Town Council Approves Plan For Development Of Ninigret Park

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The Charlestown Town Council has approved its $39.5-million plan for the development of Ninigret Park. The “Ninigret Park Utilization Plan Update 2025” is a long-term strategy or blueprint and will serve as a guide for decision-making and future development, according to a statement by the Town Council at the front of the plan document. With the adoption of the Utilization Plan, the Town Council is now turning its attention to its implementation.

At its upcoming meeting on Monday, July 14, the Town Council will discuss and take possible action on two items related to the development of Ninigret Park: (1) the Park and Recreation Department Director’s report regarding the Department’s long-term needs and the proposed construction project in Ninigret Park and (2) expanding the Council’s previous directive to the Parks and Recreation Department to include other parts of the Utilization Plan, specifically “mapping festival areas.” According to the meeting packet, Councilor Marr will propose the following: “The new directive would be expanded to include research and recommendations of certain parts of the Ninagret [sic] Park Master Plan specifically regarding mapping out location(s) for festival areas.”

Regarding the previous directive, on April 14, the Town Council directed the Parks and Recreation Department to explore a construction project in Ninigret Park that was to include permanent office space for the Department, bathrooms, storage, programming room, summer camp necessities, and any other necessary options.

At the same meeting, the Town Council voted to add $75,000 to the budget for the “Parks and Recreation Department relocation project.” Placing the construction project plan as a warrant item on the Financial Referendum next June appeared to be the target.

In May, the Ninigret Park Community Center Subcommittee was formed. At its meeting on May 12, the Town Council clarified that “the purpose of the Subcommittee was to include an assessment of the Park and Recreation Department’s facility needs for the upcoming years.”

Regarding festival areas, what is now called the Public Events Space is located, as it was in the 2014 plan, within the 55-acre municipal parcel in the northern part of Ninigret. The Utilization Plan discusses the two current large events with regional draw: the Seafood Festival and Rhythm and Roots. The size of this area has been calculated based on how these current events utilize Ninigret Park. Atlantis Rising, also a large event with a regional draw, was permitted this spring.

The master planning effort has consumed two and a half years and many meetings with residents and stakeholders, during which time almost all voiced concerns about the direction of the planning effort. From the outset, the Town Council directed the consultant, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. (VHB), to use the 2008 Master Plan and the 2014 draft, which expanded the 2008 plan, as the framework for the new plan, even though the town’s 2021 Community Survey does not support the commercialization of Ninigret Park or the creation of a new venue that would hold more than 1,000–3,000 attendees.

The 2021 Community Survey was conducted by a well-known and highly respected national survey company, and 2,270 residents responded to multiple mailings. The survey was statistically valid, meaning that the results accurately represented the population. The survey company reported: “The margin of error for this survey is ±2.1%. In essence, this means that 95% of the time, any statistic given in this report will be within 2.1 percentage points of what the entire voter/homeowner population would have given had they all been surveyed.”

The Survey found that residents overwhelmingly supported prioritizing their own needs over policies that encourage tourism. This did not differ much, if at all, by age, gender, employment status, full or part-time residency, or how long the respondent lived in the town.

About Ninigret Park specifically, the survey found that Ninigret Park is well-used and that most wanted the park maintained or were open to small (noncommercial) improvements. From a list, respondents selected the improvements that they supported, such as walking/jogging trails and more restrooms. The strongest opposition was to the addition of a football field, more large festivals, concession stands, or a large band shell.

One issue that remains unresolved is that traffic and other data were collected in 2007, 17 years ago. Because of the small amount of money allocated to the planning effort by the Town Council, no up-to-date data were collected. A new event with a regional draw, Atlantis Rising, was permitted this spring, and more appear to be contemplated; however, it is not known whether more events with a regional draw can be supported.

There has been no cost/benefit analysis performed and no assessment of other pressing, or desired, projects elsewhere. Charlestown’s taxpayers will pay, for the most part, for future development, and it is not clear how they will benefit. Further, there has been no assessment of what other projects might be put on the back burner, or forgone, because of the cost of implementing even a small part of this Utilization Plan.

The town’s policy regarding lighting in the 227-acre park needs to be addressed. Charlestown was at the forefront when it adopted a lighting ordinance in 2012, and Charlestown loves its rural community. Environmental issues are listed in the Utilization Plan, and one is that “Ineffective artificial lighting will impact migratory habits, reduce the areas of ecological importance, and impact the effectiveness of the Frosty Drew Observatory.” For many years, The Audubon Society, the National Park Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and many citizens have been alarmed that any additional artificial lighting might be allowed in Ninigret Park.

It’s time to move on from the assumption that large events with regional draws should be the basis for Charlestown’s economy. Our economy is instead based on eco-tourism, and the transfer of 227 acres of the former Charlestown Naval Auxiliary Landing Field to Charlestown presented unique opportunities for the town, including the economic benefits of Charlestown’s National Wildlife Refuges and other preserved land. In addition, the Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center and Charlestown’s dark skies remain a large, untapped economic resource.