Get $30 and get rid of that extra fridge

From boston.com "Older frigs – and most extra units in homes are older – can use more than three times the energy of newer models sold after 2001.

Now, as part of an energy efficiency effort by National Grid, someone will come to Massachusetts and Rhode Island customers’ homes and take extra refrigerators and freezers away – and hand you $30 for the privilege.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates removing a secondary refrigerator can save a household over $100 a year. Add to that of course, the reduction in greenhouse gases and the permanent removal of toxins in the appliances."

Seems like a Win for everyone! So if you have an extra fridge then sign up and get $30 for it!!

The dates available to sign up for pick up in Portsmouth are :

Postal Code	Open Dates	Day	Time of Day	Select
02871	6/13/2009	Saturday	8AM -- 5PM
02871	6/19/2009	Friday	8AM -- 5PM

Car Seat Safety Clinic

Saturday, May 23rd
10am - 2pm
Clements’ Marketplace
2575 East Main Road
Portsmouth

Local police officers from Portsmouth and other area departments will demonstrate and assist parents and caregivers on the proper installation of car seats.

The Cost is Free!

General Guidelines for Car Seats from the American Academy of Pediatrics

Rhode Island Child Safety Seat and Seat Belt Laws
Rhode Island state law requires that children under age 7, under 54 inches in height and weighing less than 80 pounds ride in a federally approved car seat or booster seat. These car seats and boosters should be appropriate for the child's age, height and weight, and should be used in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Children under age 7 must ride in a rear vehicle seat. Rhode Island law requires that passengers not in a car seat or booster use a seat belt.


Click HERE for a list of Car Seat Inspection Stations In Rhode Island

Info on Car Seat Laws by State

Portsmouth Events

From American Towns:

http://www.americantowns.com/ri/portsmouth/events

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Providence Journal's Portsmouth Site

http://www.projo.com/portsmouth/

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Boat Launching & Fishing Info

BOAT LAUNCHING AREAS:

Public boat ramps are available for use at Weaver Cove (off Burma Road), Cedar Cove (off Route 24) and Stone Bridge (at the end of Park Avenue).

FISHING:

Fresh water fishing licenses are available from the Town Clerk’s office (401-683-2101). Click here for more information on fishing licenses from the Clerk's office. Click here for the State of Rhode Island's regulations, and a link to an online license form. All licenses must be paid for in cash. Fresh water fishing is available at Melville Ponds. No license is required for salt water fishing which is available at many locations along our shoreline.

Sandy Point Beach

Sandy Point Beach

Portsmouth town Beach on the Sakonnet, or East Passage, at the foot of Sandy Point avenue. Changing rooms, bathrooms, picnic area, but no concession stand. Guarded from 9 am to 6 pm daily. Parking is $5 weekdays, $10 week ends and holidays. Season passes are available, FREE to Portsmouth residents.

This shallow, sandy beach is located on the Sakonnet River at the end of Sandy Point Avenue and is great for families. The beach is free to town residents with a sticker provided upon proof of residency by the Town Clerk’s office (401-683-2101). Sandy Point Beach is equipped with changing rooms, restroom facilities, and picnic tables. Lifeguards are on duty Memorial Day through Labor Day from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every weekend and during the week once school closes for the year (usually mid-June). Lifeguards are typically heading back to school by the last week or two of August and so the beach is not lifeguarded during the week at that time. Cost of admission for nonresidents is $7.00 during the week and $12.00 on weekends, or $50.00 for the season. The Town Clerk's office offers nonresident season stickers and accepts cash only. Money saving tip: make sure to purchase your nonresident season sticker BEFORE heading to the beach because you can't deduct the day fees you've already paid from the cost of a season sticker when you go to purchase it later on!

Save the Bay will be doing a Beach Clean up at Sandy Point on Sat May 09, 2009, 01:00 PM - 03:00 PM

Report To: Community Cleanup Leader Wendy Noyes Note: Nice level area, great for all ages and abilities. All children under 15 must participate with an adult. Sign Up: You must sign up in advance to participate in this project - contact shessler@savebay.org or 401.272.3540 x 130

Requirements: Able to do heavy lifting and bending. Please wear clothing appropriate for the weather, sun and bug protection, sturdy-closed toed shoes, work gloves if you have them. Please bring your own re-usable water bottle and help us as STB works to eliminate water bottles from our landfills!

