Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - July 2, 2021

HOT

Celebration of John “Johnny” Britto and Eufemia “Fama” Britto

The Britto Family, The Fox Point Alumni Association, the Fox Point Boys & Girls Club and hosted a Fox Point Community Block Party and Celebration of Life and Street Dedication in honor of John Britto last Saturday.  

The celebration of life and street dedication took place at the Fox Point Boys & Girls Club located at 90 Ives Street. The block party was held on Ives Street, in the area between Wickenden Street and Ives Street.

The Providence City Council passed a resolution designating the intersection of Ives Street and Wickenden Street as “Britto Way.” This designation is in honor of John “Johnny” Britto and Eufemia “Fama” Britto, two lifelong Fox Point residents and pillars of their community. 

“While he was an icon to many, he was simply Daddy to me. Celebrating the life work that he and my Mother put into Fox Point is something my family holds to the heart. We will honor and miss them for the rest of our physical lives, but know we’ll be in great company when we join them and countless other Fox Pointers in our own Fox Point section of Heaven,” said John Britto Jr. 

See Photos HERE

HOT

WaterFire

It took a while and the Providence City Council had to be shamed into it, but the State of Rhode Island -- and Council -- are now going to provide WaterFire with financial support coming out of the pandemic.

GoLocal first reported last Friday that WaterFire Chief Executive Officer Peter Mello said the organization could cease to exist, following the City Council Finance Committee vote last Thursday not to fund their $300,000 request for federal funding under the American Rescue Plan Act.

Now, the State of Rhode Island has pledged its support -- and the City Council has changed its tune.

“The Providence City Council will amend an ordinance, recently passed by the Committee on Finance, approving more than $42 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) investments to include an additional $300,000 for WaterFire,” the city council office announced on Monday. 

“The funding will allow the City’s venerable arts and culture institution to relaunch WaterFire in September, providing a much-needed boost to downtown’s tourism and hospitality sector. Commerce RI will also match the City’s investment with an additional $300,000 award to WaterFire," the statement continued. 

The $300,000 from the state includes $150,000 in Rhode Island’s tourism budget — and $150,000 from the Commerce budget. 

“WaterFire is one of our most renowned events,” said Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor during Monday’s Commerce meeting. “We have communicated that if the city saw fit to invest $300K we would find the way to do the same.”

HOT

McKee Cleaning Up Raimondo Mess

The report on Rhode Island’s beleaguered Eleanor Slater state hospital released on Wednesday asserts that under Governor Dan McKee’s administration, the leadership team needs to be “reassessed” - and that “trust” among leadership and staff needs to be rebuilt.

After a 60-day assessment of BHDDH, Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) Secretary Womazetta Jones on Wednesday delivered the report to McKee on her findings and recommendations related to Eleanor Slater Hospital (ESH).  

Among the key findings were the following:

* Relationship between staff, labor and leadership needs to be rebuilt so that trust and confidence can be restored
• Reports of threatening behavior, bullying, and retaliation must be reviewed
• Concerns about a culture of safety need to be addressed
• Direct service staff are committed to ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of its patients

The report comes after McKee announced this week that Brian Daly, M.D., Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at Eleanor Slater Hospital, has resigned effective July 31, 2021.

McKee also announced Jennifer White, Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals (BHDDH)) CFO and former Interim-CEO of Eleanor Slater Hospital has been placed on administrative leave. 

HOT

New Housing

The good news is that RI dedicated more than 40 new rental units.

U.S. Senator Jack Reed, U.S. Congressman David Cicilline, Governor Daniel McKee, and Smithfield Town Manager Randy Rossi joined leaders from Smithfield Housing Authority, Coventry Housing Associates, RIHousing and funding and community partners to celebrate the completion of new rental homes in Smithfield.

“I’m proud to have been part of the public-private partnership that revitalized this former iron foundry site into beautiful, affordable homes. From planning to development to remediation work to infrastructure upgrades and construction, this project was a true team effort that was many years in the making and will be a tremendous community asset for many years to come," said Reed. 

"I salute the Town of Smithfield, the Smithfield Housing Authority, Coventry Housing Associates, Gemini Housing Corporation, RIHousing, and many others who made this project a reality.  There is a real need for quality, affordable housing and this development offers so much for residents who call it home as well as a blueprint for successful revitalization and building stronger, healthier communities,” he added.

“These beautiful new homes are providing more Rhode Islanders with safe and affordable housing and a great place to raise a family. Affordable housing is key for expanding opportunity and economic growth,” said Cicilline. “These new units are helping more Rhode Island families achieve that important goal.”

The bad news is that RI needs about another 20,000 to 30,000 additional affordable housing units.

HOT

More Burgers

Watch out, Providence. There is going to be a new burger in town. 

With locations across the U.S. — and Europe, and Asia — Wayback Burgers is slated to open a location at 66 Branch Avenue in the city. 

Featuring such burgers as the “Rodeo,” “Carolina,” and more, the chain features hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, and more.

The company recently announced a collaboration with “alternative meat venture” Next Meats Co. 

About Wayback

“Born in Newark, Delaware in 1991, Wayback symbolizes the inner rebel,’ who might not eat their veggies, but holds the door for grandma eery time,” says Wayback.

“Slightly irreverent towards those who don’t understand, but always reminded. Wayback is honest and straightforward, reflecting our guests: hardworking people who want simple, uncomplicated things. Coming here is a treat. It’s a place for everyone to feel comfortable, and no one is excluded. It feels revived – young and fresh with a nod to how things were ‘back in the day’ but with a twist,” they continue.

HOT

Travel is Back

The summer travel season has begun and the Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC) has announced its summer schedule for the Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport (PVD) featuring nonstop routes to east coast destinations and major airline hubs providing connections throughout the nation -- SEE THE LIST OF DIRECT FLIGHTS

NOT

Another Piece of RI Lost

Crugnale Bakery has closed its Rumford and Providence locations. 

The bakery, which first opened in 1917, was best known for its pizza strips.

On Monday, a message at the bakery’s Providence location on 11 Newark Avenue off of Atwells Avenue said it was “permanently closed” — and directed customers to fill bread orders through Duva Distributors in Worcester.

The location at 237 Newman Avenue had a sign in the window on Monday stating, “Closed, thank you for your business.” The number at that original location is now out of service. 

At one time, Crugnale’s had five locations - including Cranston, Cumberland, and North Providence.  Numbers listed for those locations back in 2018 are similarly out of service. 

Crugnale's had not posted to Facebook since May 2020, when it announced it was reopening the Rumford location after being closed during the first part of the pandemic. 

Efforts to reach owners were not successful at the time of publication. 

NOT

Deloitte is Back

The McKee administration announced that it was awarding the UHIP contract to Deloitte — the same contractor that had hundreds of millions of price overruns, the system failed, the state sued, and the federal court had to take over a portion of the system.

UHIP had such a stain, the state renamed it RIBridges.  

According to the McKee administration press release:

The State issued an RFP for Maintenance and Operations of the RIBridges system in July 2020 and received bids from three vendors. A multi-agency team with several years of experience working with the RIBridges system – comprised of seven directors and staff from DOA, DHS, HSRI and EOHHS, along with seven additional technical advisors – reviewed all three bids. The review team scored Deloitte the highest in technical review.

The contract, from July 2021 through June 2024, has been approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the U.S. Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). It has a fixed price of $99.35M, which will be paid with $41.2M in state funds and $58.1M in federal funds.