Could plans for a new Shore Dinner Hall be on the horizon for Rocky Point Park? Or might the state draw from the former amusement park’s history and return rides to Rhode Island’s summertime …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account by clicking here.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
|
Could plans for a new Shore Dinner Hall be on the horizon for Rocky Point Park? Or might the state draw from the former amusement park’s history and return rides to Rhode Island’s summertime playground?
In an overview presentation of her department’s 2016 initiatives to the board of directors of the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce last Wednesday, Janet Coit, Director of the Department of Environmental Management (DEM), provided insights into Rocky Point’s ongoing development.
“First, it feels like we’ve gone slow, but acquiring the property, remediating it, opening it to the public, involved very large endeavors,” said Coit, addressing concerns about the perceived delays in the status of the park’s progress. “I’ve noticed how much people have been appreciating just having that beautiful vista and open space, and we’re working hand and glove with the City of Warwick.”
In March of 2013, DEM took title to 83 acres of the park following a 2010 bond issue to purchase the land that was approved by Rhode Island voters. DEM cleaned up and removed nearly all traces of the ruins of the amusement park in the summer of 2014, and the land was then integrated with 41 coastline acres purchased by the City of Warwick with the help of state and federal funding in 2007.
At the park’s official reopening in October 2014, Coit stated that her department’s priorities for development included creating hiking trails, installing composting toilets and reestablishing a pier.
“We are working on the design phase for the new pier. We are going to have to identify, carefully, where we get the millions of dollars needed for that,” said Coit at the chamber meeting. “We are putting in new facilities for restrooms, that’s underway. We’re putting in a trail system. But the big vision we’re actually working on right now, and the governor put funding in the budget last year, is for a planning process, and that also takes a while to get going.”
Coit stressed that protecting the property was her department’s top priority, and that has created the framework for public access for generations to come.
“For me I felt that we have that inventory to protect in place, so that’s the foundation that’s going to be there for a couple hundred years,” said Coit. “But we are going to try to attract a top-notch landscape architect and planner and try to make that a really special park in the future. But that will be a process, and the RFP [request for proposals] should go out to bid soon. It will be a process that gets underway over the next couple of years.”
The state used a similar proposal process for the redevelopment of the former Shooters site on India Street in Providence. That RFP sought “private vendors, marina operators, recreational professionals, concessionaires, restaurant operators, ferry service providers, water based recreational vendors, non-profit organizations, agricultural product marketing professionals, farmers, commercial property developers, and other interested parties,” to lease the land for commercial, recreational and marina related uses which would be beneficial to the city and state.
While an RFP for Rocky Point is still being developed, Coit was hesitant to state that an amusement park or rides would return to the property.
“I very much doubt it will be an amusement park, but maybe we’ll see some other special amenities and it will be critical that we have a private partnership because we are going to see, on an ongoing basis, millions of dollars of state money going into that facility,” she said.
However, for lovers of summer seafood fare, the door appears open for the return of an iconic Warwick landmark.
“I think it’s going to be a tricky plan to put together, because we’re going to look at what we can do to have a resilient, special place, which it is by nature,” said Coit. “But also, are there opportunities to attract some private investment for the new version of the Shore Dinner Hall or a facility for events or some type of amusement or recreational area that harkens back to the past but maybe be kind of a modern, low impact version.”
9 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
richardcorrente
Dear Janet Coit,
Anything that you propose doing with Rocky Point that attracts visitors (who might later become residents) will be met with enthusiasm by me. We NEED to promote Warwick and Rocky Point is one of our finest features if advertised properly. Warwick has lost 5,800 taxpayers and 4,666 businesses in the last 10 years and if you can help turn that around, the
Shore Dinner" is on me!
Please feel free to contact me at 401-338-9900 and include me on your list of volunteers. Looking forward to helping,
I remain,
Sincerely,
Richard Corrente
Democrat for Mayor
Tuesday, March 1, 2016 Report this
Justanidiot
Good idea Mr. Mayer.
I bet if we play our cards right we can get Peter Palumbo to run it.
