By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET — As with most years, 2008, as far as the city is concerned, was a mixture of the good, the bad and the ugly. Among the bright spots were some building and renovations projects as well as some new faces on the civic and political scene.

The downside included some violent shootings, the passing of some well-known individuals, and a troubled economic climate.
The city’s political scene shifted when Councilor-at-large Robert Carr, who had served the city for over a decade, announced he would not be seeking re-election because he and his family were moving to Cumberland. Soon after, School Committee Chairman John Baxter announced he would be making a run for the city council.
The family of the late Maria G. Carvalho, a Gooding Street woman who bled to death while waiting for an ambulance to arrive, filed a wrong death claim against the city, seeking damages of $4 million. The two Pawtucket Fire Department dispatchers who were named in the suit, however, were cleared of any criminal misconduct and were returned to their jobs.
Shortly after the new year, the Pawtucket Foundation’s Executive Director, Richard Davis, announced he was leaving to take a job in Indiana. He was replaced in the summer by Thomas J. Mann, Jr. At the Leon Mathieu Senior Center, longtime director Joan Crawley retired and Mary Lou Moran took over the job.
In what was hailed as a major victory for downtown development, Pawtucket won a Supreme Court ruling against a trash transfer station that had been proposed for railway property near Pine Street.
The beginning of the year saw a ribbon-cutting for the first phase of a new condominium project that was built in the Union Wadding mill, and the announcement of the redevelopment of the old Slater Cotton Mill building on Church Street into 124 rental units.
The former school administration building at Park Place was sold to a private developer who intends to create office and commercial space, while the sale of another long-vacant historic building, the former Old Colony Bank, to a private developer fell through and the property remains on the market.
In February the Pawtucket Police Department found itself in the spotlight over the shooting of 30-year-old Jason Swift. An emotionally disturbed man who had reportedly been wielding a Samurai sword during a confrontation with police, Swift was shot and killed in his mother’s Lupine Street apartment by one of several officers who responded.
Swift’s family and friends were outraged, but the police officers involved were later cleared of misconduct by the Attorney General’s Office.  The mother of one of Swift’s children  notified the city of her intent to file a wrongful death claim.
On February 12, 21-year-old Richard Gibson, a father of two, was stabbed to death by his girlfriend during a domestic dispute. Misty Opsina, 21, of Cranston, was charged with his murder, and the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center held a candlelight vigil at the scene to call attention to the fact that men can also be victims of domestic violence.
Among the year’s passings, longtime School Committee member John W. “Bill” Busald succumbed to cancer in February, and a day later, former District 3 City Councilor John W. Rabbitt died at the age of 84.
On Mar. 17, the Times lost longtime columnist George Bonin, who passed away at the age of 92
In a move that saddened many, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence announced that St. Leo the Great School would be shutting its doors due to rising costs and declining enrollment. The school held its final graduation, followed by an emotional closing ceremony later in June that was attended by students, parents and alumni.
In March, the city’s new and much-delayed water treatment center was finally brought on-line. The facility was later cited as a successful model by the Environmental Protection Agency. Another  bright spot in the city’s development was the unveiling of a state-of-the-art animal shelter in Slater Park that was built with $2.2 million in taxpayer-approved bond money. Other development projects saw the former Our Lady of Consolation School turned into affordably-priced condominiums and the construction of a new CVS store on the old train depot site on Broad Street at the Pawtucket/Central Falls line.
Business owners expressed frustration to city and state Department of Transportation officials about the one-way traffic on the Division Street bridge. It was announced that the bridge would be returned to two-way traffic, but it took several more months for this reconfiguration to occur. In the meantime, axle and weight limits are still in place on the Pawtucket River Bridge span of I-195. Temporary repairs are slated for this month to shore up the deteriorating structures until a new bridge is constructed.
Also in March, Pawtucket held its annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, with state Rep. Peter Kilmartin as Grand Marshall, and in July, the Dropkick Murphys and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones played to a packed crowd at McCoy Stadium. Other cultural highlights included the Pawtucket Arts Festival, in its 10th year, which offered three weeks of events celebrating arts and crafts, photography, food, music, and film. The annual Rhode Island Chinese Dragon Boat Races and Taiwan Day Festival, threatened by heavy rains, took place as usual, and local jazz great Greg Abate wrapped up the series with a performance at the Blackstone.
Fears of potential violence related to the shooting of a Pawtucket teen in Jenks Park, followed by another shooting of a Central Falls High School teen a day later prompted a security lockdown on May 2 at all of the city’s public schools. The violence also lead to Central Falls officials imposing a 9 p.m. curfew for anyone under 18.
In the spring, city and school officials approved the placement of a school resource officer at Tolman and Shea high schools. Supporters had been lobbying for the SROs for several years, but had been concerned about the funding. The program and future funding sources will be reviewed in the coming year.
The summer saw another life taken by domestic violence, when Mayra Cruz, a young mother from Galego Court, was shot and killed on June 25, allegedly at the hands of an ex-boyfriend in his apartment on Reservoir Avenue. The suspect, Juan L. Diaz, had fled to New York but was later caught and charged with murder. Another candlelight vigil was held to call attention to the issue.
On the political front, Pawtucket Mayor James E. Doyle was re-elected to his sixth term after a hard-fought battle by longtime City Councilor-at-large Donald Grebien, and incumbent Councilor-at-large Thomas E. Hodge won another term. Former District 3 Councilor Albert J. Vitali Jr. was returned to political life as a councilor-at-large, along with newcomer Lorenzo C. “Larry” Tetreault. Veteran District 5 Councilor Mary Bray, however, was beaten in her re-election bid by newcomer Jean Philippe Barros.
There was some drama on the School Committee as well, when first-time candidate Matthew Gunnip, a winner in the Democratic primary, dropped out over a job conflict and paved the way for write-in candidates. Incumbent Amy Breault, who had been beaten in the Democratic primary, emerged as the top vote-getter among the write-ins. Other new faces on the School Committee include attorney Raymond Noonan and Joseph C. Knight.
Economically, the city had to deal with the leanest operating budget in years, prompting lay-offs, wage freezes and other concessions from municipal employees. On the school side, school officials announced a projected deficit of $4.1 million, and requested financial help from the City Council. The budget matter is still pending and will be a weighty matter for elected officials to deal with in the new year.
The city wrapped up the holiday scene in typical fashion, combating the depressing economy with a show of lights at the 10th annual Winter Wonderland in Slater Park. Numerous volunteers and organizations held food, clothing and holiday gift drives--which residents responded to generously – in an effort to help the city’s neediest.