WARWICK – For the first time in 15 years, the public will have regular access to a slice of the old Rocky Point Amusement Park.
The city of Warwick announced plans Wednesday to permit people to park outside the main gate and walk the road to the city-owned waterfront property. The city bought the 41 acres from the U.S. Small Business Administration in 2008 for $4 million. But the land envisioned as a city park has remained off-limits because visitors needed to cross non-city land deemed unsafe.
Under Wednesday’s agreement, the city will install fencing along the road to keep people off 83 acres controlled by the SBA, which is acting as a receiver for the property that once boasted Rhode Island’s largest amusement park. The city said it would pay for the fencing with tourism money and lease the road from the SBA for $1 a year.
“Now that the city and the SBA have resolved the public access issue, the Planning Department can move forward with design, permitting and development plans, which include passive recreation opportunities like fishing, bird watching, hiking and canoeing/kayaking fueled by a $90,000 grant from the state Department of Environmental Management,” Mayor Scott Avedisian said.
The announcement comes less than a month after the General Assembly passed the state budget that includes asking voters in November to pay $14.7 million to purchase the remaining amusement park land as well as the former Shooters nightclub in Providence and pay for renovations at Fort Adams in Newport
I thought Warwick had no money for things like safety improvements at schools…why is it ok to spend money on this fence? Are there no other scenic walkways in Warwick or RI? I spent my childhood at Rocky Point and I am as nostalgic as the next person, but lets please be practical here.