WARREN — To ensure Right of Ways (ROWs) – public access points that allow citizens to visit and use the waterfront - are preserved for generations to come, The Warren Harbor Management Commission is currently making huge strides in enforcing ROW regulations.

According to Woody Kemp, chairman of the commission, the advisory board has been working with Harbormaster Matt Calouro and Roger Williams University legal fellow Steven Surdut to make sure these access points remain public.

They say residents are not aware of what sites are accessible. Rhode Island is one of the few states in which residents have access to the coastline as long as the land is below the high-tide mark. Due to shoreline construction and a lack of upkeep on the ROW pathways, residents are having trouble utilizing the waterfront for fishing, clamming, and boating.

“The problem with Rhode Island is that the waterfront is so privatized. Gaining legal access to the coastline is the problem,” said Mr. Surdut, who is currently studying law.

Through funds provided by Sea Grant, he signed on to help the commission research and document ROWs so they can be formally recognized by the CRMC. Though some ROWs have been recognized by the both state and locals who remember using ROWs, some signs have been lost, or even hidden by residents whose property abuts those access points. According to the Harbor Management Commission’s plan, revised in 2006, members plan to make the ROW signs more visible.

“The condition of many of the ROWs could be improved. Many are overgrown with weeds, brush, and in some cases, trees. A few have been altered or disguised by abutting property owners in such a way as to make them either difficult or impossible to find or use. Many are unmarked, poorly marked, or posted with ‘No Trespassing’ signs. These abuses must be addressed whether by simple maintenance, by removal of illegal signs, ore by offending property owners being forced to return the use of the ROW to the people and the Town and State,” reads the plan.

To complicate matters, some town records on the ROWs have been lost. The Coastal Resource Management Council (CRMC) and town recognize overlapping and differing sites at ROWs. To re-certify these ROWs, the commission has asked CRMC to replace the signs that have been lost.

“CMRM didn’t have records, and neither did the town. There’s this mysterious era, therefore they have to recertify them,” said Mr. Surdut.

“It’s almost like starting from scratch.”

Luckily, the town clerk’s office digitized town maps before many of the documents disintegrated due to age and human use, ensuring that historical ROWs can be preserved.

“The town clerks helped me out. They had the sense to save the maps,” said Mr. Surdut.

Places like Beach Street and Kelly Street have been ROWs, according to town documents, for years. However, their documentation and upkeep has been shoddy, according to Mr. Kemp. They plan to induct those into the CRMC and other sites in the months to come. (See map for current ROWs in town)

During the next commission meeting, scheduled for Aug. 4 in the Warren Town Hall’s Youth Center at 7 p.m., members will formally map out which additional sites should be inducted.