Chapter 043

2016 -- H 7555 Enacted 05/31/2016

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

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

WHEREAS, The Honorable James E. Doyle has been a lifelong resident of the Ccity 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 Ccity Ccouncil, where he served for twenty-seven years, and was reelected thirteen

times; and

WHEREAS, During his tenure on the Ccouncil, 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 Ffinance

Ccommittee, 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 Mmayor of the Ccity 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

Ccity's Hhousing Ccourt, 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 Aarts & Eentertainment Ddistrict,

the largest at that time. The Ddistrict 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 the Pawtucket' Rredevelopment Aagency, 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 Vvisitor Ccenter which houses the Pawtucket Arts

Collaborative Gallery, and the Ddepartment of Pplanning and Rredevelopment, 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 Ppolice Ddepartment 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 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 Ccommuter Rrail Sstation in Pawtucket/Central Falls, funding the required local

share for a Ffeasibility Sstudy 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 Ddepartment of Ttransportation for

design input culled from a Ttask Fforce 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 Ccity Hhall 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

Ccity 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:

22-7.4-130132. 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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LC004773

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