DEM looks to lease Narragansett facility

NARRAGANSETT – The R.I. Department of Environmental Management will ask permission later this month to lease a facility overlooking Point Judith Pond.
DEM Director Michael Sullivan said the property on Succotash Road in Narragansett has stood mostly vacant since 2005 when the Marine Fisheries Center moved to a renovated facility in Jamestown.
“It’s just not very efficiently used and it’s an asset we think can be better used, especially in this economy,” Sullivan told Providence Business News Monday.
The agency needs permission from the State Properties Committee to request formal proposals for the roughly 7-acre property that contains four buildings, 800 feet of waterfront and a dock. The committee is expected to meet Sept. 28.
Sullivan said a successful partner would pitch a plan that is sensitive to the neighboring residential community and the existing aquaculture operations at the site. The DEM would like to retain the ability to grow clams at the site for restoration projects. Sullivan said one possible scenario would include a shellfish farmer operating a commercial farm, but providing space or shellfish seedlings when needed.
Sullivan also wants to retain the option for the DEM to keep boats at the 75-foot-long dock.
Sullivan stressed that the agency has no interest in selling the property. Any lease would need clearance by both the agency and State Properties Committee. How much the property could generate in cash for the state remains to be seen.
“We’re just looking and listening,” Sullivan said.