Magaziner, Officials, Tout $2.2M For Wood Street, Waste Center

COVENTRY, RI — Thursday, U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner (RI-02) joined Coventry leaders at the Coventry Police Department, 60 Wood St., to announce $2,250,000 in federal funding he secured for a new waste collection facility,  flood prevention and sidewalk improvements in the Wood Street neighborhood.

“Strong infrastructure and reliable municipal services are essential for every town,” said Magaziner. “I am proud to deliver this funding to Coventry to prevent flooding and improve the efficiency of local services for residents.”

“We want to thank U.S. Representative Magaziner for his continued support and commitment to the residents and business owners of Coventry. This Municipal Waste Collection Facility will reduce our reliance on Resource Recovery which in turn saves the Town on wear and tear on its fleet and lowers the overall cost for our residents for collections,” said Coventry Town Manager Daniel Parrillo.

Wood Street Project Accelerated By Magaziner’s Efforts

“This is a small road but an important one, near the police station and senior citizens center,” said RIDOT Interim Director Robert Rocchio. “Our thanks to Congressman Magaziner for helping us secure the funding to improve it.  Our delegation always comes through.”

Of the total, $1.5 million will fund storm water infrastructure upgrades and sidewalk improvements in the Wood Street area, a low-lying region prone to flooding. These improvements will address longstanding concerns from residents, reduce flood risk, and ease traffic along Wood Street, which currently serves as a detour for the South Main Street Bridge.

“The sidewalk construction of Wood Street, which all of you cautiously navigated on your way here, it definitely needs upgrades. And design, engineering and construction of a municipal waste collection facility, which will save taxpayer money once the project is developed. These projects have been long awaited by the Town of Coventry, and we look forward to breaking ground in the near future on both of these significant initiatives.

“Needless to say, it’s been a bumpy road getting here,” said Town Council President JP Verducci, who noted that the short road, home to both the Coventry Police Department and Senior Center, is heavily used by residents daily. ‘This will make the roads safer, more accessible and more reliable, for every resident here,’ he said.

RIDOT Acting Chief Engineer John Preiss, a Coventry resident, said Wood Street had been on their radar for some time. ‘RIDOT did have some funds available to start the project, but really, not enough,” he said, “So, we asked for Congressman Magaziner’s help and he came through with flying colors, with a one and a half million earmark for the project,” allowing them to move the project up in the 10-year plan. In total, the project will cost $3.5 million. The project design will last through 2026, then RIDOT will advertise for construction bids in summer of 2027, with the improvements finished in 2028.

Preiss said that, as a Coventry resident, the Wood Street project means a lot to him personally.

Waste Collection Center Project Boosted, Too

The remaining $750,000 will support the creation of a centralized municipal waste collection facility. The new facility will improve efficiency in waste handling, storm debris management, and infrastructure material storage, while reducing long-term costs for taxpayers.

“This is a project that was envisioned years ago by our DPW Director, Kevin McGee, and the department first began working towards a centralized site. This will be a site where we can manage yard waste, storm materials, and handle debris efficiently. With the Congressman’s support of $750,000, that vision becomes a reality,” said  Verducci.

The facility will be able to process about 2,000 tons of natural debris yearly, provide free compost to residents, consolidate materials currently scattered, and eliminate the need to haul debris to the state’s Resource Recovery and landfill in Johnston. “This will save valuable space at the landfill, it’ll save wear and tear on our vehicles and, of course, it saves our tax dollars by avoiding those tipping fees,” Verducci said.

Magaziner secured the funding through the federal FY 2026 annual government appropriations process.

“Every town deserves great infrastructure and great municipal services and every Rhode Islander deserves great infrastructure and great municipal services,” Magaziner said. “And one of the most important parts of my job is to fight to bring federal funding back to Rhode Island for key projects. Most years, Rhode Island has brought back more in funding that we’ve paid out in federal taxes, and we want to keep that going.” He added that during his visits to the Coventry Senior Center, “Wood Street comes up a lot.”

‘These projects make us safer, they make us more efficient, and they make our community stronger. Representative Magaziner, on behalf of the Town Council, the residents of Coventry, thank you. Thank you for listening to our needs, for championing our priorities, and for delivering results that will benefit the town for generations. We are grateful for your partnership and we’re excited to get to work.’

Author: Rob Borkowski

Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at editor@warwickpost.com with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.