PAWTUCKET – Several years ago, in a “spirit of collaboration,” the city gifted a portion of sidewalk on Grand Avenue to Hasbro, for creation of overflow parking for employees.
District 2 Councilor Mark Wildenhain said the company had approached him prior to the pandemic and asked that the city give up the walkway, and wanting to be a partner with them, officials granted the request.
Now that the toy and gaming company is moving its headquarters to Boston, says Wildenhain, he’s requesting that Mayor Donald Grebien require Hasbro to place the sidewalk back the way it was and recognize that they owe it to the city and to children of the district to “put the safe pathway that the children use to walk to school back.”
Wildenhain, in an Oct. 16 letter to Grebien, said he wants the administration to forward the request to Hasbro and forward the company’s response by Dec. 9.
“I know that public safety has always been a priority for you. I thank you and look forward to your response,” he said.
Wildenhain told The Local Insider that the need for the overflow area disappeared somewhat when employees were staying home during COVID. He said he wasn’t going to ask for it back at the time, but when he saw Grebien’s announcement that the company was leaving by the end of the calendar year, he decided now is the time.
The councilman said he doesn’t want that area to end up being adopted as parking space by the next company that takes over Hasbro’s headquarters off Newport Avenue. He said the area sees a lot of student foot traffic with the schools nearby, and this will create a safer situation. Hasbro has done some improvements in the area for the city, as the city has done for the company, he said, but this seems like the appropriate time to return things to the way they were.
