November UP PVD Forum Meet

[Cotuit]

Per the Actionable Issues thread we are going to try to have a meeting in early November to hash out some of the actionable issues face-to-face. Then we will have another meeting in December to solidify our suggestions, and our group stance on them.

Please mark for both dates if you can or cannot attend. We may have a special guest or 2 or 3, can't really tell who is going to show up. Ok, Ok, the special guest is Buddy*.

We will need a location as well, mikepl???????? Suggestions for locations are welcome, as nice as Peerless is, we can't impose on mikepl every month, if we get it together to do this monthly.

*Special guest is not really Buddy.

[Cotuit]

Note I listed the time as 5pm-ish. If you can't make it quite at 5pm, but are available on a given day, please say what time you can arrive. I would prefer to have the meeting as early in the evening as possible, especially since the last one ended up running 'til 11pm. Boy that glassandsteel can really talk.

[Recchia]

whoa! 11pm? I missed a good one I guess.

Well I can't come to either (not that anyone cares), I'll be stuck in Albany til Thanksgiving and then Christmas.

[Cotuit]

whoa! 11pm? I missed a good one I guess.

Well I can't come to either (not that anyone cares), I'll be stuck in Albany til Thanksgiving and then Christmas.

Yes you did miss a good one, and yes everyone cares that you can't make it. When are you back for good, and I don't want to hear no talk of you looking for work in Philadelphia or Boston. We'll have to schedule a special Welcome Back Recchia meet.

[Garris]

Both are good for me!

- Garris

[provid]

Peerless invite is still open if anyone is interested.

[Recchia]

Yes you did miss a good one, and yes everyone cares that you can't make it. When are you back for good, and I don't want to hear no talk of you looking for work in Philadelphia or Boston. We'll have to schedule a special Welcome Back Recchia meet.

I'll be back December 20th for a while, until I find a job. Hopefully that will be in Providence, but I gotta go wherever I can find one...nobody wants to hire me so far

Welcome back Recchia meet, huh. I like the sound of that, can we have a cake?

[Thom]

We may have a special guest or 2 or 3, can't really tell who is going to show up.

I am committed to making it to the gathering which ever night you hold it. Becasue of the issues you have discussed in the actionable item thread, I have invited Alix Ogden from Parks and Francisco Ramierez who handles lots of the special projects in the city. His most recent is the new trash program. Are you interested in us attending or would you like us to delay to another time?

[Cotuit]

I am committed to making it to the gathering which ever night you hold it. Becasue of the issues you have discussed in the actionable item thread, I have invited Alix Ogden from Parks and Francisco Ramierez who handles lots of the special projects in the city. His most recent is the new trash program. Are you interested in us attending or would you like us to delay to another time?

I'm leaning toward the first night, even though there are 7 votes for the 2nd. If you can find out which time is best for yourself and Ms. Ogden and Mr. Ramierez post here and that will be the day. We still need to find a location, but we can work that out I'm sure.

I would be more than happy if they wanted to attend, it will be much less formal than us presenting a proposal. I think it will be a much more relaxed setting than most community meetings they have attended in the past. We would be interested in hearing the city's current plans for the Actionable Issues. We'd discuss our thoughts on them. I'd like to figure out what we can do for the city to help champion intitiatives that we think are worthy (we aren't going to be a mouthpiece for the city, I'm sure their are things to be critical of, but we need to find a voice for the middleground that I think we represent).

I'm on my way out of the country in a few hours, so just post which date is best for you and your people.

Everyone else, try to come up with a location, and I'll be back on the 20th.

[eltron]

The first date is the only one that works for me, as I will be out of town on the 14th.

I'm hoping for the 9th.

[M. Brown]

If my parents let me I will go.

[Thom]

we aren't going to be a mouthpiece for the city

so just post which date is best for you and your people.

I've worked in government a long time and I don't expect nor do I want any group to be a mouthpiece. My interest is in learning by listening and to get more views out and debating topics.

WE are avaiable either daqte, just let us know what works.

[CtownMikey]

There seems to be a lot of talk about New England lagging behind the rest of the country lately. In the Projo and on here at UrbanPlanet. Virgo20 has a post in the hartford forum that made me wonder.. what makes any of us think that what is currently going on in Providence will change it's future?

http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/commen...ines-commentary

IF Providence, right now, had the cleanest parks in the nation, best infrastructure/streets/signage in the nation, lowest crime rate in the nation, and Westminster was honestly a smaller version of Newbury street, and the downtown area was BEAUTIFUL and always busy with arts and entertainment and activity, do you think that people would choose to not move away and live in a cheaper city with better schooling and weather?

WITH the exception of maybe attracting other New Englanders to Providence.. I don't see people who desire lower taxes and better schooling choosing to stay or move here from out of N.E.

I do think that everything that is going on right now is a good thing.. that is a given. But maybe we can have a meeting or two that includes State reps as well???

"In a survey of business executives from outside the region done by Team New England, 27 percent of those polled volunteered that they'd never do business in New England at all, preferring areas with lower taxes, energy and housing costs, and growing workforces."

"The New England Governors Conference meets infrequently and doesn't emulate groups like the Western Governors Association with a shared research staff to analyze challenges and propose strategies. Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney actually withdrew Massachusetts from the conference, purportedly to save dues."

