The Old Slater Mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island stands beside the Blackstone River. Billed as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution the Blackstone Valley was once an area of opportunity for our fore fathers including Samuel Slater who built the oldest cotton mill in America in the seventeenth century. Hundreds of mills followed along most every river in the northeast. From the paper mills of the Berkshires along the Housatonic to the fabric mills of Waltham along the Charles to the steel and industrial mills along the Blackstone in Pawtucket. With those mills came pollution and child labor. Children were employed at petty wages to work alongside the dangerous machinery powered by the river current. Industrial waste poured back into the river.

Today many mills that spawned the American Industrial Revolution are gone and those that are left no longer function as mills. Many have been torn down and some have been turned into condominiums or office space. Pollution remains and although somewhat cleaner in recent years the Blackstone River is still being polluted today. Huge slicks of oil can still be seen floating down the river and the smell on hot summer days can turn a person's stomach. Yet the development of the river banks continues. Walkways that are seldom used and new river landings have been built under the Division Street bridge in Pawtucket. Meanwhile, surrounding neighborhoods and bordering towns suffer from blight. Many areas have become an eyesore and taxpayers are worried about rising property tax rates. It's time to focus on the renovation of neighborhoods and not the Blackstone River. Let the river run its course. Stop the development of the Blackstone River and focus on making our cities and towns presentable again.