Domina's Agway

Domina's Agway

1348 East Main Road
Portsmouth, RI 02871
P: 401.683.1203
F: 401.683.1430

MON-FRI: 8:00AM - 6:00PM
SAT: 8:00AM - 5:00PM
SUN: 9:00AM - 3:00PM

April 25: Organic Gardening Seminar:

This seminar is geared for general gardening. We will be going over the many new products available to help minimize the need for chemicals in the landscape.
April 25th from 9am to 10am at Domina's

Tour Aquidneck Farms on May 4th

May 4: Aquidneck Farms - Portsmouth
While the pasture-raised cows are grazing in the fields, Mike Victor and Jim Booth will give us a tour of their farm and show us why Aquidneck Farms is a model for protecting working agricultural land through sustainable agriculture and land conservation.

All tours begin at 10:30am unless otherwise noted and are FREE for chefs and other wholesale buyers. Bring your staff to see and taste why local food is so important for the environment and economy of Rhode Island. Please e-mail Jen to RSVP or to carpool.

Spring is here! With storage veggies on their way out and new growth just sprouting, now is actually the low point for the availability of local produce. But it only gets better, with asparagus and cilantro just around the corner. It’s the perfect time for a trip to the farm.

Check out the Rhode Island Harvest Calendar here

Founded in 2003, Aquidneck Farms is a 120 acre farm run by Mike Victor & Jim Booth.

Aquidneck Farms is located at:
333 Wapping Rd.
Portsmouth, RI
(401) 849-0337
E-mail info@aquidneckfarms.com
Web www.aquidneckfarms.com

Portsmouth Town Information

PORTSMOUTH
Town Hall: 2200 East Main Road, Portsmouth, RI 02871 Fax#: 683-6804

Police Department: 2270 East Main Road

2000 Census: 17,149

Form of Government: Council-Administrator

Election Date: November, Even Years

Fiscal Year Begins: July 1


Council Meetings: Second and Fourth Mondays Monthly @ 7:00 p.m.


Town Hall Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Website: www.portsmouthri.com/


Town Administrator: Robert G. Driscoll 683-3255
Assessor/Tax Collector: David E. Dolce 683-1536 & 683-1214
Building Official/Minimum Housing: George Medeiros 683-3611
Business Development Director: William E. Clark 643-0382
Clerk, Town: Kathleen Viera Beaudoin 683-2101
Emergency Management Officer: James Lowrimore 683-5510
Finance/Personnel/Welfare Director: David Faucher 683-9118
Highway/Public Works Director: David Kehew 683-0362
Housing Auth. Exec. Director: James E. Dilley 683-3173
Information Technology: Barbara Ripa 643-0303
Librarian: Carolyn Magnus 683-9457
Planner, Town: Robert W. Gilstein 683-0888
Police Chief: Lance E. Hebert 683-0300
Probate Judge: Joseph C. Lopes 683-2101
Registrar: Madeleine Pencak 683-3157
School Superintendent: Susan F. Lusi, Ph.D. 683-1039
Solicitor, Town: Donato Andre D’Andrea 847-0301
Zoning Official: George Medeiros 683-3611


Fire Departments and Fire Districts
Portsmouth Fire Department, 2300 East Main Road, Portsmouth, RI 02871 683-1200
Fire Chief: Jeffrey P. Lynch
Portsmouth Water and Fire District, P.O. Box 99, Portsmouth, RI 02871 683-2090
Tax Collector: Gaetano Polselli, Jr.
Prudence Island Volunteer Fire Dept., P.O. Box 305, Prudence Island, RI 02872 683-1100
Fire Chief: Thomas Gempp


School Committee
E. Richard Carpender, Chairperson 163 Old Mill Lane 02871
Michael Buddemeyer 73 Potomac Road 02871
Marilyn King 56 Bradley Terrace 02871
Marjorie Levesque 45 Massachusetts Blvd. 02871
Angela Volpicelli 31 Lawton Brook Lane 02871
Sylvia J. Wedge 390 West Main Road 02871


Town Council
Peter J. McIntyre, President 24 Maize Corn Road 02871
Dennis M. Canario 64 Birchwood Drive 02871
Karen J. Gleason 63 Massasoit Avenue 02871
Keith Hamilton 134 Soares Drive 02871
Hubert E. Little 442 Union Street 02871
Jeffrey C. Plumb 526 Sandy Point Avenue 02871
James A. Seveney 72 Macomber Lane 02871

Updated: 04/17/09

Portsmouth Fire at New England Boatworks

There was a 4 alarm fire this morning at the New England Boatworks located at 9 Lagoon Road around 5 am. Smoke was seen from as far away as Middletown and Bristol. Read the full Providence Journal story here. New England Boatworks employees about 100 people who had been called prior to the start of the work day. The fire was contained by 10 am but still being actively fought.

