Recreation gets a boost on our island

August 26, 2008

Newport Dailyt News Editorial

First there was the Sakonnet Greenway.

Now there is the Narragansett Bay Blue Trail.

The kayaking “trail” is the first project in the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission’s West Side Master Plan to come to fruition. The 10-mile trail, which runs from Perrotti Park in Newport to Weaver Cove in Portsmouth, was inaugurated Friday. A group of about 100 people, including a number of elected officials, put kayaks in the water at the Weaver Cove ramp. The trail eventually will have nine launch sites, including Dyer Island.

One of those sites could be at the former Naval Hospital in Newport, if the Navy declares the property “excess” as expected. Nearly 400 acres along the west side of the island have been identified as surplus in the Navy’s master plan, which was released earlier this summer. The planning commission’s West Side Master Plan, approved by all three island communities, outlines potential uses for the properties.

“The Blue Trail is the first of many recreational opportunities the West Side Master Plan can provide, and we are really looking forward to helping develop opportunities for fishing, bicycle trails, jogging and pedestrian paths and increased public access to the bay,” said Robert Quigley, chairman of the task force that developed the west side plan. The plan also makes recommendations for economic development, utilities and transportation.

Although the Blue Trail is just one small step toward implementing the master plan’s recommendations, it is a visible one, and we are glad to see it happening. Increasing recreational opportunities and preserving public access to the waterfront are worthy goals of the Blue Trail. Similarly, its landlubber cousin, the Sakonnet Greenway, seeks to maximize recreational opportunities and public access to open spaces on Aquidneck Island.

The greenway is the signature project of the Aquidneck Land Trust, which recently received a $40,000 challenge grant from the Nature Conservancy to complete the next phase of the walking and hiking trail. In the winter, the trail, which will traverse seven miles of land that has been protected from development, can be used for cross-country skiing or snowshoeing.

We applaud the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission and the Aquidneck Land Trust for championing these projects, and hope many local residents will take advantage of them in the days and years to come.

Recreation gets a boost on our island

First there was the Sakonnet Greenway.

Now there is the Narragansett Bay Blue Trail.

The kayaking “trail” is the first project in the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission’s West Side Master Plan to come to fruition. The 10-mile trail, which runs from Perrotti Park in Newport to Weaver Cove in Portsmouth, was inaugurated Friday. A group of about 100 people, including a number of elected officials, put kayaks in the water at the Weaver Cove ramp. The trail eventually will have nine launch sites, including Dyer Island.

One of those sites could be at the former Naval Hospital in Newport, if the Navy declares the property “excess” as expected. Nearly 400 acres along the west side of the island have been identified as surplus in the Navy’s master plan, which was released earlier this summer. The planning commission’s West Side Master Plan, approved by all three island communities, outlines potential uses for the properties.

“The Blue Trail is the first of many recreational opportunities the West Side Master Plan can provide, and we are really looking forward to helping develop opportunities for fishing, bicycle trails, jogging and pedestrian paths and increased public access to the bay,” said Robert Quigley, chairman of the task force that developed the west side plan. The plan also makes recommendations for economic development, utilities and transportation.

Although the Blue Trail is just one small step toward implementing the master plan’s recommendations, it is a visible one, and we are glad to see it happening. Increasing recreational opportunities and preserving public access to the waterfront are worthy goals of the Blue Trail. Similarly, its landlubber cousin, the Sakonnet Greenway, seeks to maximize recreational opportunities and public access to open spaces on Aquidneck Island.

The greenway is the signature project of the Aquidneck Land Trust, which recently received a $40,000 challenge grant from the Nature Conservancy to complete the next phase of the walking and hiking trail. In the winter, the trail, which will traverse seven miles of land that has been protected from development, can be used for cross-country skiing or snowshoeing.

We applaud the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission and the Aquidneck Land Trust for championing these projects, and hope many local residents will take advantage of them in the days and years to come.

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