CCA Blog and Mail Box

Contestants were asked to submit photos taken on one of the five National Wildlife Refuges in Rhode Island. The Refuges are Ninigret NWR in Charlestown, Trustom Pond NWR in South Kingstown, John H. Chafee NWR at Pettaquamscutt Cove in South Kingstown and Narragansett, Sachuest Point NWR in Middletown and Block Island NWR.

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Statements that Charlestown Town Councilors, duly elected by voters, have repeatedly refused to place items on agendas are simply not true. There is no requirement that any item brought forward by a Town Councilor must be put on the next agenda. The Council may consider whether other items need immediate attention, whether an item is ready for discussion or whether it needs further research, and whether the item can be better addressed in another way, such as administratively.

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It is with heavy hearts that we must report the passing of Jan Knost. Jan passed away on Sunday, August 22, just as Hurricane Henri made landfall in Charlestown and knocked the power out. Jan’s passing was coincidental to the storm, but there is some symbolism in this great light of our community, Jan Knost, being lost at the same time all our lights went out.

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At their July 28 meeting, the Charlestown Planning Commission voted to approve the Village Walk application on a vote of 4 in favor and 1 opposed based on findings of fact and conditions of approval. The applicant’s attorney claimed that the conditions of approval amounted to a denial.

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Charlestown’s Administrator and its Department of Public Works Director have moved to narrow the widths of the travel lanes on Charlestown Beach Road and plan to do the same on East and West Beach roads.

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When: Wednesday, July 28 at 7 p.m.
Where: Charlestown Town Hall
On the Charlestown Planning Commission’s July 28th meeting agenda are Master Plans for two major land developments – “Village Walk” and “Charlestown Commons”.

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When: Wednesday, July 28 at 7 PM
Where: The Quonnie Grange, 5662 Post Rd, (Rt. 1) between East and West Beach Rd., next to Dunn’s Corners Fire Station (location map of the Quonnie Grange in post)
Why: Learn how the Charlestown Naval Airbase almost became a nuclear power plant and the environmental impacts of nuclear energy.
Presenter: Art Ganz, Marine Biologist

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Artificial light at night may be one of the main drivers of firefly declines. These species are active at dusk or after dark, and artificial lights that are on at this time can make it harder for them to see each other. It may also make fireflies more vulnerable to predators that would otherwise be repelled by their light. The resulting decreases in reproduction and survival could have severe consequences for firefly populations.

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Charlestown is seeing a surge in development applications that will result in a level of growth not seen in over 20 years. We may reach a level of development applications that will be impossible for the Planning Department and Planning Commission to review. Impossible or not, state law requires that we review and make decisions within a set number of days.

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On the Charlestown Planning Commission’s July 7th meeting agenda are two major subdivisions – “Summer Winds”, and “Summer Winds”. That isn’t a typo! The developers of the Summer Winds subdivision, are now proposing a Major Subdivision Comprehensive Permit on the same land as the Summer Winds subdivision and also calling it Summer Winds. They haven’t withdrawn the original Summer Winds, so for now there are two different proposals, with the same name, by the same developer, for the same parcel of land.

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The Charlestown Be-Fit Road Bike Trail is a bike tour of our beautiful town and was conceived and developed by the Charlestown Parks and Recreation Commission. The trail passes many of our town’s pristine conserved lands along with Historic Cemeteries, ponds, streams and inviting businesses.

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Most of our readers are signed up to receive the CCA newsletter which is handcrafted and sent about once a week from our website. A smaller group of subscribers receive an automated email with all of the previous day’s blog posts whenever there is new content. All of our readers who were receiving the “daily” automated email will be transferred to a new email list.

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On the Charlestown Planning Commission’s June 23rd meeting agenda are three major land developments – “Village Walk”, “Summer Winds”, and “Rippy’s Garages” – along with other applications. You can join the live Webex meeting on June 23 at 7 p.m.

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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made chemicals that have been manufactured and used in a variety of industries since the 1940s. There is evidence that exposure to PFAS can lead to adverse human health effects. High PFAS levels are often found at former military sites like Ninigret Park. The wells with elevated PFAS are not used for drinking water.

