East Bay communities recognized for economic development

East Bay towns were awarded $100,000 in grant money for their economic development projects.

Governor Donald L. Carcieri and the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation met with mayors, town managers, administrators, and town council members from Bristol, Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth, Tiverton, and Warren to recognize them for being awarded grants through the Office of Community Economic Development, the EDC said in a release.

The OCED, a component of the RIEDC, was created and funded by the General Assembly at Carcieri’s request in 2003. The OCED made a total of $375,000 available in 2005 to 20 cities and towns throughout the state to foster economic development projects. Financial assistance offered by the OCED is matched by local communities dollar for dollar.

Projects that received grants in the East Bay included:
•$20,000 to Bristol for the creation of a Visitor Center to promote and encourage tourism within their community;
•$10,00 to Middletown to implement a commercial development build-out plan and market feasibility analysis;
•$20,000 to Newport for the creation of digital mapping of the city to support the Statewide Internet Mapping System;

•$15,000 to Portsmouth for engineering and design services for the creation of a gateway and information facility at a key entrance to the town;
•$15,000 to Tiverton to develop a Design Standards Manual for Commercial Development to attract and encourage business development and major business renovation;
•$20,000 to Warren for redeveloping two marketable commercial parcel sites within the Harbor Marine Intermodal Center

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“During my first year in office, I recommended that we provide grants to local cities and towns to stimulate economic development throughout Rhode Island,” Carcieri said. “Today, we are providing $100,000 to six communities in the East Bay alone. These grants are about joining forces with local communities to fuel our economy, setting the foundation to create jobs, and enhancing Rhode Island’s competitive advantage. So that we can continue the good work we’ve started, I included another $375,000 for community development grants in my budget proposal for the next fiscal year.”

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