Ward 5 Councilman Christopher G. Paplauskas drives by the “Welcome to Knightsville” sign on Park Ave. almost every day, and for a long time, he’s wanted to do something to improve it.

On Sunday, he and a group of Cranston friends and volunteers did just that – and the results are wonderful.

The aging sign, and the landscaping around it, had been battered by the elements for years, and were in need of significant rehabilitation. Paplauskas decided that donating the materials needed to restore the sign and flowerbeds would be a relatively small gesture, but would be a great visual improvement and morale boost for the neighborhood. He and a group of volunteers spent their morning picking up leaves and debris, planting new flowers, and once again making the sign a welcoming entryway into Knightsville.

“Knightsville is the gem of Rhode Island, and at the heart of Cranston,” Paplauskas said. “The sign is a small object, but it welcomes visitors and residents alike to a neighborhood that offers some of Rhode Island’s very best restaurants, shops, and small businesses. The Knightsville community deserved a warmer greeting, and I’m just glad we could help do that.”

Paplauskas added that the abundant free parking and delicious restaurants the neighborhood has to offer make it an ideal area for people from around the state to visit for a pleasant afternoon or night out, especially as other cities are adding parking meters.

“We want people to come to Knightsville, and we want them to feel welcomed when they get here,” Paplauskas said. “We already have top-notch restaurants and small businesses bringing people in – it was time for the welcome sign to match that same level of quality. I’m very thankful that so many members of the community were willing to donate their time in joining me to help make that long-needed improvement a reality. It was a great team effort to improve the neighborhood.”

(Submitted photos)