PUBLIC RELATIONS

Executive Director North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce

      

Press Release
November 18, 2014
The Board of Director’s of the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce have voted to support bond Referenda Questions 4 and 7 for the state – wide vote on November 4th. At the monthly meeting board members voted in favor of supporting the Higher Education Facility Bond and the Clean Water, Open Space, and Healthy Communities Bonds.
In regards to referenda 4, North Kingstown Chamber Board members stated that the upgrade to the engineering facilities at URI would help to prepare students from Rhode Island with a cutting edge education to be utilized in Rhode Island based businesses, of which many are based in North Kingstown.
Working in cooperation with the Town Manager, the Chamber board members were informed that the Town of North Kingstown applies for grant money from four of the seven funding sources listed under the Clean Water, Open Space, and Healthy Communities Bonds. Much of the grant money is used to supplement budget items designated for infrastructure and business development.
The Chairman of the North Kingstown Board of Directors, Pastor Peter Atkin, states “the return on our investment with the passage of these two bonds will facilitate highly educated individuals to remain in our state to share their expertise with industries located in Rhode Island. This, as well as, our ability to leverage funding to continue to make North Kingstown a premier place to live, work and visit.”


Letter to the Editor
February 3, 2014
Dear Editor,
I commend the North Kingstown Town Council on their recent well thought out and forward thinking decision to ask residents to vote on a sewer bond for the business districts of northern Post Road and Wickford Village.
Shortly after I became the Director of the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce I heard from business owners on the northern portion of Post Road and in the village of Wickford. They asked that the chamber encourage the Town Council to consider a bond for sewering these business districts. In response, The Chamber of Commerce began discussing sewers with town departments, and then the Town Council. The discussions have been on-going.
This past summer, the Town Council began discussions with the public about sewering parts of North Kingstown. The process was slow and arduous, but one that gave time for the council members and citizens to digest and understand a very complex project. The council wisely opened the scope and discussion to residents and businesses alike, while, at the request of its members, the Chamber of Commerce stayed focused on the business communities of Post Road and Wickford.
I commend the Town Council for including residential property owners in the discussion, as well as, commercial property owners. If the council did not seek the opinions of all possible participants, the process would have been shortsighted and outcomes second-guessed.
Due to the Wickford Village residents emphatic request to not sewer residential properties, I commend the council for thinking “out of the box” and proposing to sewer the business districts only. This is the beginning of an infrastructure in North Kingstown that will sustain the community well into the future. Kudos to the Town Council!


Letter to the Editor
May 30, 2014
Dear Editor,
More sewers? Why do we need sewers anyway? Have you ever wondered why North Kingstown doesn’t have a laundry mat, more car washes, a nail salon in Wickford or why Beach Rose Café uses plastic baskets and paper plates? The answer is because we do not have sewers. The lack of sewers is a serious limitation to various types of business in North Kingstown.
Waste water management and the ground water overlays are a large consideration when different types of businesses are proposed in various part of town. Having sewers allows for a larger pool of diverse industries to make their home in North Kingstown, which is essential for a healthy tax base. When our infrastructure can only accommodate a few industries and those are saturated, the economy is struggling or the community cannot support them, we lose out.
With sewers, it is expected that the northern portion of Post Road will attract a number of different types of business from restaurants to light industrial or office space. Wickford will enjoy a more diverse business selection from restaurants to nail salons, even possibly a specialty grocery store. Providing the infrastructure to allow this opportunity benefits all North Kingstown residents, by creating a larger more sustainable tax base.
North Kingstown can only move forward and promote economic success by installing the infrastructure to support the needed business. This can be done if all North Kingstown residents get out to vote “yes” on sewers for both Post Road and Wickford. The vote for sewers will be on Tuesday, May 17th with polls located at Davisville Middle School, 200 School Street and The Community Center, 36 Beach Street. Vote yes to the future of North Kingstown!


Letter to the Editor
May 30, 2014
Dear Editor,
Since I moved here ten years ago I have heard, time and again, that we should have put sewers in when the federal government was helping to foot the bill. The residents of North Kingstown now have a chance to vote for sewers in both Wickford and the northern portion of Post Road. Make your voice heard by voting June 17th in favor of sewers. Over a six month period of time the Town Council studied everything there is to know about sewers and did a great job understanding the different types of sewers, listening to the community and understanding the cost related to different scopes of work.
The Town Council listened to the community. The scope of work was presented with a wide ranging net to include as many residents and businesses as possible. The Town Council held meetings for community input. The residents in Wickford stated emphatically that they do not want sewers for their homes. The Town Council listened and heard them.
The scope of work for Wickford has been limited to the business district. There are a few residential homes within this district; each of them will be given the choice to tie into the sewers. Over an 18 month period the NK Chamber of Commerce met six different times with business land owners and business owners to discuss their perspective. The majority of the landowners within the Wickford business district and the business owners strongly voiced that they were in favor of sewers. To be clear, there are a few landowners and business owners who are apposed.
From the beginning of sewer talks, the majority of the north portion of Post Road landowners and business owners have been in favor of sewers.
The most often asked question has been who will pay for the sewers. The only people paying for the sewers are the property owners where the sewers will be connected. The full cost of the sewer projects have been divided amongst the users of the sewers. The whole community needs to vote on the bond, because the lien to borrow the money is on the full town. The town then collects the assessment from the landowners connected to the sewers to pay back the loan.
The majority of the business land owners and businesses on both Post Road and Wickford are asking for your support to be able to expand their business. At this time of year we have so many things going on that it is easy to say “Oh I don’t need to vote”. It would be a shame if the minority prevails by very few votes. We need to hear from you, the majority. Vote yes on June 17th at Davisville Middle School or Cold Springs Community Center.

Dear Editor,

 

Community spirit abounds in

North Kingstown!  The kick off to the weekend of Festival of Lights with the lighting of the Christmas tree was exciting and just plain hometown fun.  North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce served hot chocolate, Channel 10 helped count down the lighting of the Christmas Tree, the Children’s Community Chorus sang, the Lafayette Band played and of course Santa arrived to hear all the wishes from the children.

 

On Saturday the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce hosted Breakfast with Santa at the Carriage Inn and Saloon.  We would like to thank the Carriage Inn for allowing us to use their facility, including the kitchen, to put on our event for the community.  Greg Kirwin, the owner of Carriage Inn, had never seen the throngs of people who attend Breakfast With Santa each year and was surprised to see 400 people pack into his restaurant for the two hour event.  Greg stated “Next year we will need to open more of the restaurant to accommodate everyone.”  The North Kingstown Chamber would not have been able to hold this event without its dedicated sponsors, many of which sponsor this event every year.  Our abundant thanks go to Coventry Credit Union, Carriage Inn and Saloon, A Airline Express, Children’s Workshop, Exeter Job Corp, Inside Scoop, Sonoma Bistro and WineBar, Talent Factory, and Teddy Bear Skins.

 

Numerous people at Breakfast with Santa said that they were then heading over to the village to do their Christmas shopping with their children.   Later in the day, I attended a benefit concert at the

First Baptist Church .  As I drove through town I saw lots of happy people meandering in and out of the stores.  Please try to shop small and unique this holiday season, and even more important try to shop small and unique throughout the year. 

 

During this holiday season - be it Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, I am giving thanks for such a welcoming, warm, charming and exceptional community we call

North Kingstown.  The staff and the Board of Directors at the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce wish you all a safe and memorable holiday season.

 

Martha Pughe

Executive Director

North KingstownChamber of Commerce