Since the tiny shingled Oliphant School house was first erected in 1882, the busy corner of Oliphant Lane and West Main Road has long upheld the tradition of seeking high standards for public education in the Town of Middletown.
Today the Middletown Public School district sits adjacent to the historic schoolhouse, inhabiting the former Oliphant Elementary School next door along with the Newport County Regional Special Education Program.
With a budget of roughly $35 million, the Middletown Public School district serves just under 2,500 students and demonstrates a 95 percent graduation rate from Middletown High School.
The Middletown Public Schools District is managed by a Superintendent while local governance is overseen by the Middletown Public Schools School Committee.
The district includes 4 schools: Middletown High School, a comprehensive 9 - 12 high school; J.H. Gaudet Middle School, a 5 - 8 middle school comprised of 2 teams per grade level; The Learning Academy located at Gaudet School, which serves Grade 4; And Aquidneck and Forest Ave elementary schools that house Grades Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 3.
In total, the district has approximately 200 teachers and 60 clerks, custodians and teacher assistants.
Food services are provided by Chartwells, 0ffering a comprehensive nutritional approach to the health and well-being of the students.
For more information about the Middletown Public School district, visit http://www.mpsri.net/
Local school report cards are available at: http://www.mpsri.net/page.cfm?p=1489
School Committee meeting schedules are available at: http://www.mpsri.net/page.cfm?p=883
District email: [email protected]
The Public Works Department maintains town roads and other facilities such as ball fields, administers building inspections, oversees trash and recycling collection and runs the town transfer station on Crompton Avenue. It also runs the solid waste collection program.
Founded in 1731, the Town of Smithfield originally included the surrounding communities that are now North Smithfield and Lincoln.
Named after Smithfield, London, England, the town includes the villages of Esmond, Georgiaville, Greenville, Mountaindale, Stillwater, and Hanton City.
[Source: Wikipedia.]
Smithfield Town Hall is located at 64 Farnum Pike (Rt. 104). Housed inside town hall are the offices of:
- Town Manager
- Town Council
- Town Clerk/Board of Canvassers
- Tax Assessor
- Tax Collector
- Town Planner
- Affordable Housing
- Building and Zoning
- Economic Development
- Finance
- Historic Preservation
- Human Resources
- Planning Board
- Water Supply Board
Other town departments include:
- Emergency Management
215 Pleasant View Avenue, Smithfield , RI 02917 - Public Works/Recycling
3 Spragueville Road, Smithfield, RI 02917 [Forward mail to Town Hall.] - Senior Center/Welfare & Food Bank
1 William J. Hawkins, Jr. Trail, Smithfield, RI 02828
[Click the links to visit the websites for these departments.]
Linda H. James serves as town clerk. James is in her 28th year as either deputy town clerk or town clerk. She was appointed by the town manager and also serves as clerk of the town council, annual financial town meeting, probate court and board of canvassers and is the recorder of deeds. Her department is responsible for all vital public records, including birth, marriage and death certificates: agendas and minutes for the town council and other boards and commissions; voter registration lists; elections and candidates forms; property records; hunting, fishing and animal licenses; permits for liquor, victualling and entertainment. Three other clerks assist James. The office also serves as the primary information center and traffic cop for visitors to Town Hall.
"A celebration of life."
Whether participating in dance, Tai Chi, cards, bingo, or shaking it to Zumba -- the latest Latin aerobic dance craze, Middletown Senior Center members have proven this is less a feel-good slogan on the sign out front, but more a motto to live by.
Located at 650 Green End Avenue, the Middletown Senior Center brings seniors together for good company, along with a daily nutritious and low-cost or free lunch, AARP seminars and other guest speakers, competitive card play, gardening, art and photography classes, exercise groups, organized trips, and more.
And on some mornings, there's virtual bowling on the Wii, recently proven to yield various beneficial affects on seniors, according to one recent UC Davis study.
Health & wellness classes, visiting nurses services, driver education, financial planning seminars and more round out the offerings.
The facility, renovated in 1990 from the old Berkeley School, includes A main hall for dining and activities, library and sitting area, outdoor serenity garden and vegetable garden, computer lab, billiard room, card room, and state-of-the-art kitchen.
Additionally, a Gift Shop is open Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm.
For more information, a monthly menu, and a detailed events calendar, please visit: http://www.middletownri.com/senior/index.php
General, primary and special elections for Middletown's seven-member Town Council, five-member School Committee and other elected officials are overseen by the Town Clerk, Canvassing Authority and Canvassing Board. The Town Clerk's office also processes Voter Registration.
