Kent County Times

August 30, 2022

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Office of the Mayor                                       

Patricia Resende                                                                                 

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presende@eastprovidenceri.gov                            

City rolls out 8 programs to boost small businesses impacted by the pandemic

EAST PROVIDENCE, RI – The City will roll out a number of programs to support East Providence small businesses over the next few weeks. To help our small businesses thrive, the City will be rolling out the first of our eight programs beginning with our Storefront Improvement Program.

The program’s intent is to provide business owners impacted by the pandemic with the opportunity to boost their visibility and increase their foot traffic. The focus will also be to reverse the damage done by decades of neglect and little investment in our city. It will also help to restore the small-town look and feel with the understanding that East Providence is a growing city.

In individual conversations between Mayor Bob DaSilva, Council President Robert Britto, Council Vice President Bob Rodericks and Councilman Nate Cahoon there was expressed interest in investing (American Rescue Plan Act/ARPA) funds to help our small businesses rebound from the impacts of the pandemic.

“We hope the program breathes new life into our small businesses and the business corridors of our city,” Mayor Bob DaSilva said. “We also hope that new businesses looking for a place to call home take notice of this program (and our other initiatives) and choose to move to East Providence.” 

The City recently hired an ARPA project manager to help formulate and manage these programs.

The City has taken several steps to help small businesses thrive in our city in the last few years including filling two vacancies in our Planning Department.  Those two position main functions are to provide a greater emphasis on economic development and work one-on-one with our small business community.

In addition, the city has rolled out the “Take it Outside” program and periodically features new businesses entering East Providence and highlights the growth of current East Providence businesses.

These initiatives will continue that momentum. For more information on our Storefront Improvement Program please visit: www.eastprovidenceri.gov/store-improvement-program

Original source can be found here.