PORTSMOUTH — The town is moving ahead with plans to turn the shabby Stone Bridge abutment and adjacent Teddi’s Beach into a waterfront spot that residents can proudly call their own.

The Town Council on Monday voted unanimously to pursue an offer by the R.I. Department of Transportation (RIDOT) to purchase both the abutment and beach for $300,000. The road leading down to the area from Park Avenue is not part of the offer, and would still be owned and maintained by RIDOT. The nearby boat ramp is owned and serviced by the R.I. Department of Environmental Management.

After part of the abutment partially collapsed in 2019 and broke off into the Sakonnet River, RIDOT spent $850,000 on repairs and turned the north side into a riprap wall, but closed the pier to the public for safety’s sake. Residents and local officials call it an eyesore, and Teddi’s Beach — also known as “Teddy’s” — is also in rough shape and a target of litterbugs.

The council didn’t have much time to mull the offer, which came to the town only recently, said Town Administrator Richard Rainer, Jr. RIDOT needed an answer “by mid-July,” otherwise it wouldn’t address the issue again until next spring, he said.

The other option was for the town to acquire the property “gratis,” but the timeline would be longer, he said. Also, while the town could make renovations on the abutment, it would not be allowed to place any structures or facilities on the property, Rainer said.

Purchasing the property outright gives the town more control on what it would like to see there, said the administrator, who cautioned that making improvements to the property would be a “longterm project” and, of course, the town would be responsible for its maintenance and police enforcement.

Council members said there are still many unknowns on what the town would like to see happen with the property, as well as the availability of grants to help offset the costs of major improvements. Local officials point to the Stone Bridge abutment on the other side of the Sakonnet River, which Tiverton transformed into a popular waterfront park, a project that in today’s dollars would cost an estimated $4-$5 million to duplicate.

“If we go in, we go in eyes wide open with the understanding it’s not going to be turned into Tiverton’s property overnight,” said Rainer, noting an engineering and structural analysis of the property would be the first in a long series of steps.

Public Works Director Brian Woodhead said he had concerns about his department, with limited manpower, taking over maintenance of the property.

Still, council members said an offer of $300,000 for prime waterfront real estate was hard to refuse.

“I think it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said council member Leonard Katzman, adding that the property would be enjoyed by generations of Portsmouth citizens. The town could later decide what to do with the property — which could include simply making the abutment pedestrian-safe, rather than going “full Tiverton.”

Councilor Daniela Abbott agreed, saying the offer of $300,000 “is unheard of,” and that she’d rather the town own the property outright so it would have more flexibility on what could be done there. (Tiverton already owned its pier, which made it easier for the town to seek funding for that project.)

“The free approach never works out in our favor. I think we’d be crazy to turn it down,” she said.

Where the money’s coming from

Rainer told the council, “If we have the resources and the will to make it better, we ought to make it better,” and outlined where the funds could be found to purchase the property.

There’s no money in the budget to buy the property, but the town has $126,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds that are not yet earmarked, the administrator said. The remaining balance — $174,000 — could be taken from the $820,000 in ARPA funds the town had set aside as a placeholder for storm drain improvements in Island Park and Portsmouth Park, Rainer said.

Council Vice President Linda Ujifusa said she felt the council was being “rushed into this,” and would rather have assurances “we’re not buying a money pit.” Still, Ujifusa said she was confident taxpayers would support the purchase.

On a motion by council member Keith Hamilton, the council voted 7-0 to approach RIDOT to purchase the property for $300,000. 

The motion included an assurance the town would be able to conduct its own inspection before taking ownership — “If I’m buying a house, I’m getting an inspection done first,” Hamilton said. The motion also included a condition that the town may apply to RIDOT for future infrastructure grants to help offset costs, and noted that ARPA funds would be used to purchase the property.