Rep. Urban, named as a Task Force Board

member on grant applications thought the

Westerly-Pawcatuck Joint Development

Task Force was defunct. She was unaware

her name had been used, and had not been

contacted in years by the Task Force. The

legislator, “disturbed immensely”

immediately resigned upon learning of this

issue.

The Task Force Treasurer, listed on grant

applications, has made a correction to the

paper stating he is not their Treasurer or

Board member. This is the 2nd of 5 listed

“board members” clarifying they had no

involvement.

Every local state official, town official,

DBA representative, and Chamber

representative was led to believe the Task

Force was defunct for years.

There has been no Task Force collaboration

or communication with local Town or state

leaders, business groups, or arts groups. This

is in complete contrast to what was stated on

the Task Force website.

No Task Force public meetings have been

held in recent years. It had been their

practice to hold them monthly. Their web

site stated they held them monthly.

Not a single Task Force Board meeting has

been held in recent years. Not standard

practice for an IRS approved non-profit

Newsletter May 2011 www.westerlychamber.org info@westerlychamber.org 401.596.7761

INSIDE - Business After Hours

- Where Was the Task Force?

- New Members

- Member News

Expenditures have been made for several

years without a Board vote of approval of

finances. Not standard practice for an IRS

approved non-profit

Without a Board meeting or vote, grants

were written for a Library computer,

Library room rentals, resume seminars, a

Task Force Manager, and Library

subscriptions to mutual fund publications.

Not 1 of those funded projects is listed on

the Task Force 20 Point Action Plan.

There are no meeting minutes for several

years. Not standard practice for IRS

approved non-profits.

In 6 years, there has been no progress on the

20 Point Action Plan by the Task Force.

Other groups such as the DBA and Chamber

of Commerce have tackled some items with

no participation, financially or otherwise,

from the Task Force that watched in silence.

The Task Force website was not updated for

6 years. It listed a phone that was

disconnected and touted progress and

partnerships that did not exist.

In summary, there is a total lack of

transparency in the use of public funding.

While an audit is a small step in the right

direction, it does not excuse that these grants

were obtained by what some might

characterize as a “misrepresentation of the

Board”, and with disregard to the Task

Force Action Plan and mission. It does not

excuse the fact that projects that received

funding are still not complete, such as book

that‟s been six years in the making. It does

not excuse a complete lack of participation

downtown over 6 years. The Chamber and

DBA believe that any RI EDC funds should

be re-allocated from the WPJDTF so that the

Town of Westerly Economic Development

Committee can provide oversight,

transparency and expenditure approval.

Chamber, DBA & Towns

Fund Wayfinding Signs

Item #13 on the Westerly Pawcatuck

Joint Development Task Force Action

Plan, page 15 “Gateways and Signage.

Install attractive gateway signs”

Mission completed. Not by the Task Force,

but by the DBA, Chamber and Towns of

Stonington and Westerly.

After several months of planning,

fundraising and design input, there are

beautiful new wayfinding signs erected in

our historic downtown. Three are placed in

Westerly and the 4th will be placed in

Pawcatuck later this month.

Grand Opening! Miss Gina’s Produce

Outlet, Spindrift Village, 271 Post Rd, Westerly

Chamber and DBA to Task Force:

“6 Years, $70,000+ funds, Zero Done for

Downtown Revitalization”

Trolley talks were taking place amongst all of the Town‟s business

groups. The Trolley is one of the 20

items listed as a priority o the Task Force

Plan.

Businesses needed help with facade

improvements and signage.

Business Owners/residents were

parking overtime on streets. Some

people were parking on High and Canal

and Broad for 4- 6 hours a day, and

doing it on a regular basis. The DBA

and Chamber collaborated on a Friendly

Ticket program to raise awareness of the

problem and encourage people to use

designated lots, rather than take valuable

customer parking. The Chamber funded

the flyers and the cost of paying an

employee to monitor the spaces and

make a report to the police about

habitual offenders.

Creating Events to Stimulate

Economy was needed- (2010)

Businesses lamented about the lack of

retail activity downtown and the

desperate need for more promotions to

draw people into the business district.

Two new downtown special events were

introduced and had a huge impact on

downtown sales- the Restaurant Week

and the Jingle Bell Holiday Shop Crawl.

Perhaps funds could have been used to

support those programs.

The Flood of April 2010 hit and our

downtown was paralyzed. Some

businesses were damaged, others forced

closed by the municipality. Commerce

was at a screeching halt. The Chamber

raised $73,000 and awarded grants to

them. The Chamber gave free

membership, and secured free ads in The

Resident, Day and So RI for flood

victims.

Streetscape Improvements-Signage was

Needed (Dec 2010) - Downtown

wayfinding signage was spearheaded by

the DBA, Chamber and Towns of

Pawcatuck and Stonington. The Chamber

and DBA secured quotes, worked on the

design, raised and committed funds for

this project.

Empty Storefronts were everywhere! - (May 2010) Promoting economic

development and enhancing the retail mix

downtown is supposed to be a priority of

the Task Force. The sluggish economy

has taken a major toll on downtown. We

have a high number of empty storefronts

and several businesses closed their doors

in late 2009-2010. Efforts to recruit new

businesses have been stepped up

significantly by the Chamber of

Commerce. Over $8,000 was spent on a

marketing campaign to lure businesses

downtown last year. Ads ran in 4

publications and featured photos of

downtown business owners and touted the

many reasons why a business should

establish downtown.

The DBA continued to produce the

Summer Solstice, an event it inherited

from the Task Force when it went

“dormant”.

The Post Office parking lot was a

major issue- 2011. When the lot

converted to a paid lot, a major division

took place downtown. People boycotted

the lot, a great amount of negative

publicity was generated, store owners

were at odds. Solutions needed to be

sought, collaboration was necessary.

Collaboration was Lacking At

Downtown Meetings – A Task Force

representative did not attend a single

DBA, Chamber or Town meeting, and did

not initiate communication on anything

related to downtown.

Helping New Businesses was needed- A

Task Force representative did not attend a

single ribbon cutting ceremony. There

have been no workshops on marketing,

creating an attractive window display, or

any other assistance provided to a new

business.

A Civic Tourism Lab was held in

Downtown (2008) - Representatives from

the arts, business, landlords, etc came

together to discuss downtown issues and

try and identify solutions. This 4 hour

long program brought in planners,

economic development specialists,

marketing and events specialists and town

leaders from all over the country to study

downtown.

Supporting the Arts District was

needed- Nobody from the Task Force

helped with the relocation of the Artists

Cooperative Gallery in 2010 or promotion

of their offerings, or promotion of any

Arts Stroll/the Arts District for 6 years.

Stated on the Task Force website that was up from 2004 until taken down 4-17-11 after criticism.

“We are the group taking the lead, with the towns of Westerly and Stonington, on infrastructure improvements such as the streetscape

improvements, and the River Walk. We assist with downtown property and business owners with sign and façade improvements. We

work on historically appropriate revitalization efforts and we use our resources to draw people downtown.”

Chamber and DBA position on this promotion of the Task Force: In 6 years they have done nothing to draw people downtown.

They have not participated in any streetscape improvements, have never reached out to downtown business owners and have done

nothing to help with facade improvements. The Chamber and DBA publicly ask the following:

Where was the Westerly-Pawcatuck Joint Development Task Force When……?

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Buckley Heating & Cooling and

Belmont Market Announce “Heat

and Eat” Campaign to Benefit the

Jonnycake Center of Peace Dale.

Federal research shows that while all

families increase their expenditures on home

heating fuel during the winter, low-income

families offset this cost by decreasing food

purchases. In response, Buckley Heating &

Cooling and Belmont Market are partnering

in a new “Heat and Eat” Campaign to

benefit the Jonnycake Center of Peace Dale

and increase awareness of its efforts to

create hunger-free communities. The

campaign will award a minimum of 25 new

automatic delivery fuel customers a $25

Belmont Market Gift Card. A matching gift

card will be donated to the Jonnycake

Center of Peace Dale. Buckley Heating &

Cooling Fuel Sales Representative Steve

Maciel, who also runs the non-profit End

Congratulations to Casa Della Luce for

winning the Chowder Cook Off for the

Rotary Club of Westerly. Their chowder

was sampled by hundreds of guests who

voted them tops among 20 local restaurants.

Stop by the restaurant today and sample

some for yourself!

CCI Computer Centers

On-site Computer Support

38 West Broad Street

Pawcatuck, CT 06379

860-599-1947

Waste

Management of

Rhode Island

Commercial Trash Services

(800) 955-0518

Benevides &

Turano LLC,

CPAs and Business

Advisors

85 Beach Street

Westerly, RI

401-596-9797

A $4,000 award from the Dime Bank

Foundation helped the Westerly Senior

Citizens Center purchase 200 multi-purpose

stack chairs used in the Senior Center

cafeteria. The cafeteria is used not only for a

daily meal site, but also for numerous

daytime Senior Center activities and

programs, as well as daily socialization. The

room also acts as a waiting area for health

clinics, hosts weekly senior meetings, and

accommodates larger programs and lectures.

