In an effort to minimize the risk of spreading the Coronavirus (COVID-19), City Hall will be operating via appointment from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For COVID-19 information in the City of Pawtucket, please visit http://www.pawtucketri.com/COVID19.
CFP BEAT COVID-19 Hotline Goes Live Today Grassroots Effort Will Provide Isolation, Testing, and Resources Call 855-843-7620
Care New England's President and CEO Dr. James Fanale, Pawtucket Mayor Donald R. Grebien, and Central Falls Mayor James A. Diossa have announced a multilingual Coronavirus testing site that has more than tripled the capacity of existing test sites in the Blackstone Valley, in addition to the respiratory clinic already provided on the site by Care New England. Set to open on Thursday, April 23, 2020, at the former Memorial Hospital property, this site is part of CFP Beat Covid-19, a broad community collaboration aimed at stopping the spread of Coronavirus in these two communities.
Pawtucket Mayor Donald R. Grebien, Central Falls Mayor James A. Diossa, and Dr. Michael Fine are excited to announce that the Pawtucket and Central Falls BEAT COVID-19 hotline is going live tomorrow. This one-of-a-kind grassroots system will give people in both communities, who otherwise might not feel comfortable getting tested, access to testing, educational support on how to safely isolate, and resources to overcome hardships associated with the coronavirus pandemic.
Residents experiencing symptoms or in need of covid-19 related assistance can call the BEAT COVID-19 line at 855-843-7620 or pawtucketri.com/COVID19 or centralfallsri.us/coronavirus.
New Care New England Covid-19 Testing Site Triples Testing available to Pawtucket and Central Falls Residents
Care New England's President and CEO Dr. James Fanale, Pawtucket Mayor Donald R. Grebien, and Central Falls Mayor James A. Diossa have announced a multilingual Coronavirus testing site that has more than tripled the capacity of existing test sites in the Blackstone Valley, in addition to the respiratory clinic already provided on the site by Care New England. Set to open on Thursday, April 23, 2020, at the former Memorial Hospital property, this site is part of CFP Beat Covid-19, a broad community collaboration aimed at stopping the spread of Coronavirus in these two communities.
"The importance of testing in order to lessen the effects of COVID-19 on a community has become increasingly evident. Care New England is happy to be able to provide this additional testing location, ready to quickly test patients for COVID-19 so that proper recommendations about things like care and quarantine can be made. We are proud to partner with CFP Beat COVID-19 as they work to ensure that community members are aware of safety recommendations, care offerings and testing capabilities," Dr. James Fanale, President and CEO, Care New England.
"Pawtucket and Central Falls have joined forces with Care New England to combat Covid-19.," said Pawtucket Mayor Donald R. Grebien. "Our communities have been deeply affected. This testing facility will allow us to quickly identify everyone sick in our cities so we can get them into isolation and help them get the support services they need in isolation. We appreciate our partnership with Care New England during these challenging times."
The coronavirus testing site will be staffed by CNE medical professionals Monday-Friday 8am-5pm. Symptomatic patients should call their primary care provider or call 401-CareNOW (401-227-3669) to make an appointment.
Pawtucket and Central Falls Create Incident Command System to Combat COVID-19
Team, known as Beat Covid-19, to Focus on Grassroots Communication and Assistance
The Cities of Pawtucket and Central Falls are partnering with local organizations to combat the coronavirus pandemic after initiating broad based community support. In doing so, the two Cities have created an Incident Command System. The team, known as Beat Covid-19, is focusing on grassroots communication and assistance with the goal reaching out to every single household in the two cities, including identifying residents who become symptomatic as soon as they get sick and move them to effective isolation immediately.
Pawtucket and Central Falls Put Out Call to Action to Organizations
Collette has announced that it will serve as a collaborator and section leader of the CFP BEAT COVID-19 initiative. Colette will be contributing to the leadership of the CFP BEAT COVID-19 incident command team, providing the entire enterprise with logistical support, including information management services and phone banking.
