2016 -- H 7555

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LC004773

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2016

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY -- RENAMING BRIDGE #550 LOCATED ON

ROUTE 95 AND THE PAWTUCKET RIVER IN THE CITY OF PAWTUCKET

     Introduced By: Representatives Johnston, Messier, Coughlin, Barros, and Tobon

     Date Introduced: February 11, 2016

     Referred To: House Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     WHEREAS, The Honorable James E. Doyle has been a lifelong resident of the City of

Pawtucket, giving back to his community as a social studies teacher at Pawtucket West High

School (now called Shea High School) from 1960 until 1962, and in 1970, elected to the

Pawtucket City Council, where he served for twenty-seven years, and was reelected thirteen

times; and

     WHEREAS, During his tenure on the Council, the Honorable James Doyle served as its

President from 1982 to 1987, and also served on several committees, including the committees on

beautification, city property, claims and pending suits, licenses, recreation, cemeteries, public

works, reappointment, and finance; and

     WHEREAS, From 1988 through 1998, the Honorable James Doyle chaired the Finance

Committee, where he introduced and won passage of ordinances to protect the financial integrity

of the municipal police and fire pension systems while saving taxpayers undue burden; and

     WHEREAS, In 1997, the Honorable James Doyle became Mayor of the City of

Pawtucket, calling for the "reawakening" of the city and restoring pride for Pawtucket residents.

He is the city's longest consecutive serving mayor since its incorporation in April 1885, and to

this day, his administration has had a lasting impact on the quality of life and the economic

vitality of his beloved City of Pawtucket; and

     WHEREAS, During the same year, Pawtucket like many older cities, contained almost

250 abandoned or blighted properties, but through Mayor Doyle's efforts in strengthening the

City's Housing Court, as well as his creation of the city's interdepartmental property task force,

today only 31 of those properties remain; and

     WHEREAS, In 1999, Mayor Doyle created a 307-acre Arts & Entertainment District, the

largest at that time. The District drew artists into the city, filled vacant and underutilized mills,

viewed the artists as small businesses, and produced what would become one of Pawtucket's most

successful economic development initiatives in recent times; and

     WHEREAS, Mayor Doyle also spawned the Pawtucket Arts Festival in 1999, which,

over the subsequent seventeen years, grew into the largest arts festival in New England and has

brought tens of thousands of people into the city every September; and

     WHEREAS, Mayor Doyle was also directly responsible for initiating the renovation

of the city's mill buildings into residential use via the Riverfront Lofts project, with initial

assistance from Pawtucket' Redevelopment Agency, which further enabled the development of

the Bayley Lofts, Slater Cotton Mill, and The Lofts 125, all of which ultimately brought hundreds

of new residents into the city. He also began planning that ultimately led to the development of

the city's new Festival Pier and the new Conant Street Bridge; and

     WHEREAS, In 2001, Mayor Doyle supported the creation of the Pawtucket Foundation

which continues working closely to revitalize the city's economy, and in 2005, under his

leadership, a major California developer revitalized Hope Artiste Village, a long vacant 650,000

square-foot mill building. Today, this historic mill is filled to the brim with over 100 small

businesses; and

     WHEREAS, Also under Mayor Doyle's tenure, a state-of-the-art dog pound was built,

along with a skateboard park, the McKinnon-Alves Soccer Complex, and the former Peerless

building was developed into the city's Visitor Center which houses the Pawtucket Arts

Collaborative Gallery, and the Department of Planning and Redevelopment, along with several

other small businesses; and

     WHEREAS, In addition, Mayor Doyle successfully oversaw the construction of the

Pawtucket Water Supply Board's $47.5 million state-of-the-art water treatment facility, that went

online on March 19, 2008, a project that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency called "a

model for the nation"; and

     WHEREAS, Mayor Doyle's leadership led to both the Leon A. Mathieu Senior Center

and the Pawtucket Police Department receiving national accreditation, vastly improving seniors'

quality of life and public safety in the city, and his efforts to improve Slater Memorial Park led to

Yankee Magazine declaring the park to be a "must see" landmark that countless generations

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continue to enjoy; and

     WHEREAS, Through Mayor Doyle's vision and efforts, GM donated its 7-acre parcel on

the Blackstone River, valued at $1.5 million, to the city for a $1. Today that land, under the city's

ownership, is being developed into commercial offices and residential apartments at an estimated

cost of about $45 million; and

     WHEREAS, Mayor Doyle, in partnership with the Pawtucket Foundation, led the effort

to develop a Commuter Rail Station in Pawtucket/Central Falls, funding the required local share

for a Feasibility Study that concluded that a station would be successful in Pawtucket. RIDOT is

now completing the engineering, environmental and design work for the project, thus allowing

city officials to seek preliminary construction plans; and

     WHEREAS, Mayor Doyle also enhanced the city's financial condition, earning

Pawtucket its first "A" rating from Moody's Investment Service in over a decade; and

     WHEREAS, Mayor Doyle successfully lobbied the Department of Transportation for

design input culled from a Task Force of Pawtucket artisans, artists, and designers for a new

bridge on Route 95 across the Pawtucket River. His initial efforts led to the construction of a new

$82 million iconic bridge that incorporates art deco design into its structure, reflecting the art

deco elements of Pawtucket's City Hall and Tolman High School; and

     WHEREAS, It is fitting that Mayor James E. Doyle's lifetime of selfless public service to

the citizens of Pawtucket, and the lasting impact on the quality of life and economic vitality the

City of Pawtucket be recognized.

     SECTION 1. Chapter 22-7.4 of the General Laws entitled "Permanent Joint Committee

on Naming All New Buildings, Bridges, Edifices and Other State Constructions" is hereby

amended by adding thereto the following section:

     22-7.4-130. The Mayor James E. Doyle Bridge. -- The bridge located on Route 95 and

the Pawtucket River in the city of Pawtucket known as the Pawtucket River Bridge, #550, shall

hereafter be named and known as "The Mayor James E. Doyle Pawtucket River Bridge" in honor

of Mayor Doyle's lifetime commitment to the city of Pawtucket.

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY -- RENAMING BRIDGE #550 LOCATED ON

ROUTE 95 AND THE PAWTUCKET RIVER IN THE CITY OF PAWTUCKET

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     This act would rename the Pawtucket River Bridge to "The Mayor James E. Doyle

Pawtucket River Bridge."

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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