Members of the Harbor Commission and DEM sat down recently to discuss the future of the Chase Marina redevelopment project, after a year or more of seemingly little outwardly visible progress by the state agency in moving the project forward.

The meeting was not without tension, as Bruce Cox, the commission’s president, called out DEM representative and project lead Dan Costa for making what he said were false statements about the project in a recent interview with the Sakonnet Times. In that interview, Costa said nobody from the town has reached out to him to talk about the project over the past year or more.

“You owe us an apology suggesting to the town, the papers, that nobody reached out to you.”

“I’ve spoken to Chris Cotta, the town manager and asked him to filter down any information to this committee as he sees fit within the town,” Costa replied. “My position is to speak with the town manager in regards to Chase Marina updates. I’ve done so. If you feel for some reason disrespected, I will apologize to you. However, it's not our intention to not communicate with you.

While support for the project varied among residents, with the project in full swing, the only questions left to ask were how to mitigate the potential issues that could come with the marina’s reconstruction into what the DEM envisioned when it first proposed it some three years ago — transforming the blighted, state-owned marina into a first class commercial and recreational fishing port.

While Costa shared artistic renderings showing what the project could some day look like, several residents spoke up on either side of the the project, including its impact on parking and congestion, and what it could do for the town and region.

Nearby resident Lisa Smaldone urged commission members and DEM to consider the negative impacts of the project on Tiverton residents, specifically mentioning “the smell, water pollution, land pollution, and the transport of commercial vehicles.”

“Something like this has long-acting ramifications ... on the beauty and the preservation of our town,” she said.

But others are in favor of the DEM’s plan to use state and federal funds to rehab the property.

Matthew Griffin, owner of Salt Fox Sea Farm, believes the redevelopment will benefit Tiverton as “a lot of commercial fishermen and aquaculturists have been pushed out of their slips of private marinas in lieu of larger, fancier, pleasure boats.” Without commercial waterfronts, the industry won’t exist and their products “won't be within our coastal communities, which is part of our our coastal heritage.”

Costa agreed to stay in contact with the harbor commission and attend meetings as he is invited. As of now, the commission plans to host him at another meeting in December or January, after a conceptual design is completed.