Woonsocket Radio News Room

Town of North Smithfield

November 1st, 2019 Edition

Message from Town Administrator

Gary Ezovski

As has been announced elsewhere, our own John Gregory of Church Street is retiring from his position as the President and CEO of the Northern RI Chamber of Commerce (NRICC) where he served for 27 years. On Wednesday evening this week, as part of his retirement celebration, I had the pleasure to accept a donation to the North Smithfield Food Pantry in the total amount of $6000. The first $3000 was provided by attendees at the retirement gathering with the second $3000 coming as a match from the Twin River organization. As a member of the Food Pantry Board of Directors, I was certainly thrilled to accept such generosity on behalf of our volunteers and the families we serve. As a former member of the NRICC board, and someone who has been among so many able to call John a friend, I was just as proud to witness that his efforts wrapping up his career were consistent with all he has done for business and for people. As a collaborator of business people, John worked on some of our state’s most difficult challenges from workforce training, to saving the Stadium Theatre, repairing the worker’s compensation system, and so many other matters, but while doing all that he also never missed an opportunity to include those in need. I know I speak for so many people when I say we are eternally grateful for this donation and for all John has done over his career to create opportunity in Rhode Island. Thank you also to the team at Twin River for their acknowledgement of John’s work and for their generosity to the people of North Smithfield. Good luck to John and his wonderful wife Barbara. We wish you a long, happy, and healthy retirement.

Do you Know any STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) grads with college debt working in Rhode Island?

Suggest they consider applying for the Wavemaker Fellowship, which provides tax credits to repay college loans. They will find information and the application, due November 1st by clicking here.

The Veterans Memorial Stadium Monument Dedication Ceremony

Friday, November 8th

6:00 PM

The Veterans Memorial Stadium monument dedication ceremony has been rescheduled once again (due to monumental production delays), and is now definitively set for pregame on Friday night, November 8th. The ceremony will be held at 6:00 PM, prior to the North Smithfield High School/Mount Saint Charles Senior Night football game, featuring NSHS/MSC v. Scituate. Please plan to come out to celebrate the VMS monument dedication, and to congratulate our senior class as well. And - we are not done, as we have more to come, including signage commemorating Dr. Paul F. Joyce and the Wall of Honor. Thank you to all who have helped to make this effort a reality! 

Safety tips from North Smithfield Fire & Rescue

Change your clocks = Change the batteries in your smoke & Carbon Monoxide alarms!

Change your clocks = Change the batteries in your smoke & Carbon Monoxide alarms!

We can’t say it enough! 

It is so important to check the batteries in your smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarms. This inexpensive item can SAVE A LIFE! 

Some smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarms come with a ten year sealed battery. If you have this type of alarm, we ask that you test them periodically. Information about testing can be found in the manufactures instructions. Replace smoke detectors every ten years and carbon monoxide detectors every five years.

Alert - During home inspections, our fire prevention division has found non-certified smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. In most cases, these alarms were purchased through the internet. Please make sure, when buying smoke and Carbon monoxide alarms, they have the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) stamp or the Factory Mutual (FM) stamp. UL and FM certified products are accepted under the Rhode Island State Fire Code. 

Heating appliances require maintenance to guarantee efficiency. Failure to maintain this equipment adds great risk for fire and/or carbon monoxide exposure.    

·       Chimney’s should be cleaned and inspected regularly.

·       Boilers should be serviced to include testing and inspection.

·       Fireplaces should be cleaned regularly.

Also, remember to use all heating units to the manufactures specification. Space heaters are safe when used correctly. NEVER use any heating appliance against manufactures recommendations.  

As always, feel free to contact the North Smithfield Fire Prevention office at (401) 762-1135 Monday through Thursday between the hours of 07:00 a.m. and 05:00 p.m. for any fire safety questions you may have. There is no fee for us to come to your home for a fire safety inspection to make sure your home is safe.

Stay Healthy & Safe!

The North Smithfield Heritage Association

Upcoming Events:

Old Smithfield Road District Tour

Saturday, November 2nd 9:00 am- 11:00 am

Meet at Stop and Shop parking lot near Walgreen's

Visit Old Smithfield Road District, Blackstone Canal, Old Factory Site and Paine Mill

Wear a hat, long pants, comfortable walking shoes. Bring water and insect repellent.

