NORTH PROVIDENCE – Justin Conrad says it was about three weeks ago when he went with his son to Millar-Waite-Evans Memorial Park on Smith Street and found the lights on the basketball courts weren’t on. It was around 8:05 p.m.
That discovery led to weeks of back-and-forth with town officials, Conrad said, and after initially being told that the town would be putting the lights on a timer, it’s now been made clear to him that the lights aren’t going back on at all.
Conrad, who runs a local charity basketball game each year and is active in youth sports, says after not hearing back from Mayor Charlie Lombardi in response to his two requests, he approached the mayor at National Night Out this week and asked if he might schedule a time in the next couple of weeks to talk to him. Lombardi, he said, walked away and told him as he was leaving that the lights weren’t going back on.
From what he’s been told, said Conrad, officials aren’t happy with some instances of trash being left behind and teens using e-bikes in the park, but he said those aren’t valid reasons for the town not to maintain the park for people to use. There are no signs telling people to clean up after themselves, or to not use bikes, or to not vape, he said, leaving the town with no recourse when those things do happen.
“It’s just not acceptable to keep the lights off,” he said, and it’s also not OK that the lights are only going on when Joe Nickerson and the Summer Basketball League uses the courts for a couple of nights.
Conrad said Recreation Director Bobby Machado initially told him they were good to go for a timer on the lights, but Machado later retracted that and said the mayor doesn’t want the lights on.
Lombardi said the lights go on when the summer league is happening, but outside of those times, he wants to know who’s going to be using the courts and how many people will be there. Perhaps, the mayor said, some type of survey should be done to gauge interest.
As for his interaction with Conrad at National Night Out, Lombardi said he was “busting his balls” telling Conrad that he wasn’t going to turn the lights back on, and he’s happy to speak with him.
Lombardi said the police chief is taking a look at this issue now and they’re in conversations about some type of solution. He said there’s going to be a police substation added to the property.
“If it can be worked out, it will be,” Lombardi said, but insisted that they’re not just going to give the key to turn on the lights to anyone. He said he’s having conversations with Director of Communications and Technology Ralph Nahigian about a timer system, and that could be the solution.
Conrad said he’s fed up with what he sees as patterns of dismissing young people as troublemakers and only going halfway or not at all when it comes to recreation and athletic facilities in North Providence. He said the pattern could be seen back when the North Providence Jets practice facilities were disrupted without notice, all the way to when plans for Coletti Farm athletic fields were upended and all they ended up with little more than a sledding hill and picnic area. There are also still no lights at the Ricci School track, where people could go for walks well into the fall and feel safe if they were on, said Conrad.
“I’m just tired of it,” he said of the town’s approach. “What is the issue with lights?”
Conrad said he doesn’t believe that a substation will ever come to Evans Park, and it shouldn’t take that for the park to be open for use. If officials put up a camera and police stop in for a couple minutes to say hi each evening, it will go a long way toward preventing issues, he said.
“There’s no need to wait for a substation to be there to have kids play there,” he said.
Conrad said he’s thankful that Nickerson brought back summer basketball, but the lights should be on every night.
“Why do we have a court with lights that work and do not get turned on for the kids to use?” he said.
A 9 p.m. shutoff time, as Lombardi has mentioned as supporting, is totally reasonable, said Conrad, especially as clocks change. He said it’s important to keep youth busy and playing to keep them out of trouble.
The mayor will say youth leave trash, but that happens during the daytime as well and the town’s wonderful DPW will always keep the parks clean, Conrad said.
“Let’s come together and develop a plan, and the solution should never be less for our kids,” he said.
