9 RI Cities, Towns Awarded Grants For Public Safety Building Projects

RHODE ISLAND — Nine Rhode Island communities were awarded grants to help pay for significant public safety facility infrastructure projects, Gov. Dan McKee said Monday.

The awards are part of a matching grant program that was funded with $11 million in State Fiscal Recovery Funds (SFRF) through the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The maximum award amount is $5 million for regional projects and $1 million for local projects.

"Investing in Rhode Island's public safety starts by addressing the infrastructure that police, fire and EMS units need to protect our state," McKee said. "I'm grateful to our partners in the Rhode Island General Assembly and the federal government for recognizing the importance of funding these local projects, so that we can support the brave men and women who keep Rhode Islanders safe."

An evaluation committee reviewed proposals and made nine awards based on project readiness, including the availability of local funds to satisfy the matching requirement and anticipated start and completion dates. Grants awarded included:

• City of East Providence ($960,000): Renovate the East Providence Police Station, including a reallocation of existing space to better meet the needs of a modern police department.

• City of Providence ($770,000): Refurbish the Providence Public Safety Complex through various improvements, including a new roof, updated interior finishes, and exterior repairs.
• Town of Foster ($1,000,000): Construct a new Foster Public Safety Complex.
• Town of Glocester ($3,850,000): Upgrade the Glocester Police Station to include a regional emergency operations center to serve as a regional hub for Northern Rhode Island.

• Town of Middletown ($462,434): Replace the HVAC system and the dispatch consoles at the Middletown Police Station, as well as provide two new radio repeaters to create back-up regional public safety communications capability.
• Town of North Smithfield ($1,000,000): Upgrade the North Smithfield Police Station, including roof replacement and repairs to the façade.
• Town of Smithfield ($1,000,000): Construct a new North End Fire Station that will feature three apparatus bays and crew quarters.
• Town of South Kingstown ($1,000,000): Construct a new Perryville Emergency Medical Services Station that will feature two bays to accommodate an ambulance and quick response vehicle and crew quarters.
• Town of Narragansett ($952,950): Expand and renovate the Narragansett Fire-Emergency Medical Services Station on Point Judith Road.

Eligible expenses include design, predevelopment, construction, and direct administrative costs related to a public safety facilities infrastructure project.

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