The center is also designated as the area‟s

emergency shelter.

The Dinosaur Place at Nature’s Art in

Salem is celebrating the start of its 10th

anniversary season! Check them out on line

to see all of their special activities and

events, and friend them on Facebook.

NewportFed has donated $500 to the

Westerly Public Schools. This donation will

enhance the fund that is being developed to

support the building of a play area for the 3

and 4 year old children that attend the

Westerly High School Child Development

Program.

Melissa Ashley Brides is celebrating its

10th Anniversary in downtown Westerly.

Congratulations to Denise Marcey

Pellegrino and her staff who have built a

reputation for unparalleled personal service.

The store features a wide array of designer

bridal gowns in all price ranges, along with

bridesmaid dresses, shoes, mother-of-the-

bride attire, special occasion dresses,

headpieces, jewelry and more. Visit them at

32 High Street in historic downtown

Westerly. www.melissaashley.com

Charter Oak Federal Credit Union,

headquartered in Groton, CT, was recently

honored with a Merit Award for its

outstanding community efforts and

marketing achievements in the credit union

industry.

The award was presented by the Credit

Union National Association (CUNA)

Marketing and Business Development

Council, a national network comprised of

nearly 1,000 credit union marketing and

business development professionals. Awards

are given in each of 33 categories ranging

from advertising to community events and

beyond.

Proposed Ordinances That

May Affect Your Business

A proposal prohibiting skateboards on

commercial property downtown is in the

work in Westerly. The Code Review

Committee will bring that forward soon. A

proposal to eliminate street vendors and

force them to apply for participation in an

event through the event organizers is being

considered by the Town Council at time of

this newsletter printing.

MEMBER NEWS

N E W M E M B E R S

Donna’s Cucina

5 Coggswell Street

Pawcatuck, CT 06379

860-495-5577

Donna Kirby-Reynolds Donna and her staff are committed to

serving you American and Italian comfort

foods using the finest, freshest local

ingredients and a healthy cooking style.

Quiet location with a relaxed, quaint,

atmosphere for casual dining. Daily

Specials. Watch for our summer Thursday

and Friday evening dining hours with

„Special Menu Selections‟

Enjoy a Special Treat - Let Donna be your

Private Chef and enjoy the atmosphere of

her kitchen and the privacy of a dining

experience especially reserved for you and

your Guests. Served Buffet, Family Style,

or ala Carte. Let us help you plan your

event! Hours: Wed - Fri: 6:30 am to 2:00

pm Sat & Sun: 7:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Takeout Available. Off street parking. For

any of your catering needs, contact the

restaurant for an appointment with Catering

Services Manager, Richard Gingerella.

Marilyn’s Bookkeeping Service

PO Box 1633

Pawcatuck, CT 06379

860-908-1600

Marilyn Lesniewski Marilyn‟s Bookkeeping Service is an on-site

or off-site service and offers either personal

or business bookkeeping. Personal

bookkeeping includes bill paying, bank

reconciliation, personal correspondence, and

miscellaneous paperwork. Business

bookkeeping/quick books pro includes

accounts receivables, accounts payables,

monthly bank reconciliation, payroll, payroll

reports, payroll taxes, and financial reports.

I offer personal and confidential service for

all your bookkeeping needs.

Kennel Cushions, LLC

253 Grindstone Hill Road

N. Stonington, CT 06359

860-514-5151

www.kennelcushions.com

Margaret Warfield

The business was formed after a top breeder

of mastiffs asked if we could manufacture,

durable, water resistant cushions for use in

her mastiff kennel. Using materials used in

school gymnasiums, we designed a 2" thick

polyurethane foam pet cushion, covered

with a heavy gauge vinyl and stitched with a

nylon reinforced stitching.

Kennel Cushions are non-toxic, rugged,

water resistant and are easily disinfected.

They do not hold odors, and never require

laundering. Kennel Cushions provide

support for muscles and joints, and are ideal

for preventing hygroma. Our Cushions are

highly recommended by veterinarians,

breeders, professional dog trainers and pet

owners alike.

We offer Cushions in standard sizes to fit

most crates, as well as custom sizes for your

vehicle, home, RV or kennel. Our cushions

are proudly made in North Stonington, CT

and offer a 1 year warranty on workmanship

& materials.

