North Smithfield is getting $350,000 from the state to address stormwater vulnerabilities at two of its most visible civic buildings, Pacheco Park and the North Smithfield Public Library. The money will fund new green infrastructure designed to keep runoff from damaging public property and the watershed that surrounds it in the historic village of Slatersville.
The grant comes from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, which announced on September 28 that it had awarded a total of $2,022,146 across eight statewide projects through its Climate Resilience Fund, according to The Valley Breeze. The statewide pot, funded through the voter-approved 2024 Green Bond, was split among five municipalities and three community organizations, per the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.
North Smithfield will use its share to design and build updated stormwater management systems at Pacheco Park and the library, incorporating localized green infrastructure meant to protect public buildings and the surrounding watershed. The town's award does come with a catch: RIDEM requires grant recipients to put up a local matching contribution equal to at least 25% of the total award amount, a rule that applies to every municipal and nonprofit applicant under the fund's criteria.
A Civic Complex Already Mid-Upgrade
Pacheco Park sits at 11 Main Street in Slatersville, sharing municipal grounds with Scouters Hall and the public library near the Branch River watershed, a layout documented by the Blackstone Heritage Corridor. The park was already in line for other work before this latest award arrived. Back in March, RIDEM gave North Smithfield a separate $500,000 Outdoor Recreation Grant for the site, covering a modernized ADA playground, a new walking path, a driveway entrance, and expanded parking, as NRI NOW reported at the time. Local plans have emphasized tying that improved parking and access into the same stormwater controls now funded by the resilience grant.
Severe Weather Swings Behind the Funding Push
State environmental officials pointed to a string of extreme weather events as the backdrop for the new round of grants. Rhode Island saw record snowfall in February, statewide drought conditions last spring, and above-average rainfall in July, a month NOAA declared the hottest on record nationally, according to RIDEM. Officials say those shifting conditions have driven up stormwater runoff and erosion concerns across the state.
Governor Dan McKee framed the funding as a broader resilience investment, saying the grants are about making communities stronger and more resilient. State officials say the Climate Resilience Fund awards are meant to help protect local infrastructure and better prepare communities for severe storms, flooding, and erosion.
Other Towns Share the Same Grant Cycle
North Smithfield wasn't the only community to benefit from this round. The Town of Cumberland received $275,000 for culvert replacement on West Sneech Brook, while the Bristol County Water Authority was awarded $350,000 to remove an asbestos-coated pipeline in Warren, per the same RIDEM announcement covered by EastBayRI.com. In neighboring Smithfield, the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council received $350,000 to install nature-based stormwater management and green infrastructure at Esmond Park, a project state officials say is aimed at mitigating downstream flooding in that watershed.
This is not the first time RIDEM has run this kind of matching grant program. In October 2024, the department awarded $1,140,515 in Climate Resilience Fund grants across five municipal and community projects, funded through the 2018 Green Economy Bond. Funding levels have since grown substantially following voter approval of the 2024 bond.
Pressure to Replenish the Fund
Following the September grant announcements, Governor McKee and RIDEM officials urged Rhode Island voters to approve a new Green Bond referendum on the November ballot, a measure meant to replenish state resilience and conservation funds. The Climate Resilience Fund was funded through the voter-approved 2024 Green Bond.
The Climate Resilience Fund grant process involves collaboration with the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank's Municipal Resilience Program.
