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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, STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS BREAK GROUND FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF MOUNT HOPE BOAT LAUNCH IN BRISTOL The existing Mount Hope boat launch located behind the RI Veterans' Home will be replaced with a new, 60-foot wide concrete ramp and two floating courtesy docks. The Mount Hope facility will be accessible to boaters with disabilities. Adjacent to the boat ramp will be a new paved parking area with 49 vehicle/trailer parking spaces and five vehicle-only parking spaces. The parking lot will also feature low-impact design elements such as bio-retention areas that will treat storm water runoff before it enters Mount Hope Bay. The entrance road will be realigned and a small gazebo will be installed. The existing Mount Hope boat ramp, which is approximately 40 years old, will be closed during the reconstruction project. Boaters are being re-directed to public ramps at Colt State Park and Independence Park in Bristol. A channel will be dredged from the new boat ramp location, which is north of the existing Mount Hope boat ramp, into deep water to accommodate larger boats brought in by trailer to the new facility. When completed, this ramp will be the only public boat launching ramp of its size in the Rhode Island portion of Mount Hope Bay. "This new facility will provide increased opportunities for boaters from Rhode Island and Massachusetts to enjoy the beauty and the recreational opportunities that Mount Hope Bay and Narragansett Bay have to offer," noted DEM Director W. Michael Sullivan, PhD. "Boating is a sustained recreational industry in our state, and the innovative new dock system at Mount Hope boat launch will allow boaters who are physically challenged and others to easily board their boats regardless of the level of the tide." "I would like to thank Director Sullivan and the Department of Environmental Management for undertaking this very important project," said Representative Raymond E. Gallison, Jr. (District 69.) "For far too long this boat launch and fishing area have been in need of improvements and rehabilitation. It has been an area that has attracted dumping and late night parties. The roadway into this area has so many pot holes the size of craters, it looks like lunar surface.DEM is to be congratulated for devoting the resources and time to plan and implement this project. The improvements that will be made will insure a safe area for people to launch their boats, along with providing a better fishing area. Residents from the Rhode Island Veterans' Home will also have a safe pathway to be able to walk from the Veterans' Home to enjoy this area. I would also like to thank Bristol Town Administrator Diane Mederos for agreeing to have the Recreation Department maintain the area, as well as insuring police and harbor patrol protection." "This is a big deal for Bristol. This area has long been underutilized and neglected, and we are thrilled that the Mount Hope boat launch improvement project after quite a long wait, will commence," said Bristol Town Administrator Diane Mederos. It is significant that the Mount Hope boat launch will provide a boat ramp to access the Kickemuit River in the event that emergency services are required. And I'm delighted that our Veterans who are residents of the Rhode Island Veterans Home will be able to access this area safely as well." The new boat ramp will be located on state property owned by the Veterans' Affairs Division of the Department of Human Services (DHS.) A long-term, cooperative agreement between DEM's Division of Fish & Wildlife and the Veterans' Affairs Division will provide for the construction and maintenance of the new public boating access facility on this 8-acre parcel on Mount Hope Bay. The $998,211 project will be constructed by HK&S Construction Holding Corporation of Newport, and is being funded entirely by the Federal Aid in Sportfish Restoration fund through a tax on motorboat fuel. Gordon R. Archibald, Inc. of Pawtucket designed the new facility. The new boat ramp is expected to be open to the public during the 2010 boating season. -30- |
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