Portsmouth Fire Chief Jeffrey Lynch encouraged any observers who were standing by watching this morning's events to get to a doctor if they experienced any feelings of nausea or headaches. Eight firefighters have been taken to Newport hospital for exposure to cyanide gas. The surrounding homes should be safe because of the wind direction.

Get your Art on!!

Sakonnet Arts Network promotes the arts by providing programs, resources, and educational opportunities in Tiverton, Rhode Island and surrounding areas.

Sakonnet Arts Network Announces Spring Workshops!

Join us for our spring workshop series beginning April 9 that offer basic and intermediate instruction in drawing, painting in watercolor or oil, including plein air painting. Other classes focus on video shooting techniques and editing to create superior home videos; creatingexpressive and technically advanced digital travel photos, an d learning
faux painting techniques that will take your next decorating project to a new level! All workshops will be held at convenient locations in Tiverton.

We have a Winner!!

So looks like they finally decided on Cardi Corp. of Warwick to build the new bridge over the Sakonnet River with a winning bid of $163.67 million. See the full story on Newport Daily News and on Providence Journal.

It says that the project is hoping to start in April and has a completion date sometime in 2012.

Portsmouth Arts Guild

From their website:
The Portsmouth Arts Guild was founded in January 2003 to provide an opportunity for Portsmouth artists, and those of surrounding towns, to exhibit their work and to learn from one another. Its members are painters and printmakers, photographers and sculptors, fiber artists and wood carvers, jewelers and craftspeople. Membership is open to all artists of any medium and to all supporters of the arts.

Upcoming event:

2nd Annual Art-a-Rama!!
FEB 1st, 2-4 PM

FEB 1st: 2nd Annual Art-a-Rama!!
2-4 PM
The Portsmouth Arts Guild designed Art-O-Rama introduce potential students (that's you!) to art instructors and their work. A chance to kick the tires, so to speak. Come meet the artists and ask plenty of questions while you watch their demonstrations. And be sure to enter the raffle for a discounted class!
The artists we have confirmed so far are:

Wendy Crooks, figure drawing
Carol Lynn Hall, water color
Jennifer Holmes, pastel
Jay Egge, encaustics
Lois Erhartic, japanese caligraphy

Refreshments available.

This Weekend Events

GIFT GALLERY TABLE SALE: The Portsmouth Arts Guild is holding its second “Gift Gallery Table Sale” Dec. 6 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at its Center for the Arts, 2679 East Main Rd. Ten local artists will have their handiwork for sale. Items include: photographs, jewelry, note cards, small artworks, silkscreened t-shirts, and more. In addition to the crafts, all the artwork on the gallery walls is available to purchase for under $200 until Dec. 21. Stop by for affordable gift buying and enjoy some refreshments. This event is free and open to the public.

The center is located next to St. Paul’s Church. For information, call (401) 293-5ART or visit www.PortsmouthArtsGuild.org, info@PortsmouthArtsGuild.org. Parking is available across the street at East Main Studios.

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CONCERT: Common Fence Music will present British guitar wizard Adrian Legg Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. at the Common Fence Point Community Hall, 933 Anthony Rd. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 and are available at the CFM Ticket Desk from 3 to 5 p.m. and during intermission on show days; through Ticket Web anytime; and at the door until sold out. Call Ticket Web’s toll free number (866) 468-7619 or contact them via www.commonfencemusic.org.

Common Fence Music is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The hall is ramp accessible. For general information including directions to the hall, call (401) 683-5085 or visit the website.

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HOLIDAY OPEN STUDIOS: East Main Studios, 2701 East Main Rd., is holding a craft sale at its “Holiday Open Studios” Dec. 6 and 7 and 13 and 14 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. On display will be hand crafted items by award winning resident artists and fine art available for gift giving. Studio artists participating are: Donna Bruton, oil paintings and hand felted pins; Libby Gilpatric, oil and watercolor paintings, note cards, prints, ornaments, fantasy painted boxes and picture frames; Nancy Isherwood, oil and pastel paintings, lithographs, decoupage boxes, note cards, and decoupage hand painted trays. Visiting artist Megan Buchanan will display hand painted scarves. Refreshments will be served. These events are free and open to the public. For information, visit www.eastmainstudios.com.

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STROKE AND OSTEOPOROSIS SCREENING: Residents living in and around Portsmouth can be screened to reduce their risk of having a stroke Dec. 9 at St. Barnabas Church Parish Hall, 1697 East Main Rd. The complete screening package now includes a new heart rhythm screening which checks for irregular heartbeat, a major risk factor for stroke.