At the heart of South Kingstown's volunteer fire service is the Union Fire District Administration Building. The sprawling complex on Asa Pond Road houses the offices of the Union Fire District Chief and deputy Chiefs, meeting and classrooms used by firefighters and the UFD Board of Wardens, conference rooms, the office of the UFD clerk and the town's tax assessor and tax collector offices.
The ground floor of the building houses a gym and a storage area. Behind the administration building is the district's training facility, the largest permanent training facility of its kind in Rhode Island. Also on the campus is the UFD maintenance garage.
The historic South Kingstown Town Hall Sits atop High Street and acts as the town's hub. Built in 1877, the building has received a face-lift in the last 30 years. The hall is home to a large portion of the town's government offices and hosts town meetings nearly every night of the week.
Also located on the grounds of the town hall is St. Francis cemetery, one of South Kingstown's more than 200 historic burial grounds.
Middletown's official record-keeper stores, maintains and provides access to the town's official documents, including the town charter, and oversees the information and general day-to-day business, services and information flow between elected government officials, town employees, committees and commissions and taxpayers.
Public information requests, board and committee applications, marriage licenses, dog licenses, birth and death records, voter information and special event permit applications are among those services overseen by the Middletown Town Clerk.
The offices of town treasurer Julie Goucher and deputy treasurer Gary Marshall are located in the Bristol Town Hall on Court Street. The town treasurer's department is responsible for the town finances, records and payment. The treasurer also handles payroll for town employees and is in charge of collecting town taxes.
The Rhode Island Lottery Commission oversees the state's lottery system. Established in 1974, the commission is the largest voluntary revenue source for the state, providing hundreds of millions in annual revenue that goes into the general fund. In 2008, the commission earned $2.4 billion in sales, generating $355 million for the general fund.
Games offered included instant games, four-digit daily numbers, Wild Money, PowerBall, Mega Millions, Keno and video lottery terminals.
Centrally located in the heart of town, Middletown Town Hall is where local government keeps things running for this town of less than 18,000 people and where residents may do business with the town. Catch a live Town Council meeting on the first or third Monday of each month, pull a permit or submit a building application with the Building and Zoning office, pay taxes at the convenient Collection window, register to vote with the Canvassing Clerk, or meet the hard-working Town Administrator. And if it's necessary to pull a special event permit, get licensed to own a pet, marry, or become a Funeral Director, obtain vital records or access public information, the Town Clerk's office offers these services and more.
East Greenwich Parks & Recreation Department runs a wide variety of childrens and adult sports and activity programs. EG Rec also sponsors and organizes several childrens and community-wide events throughout the year.
Children's programs range from the winter and summer basketball leagues, summer tennis classes and camps, self defense classes and baby-sitting classes, among many others.
Adult programs include aerobics and fitness classes, softball, soccer, volleyball and basketball leagues as well as several hiking groups.
EG Rec organizes and/or lends its support to such community events as the weekly Farmers Market at Academy Field, the annual Halloween Parade, and several summer concerts and other events.
This municipal department is also tasked with caring for and maintaining town ball fields, parks and other public places.
Recreation Director Cathy Bradley can be reached at 886-8626.
The office of Town Administrator Diane C. Mederos is located in the Town Hall on Court Street. The town administrator is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the Town of Bristol.
Diane Mederos has been the Bristol Town Administrator since 2004. Prior to her position as town administrator, she was the first female town clerk elected in Bristol and served for 20 years.
The Town of Barrington Recreation department offers a variety of activities and events, including a summer camp for children ages four to 12, tennis and golf tournaments, tennis lessons, an annual holiday tree-lighting ceremony, a Barrington Beach Day and a breakfast with grandparents at the Barrington Senior Center. It also schedules the use of baseball and soccer fields for local youth sports leagues.
John Taylor is Barrington's recreation director. The town resident was named to the position in 2007 after a long career as a coach and intramurals director at Rhode Island College. He works closely with the Parks and Recreation Commission, an eight-member volunteer board. The recreation office is located in the lower level of the library and community center.
Located in the Coventry Town Hall, the Board of Canvassers is responsible for certifying the results of town elections. Coventry residents can contact the Board to find out about their voter registration status, where to vote, view district boundary maps, and gain more information about their elected officials.
Harbormaster Raymond Sousa and five assistant harbormasters enforce boating laws, maintain safety, respond to emergencies and rescue calls and manage the town's waters, including the mooring fields. They patrol the Barrington River, Hundred Acre Cove and the upper reaches of Narragansett Bay with two patrol boats docked in Police Cove just off County Road. Patrols run eight hours a day from Memorial Day to Labor Day and on weekends in May and September. They are on standby the rest of the year and serve as the main liaison with the U.S. Coast Guard. The harbormaster's office is in the Public Safety Building on Federal Road.