PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Providence has added several kid-friendly amenities to a downtown park as efforts to transform the city's core continue.
Mayor Angel Taveras cut the ribbon on the new Imagination Center in Burnside Park on Thursday. The center features children's books and play areas with nearby planting beds, picnic tables and a playground.
The center was supported by a grant from Southwest Airlines. It's part of a larger effort to improve the park and Kennedy Plaza, open spaces in the heart of the city. Taveras has said he wants to make the area more inviting to families.
The park and plaza now host concerts, a farmer's market and food trucks. City police have also cracked down on drug dealing in the plaza, which is the city's main transit hub.