Outgoing chairman Dick Spies described the Foundation’s commitment to great spaces, with the library serving as a great example. In summarizing key accomplishments, he said that we’ve encouraged investment, helping to create an ecosystem where people want to be.

Executive Director Dan Baudouin highlighted a variety of current downtown projects including Hasbro’s expansion into 15 LaSalle Square; renovations to the Arcade that will create 48 micro-loft apartments above retail and restaurant spaces; the restoration of 4 buildings on the corner of Weybosset and Dorrance comprising the Providence G residential/retail complex; Alex & Ani’s purchase of 159 Weybosset for a shop and professional development center; the redesign of the Biltmore Garage to allow for 6 retail units on Washington Street; new investment in the Biltmore Hotel; Johnson & Wales’ new garage under construction and physicians’ assistant building undergoing renovations; DCI’s product design center under construction on Mathewson Street; the Brown Continuing Ed building which opened last year at 200 Dyer Street; and the Design Office cooperative office space at 204 Westminster.

At the meeting, we also announced the new slate of Foundation officers: Bill Hatfield as chairman, Ned Handy as vice-chair, Buff Chace as treasurer and Joseph Paolino, Jr. as secretary. Incoming chairman Bill Hatfield described his election as an honor and a privilege, given the downtown area’s amazing transformation since his arrival in Providence more than 30 years ago. He believes that “the quality of place has never been better, and it will only continue to get better.” Opportunities for the upcoming year include developing an efficient permitting system, reviewing the city’s tax classification system, focusing on the knowledge economy and the I-195 lands, reinstating Rhode Island’s historic tax credit, improving our open spaces, developing the nighttime economy, promoting arts & retail, and partnering with others to improve the city’s public education system.

Mayor Angel Taveras added that “Providence is what it is today because of the Foundation’s vision and commitment.” He acknowledged that our goals are aligned, listing his top priorities as promoting housing downtown, completing the downtown circulator project, paving roads, transforming Kennedy Plaza, growing tourism, and addressing the commercial tax rate.

Following the mayor, Governor Lincoln Chafee spoke about his plans for investing in education, encouraging better workforce development, and supporting cities and towns. He added some positive news about recent federal labor statistics for Rhode Island, noting that key indicators have been up in 5 main areas for both the month and year for the first time since 1998.

Richard Lappin, chairman of the Providence Downtown Improvement District, then described a few new directions for his organization and summarized several ongoing program areas as listed in the DID’s annual report. To complete the program, Ned Handy, chairman of the Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy, recognized the many people involved with creating the new organization dedicated to developing great public spaces downtown. DPPC Director Cliff Wood promised that major announcements about the park would be coming soon, with a friend-raiser scheduled on April 18th. If the enthusiasm in the room is any indicator, 2013 is already shaping up to be a tremendous year!

Read the Providence Journal’s meeting summary here.

(Top photo: Joelle Kanter. Bottom photos: Tonia Mason, Providence Public Library).

Love is in the crisp, chilly air at Kennedy Plaza! The rink will be decorated for the holiday,  and from 6-10pm, skaters can enjoy specialty items from City Girl Cupcakes and Walrus and Carpenter Oysters. Missy of Missy M Photography will be snapping  away too, recording the memories!

Need some extra sweets? Stop by the City Girl Cupcake shop at 99 Weybosset for an amazing variety of flavors (until 6pm), or visit the new Ellie’s Bakery in the Biltmore Garage on Washington Street (until 7pm) for mouth-watering cookies, scones, tarts and other delicious baked goods. Check our list of downtown cafes for plenty of other romantic ideas.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Travel updates:

• RIPTA will reinstate service on Monday, February 11th. The Kennedy Plaza intermodal center and its ticket windows will be open.
• MBTA commuter rail service will return to its regular schedule on Monday, February 11th.
• Limited Amtrak service was restored on Sunday, February 10th.

School information:

• Providence public schools are closed on Monday, February 11th.
• RISD classes and operations resume on Monday, with the exception of continuing ed classes.
• Brown University is also preparing for normal operations on Monday.
• Johnson & Wales has cancelled classes on Monday, but expects essential personnel to report to work. Libraries and fitness centers will be open.

Entertainment:

• At PPAC, performances of American Idiot will go on at 6:30 PM on Sunday, February 10th and 7 PM on Monday, February 11th.
• The Bank of America skating center will be closed on Monday, February 11th. For more information, call: (401) 331-5544 x4.
• The Providence Bruins game vs. the Portland Pirates, originally planned for Friday night, has been rescheduled for Monday, Feb. 11th at 7:05 PM.
• Providence Place opened for regular business hours (12-6) on Sunday, February 10th.

If you have cabin fever, be careful when you venture out! Thanks to downtown businesses that were open this weekend: Providence Coal Fire Pizza, Murphy’s Deli, tazza caffe, the Eddy, Craftland, Symposium Books, Starbucks at the Biltmore, and more!

Community information:

• The Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency has winter storm resources including a power outage map, weather forecasts, and planning tools.
• The City of Providence offers information about plowing from the Department of Public Works.
• RI Broadcasters listings show school and business closures.
• RISD and Brown University have cancelled classes on Friday, Feb. 8th. Johnson & Wales‘ Downcity libraries, fitness centers and computer labs will close at noon on Friday through Saturday evening.

