Providence Sustainability Commission votes to oppose using community benefits money for scholarships

“What I've been hearing in the community is that folks are interested in having these funds go to directly impact the health outcomes."

Under the 30-year lease agreement struck between the City of Providence and ProvPort over a year ago, annual payments of no less than $120k are to be paid by ProvPort into a “Community Benefits Reserve Account.” Community Benefits are defined as benefits including, but not limited to, racial and environmental justice, economic and environmental impact, labor, job training, port/neighborhood relations, parks, and recreation infrastructure as provided in the Master Plan. [The Master Plan is still being put together.]

The presence of ProvPort is a burden on residents of Ward 10 and 11 in terms of health, property values, environmental concerns, housing values, and more, and the payments are a way of mitigating those burdens.

Of that money, $25k will be distributed to the Ward 10 Councilmember to be spent at their discretion. Presently that Councilmember is Pedro Espinal. The rest of the money, $95k, is to be used by the City of Providence's Board of Park Commissioners for community benefits projects for immediately impacted communities in Ward 10 and 11.

This isn't the only trough of money being paid to the City by ProvPort. The Providence Sustainability Commission will be getting at least $120k for environmental and sustainability projects related to ProvPort.

At a meeting of the Providence Sustainability Committee on Monday evening, there was discussion about legislation presented to the City Councilmembers Espinal and Mary Kay Harris (Ward 11) to radically alter the way the Community Benefits Reserve Account would be administered. Instead of being used to benefit the community in terms of racial and environmental justice, economic and environmental impact, labor, job training, port/neighborhood relations, parks, and recreation infrastructure, the two councilmembers are proposing to commit most of the money, $100k, to a scholarship program for kids who go to one of the three (soon possibly to be two) high schools located in Wards 10 and 11.

Councilmembers Espinal and Harris presented the plan at a Friday evening community meeting at the John Rollins Rec Center on Ocean Street mostly attended by schoolchildren. It was a strange meeting.

At the Providence Sustainability Commission meeting, Chair Julian Drix introduced the topic of the proposed scholarship program to discuss whether it would be worthwhile “to weigh in as a commission” and “vote to make some sort of a comment” to the Providence City Council Finance Committee, which is where the ordinance is currently heading for discussion and possible passage.

“This is something that the Administration is monitoring closely, and I think there are concerns from within the Administration and from the community about the proposal,” said Priscilla De La Cruz, Mayor Brett Smiley's Director of Sustainability. “It's not in the spirit of what's in the ordinance. And [these payments are] something that [was the product of] such a robust process.”

“My understanding is that it would be a college scholarship fund for high school students for a few high schools that are in the Ward 10, Ward 11 area, up to $5,000,” explained Chair Drix. “From what I saw it didn't have anything, other than them being students in the schools in the port area, about how this would be tied to improvements in the port. It wasn't [for] education related to environmental science... My initial read is that it felt like it was an individual benefit [and that is] not the same thing as a community benefit.

“And while college is a very expensive thing, $5,000 doesn't go a long way compared to the cost of college. Of course, everyone could use $5,000 for various things and that would be some benefit to those people. But to me, community benefit is about benefiting the community more broadly, especially when these resources are pretty limited. [We need to] make sure that they're tied to what gives the greatest benefit to the greatest amount in the community rather than it to individuals.”

“What I've been hearing in the community is that folks are interested in having these funds go to directly impact the health outcomes,” said Vatic Kuumba, Vice Chair of the Commission. “I think people are interested in education and what that could mean, but the $5,000 going towards an individual scholarship that is not connected to eco job training or anything directly connected to the south side of Providence is not what folks are interested in.”

“I'll put a third on that sentiment... I think health outcomes are really important,” said committee member Chandelle Wilson. “Access to medication is part of that. There are other ways that that money could be used [that are] more beneficial. Having people decide which individual gets what is problematic...

“[We could be building] better green infrastructure in that area. Think about native, medicinal plants that could take up those nooks and crannies and education about how to use those plants... All kinds of stuff that would just better support the health of the community.

“That's why community engagement is so critical, right? Hearing from the community about what the community needs and also knowing that needs change so [we're] not locking into something for 30 years...”

In the end, the Providence Sustainability Commission voted unanimously to share their concerns about altering the way the Community Benefits Reserve Account would be utilized with the Finance Committee, essentially coming out against the proposal. The Finance Committee has yet to schedule the bill for a hearing.