WaterFire Could Cease to Exist, Says CEO After Providence City Council Denies Federal Funding

WaterFire Could Cease to Exist, Says CEO After Providence City Council Denies Federal Funding

WaterFire’s Co-Chief Executive Officer tells GoLocal that the organization might not continue to exist, as a result of the Providence City Council Finance Committee vote Thursday not to fund the organization’s $300,000 request for federal funding under the American Rescue Plan Act. 

“We might not make our 27th year,” WaterFire’s Peter Mello told GoLocal. “I’m only talking with you today because of CARES Act money.”

Mello said that the organization, which puts on the award-winning schedule of events, draws in a million people annually.

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Moreover, he says, that provides over a hundred million dollars in economic impact each year, and supports over 1,000 jobs.

But like thousands of nonprofits -- and businesses -- in the state, it has as been decimated by the pandemic.

“In 2020, we budgeted $1.2 million from corporate sponsorships,” Mello. “We got $48,000.”

According to Mello, WaterFire needs approximately $750,000 annually “just to put up and take down” the events. He said that WaterFire has a request in for $400,000 with the state, but that they need the $300,000 from the city to be able to run the popular events. 

"Getting just $400,000 would be like building a factory to make cars, but you can only turn out a wheel and chassis," he said. 

“We’re not talking just the 2021 season,” said Mello. “The future of the organization is in jeopardy."

 

Creator Explains Precarious Scenario

WaterFire creator and Executive Artist Director Barnaby Evans explained the particularly precarious position the organization finds itself in.

In 2019, they were forced to break down even more of the WaterFire infrastructure than normal at the end of the season, as the Providence River was scheduled to be dredged in 2020. 

“We had to take everything out — anchors, braziers, cables — so we have a particularly complicated job [of getting it set up again],” said Evans. “There are a lot of repairs needed for boats and engines, and there are currently supply line issues.”

On Thursday, the Council funded approximately $16.7 million in programs under the American Rescue Plan Act; in total, the city has over $33 million in ARPA funding it can disburse. 

Evans noted that their request -- which was on the ordinance scheduled to be voted on Monday night, but was taken out in a substitution presented Thursday night -- could still be considered.

However, every passing week without funding makes putting on WaterFire this year -- and moving forward -- more difficult not just for the nonprofit, but devastating to the downtown economy that depends on the visitors and tourists who attend the lightings. 

“The council has a long review process. They were putting in things of timely value; they decided not to put us on the fast track,” said Evans. “So we’re still in the longer one, but this means we have to delay, which means fewer lightings. Meanwhile, the restaurants [downtown] need help now.”

Pot au Feu owner Bob Burke was one of the business leaders who supported the funding for WaterFire. 

“Downtown is dead, and COVID killed it,” Burke said in his testimony. “It is going to take a Herculean effort to revive it. As a business owner of a restaurant that will hopefully celebrate 50 years downtown in 2022, I have been asked by hundreds of people how the recovery of downtown is coming. When I tell them that there are only going to be a few late season WaterFires they curse out our leaders.”

“The kindest ones speak of how shortsighted that is,” he said. “Others get much more explicit and speak in unquotable terms of how aggravated they are that more is not being done to revive the greatest tourism attraction in the history of Providence.”

 

What Was Funded Thursday

The City Council Finance Committee approved an ordinance that provides $1.6 million for summer programming, including summer camps and summer jobs; $14.5 million for youth investments including early learning infrastructure and “Providence Promise” and “Providence Talks,” and $600,000 to community libraries. 

Providence City Councilwoman Carmen Castillo, who serves on the Finance Committee, said education — and affordable housing — are among her priorities. 

“I need to have a clear conversation with my colleagues — this is a lot of money,” said Castillo. “Meanwhile, I have a rec center that doesn’t have a single computer.”

“We need to give kids the tools to fight and do the right thing. The violence we have, it’s impacted my community,” she added. “And libraries — the first English class I took was in a library on  Broad Street.”

Finance Committee Chair Jo-Ann Ryan did not respond to request for comment along with Councilwoman Helen Anthony; Councilman Jim Taylor on the committee said he had to leave the meeting early for a community event and did not take part in the WaterFire discussion. 

Ryan later provided the following comment:

“WaterFire is an important arts and cultural institution in our city. However, for this first round of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, we primarily focused on investments that will have an immediate impact on Providence residents, youth, and businesses who are still reeling from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is just the first round of ARPA funding, and we will continue to work with WaterFire and other community organizations over the coming months to identify additional investments that will ensure Providence’s rebound from this very challenging pandemic.” 

Originally posted June 25, 2021 2:38 PM

Updated June 26, 2021 7:04 AM