Avedisian unveils village sign program PDF Print E-mail
Signs meant to promote history, local significance of more than two dozen Warwick neighborhoods

Mayor Scott Avedisian will crisscross the city tomorrow through Sunday to announce and unveil a village sign program, aimed at celebrating the city’s history and promoting Warwick’s villages’ places in the community.

Last fall, Avedisian wrote to the city’s neighborhood associations, inviting them to participate in the initiative by providing 100-word descriptions of their villages. Each of the white, rectangular, metallic signs, measuring 2 feet by 4 feet, bears a standard masthead of the city seal with the logo, “Celebrating Warwick’s History/Preserving Its Heritage.”

The labor-intensive project was completed in-house by Department of Public Works’ crews, especially Dave Barber, with materials paid for through the city’s Department of Tourism, Culture and Development, whose budget is funded with hotel tax money, not taxpayer dollars.

“The neighborhood and village associations really responded well to this project, which gives us a low-cost way to celebrate Warwick’s rich heritage and to promote the many villages and historic areas that have played such a vital role in the development of our community,” Avedisian said. He said that once all signs are complete they will also be used as a resource for, and promoted by, the Tourism Department.

Avedisian also thanked participants for their patience, noting that the project was originally slated for completion this spring – work that was delayed in the aftermath of the March floods.

The schedule is as follows:

Tomorrow – Friday, September 10
10 a.m. – Bay Ridge – beach area on Beechwood Drive, off of Ives Road
10:30 a.m. – Potowomut, beach area at end of Ives Road
11 a.m. – Chepiwanoxet, corner of Chepiwanoxet Way and Post Road (heading toward East Greenwich on left hand side, after intersection with Cowesett and Post roads)
11:30 a.m. – East Natick, on East Avenue near the bike path
Noon – Apponaug, near Gorton’s Pond on Greenwood side

1:30 p.m. – Nausauket, corner of Long Street and Nausauket Road
2 p.m. – Warwick Neck (two signs), at cove and at bus turnaround
2:30 – Lakewood


Saturday, September 11
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Gaspee Point/Gaspee/Governor Francis/Pawtuxet Village/Aspray Boathouse areas
12:30 p.m. – Norwood – near gazebo
1:30 p.m. – Highland Beach, at intersection of Palmer and Priscilla Avenues, at the John DelGiudice Field


Sunday, September 12
1:15 p.m. – Riverview, at end of Lippitt Avenue


Other villages/neighborhoods that will have signs installed within the next several weeks include Pontiac, Oakland Beach, Conimicut and Cowesett.