EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The City of East Providence welcomed the community to the grand opening of Kent Heights Park on Saturday to celebrate the city’s extraordinary renovations to its newest community space.
“Our city’s investment in public spaces is something my administration is incredibly proud of,” Mayor Bob DaSilva said. “Kent Heights Park will be at the center of recreation for the residents of East Providence for decades to come and offers diverse amenities for all ages.”
“Every opportunity that I have had to visit the park, has brought me an immense amount of joy, this park is just another example of how East Providence is moving forward and continues to be a welcoming and inclusive community for all,” DaSilva added.
Some of the renovations and improvements to the park include the installation of:
• New pickleball courts
• Futsal court
• New dog parks
• Two new composting toilets
• New solar powered parking lot lighting
• New walkways
• Field and drainage improvements
• New American with Disabilities Act (ADA) playground equipment
• Two ADA tables
• New playground surface
• New benches
• Bike racks
• Resurfaced basketball and tennis courts and
The project leveraged funding through a $400,000 Department of Environmental Management (DEM) Grant, $200,000 from the City Capital Budget and $1.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds.
As part of the celebration, city and state leaders came together to cut the ribbon on the brand new state-of-the-art facility, while also employing several East Providence food trucks and bouncy houses for the community to come together as one and enjoy the new amenities.
The city was also able to make the park a greener space, incorporating 216 plantings of which include 141 trees, including 49 that were paid for by Rhode Island Energy. In addition, 66 woody shrubs were planted and 9 herbaceous colonizing plants, with the possibility of adding an additional 10 trees soon.
Johnson Landscaping, Inc. was hired to do the contractor performing, while landscape architecture was done by Alverson Landscape Architecture.
