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News Release RI Department of Environmental Management 235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908 (401) 222-2771 TDD/(401) 222-4462
DEM JOINS FEDERAL AND LOCAL PARTNERS TO SHOWCASE MAJOR GRANT FOR TRANSIENT BOATING FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS IN NEWPORT PROVIDENCE - Department of Environmental Management Director W. Michael Sullivan, PhD joined federal, state and local officials at the Newport Harbor Center this morning for the presentation of a $713,000 federal grant that will be used to develop a centralized transient boater facility and activity center at the 124 year-old masonry armory structure on Thames Street. Funding for the project is provided from the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Boating Infrastructure Grant program to improve stopover facilities for transient recreational boaters. The grants will be administered by DEM.The project will include rehabilitation of approximately 8,000 square feet of the Harbor Center, which is referred to locally as the Newport Armory. Currently owned by the Newport Redevelopment Agency, the 1884 building was originally owned by the state and housed Rhode Island's militia. The new boating facility will be located on the first level of the building and will include restroom and shower facilities, washers and dryers, storage lockers, vending and ATM machines, internet access, and an interactive information kiosk that transient boaters can use to plan local sight-seeing and future ports of call along the coast. Also available will be space for visiting boaters to meet with vendors when they deliver supplies or discuss services, and office space for the Newport dock master/facility manager. Water, pumpout, and trash disposal facilities will be located on the adjacent Ann Street Pier, a public dock in the city's waterfront business district. Locating the transient boater facility at the Harbor Center, in the heart of the Newport's waterfront, will greatly enhance the transient boater's experience. In addition to the services mentioned, the facility will provide ease of access to Newport's many attractions, dining and shopping opportunities. "This new centralized hospitality and activity center will open up opportunities for visiting boaters to experience the countless natural and recreational attractions that Newport has to offer, and will encourage extended and repeat visits to the City by the Sea and the Ocean State," said DEM Director W. Michael Sullivan, PhD. "The project will also promote economic activity by providing public access from the water to the shore. Boating plays an integral role in our economy. In addition to the 44,000 boats registered in the state, several thousand boats from out of state visit Rhode Island waters every year." "I am pleased that Newport is receiving this federal funding to build a new boating facility. The city is vital to Rhode Island's tourism industry and this money will help ensure that both visitors and local boaters have access to high-quality facilities," said U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a member of the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees federal spending on U.S. Fish & Wildlife programs. "This grant will allow the state of Rhode Island and the City of Newport to improve its boating infrastructure, providing local and out of state boaters with an excellent means of highlighting and enjoying our state's natural beauty on the water," said Congressman Kennedy. The total cost of the project is $1.46 million. The City of Newport will receive $713,000 from the US Fish and Wildlife Service grant, with matching contributions from local businesses and partners including $10,000 from the Newport Convention and Visitors Bureau, $5,000 from the Newport Restoration Foundation, $12,000 from RealWeather Inc., and $5,000 from Bowen's Wharf Co. The City of Newport will use the value of the property and the building as an in-kind match, in addition to a $140,000 cash contribution from the city. Construction is anticipated to begin in spring 2009, and the center is expected to be open for visitors in summer 2009. "Tourism plays a vital role in the economy of Newport, and all of Rhode Island," said Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Paiva Weed (D -- Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown). "As island residents in a state known as the Ocean State, we recognize the importance of Narragansett Bay in attracting visitors to the city. Rhode Islanders and out-of-state visitors alike enjoy boating on the Bay in the summer months. Construction of this new boating facility and the accompanying amenities, in the heart of the waterfront business district, will help to provide another convenient way for boaters to access the city, and further boost the local and state economy." "These funds offer us the opportunity to provide visiting boaters upgraded harbor facilities that will maintain Newport as the sailing capitol of the world," said Newport Mayor Stephen Waluk. The grant application was submitted to the US Fish and Wildlife Service in October by DEM on behalf of the City of Newport. The Newport Harbor Center grant is part of a total of $13 million in funds awarded throughout the country to help improve facilities for transient, non-trailerable boats along navigable waterways. The grants are an effort by the Fish and Wildlife Service to improve boating and fishing opportunities, strengthen community ties to the water's edge, and promote economic activity. The federal grants provide a 75 percent reimbursable match, and are funded by excise taxes on motorboat fuel. In addition to the grant for the Newport Harbor Center, the US Fish & Wildlife Service has awarded the City of East Providence a $12,000 grant to install six sets of transient moorings for recreational boaters. This project will provide a positive economic impact to the City of East Providence by bringing transient boats visiting the area. It also will provide a safe access to the harbor in rough weather situations. The moorings will be advertised in the national database for availability of the moorings to transient vessels. -30- |
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