"Flight of youth. Even while New England "grays" faster than any other U.S. region, its young people are fleeing to the Atlantas and Phoenixes of America. New England lost a stunning 20 percent - twice the U.S. average - of its 20- to 34 year-olds in the past decade."

I guess what I'm wondering, is that since we have the opportunity to have our voices heard by City reps, ie:Thom, can we possibly do any good by being heard by state reps.. which could eventually make a regional impact and promote a shift in the right direction for N.E. as a whole eventually?

I just see it like this. If N.E. improves in any way, then so does Providence. If the mind set in a few years is that the cost to do business in New England is getting cheaper.. then that may make some companies who would have never considered a N.E. city.. actually consider a N.E. city.

And what if eventually someday in the near future.. the cost of living and the cost to do business was neck and neck with the sunbelt cities. Where would the businesses, and the educated students and the empty nesters be (moving to, starting a new business, relocating to, retiring to, searching for jobs in) in that situation?

and if I'm completely off on this issue, feel free to tell me

[Garris]

Since UP doesn't allow extensive quoting anymore , I'll have to do it myself...

"IF Providence, right now, had the cleanest parks in the nation, best infrastructure/streets/signage in the nation, lowest crime rate in the nation, and Westminster was honestly a smaller version of Newbury street, and the downtown area was BEAUTIFUL and always busy with arts and entertainment and activity, do you think that people would choose to not move away and live in a cheaper city with better schooling and weather?"

The people who are going to move away for financial reasons and schools are going to do it if Providence is the center of the universe or not...

I think it's an issue of attracting people and businesses already predisposed to urban living. I know people who rediculously stretch their budget just to be able to subsistence live in closet sized apartments in Brookline, Back Bay, Manhattan, Portland, the Baltimore Harbor District, Georgetown, SF, etc, just because they're such fantastic places to live, and you have to pry them away by their fingernails when they leave. They're that desirable.

If downtown Providence succeeds as an "A" list urban village and that buzz floats the rest of the area, I think we could be a smaller version of those "must live" places. It'll attract urban minded people and businesses. Without upgrading our infrastructure, retail, parkland, and entertainment environments, it's not going to happen...

"WITH the exception of maybe attracting other New Englanders to Providence.. I don't see people who desire lower taxes and better schooling choosing to stay or move here from out of N.E."

There are tons of people moving here already from the Mid-Atlantic states, Midwest, etc for financial reasons, economic reasons, etc... We've got to get them to stay...

"I do think that everything that is going on right now is a good thing.. that is a given. But maybe we can have a meeting or two that includes State reps as well???"

Let's walk before we run...

- Garris

[Mij]

if I'm completely off on this issue, feel free to tell me

Actually, I'm a bit pissed off after reading that. I remember buddy Cianci talking about the issue of an over saturated government in RI, never mind the region. For the size of this state do we really need all these different School Department, Police forces, Public Officials. Sometime the best answer is the easiest one. It wouldn

[Cotuit]

Looks like the 14th will be the best day for the most people.

Anyone have any suggestions for a location? I'm thinking we should meet sometime around 5:30pm.

[glassandsteel]

I figured I'd offer an invitation to anybody who's interested for my Halloween party this Friday. It will be a grand affair at Okie st. Costume is mandatory, unfortunately so is $5 at the door, but we have to pay for a lot of things (sorry). There will be live music and unending brass fluid all night.

Instructions: From Smith st. (west of the State House) turn left onto Calverley st. (in front of Dunkin' Donuts) and go to the end of the street. There will be a sign that says Okie st. Plenty of parking on Calverley st. I can assure that you will not be disappointed. Looking forward to some UP Forumers showing up.

[Cotuit]

Looks like the 14th will be the best day for the most people.

Anyone have any suggestions for a location? I'm thinking we should meet sometime around 5:30pm.

Anyone, anyone, location, Monday the 14th???

Looking forward to some UP Forumers showing up.

Oops, another event this weekend that I totally skipped. It was a stay at home and do nothing weekend for me.

[Mij]

Anyone, anyone, location, Monday the 14th???

Oops, another event this weekend that I totally skipped. It was a stay at home and do nothing weekend for me.

Does any one live in the Regency or at Jefferson, I know they have meeting spaces if you can reserve them?

[Cotuit]

Anyone, anyone, location, Monday the 14th???

Any ideas for a location guys, we're hoping to meet next Monday. Cafes, bars, meeting rooms... Anything?

[PVDJack]

Any ideas for a location guys, we're hoping to meet next Monday. Cafes, bars, meeting rooms... Anything?

I'd vote for a downcity-ish cafe or bar, but being a new resident, will leave more specific suggestions to more knowledgeable members.

Not particularly helpful,

Jack

[Frankie811]

I'd vote for a downcity-ish cafe or bar, but being a new resident, will leave more specific suggestions to more knowledgeable members.

Not particularly helpful,

Jack

Why not Tazza!?

[Garris]

What about the new City Cafe? For those who have been there, is that a good place?

- Garris

[Cotuit]

If we really end up with 12 people that needs to be a consideration. Though I've found we usually end up with about half the people who vote that they will be coming.

[matt]

If we really end up with 12 people that needs to be a consideration. Though I've found we usually end up with about half the people who vote that they will be coming.

I think tazza is pretty quiet on mondays. If 12 of us show up, we could probably find some room.