"We are proud to support the efforts of both the City of Pawtucket and Central Falls," said Mike Vendetti, Director of Property Safety and Security at Collette. "We know that this is such an important task to benefit the community as a whole."
The CFP BEAT COVID-19 initiative has committed itself to reach out to every single household in the two cities, so that every resident in the cities knows what to do and who to call the moment they get sick due to the exponentially growing numbers of positive cases.
"We are deeply grateful for the resources and workforce that Collette and the Sullivan family have committed to this effort. There is no better corporate citizen anywhere," said Pawtucket Mayor Donald R. Grebien. "We estimate that nearly 50,000 people in Pawtucket and Central Falls do not have a primary health care doctor. Collette's invaluable assistance will help us reach out to every single household in our two cities."
City Hall to Temporarily Close to Public Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Mayor Grebien Signs Executive Order until Further Notice
The City of Pawtucket has announced that, in an effort to minimize the risk of spreading the Coronavirus (COVID-19), City Hall will be closed to the public until further notice. Mayor Donald R. Grebien also signed an Executive Order today to be implemented until further notice in response to the pandemic.
Residents and businesses can contact City Hall Departments during hours of operation by calling City Hall and its employees at 401-728-0500. A drop box will also be available at City Hall.
"With COVID-19 cases rising in our City, we need to ensure that our hardworking municipal employees and residents are safe and healthy," said Mayor Donald R. Grebien. "The closure to the public is temporary and we hope to get services back up and running as soon as possible. We continue to encourage our residents to safely and securely use the online and mail services that are available on the Pawtucket website. Thank you to the community for the patience, support and understanding as we get through this together."
The Executive Order includes the following additions to the first two Executive Orders.
16. As of Monday, April 6, City Hall and non-Public Safety buildings for the City will be closed to the public until further notice.Residents and businesses can contact City Hall Departments during hours of operation by calling City Hall and its employees at 401-728-0500. A drop box will also be available at City Hall.
17. The City of Pawtucket will be closing all City parks and recreation facilities until further notice in concert with the State Park and Beach closure by Governor Raimondo.
18. The Grebien administration and the Pawtucket City Council announce that tax rates for the upcoming fiscal year billing cycle will be held flat at this year's rates for both residential and commercial property. This no-tax-increase budget commitment comes as more and more coronavirus-related restrictions get imposed on businesses and unemployment claims are skyrocketing.
19. The Grebien administration and the Pawtucket City Council announced a new emergency loan program, created by the City's Pawtucket Business Development Corporation (PBDC), and other tools that provide interim relief to small Pawtucket-based businesses with twenty-five (25) or fewer employees, who can demonstrate a loss of revenue caused by the virus crisis. The loan can be used to pay operating expenses for day to day business operations which include but are not limited to payroll and rent.
See the full release as well as information in Spanish, Portuguese, and Cape Verdean Creole here.
Pawtucket Leaders Commit to Hold the Line on Taxes
Coronavirus is hurting our residents and economy, taxes shouldn't
Mayor Donald R. Grebien and the Pawtucket City Council announced today that tax rates for the upcoming fiscal year billing cycle will be held flat at this year's rates for both residential and commercial property. This no-tax-increase budget commitment comes as more and more coronavirus-related restrictions get imposed on businesses and unemployment claims are skyrocketing.
"These are hard times for everyone. We're all in this together though. We want to provide some level of certainty in these uncertain times for our taxpayers. Therefore, the City of Pawtucket has committed to holding the line on property taxes this July," said Mayor Donald R. Grebien. "As people are closing their businesses and losing their jobs, we know the last thing anyone wants to worry about is how they're going to deal with their property tax bills going up. As our residents' finances get tighter so should the City's. We cannot turn around and ask families in Pawtucket to sacrifice more than necessary. The Administration and City Council will continue to prioritize fiscal responsibility and focus on our taxpayers' ability to pay."
"We're pleased to take this reasonable step up to help our residents," said Council President David Moran. "I view this as the moral thing to do. Our residents and businesses have been hit hard by coronavirus restrictions. They shouldn't be hit harder by their local government. We're here to serve them, after all. The Pawtucket City Council takes its responsibility to our taxpayers incredibly seriously and we will continue to focus on helping them get through the challenges that we are all facing."
