Possibilities of Rocky Point pier 'endless'

By Ethan Hartley
Posted 1/25/18

By ETHAN HARTLEY -- Last week, the Warwick City Council officially leased the land to the state Department of Environment Management which will, in the near future, become the site of a revamped public pier off the jagged coast of Rocky Point.

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Possibilities of Rocky Point pier 'endless'

Posted

Last week, the Warwick City Council officially leased the land to the state Department of Environment Management which will, in the near future, become the site of a revamped public pier off the jagged coast of Rocky Point.

DEM will now be tasked with preparing a request for proposals to begin a public bidding process. Factoring in conservative timeline estimates for construction, the project could begin to take shape this upcoming summer, according to Andres Aveledo, a project engineer contracted through DEM.

The pier consists of an approximately 260-foot-long wooden walkway leading from the existing blacktop path out to a 21 by 111-foot main deck elevated 13 feet off the water’s surface. There is the potential for two floating platforms as well, consisting of a floating wooden walkway leading to a large 30 by 60-foot steel platform.

Members of the City Council expressed enthusiasm for the project, which is being paid for entirely by the state.

“This is an exciting project,” said Ward 9 councilman Steve Merolla. “The fact that at one point we had a working pier at Rocky Point way back in the 1900s and now we’ll have a working pier for boats or for the public to fish or whatever else we can put in there, I think is great.”

Merolla said the council sent a resolution to the state lobbying to have the Providence/Newport ferry stop at this new pier off Rocky Point.

“I can’t stress enough how great that would be to the residents of Warwick to be able to get on the ferry in the summertime and experience a beautiful ride to Newport or a ride to Providence maybe to go out to dinner or something like that,” he said, not stopping there. “Also, the fact that you could be in a situation where you take a ferry from Warwick to Newport and then switch ferries and take a ferry possibly to Block Island for the day – without driving at all. The possibilities are endless.”

George Shuster, Rocky Point Foundation board member and legal counsel, said that it made great sense for a new pier to be constructed at the park, since a pier was the first use built when Rocky Point was first developed in 1850. Further, he said connecting ferry services would be a low-cost way to expand walking and biking trails – like the East Bay Bike Path – to the other end of the bay.

Ward 6 Councilwoman Donna Travis, citing a complaint she has with a DEM-sanctioned boat ramp in Oakland Beach, said her only concern was that the state would hold up their end of the bargain and maintain the pier.

“I also am very excited about this project. The pictures are beautiful,” she said. “My main concern is maintenance – that DEM is going to follow up with maintenance.”

Central Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce President Lauren Slocum agreed with this notion.

“I think like any natural resource you have to think about how it can be maintained and kept healthy,” she said, adding that the project had “great potential” for all residents in the state.

Ward 5 Councilman Ed Ladouceur and Council President Joseph Solomon said that working with DEM has been a seamless process, and they held Janet Coit, director of DEM, in especially high regard.

“I must say, it’s not uncommon for me to pick up the cell phone and call Director [Janet] Coit with any questions and concerns I have, and they’re taken care of immediately,” Ladouceur said. “It’s been a great partnership as far as I’m concerned with the council, with the city, with my constituents around the Rocky Point area. So kudos to all of you on this accomplishment.”

Ladouceur, too, expressed excitement for the possibilities that could arise from the pier being built at Rocky Point, suggesting a possible link with high-speed boating shuttles to Prudence Island, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.

“Building this new pier, it adds a whole new dimension, not just to Rocky Point but to the city,” he said. “It’s a vision, it’s a long-term vision. The things that can be accomplished adding onto this pier – if you can imagine it, then that’s what it can be.”

While the openness of the future opportunities of the pier are undeniable, some take heed that such a lack of a concrete plan or sense of direction is a cause for some concern and is an argument for developing a master plan for the future development of Rocky Point.

“It's great to have a pier, but let's have a plan,” said John Howell, chair of the Rocky Point Foundation.

Howell pointed out that, while a ferry connection to Rocky Point would be a great thing, where would people park to access the boat? Who would maintain the cleanliness of the area or decide what uses can be utilized in the future?

“The development of a master plan would address those concerns on both the city and state sides,” said Shuster.

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Comments

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  • richardcorrente

    These ideas all sound great but aren't we putting the cart way ahead of the horse? By that I mean shouldn't we decide what is going to happen with the acreage that made up the Rocky Point Amusement Park before we decide what to do with the dock?

    The installation of a dock and the expense to the taxpayers will vary depending on what kind of development ends up there.

    I believe there was one proposal that included dock rights that would have the dock-maintenance be the responsibility of the homeowners association, but I'm not sure. In either event, it seems to me that the land development should be the first priority decision, and the dock decision should be second.

    Happy Valentines everyone.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Thursday, January 25, 2018 Report this

  • Justanidiot

    batter git ready to renogotiate another contact mister mayer. warwick is going to be over run with all these things that arent going to pay taxes or edumacate or kids

    Friday, January 26, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    Contrary to another of the fake "mayor's" delusional beliefs, there are no plans to construct housing along the waterfront Rocky Point -- none -- after a federal judge approved the sale of the entire area to the state: http://rhodybeat.com/stories/a-rocky-point-future,25963

    Here is a link to the description of the current Master Plan for Rocky Point from Veri Waterman Associates, which the city and state DEM retained to develop the plan: http://www.veriwaterman.com/rockypoint/

    This is what VWA says about the shoreline where the pier is proposed: "The nearly one mile of shoreline that accompanies the property is proposed to be fully accessible to pedestrians, just as it was always meant to be."

    In fact, nowhere in the description do the words "residential development" or "homeowners association" appear with regard to the shoereline, nor do schematics of the project indicate that residential development would be anywhere near the waterfront, proving that the fake "mayor" is again making statements that have no basis in fact.

    Happy 283 days until honest, taxpaying, open space supporting Warwick voters overwhelmingly reject the fake "mayor" and his objectively false claims.

    Friday, January 26, 2018 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    Dear CrickeeRaven,

    I didn't say "plan". I said "proposal". And there were (and are) several.

    Happy 283 days to you also.

    Happy Valentines everyone.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Friday, January 26, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    Here is how pathetically easy it is to disprove the fake "mayor."

    - "I didn't say 'plan'. I said 'proposal."

    Here is a direct quote from his comment on a past article about Rocky Point pier: " I thought Fisher Homes (Hugh Fisher) had a beautiful development plan."

    http://warwickonline.com/stories/rocky-point-pier-almost-ready-for-bids,130864?#comments

    And as for the semantics of "plan" and "proposal," here are the synonyms for each word as listed by Mirriam-Webster:

    proposal: arrangement, game, ground plan, layout, line, >>>plan,<<< plot, project, strategy, system

    https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proposal

    plan: conception, idea, projet, >>>proposal,<<< specific(s), specification(s)

    https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plan

    - "[T]here were (and are) several."

    To the verifiable proof found at the links provided, the fake "mayor" responds with only his word and no information to support it. Frequent readers know the value of such prior claims of his: Zero.

    Tens of thousands of honest, taxpaying voters are indeed looking ahead to Feb. 14, which marks 257 days until they can again decisively reject his false claims and defeat his candidacy.

    Friday, January 26, 2018 Report this

  • Kammy

    Do you know what makes Rocky Point so great? It is an open space and nothing is developed. It is a tranquil location in the middle of the city. We don't want another Oakland Beach where there is traffic, pay to park and long lines to get food. Please do not take that away from us!

    I am not opposed to the pier but it should be specifically for fishing and not have a boat dock. Keep It Simple S.....

    Monday, January 29, 2018 Report this