CCA Blog and Mail Box

Below you will find an archive of CCA blog posts. The comments from readers and some blog posts do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the CCA Steering Committee. Sign up to receive these blog posts by e-mail.

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Tribe: Rail officials left us out of rail plan

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Westerly Sun — Narragansett Medicine Man John Brown said Monday that the tribe has not received any notifications from the Federal Railroad Administration about the Old Saybrook to Kenyon proposal that would impact tribal lands.

“It seems like a lot of entities and agencies were not included and I am concerned about any Finding of No Significant Impact or any attempt to publish a Record of Decision,” he said. “Those two determinations are central to any project moving forward.”

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George Tremblay’s Comments to NEC Future on Railroad Plan

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The FRA plans to bisect our town with a new high-speed track that runs from its western edge through homes in the bucolic Burdickville village, across a four-generation farm-to-table operation on top of Schumankanuc Hill, over Native-American tribal land through the center of the 1,100-acre Carter Preserve (owned by The Nature Conservancy), and splitting the Revolutionary-era Amos Green Farm, adjacent properties protected by conservation easements, and federally funded Historic Columbia Heights housing, to reconnect with the existing railroad near the eastern edge of town.

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Comments on Draft EIS from Rhode Island Officials Tell Us Draft Wasn’t Clear

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What these comments tell us is that the draft EIS didn’t make the impacts to South County at all clear. Now that they are clearer, would these same reviewers still have little or nothing to say about the “Old Saybrook to Kenyon Bypass”? This lack of clarity and specificity in the Draft EIS is one more reason why there ought to be an extension of the comment period on the Final EIS from January 31 to April 1, 2017.

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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 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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GeorgeTremblay

George Tremblay Lists Accomplishments of CCA Candidates

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This abbreviated record of achievements illustrates the work and dedication toward fiscal responsibility, civic pride, and environmental consciousness you can expect from CCA candidates for Town Council. Incumbent CCA candidates Virginia Lee, Denise Rhodes, and Bonnie Van Slyke, were instrumental in creating this record, and are seeking re-election. New candidates Julie Carroccia and Steve Williams attended most of the meetings of the current town council, and are well versed in its proceedings and obligations. As an outgoing town councilor, I thank you for the privilege of serving, and urge you to vote for my dedicated CCA colleagues.

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Frances Topping

We may be of different political parties, but for Charlestown we are Independents

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In our door to door campaign this fall of talking and listening to voters we have heard consistently that residents feel that the current Town Council and Planning Commission’s goals of preserving the character, the resources and the way of life is what the majority want with little major change. Although we may be of different political parties for Charlestown we are Independents because we all share a common vision for the town. Politics is not the issue, the good of Charlestown is the driver.

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Letter: CCA-backed candidates will maintain town’s character

Letter: CCA-backed candidates will maintain town’s character

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From my six-year tenure as the Charlestown Town Council president, I know management experience is needed to run the town effectively and that the policy setting group must balance what stakeholders want and the budget approved. I appreciate the diverse skills brought to the council by all members but ask that voters consider the newcomers as valued added assets to the group.

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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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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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Town Closes on ChurchWoods Property

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Said Charlestown Town Council President Tom Gentz, “Geoff Marchant, President of the Washington County Community Development Corporations, The Rev. Dr. Michael Tessman, the 2011 pastor of the Church of the Holy Spirit, and I have waited years for this moment and are thrilled that the project has the funding needed to build well-constructed affordable units that meet the needs of our residents.”

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