Officials and administrators in East Providence should be pleased with the recent earmarks approved in the Fiscal Year 2023-24 budget by the General Assembly and backed by the governor for use by the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank.

The monies allow the bank to partner with cities and towns around the state to complete local projects, to unlock hundreds of millions in federal funding for clean and drinking water projects across the state and to support the development of new affordable housing projects.

East Providence has been the beneficiary on numerous Infrastructure Bank grants in the past and is likely to seek some of the following allocations set out in the FY23-24 budget:

Municipal Infrastructure Grant Program (MIGP), $5.5 million – Originally created by the General Assembly in 2021, the MIGP has awarded $3.5 million in grant funding to 9 cities and towns across the state. This funding included in the FY23 supplemental budget is for the Bank to establish a Municipal Matching Grant Pool of funds to assist cities and towns in providing the local match for federal funding opportunities under the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

State matching funds for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, $28.5 million – Thanks to the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Rhode Island’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund are set to receive nearly $400 million in federal funding over the next several years. The $28.5 million included in the FY 2024 budget is the required state match to unlock a portion of these federal funds.

Support infrastructure necessary for affordable housing development, $4.3 million – Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank will work in coordination with the Rhode Island Department of Housing to provide funding to cities and towns to support the infrastructure necessary to support affordable housing development, such as road and utility infrastructure.
 
Drinking water grant
Earlier in June, the Infrastructure Bank closed on a $77.26 million Green Bond to support clean and drinking water projects across the state, with East Providence and its affiliates receiving significant shares.

In city, specifically, East Providence has been granted $2.5 million for water pollution abatement and resiliency improvements to Booth Avenue and Bold Point Park areas.

In addition, the Narragansett Bay Commission, which operates East Providence's Bucklin Point on Campbell Avenue in Rumford, gained access to $47.6 million for a project titled "Combined Sewer Overflow Phase III" for upgrades at its Fields Point Wastewater Treatment Facility on Ernest Street in Providence as well as other upgrade and replacement projects.

Also of note, Providence and the Providence Water Supply Board received $5.5 million for water distribution improvements including cleaning, relining, repair and replacement of water mains, transmission lines, service lines, and valves.

In total, the Infrastructure Bank received nearly $400 million in funding for projects like upgrading wastewater treatment plants, building new pump stations, installing new sewer mains, and repairing and replacing drinking water mains, transmission lines and service lines.

Stormwater grant
In addition, this past May, the Infrastructure Bank awarded $632,100 in Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grant Program funds for stormwater management projects to three municipalities, including East Providence.

The city's request focused on improvements to the grounds of the Agnes Hennessey Elementary School located on Fort Street. The grant is for $150,200.

The Hennessey School is surrounded by impervious surface with no stormwater management or shading from street trees. Stormwater from the school’s asphalt playground and parking areas currently runs off into the Providence River.

The grant money will allow for the installation of curb inlet planters, providing needed stormwater treatment while also providing green space and tree canopy to an otherwise all asphalt area. Ornamental trees, shrubs and grasses will also be planting with the goal of providing shade and reducing urban heat island effects.