11,000 acres are temporarily closed for harvesting when there is more than one-half inch of rainfall.  Phase I diverted 40% of annual CSO flow to a 62 million gallon capacity tunnel 250-feet below the ground;  Phase II will allow additional flow to be conveyed to the Phase I tunnel for treatment.

 

 

National Rural Water Association

Duncan, OK

$16,800,000

 

Specific funds were requested to be set aside within the FY2010 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) budget to assist the efforts of National Rural Water Association (NRWA).  The NRWA is a non-profit organization consisting of State Rural Water Associations.  This support would be used to enhance the Association’s technical assistance, source water protection, and ground water protection endeavors. 

 

 

Newport Ultraviolet Disinfection System: $550,000

The City of Newport, Rhode Island

The City of Newport, Rhode Island requests funding for an ultraviolet (UV) disinfection system to reduce the bacteria loadings and improve beach water quality at Easton’s Beach.  Easton's Beach is the major ocean beach in Newport and completion of this project will provide improved water quality through reduction of bacteria in the runoff from the moat entering the beach.  Runoff from the moat, particularly after heavy rainfall, has resulted in full and partial beach closings due to bacteria levels that exceed Department of Health standards.

 

North Providence Stormwater and Flood Control Improvements: $1,000,000

The Town of North Providence, Rhode Island

The Town of North Providence, Rhode Island requests funding for improvements to the town's drainage system and to eliminate flooding in several neighborhoods, including Lymansville, Mariville, and Centerdale.  The Subcommittee generously provided $600,000 for phase I of this project in Fiscal Year 2009.  Funding would be used for Phase II at Lincoln Downs Brook floodway, to rebuild seven cross culverts and reconstruct a dam and a channel.

 

Restoration of National Historic Site: $500,000

Touro Synagogue Foundation

The Touro Synagogue Foundation requests $500,000 in funding for restoration efforts.  In 1946 it was designated a National Historic Site by the National Park Service and  historic restoration and interpretation is administered under the terms of a cooperative agreement between the Secretary of the Interior and Touro Synagogue Foundation.  In 2001, Touro Synagogue was added to the collection of the National Trust for Historic Preservation historic attractions.  Touro Synagogue, built beginning in 1759 and dedicated on December 2, 1763 during Hanukkah festivities, is the oldest synagogue building in the United States

 

Restoration of Newport's Old Colony House: $225,000

The Newport Historical Society

The Newport Historical Society request $225,000 in funding to restore of the Old Colony House, Rhode Island's first seat of government, in Newport, RI.   This project would be performed under the supervision of the State Historic Preservation and Heritage Commission, the State Department of Administration and the Historical Society.

 

Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex: $900,000

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex seeks funding to help acquire a 52-acre conservation easement, and a 10-acre fee title acquisition on the Tower Hill area of the John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge. This project will conserve the last remaining area on the North side of Pettaquamscutt Cove still subject to development. The area contains habitat for national trust species including migratory songbirds and wetland dependant species. The site constitutes an important buffer and natural filter for protecting water quality of Pettaquamscutt Cove and the Narrow River.  In addition, funding would allow for the acquisition of 10.5 acres on the Eastern Boundary of the Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge, which may be subject to development.  All lands would be incorporated into the National Wildlife Refuge System in perpetuity.

 

Scituate Water Line Expansion: $412,000

Town of Scituate, Rhode Island

The Town of Scituate, Rhode Island requests funding for drinking water infrastructure improvements for the Frosty Valley and Ring Rock Acres plats.  This project would entail running public water lines through the two plats and tie in all homes and lots to the public water lines that run past these neighborhoods. This project will assist over 200 Scituate residents, the majority of which are low and moderate income, by securing a safe drinking water supply.

 

 

Smithfield Exchange Bank Restoration: $120,000

The Smithfield Preservation Society, Smithfield, Rhode Island

The Smithfield Preservation Society, Smithfield, Rhode Island requests federal funds to restore the Smithfield Exchange Bank. The Bank dates to 1822 and was recognized by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission as a historical landmark in 2005 and listed in the National Register in 2006.  Funding will complete Phase II of the restoration which encompasses the complete exterior restoration of the building. 

 

Warren Wastewater and Stormwater Infrastructure Improvements: $1,000,000

Town of Warren, Rhode Island

The Town of Warren, Rhode Island seeks funding to address contamination levels at Warren Town Beach, which have risen steadily since 2006, nearly double that of its neighboring beaches with 68 closures.  The Town is working to design new sewer lines for this area to eliminate contamination.  In addition, the Town is creating stormwater abatement designs to address runoff impacts at Town Beach using green infrastructure, such as bioretention areas.  Both of these efforts need funding to address the beach’s water quality and to eliminate further closures and public health impacts.

 

Warwick Bell and Clock Town Preservation: $710,000

The City of Warwick, Rhode Island

The City of Warwick, Rhode Island, seeks funding to help preserve the bell and clock tower above Warwick City Hall.  Constructed in 1893, the City Hall tower stands as an excellent example of the Colonial Revival style of the Late Victorian Period, and the entire structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

 

 

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

 

Amos House      

Amos House Training and Support Center, RI

Providence, Rhode Island         

$1,250,000          

Amos House, a nonprofit social services organization, will build a new Works Training and Support Center, housed in a three-story building that will provide:  expanded classroom space for carpentry and culinary arts job training and literacy programs and space for two micro-businesses.  It will also create an upgraded dining hall with seating capacity for 110 people in need.  The Center will serve 20,000 poor, homeless, unemployed, and underemployed Rhode Islanders with meals and services annually: 120 adults will be served through job training programs and 15 graduates will secure jobs through Amos House and 75 students will have on-the-job-training positions at Amos House micro-businesses.

 

City of Providence

Providence, Rhode Island

City of Providence Street Paving                                    

$5,000,000

The City of Providence, with a population of more than 180,000 residents and an estimated daytime population well in excess of 350,000, is responsible for the maintenance of 370 miles of paved streets.  Funding would be used to make much-needed pavement repairs across the city. The city has evaluated the current condition of its streets and has determined that the average condition is barely acceptable and requires approximately $9 million per year for repairs.

 

Crossroads Rhode Island

Child Care and Community Center

North Kingstown, Rhode Island

$1,500,000

The Child Care and Community Center will provide both homeless families and neighborhood residents with licensed, safe, affordable child care.  The community center will also offer neighbors and community groups an accessible space for meetings, gatherings, after-school functions, civic group gatherings, and other essential activities.  The Crossroads RI Child Care and Community Center project is part of a larger planned construction project in North Kingstown.  Crossroads is now in the design phase of renovating 58 units and building additional units to serve the North Kingstown community.  The project features environmentally-friendly “green” design elements and energy efficient materials.

 

Martin Luther King Community Center           

Martin Luther King Community Center Renovation

Newport, Rhode Island

$200,000

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center in Newport, Rhode Island, seeks funding for major plumbing repairs in order to renovate the building and remain able to meet the needs of the community.  The Center offers educational, social, and recreational activities to persons of all ages and cultures.  The Center serves the most vulnerable residents by providing comprehensive out of school time education and enrichment programs for children from preschool to high school, as well as emergency food support services for individuals and families in need.  In addition, the Center operates the area's highest volume food pantry, with child care and holiday giving programs, and the only daily prepared meal-site in the county.  The building housing the Center was constructed in the early 1940s and has serious plumbing and roofing issues that need to be addressed.  

 

Newport Performing Arts Center

Newport Opera House Restoration

Newport, Rhode Island

$500,000

The Newport Performing Arts Center (NPAC) of Newport, Rhode Island, seeks funding to help restore the Newport Opera House Theater in Washington Square, Newport.  The project will restore the 1868 theater into a single stage, state of the art performance space while retaining important 19th century architectural detail.  When complete, the theater will serve an average of 53,000 people annually and employ ten staff full time.  It will draw not only audiences but also performers from throughout the state and will offer a venue for high quality national touring acts, enhancing Newport's ability to attract visitors year round.

 

Nina Foundation

Nina's House Building Renovation

Providence, Rhode Island

$400,000

The Nina Foundation of Peace Dale, Rhode Island, seeks funding for the renovation of Nina's House, which is located on the grounds of Rhode Island College, in Providence, Rhode Island.  Nina's House will be the home of the Foundation’s community based visitation center for families working toward reunification with their children.  This is a collaborative effort including the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families, Rhode Island Child Welfare Institute, Rhode Island College of Social Work, and the Nina Foundation.  The goals are to improve the reunification process for children and families that have been separated due to child welfare concerns.  Nina's House will host supervised family visits in a structured form, encouraging families to talk together, share a meal, and participate in shared activities.  Through these visits, the children and families spend increasing amounts of time together, preparing for reunification.  Staff and students from the School of Social Work and other Rhode Island College disciplines will work with the families and their children to provide assistance in the visits, monitor parent behavior toward the children, and provide feedback to the parent. Child well-being will be improved through more in-depth assessment, parenting skill development, and a clear structure leading to family reunification. 

 

The Old Slater Mill Association

Old Slater Mill Restoration Project

Pawtucket, Rhode Island

$500,000

The Old Slater Mill Association of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, seeks funding to complete the restoration two historic turbines under the Historic Slater Mill, a national historic landmark, and to create new energy by harnessing the river to generate hydropower using a period generator that will create additional heat for the building.  Along with this green energy development, the project will address the serious and immediate threats of flood, fire and decay that threaten the Mill as well as developing a major education component on the significance of hydropower in the history of the Mill.

 

Providence College      

Solar Thermal, Rainwater Harvesting & Bioretention Systems

Providence, Rhode Island        

$500,000

Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island seeks funding to design and build several Energy Alternative and Green projects, developing energy efficiencies and reducing the impact on the environment.   The project will include the installation of 70 solar thermal panels, the capture of rainwater from eight campus buildings for reuse as process water in the Power Plant, and development of a vegetative bioretention system to mitigate runoff and stormwater pollution.  

 

Providence Performing Arts Center    

Providence Performing Arts Center Energy Efficient Retrofits       

$750,000

The Providence Performing Arts Center of Providence, Rhode Island seeks funds for energy efficiency improvements to its facilities, including a green roof, solar panels, low flow and waterless technology, and building envelope insulation. The project would include the installation of new insulated doors and windows, and low VOC carpet. 

 

Rhode Island Department of Transportation

Blackstone River Bikeway       

$7,000,000          

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) requests funding for segment 8 of the Blackstone River Bikeway.  The project is within and serves the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, which was established by Congress in 1986. The Blackstone River Bikeway is being developed to provide a safe, efficient, and continuous facility that encourages bicycle riding as an alternate means of transportation along the original transportation route of the Blackstone River and Canal between Providence and Woonsocket.  Integral to this innovative transportation project is the strategic connection of historic sites, municipal centers, state and local parks, recreational facilities, and scenic areas and locations in the Blackstone River Valley. The Bikeway will be a component of the Blackstone State Park, which is a greenway subsystem of the Heritage Corridor.  Two visitor centers and approximately 10 miles of Bikeway have been constructed in Rhode Island to date.  Segment 8 involves the construction of 3.5 miles of bikeway in North Smithfield and Woonsocket, Rhode Island, from Davison Street to the Massachusetts state line. The project includes the construction of sections of on-road and off-road biking facilities, spur connections to the public library and the future Woonsocket Middle School Complex, and several bridges.

 

Rhode Island Department of Transportation 

I-95 Pawtucket River Bridge Replacement, RI

Pawtucket, Rhode Island

$30,000,000        

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) requests funding for the replacement of the Pawtucket River Bridge, a major bridge on the National Highway System.  The bridge is currently posted with a weight limit of 18 tons.  The weight limit, while necessary for public safety, is a major impediment to commercial traffic in Rhode Island and in the region, making timely replacement of the bridge critical. 

