Jack’s Angle: On the right track, picking up speed, in Pawtucket – Jack Partridge

by John J. “Jack” Partridge, contributing writer, commentary

As predicted, the Pawtucket-Central Falls transit stop is doing well. The parking lot is filling up every day. Buses are delivering more passengers, and more and more riders are using the train stop. There are a reported 1,000 daily on-and-offs at the bus terminal. At the present time, approximately 400+ riders, more than originally predicted, board the weekday trains there, enjoying the convenience of frequent bus arrivals and the spacious parking lot. 

The good news is that RIPTA is on the brink of constructing a passenger friendly facility with restrooms and an enclosed waiting area with vending machines and ticket sales.  Even more parking spaces will be announced soon. The RIPTA Board will get the selected design and vendors for the building in the next few days. And upon evaluation, and approval, construction will hopefully begin promptly. No doubt the new facility and additions will further enhance ridership. (Editor’s Note: RIPTA says, “While we have received design proposals—right now proposals for Design are simply under evaluation”.)

As predicted, the neighborhood remains a focal point for housing developers for both affordable and market rate housing which are going through planning and design. It is estimated that hundreds of units will be in construction in 2024.  All involved say a break on interest rates and inflation would keep  financing and construction costs manageable, and speed the progress of building conversion.

If planning a Boston trip, check out the on-line train schedule for trains available at the transit center every day. During the work week, you might be surprised at the number of commuters streaming out of the trains in the early evening and into buses and cars for their final leg home or evening activities, like the pub at the nearby Guild. The parking lot has been filled daily by many cars with Massachusetts plates as the word gets out to Bristol County residents about the transit center. And there is still room for more. MBTA, DOT, and RIPTA remain strongly in support of their initiative and are committed to success.

While Pawtucket awaits the completion of the planned soccer stadium, it has the transit complex as a focal point of renewal. The buzz is all favorable. And the transition in the neighborhood remains ‘on track’.

One of the best stories of the effect of the new transit center was reported by Rich Davis, the first executive director of the Pawtucket Foundation, who met an elderly gentleman on the train platform for a Boston train, who, with tears in his eyes, said he couldn’t believe that the cities had a “rail connection in his lifetime.”  Well, they do, and are having a great inaugural year and enjoying a great beginning for a revival of the neighborhood.

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To read more columns by Jack go to: https://rinewstoday.com/our-team/john-j-jack-partridge/

John J. ‘Jack’ Partridge, is a retired lawyer and Senior Counsel to the firm of Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP, with four offices in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

A Pawtucket native, Jack graduates from St. Raphael Academy and summa cum laude of Providence College, where he majored in history. After Harvard Law School, he served in the United States Army in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal. In 1967, he joined the firm of Tillinghast Collins & Tanner. In 1988, he became a founding partner of Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP.

Jack has been engaged in many civic, political, governmental, and business organizations, serving as legal counsel to the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce for 27 years and was chairman of the Old Slater Mill Association, Common Cause Rhode Island, and Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island.

He is the co-founder of The Pawtucket Foundation and an officer and director of innumerable not-for-profit entities. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Pawtucket Boys & Girls Club and was Treasurer of the Ocean State Charities Trust.

Jack has a long history of leadership involvement with Providence College, which recognized him in 1999 with the Providence College Alumni Association Recognition Award for Public and Community Service, and in 2011, with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

He is married to the former Regina McDonald and has three children: Sarah, Gregory and David.

He is the author of four books – Scratched, Straight Pool, Carom Shot – and his new book, Under Blood Moons.