Woonsocket Looks For Reinvention On One Square Mile

While some may question the idea of a blue-collar, former mill city creating an economy based on arts and tourism, at WRNI's live taping of One Square Mile,  community leaders discussing Woonsocket's success stories and plans for the future, portrayed just that.

WRNI Political Analyst Scott MacKay led a forum of panelists at the in a conversation on reinvention and the search for identity in a city once defined by mills and hard-working immigrants. 

The program began with a ride-along dialog with state Rep. Jon Brien (D-Dist. 50, Woonsocket,) who gave a WRNI hosts a tour of the city for a previous segment of One Square Mile. "The old mills down the street... it's good to recognize our heritage, but they're not being used anymore. They're run down. They're an eyesore, so they have to go," Brien said.  

Woonsocket Mayor Leo Fontaine, CEO Maria Montanaro, Program Director Brad Fesmire, President/CEO of the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce John Gregory, and Executive Director of , Joseph Garlick began the discussion with the city's abandoned mills as a centerpiece; a visual acknowledgement of both Woonsocket's former glory and its present economic challenges.  

"Nearly every town in Rhode Island has mill buildings, but Woonsocket is fascinating to me because it has some of these granite structures that go way back before the civil war," said MacKay. "Mayor Fontaine, what are these buildings now being used for?" he asked.

Fontaine described how the city has worked to reclaim many of the properties, discussing how the state's historic tax credit once helped to fill the empty shells.

The mayor relayed the story of ., a conversion project halted in 2008 when Rhode Island ended the credit in attempt to save money.  

"Sometimes business needs to succeed despite government," Fontaine explained, adding that the prohibitive costs of restoration, especially complying with fire codes, can deter many investors.

Fontaine used , the historic former church which holds North America's largest collection of Fresco paintings, as another example. Building owners have struggled to maintain the structure facing constant costs of repairs and maintenance.

"The one thing that Rhode Island definitely did wrong was cancel the most successful economic investment incentive that we had," agreed Gregory.

As panelists defined their vision for Woonsocket's future, arts played a key role in everything from employment to the environment, with segments singling out the success stories of the and , two thriving local arts venues.

"I hear people say they've never been to Woonsocket, but they've been to Chan's," said MacKay, after a segment in which blues artist Bellevue Cadillac professed his love for the venue.

"Woonsocket could become the Northern Rhode Island's destination for the arts," said Fesmire.

Fesmire explained how RiverzEdge ties art into economic prosperity and sustainable development. The youth development program offers job opportunities in the arts to underserved teens and currently has several projects focused on the Blackstone River.  

"If arts come, the restaurants come and the money comes," he said. 

The city's Comprehensive Plan, Fontaine told MacKay, also involves a greater focus on the Blackstone River and improving Woonsocket's environmental resources. "First of all we had to recognize the asset that it was," Fontaine said, discussing how the city's factories once polluted the river, now viewed from several parks and used for kayaking.

Montanaro tied community health into this vision for Woonsocket, discussing how developments like the could improve overall wellness. She emphasized the collaboration between groups as key to the city's revival.

"We have a dedicated group of nonprofits that are working to make this a better place," she said.

One member of the audience, Jeff Austin, echoed these sentiments. "You always hear people talk about community," Austin said. "In Woonsocket, you have it. It is a very real thing and I think that's what's going to pull this little city into the future."  

WNRI's broadcast of One Square Mile: Woonsocket can be heard on Thursday, May 8 on 102.7FM.  Segments from the One Square Mile series on the Woonsocket community can also be heard on their website.