 

Rhode Island Department of Transportation 

Newport Cliff Walk Restoration

Newport, Rhode Island 

$3,000,000

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) (Providence, Rhode Island) and the City of Newport, Rhode Island, seek federal funding for the restoration of Newport's Cliff Walk. In 1975 the Newport Cliff Walk was designated as a National Recreation Trail -- the 65th in the nation and the first in New England. What makes the Cliff Walk unique is that it is a National Recreation Trail in a National Historic District, providing unparalleled views of the ocean on one side and Newport's historic mansions on the other.  Funding would be used to perform the repairs that are necessary to preserve the sections damaged by hurricanes and other storms over the last decade.  Repairs will be made to reinforce the structures, and prevent future erosion damage.    Without these improvements, the public may lose access to portions of this natural and historic resource, which is a major recreational and tourist destination.

 

Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT)          

Route 3 (Tiogue Ave.) Improvements

Coventry, Rhode Island

$2,600,000

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) (Providence, Rhode Island) requests funds for improvements along Route 3 (Tiogue Ave.) from South Main Street to Arizona Street in Coventry, Rhode Island.  The project, which is at 90% design, will include site preparation, a full depth pavement reconstruction, installation of new concrete curb and sidewalks, storm drainage modifications, the cleaning of existing storm drainage systems, coordination of new traffic signals, new pavement markings, streetscaping, new signs, landscaping, and placement of plantable soil and seeding.

 

Rhode Island Public Transit Authority           

Statewide Bus Replacement, RI          

Providence, Rhode Island

$3,000,000          

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) of Providence, Rhode Island requests funding for its statewide bus replacement program, an ongoing project.  Buses must be replaced after twelve years or undergo substantial rehabilitation.  The newer vehicles will be more fuel-efficient, helping RIPTA rein in costs as fuel prices rise.  Limiting its exposure to fluctuations in fuel costs is critical for RIPTA, which had been projected to run a $12 million operating deficit when diesel prices climbed above $4 per gallon last year.  Replacement of vehicles also benefits passengers around the state who rely on public transit service, improving reliability and comfort for RIPTA's 25 million passengers.  In addition, improvements in fuel efficiency help reduce emissions and benefits air quality for all Rhode Islanders.

 

Stadium Theatre Performing Arts Centre       

Stadium Theatre Renovations

Woonsocket, Rhode Island

$200,000

The Stadium Theatre Performing Arts Centre, Woonsocket, Rhode Island requests funding for improvements to its fire suppression and life safety system.  The Stadium Theatre is a 1,100 seat theatre built in 1926.   It was restored by a group of dedicated volunteers in the 1990's.  Since then, the theatre has been run by a volunteer Board of Directors and a small professional staff assisted by over 200 volunteers in the community.  Currently, the Theatre has over 110 shows per year, from free movies to jazz to concerts to plays.   Funding is necessary to bring the Theatre up to revised fire and safety codes passed by the Rhode Island General Assembly in light of the tragic Station Night Club fire in 2003.  The Theatre is required to upgrade and enhance its sprinkler system and electronic fire alarm systems.

 

Town of Cumberland    

Cumberland Youth Center

Cumberland, Rhode Island      

$900,000

The Town of Cumberland, Rhode Island, requests funding to rebuild a youth center for after school programs. The building will include energy efficient equipment, insulation, passive solar design, solar energy (photo-voltaic & hot water panels), and safe-healthy materials and finishes.  The Center was active from 2002 to 2005, but closed when inspections found structural defects.  Repair is not cost-effective, due to wood rot in the support beams and joists (built on top of an inaccessible crawl space), and outdated construction, which does not meet energy efficiency standards. 

 

Town of North Kingstown        

North Kingstown Senior Center          

North Kingstown, Rhode Island

$500,000

Town of North Kingstown, Rhode Island, seeks funding to replace its senior center.  The North Kingstown Senior Center has been in existence for 34 years, but is outgrowing its existing space.  The senior center serves as a community focal point for senior programs and services and provides senior nutrition and transportation programs, social and recreational activities, health promotion and screenings, case management, physical activity programs, volunteer services, educational programming, and information and referral services. 

 

Town of North Providence       

Town of North Providence Road Paving

North Providence, Rhode Island         

$750,000

The Town of North Providence, Rhode Island, seeks funding to upgrade the transportation system with paving and other improvements in the districts of Fruit Hill, Centerdale, and Marieville.

 

Westerly Adult Day Services, Inc.       

Westerly Adult Day Services Facilities Renovation

Westerly, Rhode Island

$300,000

Westerly Adult Day Services, Inc. of Westerly, Rhode Island, seeks funding for renovations to its leased facilities to meet the needs of its elderly clients.  This project will enable 75 individuals to remain in the community, connected to family and friends for an average of 22 months (thus delaying premature nursing home placement).  Additionally, it will enable approximately 225 caregivers to remain in the workforce and/or benefit from much needed respite, knowing their loved one is in a safe, secure environment. 

 

Westerly Area Rest Meals (WARM Inc.)          

Community Soup Kitchen Expansion

Westerly, Rhode Island

$300,000

Westerly Area Rest Meals (WARM Inc.) of Westerly, Rhode Island, seeks funding to renovate a portion of WARM's 54 Spruce Street location to include a commercial kitchen and a 70-seat dining area to accommodate the needs of the Community Soup Kitchen program.  The current kitchen and dining area cannot meet the demand for services.

 

 

Agriculture

 

Rural Source Water Protection Program

National Program

$6,100,000

 

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) collaborates with the National Rural Water Association (NRWA) in an effort to reduce source water pollution.  Currently, 43 states, including Rhode Island, participate in the program.  NRWA, a non-profit organization consisting of State Rural Water Associations, hires full-time Rural Source Water technicians who work wish USDA and state officials to monitor, assess, and make recommendations related to source water conditions.

 

 

Circuit Riders within the Rural Utility Service

National Program

Primary Clean Water Systems Assistance to Small Communities

$15,000,000

 

Funding was requested to supplement the Circuit Riders within the rural utility service under the USDA FY2010 budget.  The Circuit Rider Program provides on-site technical assistance to state utilities at no cost.  The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS) contracts with the National Rural Water Association (NRWA) - a non-profit organization consisting of State Rural Water Associations - to provide Circuit Rider services to state utility operations. 

 

 

Energy and Water Development

 

Brown-Draper Energy Collaborative: $2,300,000

(DOE – Office of Science)

 

Brown University and Draper Laboratory request $2.3 million in funding from the Department of Energy for research and development of a prototype fuel cell based on novel molecular, nanoscale and bio-inspired active catalysts.  The Brown-Draper Energy Collaboration will integrate this project within a larger framework of collaborative energy research and development.

 

Drainage and Flood Abatement Project: $500,000

(AOCE – Operations and Maintenance)

 

The City of East Providence requests $500,000 in funding to construct of flood abatement projects. In recent years, given the increase in severe storm events, the City has several neighborhoods in low lying areas that experience flooding. The City and its technical consultants have studied these areas and have developed a list of recommended projects to reduce the incidence of flooding in these areas.

 

Energy and Resource Efficient Animal Shelter and Education Center: $150,000

(DOE – Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy)

 

Potter League for Animals requests $150,000 in funding to construct an Animal Shelter and Education Center that will protect the wetlands by containing stormwater runoff, include a cistern system that captures 90% of stormwater and recycles it for non-potable uses, a vegetated roof that absorbs rainwater, a permeable paving system in the parking lot and the planting of native drought-resistant species along the border of the wetlands.   Other building features include energy saving and water conserving fixtures, a high-performance building envelope to reduce heating and cooling needs, state of the art ventilation system, and several other green features.

 

Energy Saving Streetlight Program:  $520,000

(DOE – Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy)

 

City of Newport requests $520,000 in funding to convert its conventional streetlights and traffic signals to an energy-efficient Light Emitting Diodes (LED) configuration.  By converting the current lights to LED, the City can save 40 to 50% of the conventional light cost annually.

 

 

Hunt's Mills Hydroelectric Project and Sustainable Tech Education Center: $2,000,000

(DOE – Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy)

 

The City of East Providence requests funding to restore hydroelectric generation at Hunt's Mills on the Ten Mile River.  The Maguire Group estimated that the refurbished turbine could generate 1.2 million KWH per year.  Funding would also be used to restore of the Historic Pump House building which contains the turbine, generator and other electrical equipment.  The City of East Providence wishes to restore the building and use it as a Sustainable Technology Education Center and visitor center which would serve as a venue for demonstrating different forms of sustainable technology and green building practices.

