Bristol is committed to rebuilding the dock and keeping the ferry there.”

Portsmouth Town Council President Keith Hamilton

PRUDENCE ISLAND — Although they made it clear that Bristol is committed to keeping the Prudence Island ferry terminal in that town, Portsmouth Town Council members unanimously voted Saturday to form a committee to explore the idea of building a new landing in Portsmouth.

Currently, island residents are ferried by A&R Marine Corp. to Prudence from a landing off Thames Street in Bristol. 

The request for the exploratory panel came from Prudence homeowner R.J. Masse, who could not attend the council’s annual meeting on the island Saturday. In a letter to the council, however, Mr. Masse said parking for island residents is limited in Bristol and it’s getting worse. The solution, he said, would be for the town to find a location for a new ferry terminal on the west side of Portsmouth. 

“Weaver Cove, surrounded by what I believe is Navy land transferring to the town, could be an ideal location,” Mr. Masse stated in his letter.

Council President Keith Hamilton said the town could probably make it happen if a change was really needed.

“We do have a piece of land at Weaver Cove that, if push comes to shove, we could build a ferry terminal,” he said.

However, there’s been no indication from the Town of Bristol that it wants to see the ferry go away, said Mr. Hamilton. “Bristol is committed to rebuilding the dock and keeping the ferry there,” he said, while acknowledging that “elections happen every two years,” so things could change in the future.

Council Vice President James Seveney agreed, saying town officials have been told the Bristol ferry terminal is a boon to business in that town. 

“I for one have seen a few of you sitting in Aidan’s, having a beer,” added Mr. Hamilton.

Island resident Robin Weber said she thought this question had been answered before. “I would hate to have us to head down this road of alternate sites when you’ve all worked so hard in recent years to maintain ferry service in Bristol,” she said, adding that the town shouldn’t give Bristol the impression “that we want to take our business elsewhere.”

Some residents complained about parking problems in Bristol. One private lot near the ferry landing was recently blocked off because the town refused to pay the higher rates imposed by the owner, said islander Janet Brown.

“If it’s sitting there empty, something should be done about it,” said Ms. Brown, who urged the two towns to look into the cost of renting the lot.

Mr. Hamilton said the lot across from the rug company on Thames Street in Bristol currently offers only daytime parking, but that the owner is willing to rent out spaces.

Mr. Hamilton asked Town Administrator Richard Rainer to contact Bristol Town Administrator Antonio Teixeira to discuss the parking situation in Bristol in hopes of coming up with a solution.

Not working with Medley

One islander asked the council about something she recently saw posted on the Prudence Island Ferry Facebook page by its owner, Bruce Medley. 

In the post, Mr. Medley — he operated the ferry service before A&R Marine took it over two years ago — said he wanted to run his ferry from Portsmouth to Prudence, where he still maintains a dock. Mr. Medley added his idea received support from some town officials.

Was that true? the woman asked the council.

“I have no idea what he’s talking about,” replied Mr. Hamilton.

Added Council Vice President James Seveney, “I think it’s safe to say he’s not working with anyone from the Town of Portsmouth.”

Waste oil removal

In other business Saturday, the council discussed options for getting used motor oil off the island safely. 

Mr. Hamilton said the town has three options in dealing with waste oil:

• Ask Rhode Island Resource Recovery (RIRRC) to come to Prudence on occasion for a hazardous waste pickup.

• Use a waste oil burner that could possibly be used to heat the island fire barn or Department of Public Works building.

• Set up a waste oil drop-off facility at the island transfer station.

According to Deputy DPW Director Brian Woodhead, the last option would cost about $4,760 for the storage facility, plus $2,512 annually to transport the waste oil off the island, assuming there are two pickups per year.

Mr. Hamilton said most islanders are probably changing their vehicles’ oil once every year, so one trip every couple of years may suffice to get used oil off the island. 

Islander Bob Marshall said he hopes the town comes up with a plan soon because some Prudence residents have been stockpiling their used oil while they wait for the issue to be resolved.

“There are a couple of people around who have a lot of oil,” Mr. Marshall said.

Because of that, the town may have to pay more to ferry the oil off the island at first, “but after a couple of years it will drop down to a minimum,” he said.

Mr. Hamilton said the council will study the matter further and hopefully decide on a solution by the fall.