There’s a real good chance that after some folks read this column, I’ll get
a call. It could come from someone at the Rhode Island Economic Development
Corporation or maybe from someone at one of the public relations firms that
does work for them. And they’ll say: ‘You have got to come down to Quonset and
see all that is going on. We’ll take you on a tour.’
Been there, done that.
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I’ve toured Quonset Point/Davisville, the 3,000-acre former Navy base several times – one time, in fact, by helicopter. There is indeed, much going on down there.
There are dozens of companies employing hundreds of workers – they combine to pump millions of dollars into the Rhode Island economy.
There are so many examples. From Job Lot, the off-price retailer that has grown dramatically in recent years, to SENESCO, the barge builder that recently announced plans to double its existing work force – from 250 to 500 – after signing a series of new contracts. There are new automobiles being shipped through there on a regular basis – there are manufacturers building precision parts for the automotive industry.
I could go on – and on.
But the point is, Quonset Point/Davisville needs to become much more than it is today. It needs to become bigger and better. We need to stop describing it as our unpolished jewel.
For goodness sakes, polish the jewel already!
A few years ago, the generous taxpayers of Rhode Island balked at a Quonset Point bond referendum. The controversial proposal to develop a major container port there was fresh in their heads. But that issue went away. And the state went back to voters on Nov. 2, asking via Question 14, for permission to borrow $48 million for upgrades and improvements at the Quonset Davisville Port and Commerce Park.
By a margin of 56 percent to 44 percent, voters gave the state that permission.
In terms of specifics, the money approved by the referendum calls for the upgrading of roads and 29,000 feet of rail lines, the burying of utilities, building and repairing sea walls. At least 63 derelict buildings are expected to be razed, opening up at least another 130 acres for development.
This is all exciting news. The specter of a container port is off the radar screen. There has been real progress in the past couple years in cleaning up the massive property and by all reports land there has become more valuable.
But state officials need to recognize that voters want – and deserve – results. And for this $48 million, they ought to see plenty of results. They ought to see existing companies expanding and new companies arriving. They ought to see more happening along the waterfront. They ought to see a mix of industrial users and recreational opportunities.
Above all, they should stop hearing that Quonset Point/Davisville is an unpolished jewel.
They should see it finally reach its potential and become the most significant economic development initiative the state has to offer.
• Maybe the question isn’t so much ‘Will Republican U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee switch over and become a Democrat?’ Maybe it’s, ‘Would the Democratic Party want him?’ It sure is shaping up as interesting politics.
Chafee’s decision to write in a vote for an ex-president on Election Day was sort of brushed off as no big deal, but that’s because he wasn’t running for re-election. You can bet that when he is, he’s going to have to explain himself.
With a Republican Cranston mayor champing at the bit and a whole bunch of Democrats edging into line, maybe Chafee will run as an Independent.
It’s not such a strange idea. A three-way race would be easier to win, particularly with his established support, and he’s got the money to run a legitimate race without big money from either party’s national operation. Maybe the Cool Moosers ought to give him a call.
– Meanwhile, are you getting the sense that as long as he sticks to his congressional
seat, U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy is about as close to a sure thing as you
can get when it comes to political races? It seems to me…
– Why has it suddenly become so difficult to conduct exit polls?
– One question for U.S. Sen. John Kerry. The Boss, I understand. I mean, I
think we all do. But Jon Bon Jovi? Which voters were you expecting to attract
with him?