 

 

Kent County Memorial Hospital Boiler: $2,000,000

(DOE – Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy)

 

Kent Hospital requests $2 million to assist with the relocation and replacement of the hospital’s boiler plant.  The current boilers are inefficient, use a fuel that has a negative impact on the local environment and health of the community.  Funding would be used to consume less energy, use more environmentally friendly fuel to reduce the hospital’s impact on the local environment, and relocate the boiler plant to the northwest corner of the campus to allow for future hospital expansion (responding to increased isolation needs).

 

 

Kickemuit Storm Drain Analysis Phases 2, 3, 4:  $72,964.

(AOCE – General Investigations)

 

The Kickemuit River Council (KRC) requests $72,964 in funding to improve the water quality of the saltwater Kickemuit River and ultimately the Bays by identifying and pinpointing the sources of the fecal pathogens that the RI DEM TMDL study has found in its tests.   This project would film the storm drain system to identify any illegal or unauthorized connections. KRC has asked for and received permission from the Towns of Warren and Bristol. This funding would include paying for police protection & liability insurance. 

 

Providence Dredging and Sedimentation Management Project:  $3,000,000

(AOCE – Operations and Maintenance)

 

City of Providence requests $3,000,000 in funding to dredge and restore the navigability one mile of river in downtown Providence and provide a permanent infrastructure to manage future siltation that currently flows into the Woonasquatucket River, the Moshassuck River, and the Providence River.

 

Providence Performing Arts Center Green Building Retrofit: $750,000

(DOE – Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy)

 

The Providence Performing Arts Center requests $750,000 in funding to fund the installation of a green roof, solar panels, low-flow and waterless technology and building envelope insulation in the 1928 Theatre.  In addition, the project would include the installation of new insulated doors and windows, and low VOC carpet.  The final component of the project is the development of a comprehensive recycling program for the theatre and the administrative offices.

 

Remediation of Governor Paine Ave Distribution Lines: $125,000

(AOCE – Operations and Maintenance)

 

Prudence Island Water District requests $125,000 in funding to replace deteriorating water distribution infrastructure in the area of Governor Paine Road. and Allen Avenue. The current condition of the distribution lines in this area results in several water leaks annually, resulting in significant water loss. The project calls for replacement of approximately 3,400 feet of distribution pipe and associated connectors and system controls. Funds will be used for engineering and permitting; project administration costs; labor; heavy equipment leasing or rental; and to purchase materials for the project, including pipe, valves, hydrants, mechanical joints and other necessary parts.

 

Restore Benthic Habitat Quality & Maintain Eelgrass Habitat, Western Quonochontaug Pond: $2,700,000

(AOCE – Operations and Maintenance)

 

The Weekapaug foundation for conservation is a non-profit organization requesting $2,700,000 in funding for dredging, dune nourishment and dune plantings and administration of the project to restore habitat by removing built up sediments from the breachway, allowing freer flow of water between the salt pond and the ocean.  This will also reduce the future build up of sediment in other areas of the pond, increase oxygenation, restore benthic habitat and replenish eelgrass beds and improve the clarity of water in the pond.  The dredge materials will be used for beach nourishment and dune restoration on the barrier beach, providing additional hurricane protection.

 

Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) Abatement Program: $2,500,000

(AOCE – Operations and Maintenance)

 

The City of East Providence requests $2,500,000 in funding to update and maintain its Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) abatement program.  Several million dollars of the City funds have been spent for this program which improves the wastewater collection system pipelines, manholes, and upgrades to key sewage pumping stations.  Funding would provide additional sewer capacity for new development along the City’s waterfront.

 

Solar Conversion at Rogers High School: $800,000

(DOE – Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy)

 

The City of Newport requests $800,000 to replace a costly and inefficient heating system that would result in ongoing savings to the district.  These savings would then be directed to student programs and services to improve educational outcomes.