[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19115]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         COMMENDING MAYOR JAMES DOYLE AND THE CITY OF PAWTUCKET

 Mr. REED. Mr. President, I commend Mayor James Doyle and the 
city of Pawtucket, RI for being recognized by the United States 
Conference of Mayors Best Small Business Practices 2003. This public-
private partnership between the Conference of Mayors and American 
Management Services identifies outstanding programs and initiatives 
that successfully promote business development.
  Over the past few years, as Rhode Island has witnessed a decline in 
manufacturing, cities throughout the State have increasingly been left 
with unused plants and mills. This trend has been especially apparent 
in Pawtucket, a city that had been a symbol of manufacturing and 
industrial innovation ever since Samuel Slater successfully built 
cotton spinning machines at Slater Mill in 1793. For the next 200 
years, Pawtucket was home to a thriving textile industry and machines 
and ironworking shops, but from 1991 to 2001, over 3,000 manufacturing 
jobs were lost.
  Drawing on Pawtucket's rich history as a home to artists, Mayor Doyle 
reached out to the artist community and embraced an innovative solution 
to these emptied mills that once were the engines of growth for 
Pawtucket. City leaders and Mayor Doyle worked to create the largest 
arts and entertainment district in Rhode Island, and, although it 
typically takes a decade or more for cities to see tangible results 
from these districts, Pawtucket is already enjoying its benefits. Five 
mill properties have been sold to artists for commercial and live-work 
lofts, and 122 artists rent eight mill properties, filling 117,000 
square feet of previously empty space.
  The burgeoning arts district is also expected to improve quality of 
life and raise property values. Indeed, according to Department of 
Commerce models of economic multipliers, the city of Pawtucket has 
estimated that two new jobs will be generated for every three new 
artists who move into the district.
  The United States Conference of Mayors' recognition of this 
initiative establishes in name what was already becoming known about 
Pawtucket. Through visionary leadership, the city is a leader in 
changing with the times and setting itself up for future success.
  Mayor Doyle has always been a strong advocate for the arts, and his 
determination and belief in this initiative is perhaps best 
encapsulated when he stated: ``Some say a picture is worth a thousand 
words. But here in our city we know that it's worth a lot more. Combine 
this picture with pieces of one-of-a-kind artwork sold citywide from 
local studios and galleries--small businesses--and you create a 
powerful economic engine that can totally transform a City.'' I agree 
wholeheartedly with Mayor Doyle, and commend him and the people of 
Pawtucket for their forward thinking and commitment to innovation and 
the arts.

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