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Rhode Island Preservation News
June 20, 2008 |
National Register RI database now available online!
The Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission has launched a new service that enables users to search the database of Rhode Island properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Rhode Island-National Register Property Search is a free Web service available 24 hours a day at www.ri.gov/preservation/search.
 The National Register is the federal government's official list of properties throughout the United States whose historical and architectural significance makes them worthy of preservation. There are more than 16,000 sites in Rhode Island listed in the National Register. These sites include historic houses and farms, diners and town halls, mills and monuments, as well as seacoast villages, suburban neighborhoods, downtown business districts, and archaeological sites.
"This is an excellent tool for residents, visitors and researchers alike," commented Edward F. Sanderson, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission (RIHPHC). "The information is free, organized and easy to access. We hope that it will help our website  visitors take full advantage of our state's historical treasures."
The Rhode Island-National Register Property Search site allows users to perform unlimited searches, and to search by city, property address, building style, historic function and/or current function. The search result screen displays the known information on the property or structure and can be printed or saved for later use.
In addition to honoring a property for its contribution to local, state, or national history, listing on the National Register provides additional benefits. Owner-residents of historic houses and condominium units are eligible to apply for Historic Homeowner Tax Credits for approved improvements and repairs to the exterior of their buildings, and owners of commercial properties are eligible to apply for Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives. National Register listing also results in special consideration during the planning of Federal or federally assisted projects. Owners of private property listed on the National Register are free to maintain, manage, or dispose of their property as they choose. As the state office for historic preservation, the Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission is responsible for reviewing and submitting Rhode Island nominations to the National Register.
The online search tool was created in collaboration with RI.gov at no taxpayer expense as part of their self-funded partnership with the State of Rhode Island. The development team at RI.gov is also responsible for the design of the RIHPHC Web site (www.preservation.ri.gov) as well as the official Rhode Island state government portal (www.ri.gov).
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National Rivers Day
Saturday, June 21st 10am - 12noon
Enjoy a day on the Central Falls Landing at Madeira Avenue & Broad Street (Route 114) in Central Falls where guests can participate in free walking tours, kayaking trips, award presentations, and exhibits. The schedule of activities is listed below.
10:00am: Walk at Valley Falls Heritage Park, Cumberland, RI with a National Park Service Ranger
10:00am-2:00pm: Free guided kayak trips through Valley Falls Marsh with Blackstone Valley Outfitters
11:00am: Welcome and Presentation of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council's John H. Chafee Rivers Day Award and the Blackstone River Watershed Council/Friends of the Blackstone Watershed Excellence Award and Student Youth Volunteer Award
12:00pm-2:00pm: The John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission and Blackstone River Watershed Council/Friends of the Blackstone are sponsoring Free Public Tours aboard the 49-passenger riverboat Blackstone Valley Explorer.
 Environmental Exhibitors for Rivers Day will include: Audubon Society of Rhode Island, Bill's Auto Parts, Blackstone River Coalition, Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, Blackstone Valley Watershed Council/Friends of the Blackstone, Broad Street Fish Ladder Exhibit with Alden Labs & EA Engineering, John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission, Narragansett Bay Estuary Program and Save the Bay.
Broad Street Food Court: La Sorpresa (Columbian), Serra Da Estrela (Portuguese), Colonial Bakery (Portuguese) Scoops at the Falls will all also be offering discount coupons for the event.
This event is presented by the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, hosted by the City of Central Falls, and sponsored by The John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission and Blackstone River Watershed Council/ Friends of the Blackstone
Check out the event brochure for more information.
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Rhode Island Great Outdoors Pursuit!Register your family for The Rhode Island Great Outdoors Pursuit! In these times of record-high gas prices, are you looking for fun, low-cost and free family activities that are close to home this summer? The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management is pleased to announce the 2008 Rhode Island Great Outdoors Pursuit, a 10-week competition that encourages Rhode Island families to enjoy the recreational resources and outdoor activities our state parks have to offer - while moving toward a healthier lifestyle.
 The contest kicks off on Sunday, June 22 at Lincoln Woods State Park, Lincoln with an opening ceremony, rock-climbing wall, fishing, kayak rentals for $10, hiking, bring-your-own picnic, entertainment, and exhibits. Families who participate in most or all of the events will be eligible for prizes. The game will take Rhode Island families to up to seven different state parks and forests this summer, where they will participate in outdoor adventures such as hiking, biking, fishing, geo caching, or swimming, among other activities.
Teams will receive points for participating in each event and will be eligible for prizes of outdoor equipment, donated by local retailers, at the finale event on August 24. Prizes include: 1st Place - a complete camping gear and vacation package; 2nd Place - a kayak and a $125 gift certificate for kayak lessons; and, 3rd Place - a bike. Hundreds of outdoor toys will be given as prizes as well. The full 10-week schedule and official game rules are posted on the program website.
Register now for the Rhode Island Great Outdoors Pursuit by visiting www.riparks.com or by calling (401) 222-2632.
The RI Great Outdoors Pursuit is an initiative to Re-connect Children and Their Families with the Outdoors presented by the Department of Environmental Management, in partnership with The Office of the Governor Healthy Weight in 2008 Campaign and No Child Left Inside.
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New Grant and Technical Assistance to Encourage Community Center Schools
Is your state facing threats of demolition or abandonment of neighborhood schools? When new schools are built, can your children walk to their school? Do decision-makers understand the many roles schools play within your community? In addition to reaching educational objectives, do you believe that schools can serve other purposes in your neighborhood?
Concerned about the abandonment of older neighborhood schools and the siting of new schools outside of communities, the National Trust is offering an opportunity for organizations and coalitions in up to five states to analyze their state's current policies and develop an educational outreach program with policy recommendations to help citizens and officials make informed choices when spending their limited dollars on school facilities. Selected organizations will receive a year of technical assistance and a $6,000 grant to: 1) research state policies and practices; 2) convene a policy summit to develop recommendations; 3) develop educational materials; and 4) hold a press event to announce policy findings. By participating in this program, organizations will secure community-centered schools for their state through the implementation of state-level policies. The proposal deadline is July 14, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. eastern.
Through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and with support from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, the National Trust launched the Helping Johnny Walk to School: Sustaining Communities through Smart School Siting Policies program to help localities site their schools in a way that not only achieves their educational objectives, but also anchors the local neighborhood, supports better public health, creates a cleaner environment, spurs economic development, and offers additional amenities to the community.
 Since publishing the seminal work Why Johnny Can't Walk to School: Historic Neighborhood Schools in the Age of Sprawl and listing the threat to older neighborhood schools on the America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Sites list in 2000, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has continually sought ways to raise awareness about the important link between community vitality and walkable neighborhood schools. This new program is a program of the National Trust Center for State and Local Policy which provides technical assistance, trains advocates, and conducts research on policies that impact the country's historic resources. Partners in this work with include authors Constance Beaumont and Tom Hylton, as well as organizations such as Safe Routes to School, The Rural School and Community Trust, and the 21st Century School Fund.
For more information about this issue and details about applying for this new grant opportunity, visit http://www.preservationnation.org/issues/historic-schools/ or contact Renee Viers Kuhlman, Director of Special Projects, Center for State and Local Policy, at Phone: 202-588-6234, e-mail: renee_kuhlman@nthp.org
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