PORTSMOUTH — Hopeful a deal can be struck with the R.I. Department of Transportation (RIDOT) that would lead to the Stone Bridge abutment being transformed into a waterplace park, several town officials and state lawmakers talked strategy before and after a walking tour of the site on Monday.

Gathering for muffins and coffee at Thriving Tree Coffee House before crossing over Park Avenue, the group was led by local resident John Vitkevich, who convinced the Town Council in October 2021 to pass a resolution urging the General Assembly to pursue funding to develop a new waterfront park recreational facility at the Stone Bridge abutment and Teddy’s Beach.

Several others joined him, including three local state lawmakers: Sen. Jim Seveney, Rep. Terri Cortvriend and Rep. Michelle McGaw. (McGaw is the wife of this story’s author.) Town Council member Keith Hamilton and Town Administrator Richard Rainer, Jr. were also there.

Vitkevich’s idea is nothing new; Seveney proposed seeking funding for the project years ago as a member of the Town Council. However, the need for improvements to the abutment became more urgent starting in March 2019, when a portion of its north side collapsed, forcing the state to close the pier to the public. RIDOT turned the north side into a riprap wall, similar to those used at nearby marinas.

According to Rainer RIDOT, which owns the abutment as well as adjacent Teddy’s Beach, claims the north side of the abutment is now “safer and stronger,” because big waves are dispersed when they hit the large rocks and stones. 

The rest of the abutment, however, is in pretty poor shape, and locals can’t help but notice the much more attractive Tiverton side of Stone Bridge, turned into a waterfront park in 2017. 

“They did this already. We’re not reinventing the wheel, folks,” said Vitkevich.

Pact needed with RIDOT

The sticking point, however, is that the Town of Tiverton already owned its pier, which made it easier to seek funding for the project. The bulk of the money to develop that park — roughly $2.9 million, which included taking out a gas station and re-sanding nearby Grinnell’s Beach — came from state and federal funds, with private donations adding another $60,000.

The first thing the Town of Portsmouth needs, said Rainer and Hamilton, is a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the town and RIDOT. “Nobody’s going to work on anyone’s behalf until you have an understanding,” said Hamilton.

With an MOU in place, the town could then start planning and seek state and federal funding. If the money comes together, the council would then ask RIDOT to transfer the property to the town, which would mean taking over the abutment/park’s maintenance going forward.

RIDOT Director Peter Alviti has already expressed his interest in turning the causeway into a public park. “What we’re going to do is try to take the same approach as the Tiverton side,” Mr. Alviti said in May 2019, just two months after the collapse.

Where’s the money?

“I’m going to try to match what Tiverton did. But right now I’m looking at either the Town of Portsmouth or the State of Rhode Island to get the money to start the engineering,” said Vitkevich, who said he’d like council authorization to spearhead the project.

As for how to fund the project, it would make sense to seek federal resiliency money to fund the engineering, and infrastructure money for construction, said Rainer. 

“Those monies aren’t required to be matched. If you get a grant for this, you’re talking a 25, 40, 50-percent minimum match. If this turns into a $5 million project, that’s $2.5 million on the town side,” the administrator said.

Since the abutment job certainly qualifies as a resiliency project, the town could also use some of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, which must be obligated by the end of 2024 and spent by the end of 2026, Rainer said. That decision would be up to the council, however, and there are other programs competing for those dollars, Rainer said. 

“There isn’t a day that goes by where somebody isn’t coming to Town Hall or calling me with their hand out, to keep this money pigeonholed,” he said.

Everyone agreed that trumpeting the job as a resiliency project would be advantageous in seeking financial assistance. 

“The big thing for me for resilience is protecting the $164 million bridge that’s right down the way. If this goes down, you’ve got a straight shot down to the Sakonnet River Bridge,” said Hamilton.

Vitkevich agreed, saying two nearby marinas and waterfront homes have been more vulnerable since the collapse. He’s not sure the abutment would provide enough protection during the next major storm.

“It’s going to be a mess — and it’s a mess now,” he said. “If that were our pier, I’m sure DOT would be in our face to do something about it.”