North Smithfield History Night--The Dorr Rebellion

Friday, November 8th 7:00 pm- 8:00 pm

Heritage Hall, 101 Greene St, Slatersville, RI

RI Historian Russell DeSimone will present the Dorr Rebellion (1842-1843) and the influence of Dr. Metcalf Marsh of Slatersville. Visit the Heritage Association Facebook page for more information on this event.

For more information about upcoming events, historic cemetery tours, restoration projects, genealogy, hall rentals and membership visit www.nsheritageassn.org or on Facebook. 

Come on out for a fun time on Veterans Day! USO Style night with Betty Bombshell Productions, a Bob Hope Impersonator, The Cabaret and Burlesque Performances. Funds raised from this event go toward critical home repairs for veterans and their families.

Click Here for Habitat for Humanity West Bay Activities & Events

AAA Defensive Driving Course

 Tuesday November 19th, 2019

9:30am - 2:30pm

Hosted By Senior Services, Inc.

Location: Scouters Hall

North Smithfield, RI

This is a 4-hour program with a

1/2 hour lunch break.

Boxed lunch break will be available (suggested donation $3.00)

The Defensive Driving course is Free!

Pre-registration is required to reserve your spot in class! Be sure to pre-register by calling 401-766-3734.

Check with your insurance company as

completion of this course MAY make you eligible for a discount on insurance premiums

North Smithfield Residents Food Pantry

Slatersville Congregational Church

25 Green Street

Slatersville, RI 02876

Many, many thanks to all of you who volunteer your time and talents to make the food pantry successful. We currently feed about 90 families. To keep the work from being overwhelming, we need more volunteers. While the food pantry is only open four times a month, it takes many more hours of volunteer work to keep it running well.  

We currently need volunteers to: 

  -  Help with pickup and delivery of donated food. A regular vehicle will do.  

  - Help on Wednesday and Friday mornings 9:30-10:15 to sort food, and we need supervisors for those two times.  

   - Help when the food pantry is open the last two Tuesdays of the month 5:30-7pm, and the last two Saturdays 10-11am to help with clients and carry bags to clients cars.  

    - Coordinate the food rescue and distribution program, requires 4-5 hours a week.  

Are any of these interesting to you? Please contact Rev Eileen. 769-2773

The flavor of the month for NOVEMBER is 

CANNED MEATS

Any donations or monetary gifts for the food pantry can be dropped off at the Slatersville Congregational Church between 9:00 am and noon. You can also mail monetary gifts to P.O. Box 1128, Slatersville, RI 02876. An additional drop box for food items is available at the Town Hall during regular business hours.

Senior Services, Inc. has provided services to seniors and adults with disabilities residing in Northern Rhode Island since 1975, in accordance with the Congregate Meal Program financed through a grant with R.I. Department of Elderly Affairs. Senior Services, Inc. provides nutritionally balanced lunches five days a week at our meal sites throughout Northern R.I.

Senior Services, Inc. offers activities, entertainment, computer classes, Alzheimer's Disease Support Groups, and Wellness programs, which include a weekly blood pressure clinic and exercise classes.

Senior Services, Inc. also offers an Adult Day Care Program ("A Home for the Day"), and a Community Information Specialist who can provide information on eligibility for all state and local programs, including RIPAE.

NOVEMBER 2019 Newsletter

NOVEMBER 2019 Calendar of Events

NOVEMBER 2019 Menu

Senior exercise classes at Scouter's Hall, 13 Main Street, North Smithfield include:

• Zumba Gold Mondays at 10:00 AM, No class November 11th
• Chair Exercises, Mondays at 11:00 AM
• Zumba Gold Thursdays at 10:00 AM, No Class on Thanksgiving, November 28th

SENIOR SERVICES, INC. SERVES LUNCH IN NORTH SMITHFIELD!

Mondays at 11:30 am & 12:30 PM

Thursdays at 11:30 AM

Please call in your order by 10am on the Thursday prior to the day(s) on which you plan to attend! Call Senior Services Inc. at (401) 766-3734 with your choice of meal.

Suggested donation is $3.00

This Institution is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer