North Smithfield Weekly Newsletter

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Town of North Smithfield

January 25th, 2019 Edition

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN NORTH SMITHFIELD

Message from Town Administrator

Gary Ezovski

Congratulations to David Rawlings, a North Smithfield native, who was nominated for an Oscar Tuesday morning for songwriting.

The film is called "THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS". It is on Netflix, and it is a Coen Brothers film.

Click Here to hear "When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings"

ATTENTION!

HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT

A PRESENTATION ON THE DANGERS OF VAPING

WHO: Parents of North Smithfield Middle School Students (adult family members only please)

WHAT: Parent Health Night to learn and discuss the dangers of Vaping, Juuling, and other e-cigarette use which is increasing among middle and high school students

WHEN: Friday, February 15, 2019 from 6:30 - 7:30 PM

WHERE: NS Middle School Health Room 351

Seating for this program is limited. Please contact Mark LaBossiere, Health & Physical Education Dept., at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any questions or to register. We hope you can attend!

"I GOT CAUGHT READING"

The Police Department is piggy backing with other departments nationwide to encourage kids to read. We printed bookmarks to give to those kids we see reading a book, instead of them playing with a digital device or playing video games. The SRO’s will be looking to “CATCH” kids reading and to those they catch, they will give a bookmark. This is all in advance of NS schools celebrating World Read Aloud Day on February 1^st.

Adopt a Fire Hydrant

With over 150 fire hydrants and cisterns, (Underground Water tanks), in town, the North Smithfield Fire and Rescue Service is looking for the communities help with keeping them free and clear of snow and ice. After a storm, Fire crews will be out to clear hydrants and cisterns but with only two trucks on the road and such a large number of them, it can take us a considerable amount of time to get to them all. Any help we can get from the community to accelerate the process would be greatly appreciated. If you have a hydrant or cistern on or near your property, consider clearing it out so that we can access it in the event of a fire in the area. Help us help you!

Winter Safety Tips

We hope everyone had a great holiday season! We wanted to pass on a few safety tips as we enter the “JOYFUL” days of winter:

1. With cold weather comes frozen bodies of water. Never assume that frozen lakes, ponds, and streams are safe to walk on. Always call the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) 24 hour Hotline at (401) 667-6222 to check on ice conditions before lacing up those skates or stringing up the ice fishing tilts.

2. Normally, winter = snow. Some love it and others not so much! Either way, it still falls from the sky, and we all must deal with it. Please try to keep all driveways, sidewalks, steps and other access points to your home free and clear of snow at all times. In addition, keep snow and ice clear of dryer vents, gas meters, and any other ventilation points from your home.

3. Clean your chimney! It is important to have a maintenance plan for your heating devices in your home. Fuel burning appliances require regular maintenance in order to retain efficiency and safety features.

4. Lastly, we cannot have a fire safety release without mentioning the most important thing: Always check and maintain smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home!

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.

The North Smithfield Heritage Association Announces Forestdale Schoolhouse Public Openings for 2019

The Little Red Schoolhouse is open for visitors monthly, every second and third Thursday and Saturday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

While there, you can view artifacts, relics, and merchandise. You can also conduct historic research.

For further information: contact Louise VanHouwe at 401-769-8177

Our North Smithfield Animal Shelter is in

Need of Volunteers.

You can volunteer as many or as few days or hours that you can. Every little bit helps! Volunteering at an animal shelter can be a rewarding experience.

Please call the North Smithfield Animal Shelter at 766-0377.

TOWN OF NORTH SMITHFIELD DPW

WINTER SAFETY TIPS

Winter brings with it lots of fun activities, but winter also means mounds of snow to shovel and layers of ice to remove. During some snow storms it becomes impossible for our plow drivers to know where the edge of the road is. Here are some helpful tips to ensure safety and efficiency during a snow storm.

Use reflective markers to make the edge of the road more visible for DPW when plowing. This is the best way to ensure trucks stay off your lawns.

Please remove everything from the roadway to clear it for the snow plows to come through (cars, basketball hoops, garbage cans etc.)

When shoveling snow or operating a snow blower, do not throw snow out in to the street or sidewalk. This is not only against State Law (State Law Title 31-22-9), but this will ensure that snow does not freeze in the roadway or sidewalk and cause a hazard for vehicles and pedestrians. Please visit https://www.nsmithfieldri.org/home/news/snow-removal-policy for more information on our snow removal policy.