He does have experience.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016 Report this
JohnStark
Reestablishment of dock/pier, Yes. Public restrooms, Probably. A few more benches, perhaps. Shore dinner hall, only if littering is a $500 fine. Rides, only if you want to completely ruin the place. If Ms. Coit really wants to "...harken back to the past", she should keep in mind that RP originally had no buildings. The city and state have done a magnificent job of bringing the property back to it's natural form. Stop there, please.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016 Report this
stinkeone
just when will you make this place handicap friendly been in the hands of warwick 4 years and your for two years people speak about the beauty of the place but those who cannot access the place can only imagine to to put some effort into making the place enjoyable by all
Tuesday, March 1, 2016 Report this
MariaB
Dear Janet Coit
As an avid lover of Rocky Point Park and a resident of an adjacent neighborhood, I am very hopeful that you and your committee will approach your task of caring for Rocky Point with the sensitivity and reverence it deserves.
This beautiful tract of land has finally been afforded a certain level of respect after decades of physical abuse. Evidence of the ravages of chemical dumping, trashing, and exploitation has been diminished greatly and its natural beauty is now brilliant again, generations later.
We are all the caretakers of this natural beauty and those who wish to exploit it should be identified and prevented from doing so. You mention in your quote above that Rocky point is a resilient space. We can't forget that it could easily be trashed again if the wrong choices are made and if greed enters into the formula.
What Rhode Island needs are decision makers who recognize and appreciate to the core, the precious, fragile pockets of beauty in Rhode Island. We as residents of RI should demand they proceed with decisions for land use from this position.
As an avid lover of Rocky Point, I ask you and your committee to protect Rocky Point from another generation of exploitation and destruction.
Thank you.
Maria Bergman
Tuesday, March 1, 2016 Report this
HerbTokerman
If they could figure out the parking situation, rocky point would be an excellent place to hold summer concerts.
Great location right on the water, large open space.
I'd rather go there than to Great Woods or Harborlights in Boston any day.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016 Report this
JamieRez
Bravo for what has been accomplished so far.
However, the answer for what to do next lies directly across the Bay!
Colt State Park has long been a jewel of this state and an perfect example to be modeled after.
All of the readers posts / comments so far have been quite meaningful and can all be accomplished if we just follow the blueprint that has already been laid out for us in the East Bay.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016 Report this
snappy
I love the Rocky Point original site & hope that you would continue to have me included in upcoming events!
#AmyTheMime Janet I admire you for your POSITIVE outlook on change no matter what!
Wednesday, March 2, 2016 Report this
The Berg
As evidenced by comments in this thread and elsewhere, it’s clear that some are taking the “NIMBY” position when it comes to Rocky Point. It is understandable that nearby residents would want to protect their neighborhood. But Rocky Point was purchased at GREAT expense to the Rhode Island taxpayer, and has racked up a bill that, so far, equals about 1/3 of what was spent on 38 Studios (not including the interest on the park’s bonds that we will pay for years to come). State money will continue to flow into Rocky Point yearly. The park is not for the exclusive use of Warwick or Warwick Neck residents. Rhode Islanders want a return on their investment, and an empty field with one walking trail, two composting toilets, and no automobile access just doesn’t cut it.
For those who want open space/green areas/protection of wildlife, do not be fooled by the veneer of Rocky Point in its present state. In their presentation of the Bio-Blitz survey results of Rocky Point last year, both David Gregg, Ph.D., director of the Rhode Island Natural History Survey, and Save The Bay’s Narragansett Baykeeper Tom Kutcher stated that the park shouldn’t have been cleaned up and its ruins should have been left as they were if protecting wildlife was a top priority. Dr. Gregg went so far as to say Rocky Point could be used as a case study in a Masters class dealing with invasive species, as the park is inundated. A rare and nearly extinct ladybug species that was discovered at the park prior to the cleanup (and no where else in Rhode Island) hasn’t been seen again. The walking trail which many rave about was built directly through and over wetlands. The old dump at the back of the park still exists, open, waiting to be covered by the Cardi Corporation with 2 feet of fill. The sea wall near the former saltwater pool will eventually lead to the erosion of the beach in front of it, as it prevents the natural flow of sediment behind it. The list goes on…
Both Bio-Blitz presenters also added that the large swaths of field - the new format of the park -completely lacks biodiversity and is now suitable for only one animal: humans. We might as well use it. That’s not to say we shouldn’t be environmentally conscious of future development proposals. But to leave a place that for over 150 years enjoyed financial/economic success empty, without exploring ways to use the site year round to the benefit of all, seems improper.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016 Report this