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Thanks to Carla Ricci for this video of a snapping turtle laying its eggs near Carolina Rhode Island.

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The Breachway Bikers Club is a community bicycle group that explores our beautiful part of the world at a leisurely pace. You can join them on Saturday mornings at 8:00 am and Wednesday nights at 5:00 pm for a non-competitive bike ride throughout our beautiful area. Details in post.

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Now thanks to Charlestown’s open space, regulatory standards, and the hard work of Charlestown Building Official Joseph Warner and other town staff, home owners will receive a 20% discount on flood insurance.

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Village Walk will be on the May 26th meeting. This is a continuation of the discussion of Village Walk that took place April 28. The meeting packet contains a peer review report from an architect explaining ways the Village Walk buildings and layout could be modified to better fit into the village.

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When: Saturday, May 29th, from 8am to 1pm
Where: St. Andrew Lutheran Church Parking Lot, 15 East Beach Road, Charlestown

Hanging baskets, annuals, perennials, and mixed containers.

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Now that the plan has been approved, the Planning Commission can begin the process of addressing issues that the town faces along with residents’ concerns. The staff, boards, commissions and committees now have a solid footing for making their decisions. State agencies still have to make final approval of the plan, but their reviews so far have been extremely good.

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Bob Petrone, who has provided some beautiful drone videos recently of our beaches, will take a break once the summer starts and the beaches fill with people. In the meantime, enjoy this 90 second drone flight taken May 2nd, 2021, heading west on East Beach.

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On the Charlestown Planning Commission’s April 28th meeting agenda are two major land developments – “Summer Winds” and “Village Walk” and other proposals. Links to review all the materials submitted by the applicants, the agenda for the entire April 28 meeting, and a link to join the live Webex meeting on April 28 at 7 p.m. where these applications will be reviewed are in this post.

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In 2013 and 2016, the Rhode Island Legislature passed bills that allow unbuildable perimeter wetlands and steeply sloped land to be included in determining buildable lot sizes. Lots that have large areas of wetland buffer have smaller buildable areas and create conflicts with wetland protection.

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This newest Comprehensive Plan has been developed entirely in the Internet age, and we have fully used those tools. The agendas, minutes, and videos of the meetings are available online. Drafts of chapters have been available online as they were first written and as they changed.

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The Charlestown Planning Commission and Planning Department have created a slideshow to summarize the 2020 draft of Charlestown’s Comprehensive Plan. Please click on the blue button in the post to page through the summary. A continued joint public hearing on the proposed new Comprehensive Plan is scheduled by the Town Council and Planning Commission for May 4th at 7 PM.

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On March 21, the first full day of Spring, Bob Petrone flew his drone to take advantage of that perfect spring day. There were few people walking the beach and the sky was a deep blue with no wind. The YouTube video in this post will bring the viewer on a 7 minute ride along the Quonnie coast from Blue Shutters to the Quonochontaug Breachway and pond.

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The Charlestown Town Council will hold a public hearing at their regular meeting on April 12 to discuss the potential acquisition of 66.5 acres of mostly forested land that lies along Alton Carolina Road (Rt. 91) between The Nature Conservancy’s Francis Carter Preserve and the State’s Carolina Wildlife Management Area.

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In late October a short survey was mailed to households in Charlestown asking what you like most about our town, but also if you think improvement might be needed. The results of that “pre-survey” are now ready. A link to the report and all of the survey responses is available in the post.

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Charlestown Citizens Alliance kicked off a campaign seeking donations to ease the burden on neighbors experiencing food insecurity. As of mid-January, donations have reached almost $10,000 from nearly 50 individual donors. An anonymous donor working directly with RICAN pledged to match the donations. We thank all the donors who participated in our campaign.

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Bob Petrone has made another beautiful video. This one of a snowy Valentines Day over Quonnie. In any season or temperature,  Charlestown is always lovely.

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On the Town Council agenda for Feburary 8 is a vote to allow the Town Administrator and Town’s attorney to negotiate a price for the property. DEM also has to approve the price and will not be involved in the sale if they believe the price is greater than the market value. If a sales price can be negotiated that the seller, town and DEM all agree on, the Town Council will hold a public hearing at a future meeting and then vote on the purchase.

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