Marina will become state’s largest

Warwick Beacon Online

Written by BARNES, JENNETTE

Thu, Feb 14 02

"By JENNETTE BARNES

A marina expansion plan for Greenwich Bay won state approval Tuesday, raising fears that the entrance of Apponaug Cove will live up to its designation as a "high-intensity" boating area.

Neighbors opposing expansion at Greenwich Bay Marina had high hopes for their cause after the Coastal Resources Management Council sided with Bonnet Shores residents in Narragansett against the filling of a wetland for home construction earlier in the meeting. But Turner Scott, the lone CRMC member who favored the builder in Narragansett, convinced three others to vote with him to approve the full 3.9-acre perimeter requested by Lee Raymond, owner of Greenwich Bay Marina. The final vote on the marina project was 4-3.

The vote rejected the recommendation of a subcommittee that held a public hearing in Warwick to investigate the issue. As part of the three-member subcommittee, Turner was the dissenting vote when the group decided 2-1 to recommend that Raymond reduce the size of his expansion by 25 percent. Instead of adding about 161 new slips in a 280-foot overall perimeter, the marina would have been limited to 210 feet, losing about 40 of the proposed new slips. The addition will enlarge the marina to about 473 slips, making it the largest in the state. Presently, Greenwich Bay North, also owned by Raymond, is the state’s biggest marina at 414 slips.

Pamela Pogue, a former chair of the Warwick Harbor Management Commission who played an integral role in writing the city’s harbor management plan, served on the subcommittee that asked Raymond to reduce the expansion. She agreed that a shortage of slips exists in the state and was pleased to see Raymond was willing to remove a wave fence that disrupts water flow into the area, but said those considerations do not outweigh the size issue.

She said Warwick has labored to improve water quality and public education since "serious" conditions led to the closing of Greenwich Bay in 1992.

"Unfortunately, I think this particular proposal is out of scale…I’m not voting against the marina by any means, but I think it needs to be scaled back," said Pogue.

Rounding out the subcommittee was David Abedon, who supported Pogue’s position, saying the smaller expansion was a reasonable request because it would protect the bay and give boaters and non-boaters alike the opportunity to enjoy it.

Attorney S. Paul Ryan represented the Cedar Tree Point Association and Arnold’s Neck Improvement Association, two of the primary objectors to the size of the expansion. Jack Early and Catherine Murphy attended on behalf of the organizations. The neighbors believe more boats will threaten water quality and possibly reduce property values if traffic, noise and lights increase.

Also objecting was Jody King, vice president of the Rhode Island Shellfishermen’s Association.

Attorney Ryan praised the subcommittee, saying its recommendation was "one of the best-written ones I’ve read in dealing with this council."

"I trust that the council will at the very least adopt the recommendations of the subcommittee," he said.

But that was not to be.

Scott told the group that Greenwich Bay has been accepted as Type 3 waters where high-intensity boating is not only allowed but encouraged. As for problems with traffic and navigational space described by former Warwick harbormaster Steven Archer at a public hearing, Scott said, "I thought better enforcement of speed would take care of that."

He recalled that the expansion received approval from the Warwick Harbor Management Commission and said the marina recently agreed to pay $5,000 a year for transplantation of shellfish, an increase from the $3,750 that was part of the bargain earlier. That’s in addition to an initial transplantation fee of up to $20,000.

"Our policy is to preserve and protect Type 3 waters for high-intensity boating…As far as I’m concerned they’re right in the middle of Type 3 waters," he said.

Raymond will also replace a wave fence with a wave attenuator and add culverts, improving water flow in the marina and allowing quahogs to grow.

Prompted by Turner, marina attorney Joseph DeAngelis added a new incentive to the pot: Raymond would be willing to donate a chunk of waterfront land north of the marina for conservation. The lot would be equivalent in size to the expansion.

DeAngelis said the marina’s application was unusual in that it conformed to the agency’s guidelines and was not seeking a variance.

Pogue was not swayed. She recounted hearing about all the accidents on the bay at the Warwick Harbor Management Commission’s monthly meetings. She said the proposed addition of 161 slips seemed arbitrary, questioning whether Raymond chose it with his finances or the environment in mind.

Only seven of the 16 CRMC members voted. Among the missing was Rep. Eileen Naughton of Warwick, who first asked that a subcommittee be allowed to examine the plan in depth. CRMC executive director Grover Fugate, a non-voting employee of the board, said Naughton was in New York for the birth of a grandson.

Attorney K. Joseph Shekarchi of Warwick slipped out before the marina project came up for debate. CRMC chair Michael Tikoian recused himself from the matter because he prepares tax returns for the marina owner’s lawyer.

Two other CRMC members, both state legislators, were present but could not vote because they had not read the four-inch-thick written record of the case.

After about 45 minutes of discussion, Jerry Sahagian made a motion to modify the subcommittee’s recommendation to grant the full expansion requested by the marina. Unlike in the Bonnet Shores case they heard earlier in the evening, he said, Raymond had made concessions to "avoid and minimize" adverse affects on the coastal environment.

Abedon objected to that rationale, saying it was like a child demanding to be rewarded for good behavior.

"You’re supposed to be good all the time," he said.

"This is the most productive shellfish bed in all of Rhode Island," Pogue added. "Once you destroy a resource, it’s gone. That’s it. I thought our objective here on the council was to protect Narragansett Bay."

After the vote she was visibly agitated. She went up to Scott who was still sitting at the head of the table, put her hands on his shoulders from behind, and said firmly, "Thanks."

"Why are you thanking me?"

"I’m not thanking you," she said.

Pogue had no comment for the media.

Jack Early of the Cedar Tree Point Association said he would meet with members of the two associations to discuss appealing the decision to Superior Court. He was not impressed by what he characterized as the marina’s "last minute attempt to sweeten the deal" by "trading a back parking lot for prime Greenwich Bay acreage."

"It allows us to lose faith in Rhode Island institutions. Most believe the CRMC is here to protect our coastal waters," Early said.

Outside the meeting room, Jody King of the Shellfishermen’s Association told Raymond he doesn’t oppose the expansion itself, just the size of it. Shellfishermen are most concerned about the perimeter, not the number of slips or the boat traffic, because they will lose open fishing waters."