Ten Sandwich Shop

1 Commerce Street

Westerly, RI 02891

401-322-0281

Paul Fazio

Ten Sandwiches in downtown Westerly, RI

is a specialty sandwich shop whose relaxed

and welcoming atmosphere is complimented

by their simple, straightforward menu

design. Westerly natives, Padraic and Paul

Fazio, had a vision for a neighborhood café

that focused on fresh, high quality

ingredients that only local small farmers and

artisans could provide. Their menu consists

of 10 creative sandwiches that change with

the seasonal availability of local ingredients.

Breakfast sandwiches, fair trade organic

coffee and tea, along with homemade soups

and baked goods are offered along with a

carefully selected craft beer and wine menu.

At Ten Sandwiches you can enjoy a

sandwich with a glass of wine or sip a coffee

and surf the web. Visit them at 7 Commerce

Street in downtown Westerly, RI (across

from the Westerly Sun Building) and friend

them on Facebook!

Hunter Ridge

40 Collins Rd

Ashaway, RI 02804

401-499-3718

Wendy Brayman After a two year hiatus, Wendy Brayman

and Hunter Ridge are back in Rhode Island

at a new facility in Ashaway. Hunter Ridge

is open to all levels of equestrian interests

and competitive levels. While there are a

number of children and adults competing at

rated and local shows, we also train

beginners in basic horsemanship and equine

care. Horses have excellent full care, which

include turn out, schooling, and personalized

programs to meet the needs of each horse.

During the summer we offer equestrian

camp, open to all levels and abilities, with

school horses available. We look forward to

seeing you at our new location. Any

questions? Call Wendy at 401-499-3718.

On Friday, May 6, 2011, the Mystic

Seaport: The Museum of America and the

Sea will host over 300 U.S. travel, tourism

and hospitality industry professionals from

around the country. They will join forces

for a one-day, major “give back” initiative to

help revitalize the nation‟s leading maritime

museum. The participants will volunteer

their labor for the day to address a wide-

range of deferred maintenance projects

around the grounds to enhance the visitor

experience.

The Tourism Cares Volunteer Project

Program is internationally recognized as the

most innovative “give back” program in the

travel industry. 2011 marks the 9th

consecutive year of this highly successful

nonprofit program. Previous Tourism Cares

Volunteer projects include Angel Island

(California), Ellis Island (New York), St.

Louis Cemetery in New Orleans

(Louisiana), and Spangler Farm in

Gettysburg (Pennsylvania).

Teams of volunteers will roll up their

sleeves and provide valuable hands-on

assistance with restoration and preservation

needs for Mystic Seaport including:

Applying a water-based preservative to the

Charles W. Morgan, the Museum‟s 1841

whale ship.

-Painting the hull of the 1882 ship Joseph

Conrad.

-Cleaning, painting, and otherwise “sprucing

up” the public areas of the Museum.

The Museum will be closed to visitors for

the day.

Pawcatuck Resident Letter to Chamber

Director Lisa Konicki on 4-25-11

“I just wanted to say, as a resident of

Westerly-Pawcatuck (I live on Mechanic

Street and moved there specifically because

I loved the neighborhoods) it is really

heartening to read about the way you

advocate for our area. (I read The Sun as

well as The Day) I don’t think people know

how few vibrant downtowns there are like

that left. And I really hope the trolley

happens! Anyway, every time I see your

name in a news story, I think “You go girl!”

Faye Trafford, Pawcatuck, CT

“This was a wonderful note to receive,

especially having never met Ms. Trafford”

said Konicki.

Jamie Silvestri of NAPA Auto

Parts to Receive SBA Award

Congratulations to Jamie Silvestri of NAPA

Auto Parts who will be receiving an SBA

Award for Small Business Disaster

Recovery. Jamie will fly to Washington in

May to receive this national award.

Silvestri, lost the entire inventory from his

Canal Street business and relocated to

Franklin Street. A volunteer fireman, he

pumped water from resident‟s cellars and

served as a fire department liaison for the

Town‟s emergency management operations

center.

NAPA received a $3,600 boost from The

Chamber‟s Jump Start Small Business

Recovery Program last Spring. It was one

of 22 businesses that received outright

grants thanks to the Town of Westerly, The

Chamber and donations by local businesses.

Tourism Cares for Mystic Seaport Volunteer Project

Scenes From Business After Hours

Business After Hours at Chamber Easter

Egg Hunt in

Wilcox Park

Community-Wide Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon