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City Council Grants DEM Lease to Build Rocky Point Fishing Pier

CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] An artist's drawing of the planned fishing pier at Rocky Point.
CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] An artist’s drawing of the planned fishing pier at Rocky Point.

WARWICK, RI — The Warwick City Council approved leasing a section of land along the shore at Rocky Point Park to the Department of Environmental Management so the agency can build a new fishing pier extending from the property for $10 per year.

The lease will last 25 years, with a 10-year option to renew

“I can’t express how great this will be for the City of Warwick,” said Councilman Steve Merolla.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the pile drivers go out and get the project started,” said Councilman Ed Ladouceur.

Construction would likely begin in the spring of this year, said DEM Project Manager Andres Aveledo, and will take about seven months to complete, which would make it ready in time for fishing in spring on 2019. Aveledo said bidding on the project will begin within the next month. Until a bidder wins the job, he said, it’s too soon to tell how much the project will cost.

The project would add another level to the recreational activities already enjoyed at the historic park, the famous once-thriving amusement park destination.  From its inception in 1840 through the mid-1990s, Rocky Point remained the area’s most popular seasonal destination, complete with amusement rides, a fishing pier, House of Horrors and more. The park began to fall into a state of disarray, with the grounds and the buildings on the property no longer being cared for. Finally, in 1995, the park closed its doors and sat inaccessible to the public for years.

Rocky Point in its entirety was re-opened to the public as a state park in 2014 (the walking path around the perimeter opened in 2011) following a long series of acquisitions of pieces of the land begun in 2007.

Since 2015, a series of movie nights have been held on the park’s grounds during the summer season, a free family-friendly event that remains a summertime favorite. In July of 2017, for the first time ever, Rocky Point was a host location for the ever-popular Food Trucks Night, drawing in enormous crowds. Rocky Point Fishing Pier

Rocky Point Park Pier at sunset April 28, 2015.
Rocky Point Park Pier at sunset April 28, 2015.
CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] An artist's drawing of the planned fishing pier at Rocky Point.
CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] An artist’s drawing of the planned fishing pier at Rocky Point.
CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] An artist's drawing of the planned fishing pier at Rocky Point.
CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] An artist’s drawing of the planned fishing pier at Rocky Point.

 

Rob Borkowski
Author: Rob Borkowski

Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.

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