Travel:

• A city parking ban is in effect starting at noon on Friday, Feb. 8th until further notice.
• RIPTA is suspending all service beginning at noon on Friday, Feb. 8th.
• MBTA is suspending service starting at 3:30 PM on Friday, Feb. 8th.
• Amtrak service will be suspended leaving southbound from Boston following the 1:40 PM Northeast Regional train #137. Northbound service heading northbound from New York will be suspended following the Acela Express train #2160 at 1:03 PM.

Entertainment:

• PPAC has cancelled the Friday, Feb. 8th performance of American Idiot. Performances will go on as scheduled on Saturday at 2 PM and 8 PM, and Sunday at 1 PM. A 6:30 PM performance has been added on Sunday, Feb. 10th to replace Friday’s show.
• The Bank of America skating center is planning to close at 2 PM on Friday, Feb. 8th. It expects to reopen at 4 PM on Saturday, Feb. 9th. For more information, call: (401) 331-5544 x4.
• The Providence Bruins game vs. the Portland Pirates, originally planned for Friday night has been rescheduled on Monday, Feb. 11th at 7:05 PM. The Dunkin’ Donuts Center box office will be closed on Friday and Saturday.
• Trinity Rep‘s performance of Crime and Punishment has been cancelled on Friday night, Feb. 8th.
• If you plan to go to any restaurants, call ahead! For now, Pot Au Feu is offering free milk* & bread (*or wine) from Thursday through Sunday, but you may want to call (401) 273-8953 to confirm.
• Providence Place will close at noon on Friday, Feb. 8th. Updated information will be posted on the website and Facebook.

This year, Providence’s East and West sides are facing off in a culinary competition. See how the neighborhoods stack up, with East Side chefs Nemo Bolin of Cook & Brown Public House, Brandy Schwalbe of The Duck & Bunny, and Paul Jalaf of Vanity competing against West Side chefs Mike McHugh of Julians, James Mark of North, and Jonathan Dille of The Grange. The judging panel will give awards for Best PVD Chef and Best Side of Providence, which will be announced by Mayor Angel Taveras at 7 PM on the second floor. Everyone will have a chance to vote for their favorite chef in the People’s Choice category, which will be announced at the after party at The Dorrance.

Beyond the food fight, participants include Abyssinia, Ebisu, El Rancho Grande, Eye Cookies, Fertile Underground Grocery, Kabob and Curry, Los Andes, Olneyville New York System and Whole Foods Market. Bored with Four and Miss Wensday and the Cotillions will be performing on the second and third floors throughout the night. The Rhode Island Convention Center will set up two cash bars, and The Avenue Concept will oversee a graffiti wall for visitors to tag.

Check out I Heart Providence on Facebook and Twitter. Providence City Hall is located at 25 Dorrance Street.

On Saturday morning, February 23rd, join hundreds of climbers at One Financial Plaza for the Fight for Air Climb, benefiting the American Lung Association. When you register, you’ll get a bib and a pre-assigned start time for your race up the staircase to the 29th floor. The advance registration fee is $35, and on-site registration costs $50. All climbers must meet a $100 fundraising minimum.

This is a competitive race, with awards going to the top male/female climbers and firefighters, health professionals, and law enforcement officers. Make sure that you’re in good company! At the after-party at Ri-Ra Irish Pub, awards will be given to the largest team and the fastest team, cross fit team, law enforcement team and fire department team. After the fundraising deadline in March, awards will be given to the highest fundraising individual and highest fundraising team per capita as well.

Visit lung.org for more details about the climb!

(2012 photo: courtesy of the American Lung Association of the Northeast)

To buy tickets, visit providencebruins.com or call the Providence Bruins at (401) 273-5000. All-Star 2-Packs are $55 and $75 and include admission to both the 2013 Pepsi AHL All-Star Skills Competition at 7 PM on Sunday, January 27th and the 2013 AHL All-Star Game at 7 PM on Monday, January 28th. All-Star 4-Packs are $75 and $100 and include admission to the Skills Competition and the All-Star Game, along with the Post-Skills Party (at 9 PM on January 27th) at the Rhode Island Convention Center and the 2013 AHL Hall of Fame Induction & Awards Ceremony (at 11 AM on January 28th) at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium.

For more information, visit facebook.com/theahl.

Try it out! To receive your roundtrip MBTA tickets to Providence and parking validation at Wickford Junction, simply complete this form. You can redeem it at the RIPTA/Commuter Resource RI information table at the Wickford Junction Train station office between 4:30am and 3:30pm on any Wednesday throughout the length of the promotion. Please note that commuters who travel north of Providence must pay for their tickets, but they can receive free parking for the day. Wickford Wintertime Wednesdays are funded by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation through partnerships with Wickford Junction, RIAC, MBTA and RIPTA.

Visit wickfordjunction.com for a current train schedule and more information.

These designers will all be featured at StyleWeek Northeast at the Providence Biltmore from Sunday, January 27th through Saturday, February 2nd. Each night, enjoy the cocktail hour and accessory showcase, starting at 5:30 PM, followed by the runway shows at 7.

While each evening will be incredible, we’re most excited about “RED on the RUNWAY,” a night of fashion, fun and celebration in support of the American Heart Association on Monday, January 28th. To further the AHA’s mission of educating and fighting the effects of heart disease, survivors and community advocates will model unique red looks. Regular tickets are $40, and front row tickets are $60.

For more details, visit styleweeknortheast.com.