State seeks grant for Rocky Point purchase

WARWICK – The state has applied for a $2.3 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as it moves to purchase the remaining 81 acres of the former Rocky Point Amusement park, The Warwick Beacon reported last week.
The Beacon said an earlier NOAA grant enabled the city and state to partner for the procurement of 41 acres of park shoreline more than a year ago. That $2.2 million grant covered half the $4.4 million cost of the property, with $800,000 coming from the city and $1.4 million from the R.I. Department of Environmental Management.
Michael Sullivan, DEM director, told the Beacon the state would chase “every rainbow” to acquire the remaining 81 park acres. He said his office prepared the grant application with the Coastal Resources Management Council and that CRMC actually filed the application.
Sullivan said that DEM has completed an appraisal of the land, but declined to release information since the agency is in negotiations with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the court-appointed receiver of the property. &#8226