Trucks are plowing or spreading sand/salt. Stay back from the vehicle at least 100 feet to avoid problems. Plow trucks often have to back up. There are blind spots in the mirrors. For your safety, do not pull directly behind them. They may not be able to see you.

Trash and recycling collections may be canceled if weather conditions warrant. Check our website www.nsmithfieldri.org or call (401) 767-2200 ext. 348 for potenial pick-up delays.

Clear snow from around fire hydrants near your home/business to make them visible for our firefighters.

For the next several weeks, North Smithfield Emergency Management, CERT and REACT will be providing articles on survival preparation for an emergency. Many emergency response organizations have encouraged citizens to have three days of emergency supplies on hand in case disaster strikes, but because we live in a world where terrorism and cyber attacks have created possibilities of long-term outages of every day necessities, we should now consider being prepared for at least two weeks.

Those who have already prepared for three days have a good start as many items for three days will be good for the two week preparation. Flashlights, radios, extra batteries, first aid kits, contact information and manual can opener are items handy for three days or two weeks. Future articles will advise about other necessities that will be required for longer outages.

The key to survival in most cases will be to stay in your own home (shelter in place) as long as it is safe. Have an emergency plan that your family is familiar with and discuss the importance of knowing the location of emergency supplies. Community shelters may become overloaded and not have the abundance of supplies needed to sustain shelter goers for a long stay. First responders may be overwhelmed with disaster emergencies and should not be counted on to provide you with emergency supplies.

Hopefully, the forthcoming articles will give you food for thought in your preparation for a catastrophic emergency. This week's article will discuss MAKING A PLAN!

NORTH SMITHFIELD EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT/REACT/CERT

Make A Plan

Make a plan today. Your family may not be together if a disaster strikes, so it is important to know which types of disasters could affect your area. Know how you’ll contact one another and reconnect if separated. Establish a family meeting place that’s familiar and easy to find.

Step 1: Put together a plan by discussing these 4 questions with your family, friends, or household to start your emergency plan.

How will I receive emergency alerts and warnings? SIGN UP FOR CODE RED
What is my shelter plan? Check shelter site on North Smithfield EMA Map
What is my evacuation route? Check North Smithfield EMA homepage(www.nsema.org)
What is my family/household communication plan?

Step 2: Consider specific needs in your household.

As you prepare your plan tailor your plans and supplies to your specific daily living needs and responsibilities. Discuss your needs and responsibilities and how people in the network can assist each other with communication, care of children, business, pets, or specific needs like the operation of durable medical equipment. Create your own personal network for specific areas where you need assistance. Keep in mind some these factors when developing your plan:

Different ages of members within your household
Responsibilities for assisting others
Locations frequented
Dietary needs
Medical needs including prescriptions and equipment
Disabilities or access and functional needs including devices and equipment
Languages spoken
Cultural and religious considerations
Pets or service animals
Households with school-aged children

Step 3: Fill out a Family Emergency Plan

Download and fill out a family emergency plan or use them as a guide to create your own.

Emergency Plan for Parents

Step 4: Practice your plan with your family/household

"CAN YOU HELP?"

The Town of North Smithfield is "STILL" Seeking Volunteer Members for Several Committees

* Planning Board Committee

* Economic Development Committee

* Budget Committee

Anyone interested in volunteering, please contact Gary Ezovski at 767-2200 ext. 303 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Town of North Smithfield

Department of Public Works – Highway Division

Snow and Ice Removal Policy

Click here for the Policy

The North Smithfield Food Pantry needs your help on Thursday or Friday mornings from 9:30-11am at the Slatersville Congregational Church to sort and move donated food items. You need to be able to carry boxes up and down stairs.

We still need someone to oversee the rescue and distribution program a few hours a week Wednesday through Friday.

For more information on both positions call 401-769-2773.

North Smithfield Residents Food Pantry

Slatersville Congregational Church

25 Green Street

North Smithfield, RI 02896

The flavor of the month for January is

CANNED PASTA

Any donations or monetary gifts for the food pantry can be dropped off at the Slatersville Congregational Church between 9:00 am and noon. An additional drop box 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.

JANUARY 2019 Senior Services Newsletter

FEBRUARY 2019 Senior Services Newsletter

JANUARY 2019 Calendar of Events

FEBRUARY 2019 Calendar of Events

JANUARY 2019 Menu

FEBRUARY 2019 Menu

Senior exercise classes at Scouter's Hall, 32 Main Street, North Smithfield include: