Middletown Town Council Orders Further Study of Proposed Third Beach Boat Ramp

It seemed like a good idea to Middletown Town Council members in November of 2010, after years of talking about it, to replace the old at 25 percent of the half-million-dollar cost, with the state picking up 75 percent of the bill.

However, given the concerns of a few dozen residents who turned out to speak on the project at Monday’s council meeting, along with a tight fiscal year ahead, town councilors on Monday night ordered further study of the project before accepting the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s (DEM) grant award.

The council referred the project to the Planning Board and Beach Commission for further study and public review, as well as to the town's attorney for review of DEM legal requirements for accepting the grant, and to the town’s Finance Director Lynne Dible to see if the town can afford it this year. The 5-0 vote was taken with Councilors Antone Viveiros and Ed Silveira absent.

“The project will get a lot more scrutiny from all the right people,” Council President Art Weber said following the council’s decision Monday night.

The council also continued the matter to the Sept. 6 meeting to revisit findings before making a final decision.

In a memo and in comments to the council Monday night, Town Administrator Shawn Brown said the town had not anticipated receiving such a fast turnaround from its grant application submitted late in 2010 with approval from the previous town council. As a result, the 25 percent town match was not identified in this year’s budget.

Middletown’s deadline to accept the grant is Sept. 30 or the award will expire from the current fiscal year. If the town passes this year, Middletown would have to reapply in another year.

The Proposed Project

According to town officials, the main issue with the current boat ramp is that the short length doesn’t extend far enough into the shallow water. At lower tides, it’s nearly impossible to launch or retrieve boats. Boaters have damaged boats and engines and the town has difficulties launching emergency vessels onto the water. Other concerns are that the beach and boat ramp provide no handicapped access and, without a dump station, some boaters are likely dumping wastewater at sea, potentially compounding some stormwater drainage issues at Third Beach.

The cost to replace the Third Beach boat ramp has been estimated at $481,000. If the town accepts the DEM grant, its obligation would total about $120,250.