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Sample Letter to send to NEC Future NOW Asking for Deadline Extension

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It’s the holiday season, but there is a January 31 deadline fast approaching to oppose the Kenyon to Old Saybrook bypass, and you want to know what you can do?

Write to NEC Future now and ask for an extension in the deadline!

The Federal Railway Administration’s Holiday gift to South County is one we may all want to return, but the Federal process requires that we write and tell NEC Future that.

Please email or write and then share the post.

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PowerPoint Presentation

Feds propose rail improvements through Charlestown

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By KENDRA GRAVELLE – Chariho Times
“One of the options on the table was that there would be a bullet train from Boston to New York and that Providence would get bypassed,” said Chip Unruh, press secretary at the office of Senator Jack Reed. “So [Reed] was pleased to see that Providence wouldn’t get bypassed. This gives thousands of Rhode Islanders increased transportation options, and is extremely important for local businesses. It makes our state a more attractive place to do business.”

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Blumenthal

Blumenthal Not On-board Reed’s Train – He’s Taking A Different Track

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Connecticut’s US Senator Richard Blumenthal held a town meeting at the Old Lyme Connecticut Town Hall at noon on Thursday, December 22 to discuss the Federal Railroad Administration’s plan for the “Old Saybrook to Kenyon” bypass.

He said this proposal must be countered and combated, it must not be allowed to be approved as a plan.

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NEC reroute Charlestown Banner

Christmas Surprise for Charlestown from Federal Railroad Administration

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One week before Christmas the Federal Railroad Administration has released their Environmental Impact Statement to straighten the tracks of the Northeast Corridor over the next several decades.

  • Impacted communities have 30 days to respond
  • Cost of this proposal at around $130 billion
  • New rail lines would cut off 45 minutes of travel time between New York and Boston – but how much time in Charlestown is not known
  • Rerouting the rails through the Grills Preserve in Westerly, and Burdickville Rd. Area in Charlestown, cutting through the Carter Preserve, then transecting the Amos Green Farm, Columbia Heights, and Kenyon, and many other homes and properties along the way

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cottontail11

Good News for Charlestown – Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge Approved!

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Following an extensive public process, and with overwhelming public support, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized the creation of Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge, dedicated to conserving and managing shrubland and young forests for wildlife in New England and eastern New York. The approval of the refuge marks a key step, enabling the Service to now work with willing and interested landowners to acquire land.

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CtownTotes

Charlestown’s Reusable Tote Bags a Success

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Single-use plastic bags, the bags we are given to carry our purchases from a store, are a major source of plastic pollution, a health hazard to aquatic animals and an eyesore as litter along our roadways. Last May, the Charlestown Town Council approved up to $10,000 to underwrite costs for distributing reusable tote bags in an effort to reduce single-use plastic waste.

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2013 12 12 Yes 1

Please Vote “YES” on Question 8 – Charter Change

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On November 8, Please Vote “YES” on Question 8, the Charter Amendment, the 1st Local Question on the Ballot

Please support the proposed Charter change for any citizen’s financial petition that involves bonding authorization (one which imposes a long-term future tax increase), to be submitted to town voters at a general election. This will allow time for prior due diligence, public input, and the largest possible voter awareness and participation.

Read detailed explanation in the post.

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sea turtle plastic bag

Starting a Dialog about Getting Plastic Out of Charlestown’s Environment

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  • An effort to reduce solid waste by limiting transport of goods from retail outlets in single-use plastic bags and polystyrene (Styrofoam) containers.
  • Resolutions to the General Assembly for statewide action die in committee.
  • We are a resort community, where pollution of the landscape and waterways detracts from the appeal of our tourist economy.
  • Includes video on this topic

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GeorgeTremblay

Giving credit where credit is due

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The following letter is shared with us by the author George Tremblay. This was written in response to a letter that appeared in the Westerly Sun that falsely asserted that construction of senior housing was a misuse of disaster relief funding, that senior citizen housing does not belong in a village district, and that the town should have spent the housing money on the Breachway. As the letter below explains, the disaster relief funding exists only because of the housing. One might ask why the Westerly Sun prints such nonsense, but George set the record straight.

I was dumbstruck by the arrogant disregard for reality in the letter from Brandon Cleary on the use of Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Funds (Westerly Sun, July 15).

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Photo of two women walking on East Beach

This American, Absolutely Democratic, Idea of Public Land

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Pulitzer prize-winning author and historian Wallace Stegner described National Parks as “the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.”

Charlestown’s public lands may not be National Parks, but they include a National Wildlife Refuge and some of Rhode Island’s most important recreation and conservation areas. From our miles of ocean beaches to the Wild and Scenic Pawcatuck River we are a town rich in outdoor, public recreation opportunities. These public lands belong to all of us.

This Independence Day weekend, consider celebrating and enjoying this democratic idea of public land at one of the properties below.

We hope you have a great Fourth of July!

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