In the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, please see different opportunities for small business loans and grants here.
For questions regarding how the City may assist your business during the COVID 19 Emergency please contact us at businessassistance@pawtucketri.com or please call us at 728-0500 ext. 451.
City Welcomes Volunteers Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Due to Significant Community Outreach, the City will begin Volunteer List
The City of Pawtucket is welcoming volunteers who are interested in helping with efforts to assist other members of the community amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to receiving a number of volunteer inquiries, the City will begin creating a volunteer list.
"The community wants to help. I have received calls, my staff has received calls, other elected officials have received calls. I am thankful for these individuals' desires to contribute," said Mayor Donald R. Grebien. "As we establish the needs in the community, we will be sure to use those who sign up for the volunteer list in a way that is beneficial and safe from both health and security perspectives."
"We want everyone to help," continued Mayor Grebien. "However, everyone's safety and health is paramount. The creation of this list is a first step in identifying and managing everyone who wants to get involved in a coordinated effort."
Statewide Planning Provides Portable Bathroom and Washing Stations
Thank you to the Division of Statewide Planning for providing three portable bathrooms and washing station locations for anyone in need due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please help us get the word out there!
Online and Mail Services Available
As you know, the Coronavirus (Covid-19) is in RI and diligence must be made to prevent the spread. In that effort, the City of Pawtucket is advising residents and businesses to take advantage of its Online, Mail-in services and utilization of the City's Drop Box located in the lobby of City Hall.
The City and its partners have also taken a number of other precautions in line with messaging from the State.
The Pawtucket Public Library will be closed beginning tomorrow, March 17 per the request of theRhode Island Office of Library & Information Services and RIDOH.
The Leon Mathieu Senior Center will also be closed, but will allow for senior residents to pick up lunches from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Pawtucket School District, which was ordered to close schools by the Governor in order to keep children safe from the virus will be doing virtual distance learning and has provided laptops to students. They are also making available free "grab and go" breakfast and lunch from 11:00 am-1:00 pm at the following locations:
Jenks Middle School -350 Division St. Pawtucket, RI
Goff Middle School -974 Newport Ave. Pawtucket, RI
Slater Middle School - 281 Mineral Spring Ave. Pawtucket, RI
Tolman High School -150 Exchange St. Pawtucket, RI
Shea High School - 485 East Ave. Pawtucket, RI
Fallon Elementary School - 62 Lincoln Ave. Pawtucket, RI
Curtis Elementary School - 582 Benefit St. Pawtucket, RI
Baldwin Elementary School - 50 Whitman St. Pawtucket, RI
The Paul J. Wildenhain Memorial Animal Shelter and Daggett Farm both located in Slater Park will also be closed to the public.
The Pawtucket Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Check Station will also be closed.
Narrative Summary of the Substantial Amendment to the City of Pawtucket’s 2019-2020 Annual Action Plan – COVID-19 CDBG-CV FundingThe City of Pawtucket is providing a 5-day public review and comment... Read More >
City Speak
"The birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, Pawtucket is poised to undergo a 21st century evolution into Rhode Island's premier arts and cultural destination, an ideal community to live, work, play, start a business and raise a family."
Care New England's President and CEO Dr. James Fanale, Pawtucket Mayor Donald R. Grebien, and Central Falls Mayor James A. Diossa have announced a multilingual Coronavirus testing site that has more than tripled the capacity of existing test sites in the Blackstone Valley, in addition to the respiratory clinic already provided on the site by Care New England. Set to open on Thursday, April 23, 2020, at the former Memorial Hospital property, this site is part of CFP Beat Covid-19, a broad community collaboration aimed at stopping the spread of Coronavirus in these two communities.
As you know, the Coronavirus (Covid-19) is in RI and diligence must be made to prevent the spread. In that effort, the City of Pawtucket is advising residents and businesses to take advantage of its Online, Mail-in services and utilization of the City's Drop Box located in the lobby of City Hall.