For Release: October 14, 1998

PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management and the City of East Providence have announced that with the help of DEM and the RI Governor's Commission on Disabilities, the city's public boat ramp at Bold Point will be upgraded. Construction is expected to begin November 7 and continue until spring.

During re-construction, while the ramp is closed, boaters are being re-directed to ramps at Collier Park, adjacent to the Manchester Street Power Station off Allens Avenue in Providence, open dawn to dusk, and Sabin Point in Riverside. The city is posting signs at Bold Point to direct boaters.

The Bold Point facility, under the Washington Bridge, currently consists of a gravel ramp, with inadequate parking. The upgrade, which will be done in three stages, includes a courtesy dock accessible to boaters with disabilities, specially grooved concrete ramps on either side of it, and a 33-car parking lot.

"Boating is a major and treasured recreational activity in Rhode Island," said DEM Director Andy McLeod, noting that there are an estimated 54,000 boats that use Rhode Island waters, including 35,000 registered in the state. "We are pleased to be working cooperatively with the Governor's Commission on Disabilities and the City of East Providence on upgrading the city's Bold Point facility, and we will continue to make improvements to other public boat ramps around the state."

Bob Cooper, the Executive Secretary of the Governor's Commission on Disabilities, said, "The Commission is pleased to support DEM's and the City of East Providence's efforts to upgrade sportfishing facilities in a manner that allows people with disabilities access to recreation services. The Bold Point project is one of nine handicap accessible docks and boat ramp projects the Commission is working with DEM to establish throughout the state." Rhode Island's accessible docks and boat ramp projects have attracted national attention, with the Commission receiving calls from disability groups and recreation planners from St. Louis, Mo., the lake district in Michigan, and elsewhere.

"We are delighted that this project is proceeding at this time," noted East Providence City Manager, Paul Lemont. "This facility will be one more jewel in what will eventually become an area that will be used for all types of recreational activities. East Providence is proud to have this facility since it will be one of the first facilities to allow the physically challenged to enjoy this beautiful area."

The first phase of construction will be the building of a 92-foot long, six-foot wide non-slip wooden dock with multiple landings that will allow boaters with disabilities and others to easily board their boats regardless of the level of the tide. It is this innovative solution to handicap accessibility in tidal waters that has attracted national attention. The $56,990 dock will be built by Regan Construction of Middletown.

The building of the ramps, now out to bid, will be done as the second phase of the project and will be constructed to the same DEM specifications that were recently used in upgrading DEM's ramp at Fort Adams in Newport. The ramps will be of pre-cast concrete with a washboard surface with angled grooves that will drain quickly and provide good traction.

The new parking lot will be constructed as the third phase of the project. The entire project should be completed by sometime next spring.

The RI Governor's Commission on Disabilities is contributing up to $26,000 toward the project, with the rest provided by DEM through the Federal Aid in Sportfish Restoration program's motorboat access fund. The City of East Providence is providing design and other in-kind services for a 25 percent match.

The Bold Point project is one of five boat ramps scheduled for improvements by DEM using the new accessible multi-landings and washboard surface. Others include the Main Street ramp in Westerly, Oakland Beach in Warwick, Colt State Park in Bristol, and Haines Park, serving East Providence and Barrington. During the next few years DEM and the Governor's Commission on Disabilities will continue to work collaboratively on additional boat ramp and dock improvement projects throughout Rhode Island.