PORTSMOUTH — The town will be the proud owner of another beach if the Town Council approves a purchase-and-sales agreement with the state for Teddi’s Beach in Island Park at Monday night’s meeting.

The agreement between the Town of Portsmouth and the R.I. Division of Transportation (RIDOT), for the sale price of $150,000, includes the Stone Bridge abutment, a section of which partially collapsed in 2019 and broke off into the Sakonnet River.

The council has been keen on repairing the abutment and cleaning up the beach, similar to what the Town of Tiverton did with its side of the long-defunct bridge, now a handsome waterfront park.

RIDOT spent $850,000 on repairs and turned the north side of the abutment 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.

To go forth with improvements, however, the town first needed to take ownership of the property, located adjacent to 701 Park Ave. In July 2022, the council voted unanimously to pursue an offer by RIDOT to purchase both the abutment and beach for $300,000. 

“I was authorized to go up to $300K,” Town Administrator Richard Rainer, Jr. stated in an e-mail Friday to The Portsmouth Times. “However, through negotiation and assessment, we were able to get the price down to $150K for both.”

Last July, Rainer told the council the town could possibly acquire the property “gratis,” but the timeline would be longer. 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, last July, 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. It would cost an estimated $4-$5 million to duplicate the project in Tiverton, which already had the advantage of owning its pier, making the job of seeking grants easier, officials said. The town could also choose to simply make the abutment pedestrian-safe, a far-cheaper option.

Last year, Rainer told the council that some or all of the town’s American Rescue Plan Act funds could be used to fund the purchase. The July vote included an assurance the town would be able to conduct its own inspection before taking ownership, as well as a condition that the town may apply to RIDOT for future infrastructure grants to help offset costs.

Most of 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.

The Town of Portsmouth currently owns Sandy Point Beach and McCorrie Beach.