Life Line Screening, the nation’s leading provider of preventative health screenings, will conduct the screenings which will begin by appointment at 9 a.m. For information and to make an appointment, call (800) 697-9721 or visit www.lifelinescreening.com.

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HOLIDAY CONCERT: The Abbey Singers of the Portsmouth Abbey School, under the direction of Tory Quinn, will present a collaborative holiday concert with the Ponaganset High School Chamber Chorus Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at Portsmouth Abbey School, 285 Cory’s Lane.

Members of the United States Coast Guard Band and the United States Navy Band will be accompanying the choirs in an all brass extravaganza not to be missed. Works to be performed include, John Rutter’s “Gloria,” Z. Randall Stroope’s “Homeland” and Palestrina’s “Sicut cervus.” Admission is free and open to the public, refreshments will be provided. Come join in a celebration of song and holiday cheer at the Portsmouth Abbey School.

from www.projo.com

138 Construction

Along Route 138, East Main Road, between Turnpike Ave. and Boyds Lane has been changed from 2 lanes each way to 1 lane each way with a center turn lane. This starts at the set of lights in front of Clements and CVS and runs all the way to the Route 24 on ramp.

Newport Restaurant Week

Three course prix fixe: Lunch $16 and Dinner $30

This is a great event to enjoy and try some local restaurants that us locals to visit to often. Check out the website to see all the restaurants and what they are offering.

Read about it in the Newport Daily too.

Election Results

Here are the results for Portsmouth, RI 2008 Election here. Also here are the overall RI results from the Election here. Thanks to everyone who got out and voted!

Time to get out and VOTE

To find where you are supposed to vote go to RI Voter Information Center and put in your info. it will tell you where to go and provide a map on getting there. Polling place opens at 7AM and closes at 9PM. Here is the sample ballot for Portsmouth, RI November 4, 2008:

Sakonnet River Bridge Part II

Thanks for the comment! Here is the latest as far as I have heard,

~~One feature that survived the cost-cutting is the 13-foot bicycle and pedestrian walkway path along the bridge’s northern edge. The DOT had looked at narrowing the bridge to a width of 76 feet and eliminating the bike and pedestrian lane. ~~

This is from the Providence Journal back in June of 2007.

I believe that there was a lot of push back on eliminating the bike and pedestrian lane so the DOT will leave in the plans.

Sakonnet River Bridge

Some History on the Bridge from Wikipedia:
~~ The Sakonnet River Bridge is a four-lane truss bridge spanning the Sakonnet River in eastern Rhode Island. The bridge carries RI 24 and RI 138 between the communities of Portsmouth and Tiverton, RI. The bridge is scheduled to be replaced by an updated design, with construction work scheduled to finish in 2015.

The Sakonnet River Bridge was built in 1956 as a replacement for the Stone Bridge, about 0.8 mi (1.3 km) to the south, destroyed during Hurricane Carol in August 1954. It became part of RI 24 during the 1960s after the completion of the Portsmouth and Tiverton Expressways. At one point, it was briefly considered for inclusion as part of the never-built Interstate 895.

The bridge is closed to heavy commercial vehicles weighing over 18 tons. Vehicles over this weight limit are rerouted over the Mount Hope bridge via RI 136/114. ~~

Here is the website for status and updates pertaining to the Sakonnet River Bridge but it seems amazingly lacking and the blinking text hurts my brain.

Info from Haley & Aldrich:
The replacement of the Sakonnet River Bridge, which carries nearly 40,000 cars per day and provides a critical transportation system link between Massachusetts and Rhode Island, is necessary to meet current highway design standards for shoulder width and structural capacity. The new $120 million, 3,160-ft-long, 4-lane bridge will be built along an alignment located immediately south of the existing bridge, which will remain in operation during construction. The entire design period was compressed into 21 months to meet a special Federal Garvey funding deadline. RIDOT has completed a value engineering review, and plans to advertise for construction bids in Fall 2008, and award the project by Spring 2009. The new bridge is expected to open in 2011.

It's finally not split!!! FINALLY!!! North bound on 24 after crossing the Sakonnet River Bridge there had been a lane split around a cement pillar for the cross over road above. Coming up to this it always seemed strange to me, why the hell is there a pillar in the middle of the highway?? Turns out it's part of the new bridge upgrade going on but seemed that the split was there for over 2 years, maybe longer. In the picture above from Haley & Aldrich you can see where the old Stone Bridge used to stand in the background. The new pilings that they are putting in for the new bridge are located between the current Sakonnet River Bridge and the land masses for the old Stone Bridge, just to give you an idea for the new location. They say 2011 is when the new bridge is expected to open. I'll keep you posted!