NORTH SMITHFIELD — Local elections and the decisions residents make on their leaders have lasting impacts on how a town looks and operates, and North Smithfield voters put their stamp
NORTH SMITHFIELD – The North Smithfield School Committee and Town Council held a special forum on Monday to discuss the idea of new solar canopies being installed at North Smithfield
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4/14/2021
Mowry Fire Tower in need of ‘TLC’
Town officials last week allocated funds for the restoration of the Mowry Fire Tower, pictured here off Woonsocket Hill Road. The tower was built in 1956.
NORTH SMITHFIELD – The tower that stands in the woods off Woonsocket Hill Road might not look like much these days, but it has a long role in the state’s firefighting history.
Peter Branconnier, who visits the site regularly in his capacity as director of the North Smithfield Emergency Management Agency, said the steel structure is tagged with graffiti and the woods around it are torn up with makeshift ATV trails. The chain link fence around the tower, he said, is often cut from people trying to sneak up into the cabin at the top.
NORTH SMITHFIELD – A series of appointments to town boards and commissions is renewing the debate about transparency and whether town government is accessible to the majority of residents.
On Jan. 19, members of the Town Council and Town Administrator Paul Zwolenski announced their appointments to a dozen boards and committees during a meeting in town hall. The appointments ranged from little-known advisory boards to groups that have significant influence in town affairs, such as the Planning Board and Budget Commission.
Most of the appointments passed with little discussion, with only one person, Planning Board member Jeffrey Porter, taking the opportunity to come forward during the public comment portion of the meeting and make his case for reappointment.