Smiley Admin. Trucking Snow From Fox Point & Downtown to South Providence, Say Residents

Smiley Admin. Trucking Snow From Fox Point & Downtown to South Providence, Say Residents

 

One resident of South Providence says he followed trucks picking up snow in other parts of the city and dumping their loads in his neighborhood.

It marks the latest in the city’s snow removal struggles, which this week saw snow piled back onto residents and driveways after they had already been cleared, 11 days after the storm.

On Friday, Darin Wildenstein told GoLocal that he had arrived home late Thursday night to find the parking lot of the former Urban League on Prairie Avenue buzzing with activity. The property is now under the control of the Providence Redevelopment Agency.

He said he looked outside to find bright lights and trucks loudly dumping snow in the lot - so he decided to follow them when they left for another round of pickups.

He is not the only Southside resident frustrated.

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"It’s terrible all over this side of Providence; most of our sidewalks still aren’t cleared, making it unsafe for pedestrians, especially kids walking to school. Seeing little kids have to walk in the streets is terrifying. We watch dump trucks full of snow go up and down our street, but we can’t even get parking or a safe place for our kids to walk," said Kendall Buckhout, who lives on Blackstone Street.

"Living in this city is hard enough right now and the fact that the snow removal for us is a lower priority than other parts of the city is unacceptable," added Buckhout. "After the snow melts we are going to have to deal with the cleanup and environmental impact of this snow dumping but they can’t bother to help us too."

 

South Providence Dumping Ground  
“I followed them over to Wickenden Street; I followed them to downtown Providence. They’re hauling ass, weaving in and out - one was going about 40 in a residential neighborhood, and that’s when [the driver] lost me,” said Wildenstein.

“I’ve got photos of them picking up the snow over there, and downtown at the Superman Building,” said Wildenstein.

He says the trucks were going down Blackstone Street, which he says is a “cut through” for emergency vehicles going to the hospital.

“So it’s just going to be piled up over there now,” said Wildenstein. “What’s going to happen with all the trash and shit that’s in the snow? Who’s responsible for that?”

For Wildenstein, part of his anger is the stark contrast of the poor snow removal on his street - while the city dumps snow from other areas in his neighborhood.

“My street is supposed to be a two-way street; you can barely fit one car on it,” said Wildenstein. “I still have cars on my street buried in snow. The [city] didn’t tag and tow. If they had tagged and towed, they could have properly cleaned the street.”

“I grew up in upstate New York - we got lake effect snow all the time. We haven’t had [big storms] here in the last couple of years, but what about the ones about ten years ago, when we got like four of these in the matter of a month? Why are we so dysfunctional at this point? We’re New England - we should expect to get snow like this,” said Wildenstein.

“So we’re getting snow [trucked in] from the other side of town, but they can’t even clean up the streets,” said Wildenstein.

“I’ve lived here for 13 years, I go to work every day, I pay my taxes, my utilities, I own my house here,” he added. “And when I bought my house, at least Urban League was still operating, doing something good.”

 

The Smiley Administration Defends Dumping the Snow in South Providence 

"In compliance with environmental regulations and standards, the City utilizes contracted snow haulers to transport snow to multiple designated, City-owned properties, lots, and parks across the city for proper disposal. The municipally-owned plot at 246 Prairie Ave is the largest and most effective City-owned location to transport snow," said Josh Estrella, spokesperson for Mayor Brett Smiley.

Wildenstein wondered why closer locations could not be used - vacant 195 land, or Lippitt or India Parks.

On Friday night, Smiley's office clarified their decision to truck snow from other parts of the city to South Providence. 

"Previous storms did not require snow to be transported but the severe temperatures that followed last week's storm necessitated it. This is the first time this lot has been used. The City uses multiple locations to transport snow, including lots in parks across the city. The site on Prairie Avenue is the largest city-owned space that can be used to transport snow," said a spokesperson for his office.

The city confirmed it does not test for contaminants in the snow removed from city streets and trucked into the neighborhood. 

This story was first published 2/6/26 5:56 PM

Updated 2/7/26 8:32 AM