R.I. gas prices holding steady

After dropping two cents the week before, gasoline prices in Rhode Island stayed relatively stable over the past week. AAA said its average price Monday was $2.68 per gallon, down a half-cent from a week ago but two cents lower than the average published by the state last week. State numbers were not released Monday because state workers have the day off for the July 4th holiday. Last week, the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources said the average price for self-serve regular was $2.70 per gallon, and $2.84 for full serve. The price had been rising relentlessly since the end of December. One year ago, the typical price was more than $4 a gallon. (Staff Writer C. Eugene Emery Jr.)

Coastal Housing gets wind-power grant

Coastal Housing Corp. has been awarded a state grant through the Economic Development Corporation’s Renewable Energy Fund to finance a wind assessment at the site of Quaker Manor and Quaker Estates, housing developments for the elderly off Route 138 in Portsmouth. The program focuses on energy management and conservation and the possibility of using wind power to provide electricity for the developments. Coastal Housing has retained Northeast Engineers and Consultants, of Middletown, to conduct the study. A meteorological tower will be installed this summer to collect data.

Wisconsin extends contract with GTECH

Providence-based GTECH Corp., a unit of Italy’s Lottomatica, has signed a two-year contract extension with the Wisconsin Lottery to continue providing online technology and services. The extension will begin on June 26, 2011, and is expected to generate revenues of about $25 million beginning on July 1, 2011. The Wisconsin Lottery has been a GTECH customer since 1989.

Cranston picks block-grant partner

The City of Cranston has selected Baltimore-based Constellation Energy’s Projects and Services Group to develop the city’s proposal to the Department of Energy’s municipal energy-efficiency and conservation block-grant program. Under the program, municipalities such as Cranston demonstrate how proposed strategies and projects will create energy savings, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, utilize renewable energy and result in the creation of jobs. Some of the projects that Cranston will be considering as part of the proposal relate to retrofits for governmental buildings, including installing energy-efficient lighting, upgrades to heating and air-conditioning systems and improving building insulation, as well as deploying solar and geothermal systems.

Washington Trust teams with Ga. company

Washington Trust Bancorp Inc., of Westerly, has joined forces with Atlanta, Ga.-based ControlScan, a provider of payment-card industry (PCI) compliance and security systems exclusively focused on small- to medium-sized merchants, to help them meet requirements set forth by the PCI Security Standards Council. The requirements are designed to ensure that all companies that process, store or transmit credit-card information maintain a secure environment and were accepted by Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and Japan Card. Washington Trust merchants will now have access to ControlScan’s system, accessible via the Internet to analyze, remediate and validate PCI compliance.

Bell announces helicopter certification

The Fort Worth, Texas-based Bell Helicopter division of Textron Inc., of Providence, has announced the certification by Transport Canada Civil Aviation of the company’s newest light twin-engine helicopter, the 429. Bell has also completed the Federal Aviation Administration certification requirements. First deliveries are scheduled to begin in July. As part of the 429’s development, Bell established multiple customer advisory boards that were consulted throughout the design and manufacturing phase on what they want in a light twin-engine helicopter. Over the next several months, Bell will be working to convert more than 300 letters of intent into firm binding orders.