WARWICK
State moves to preserve land
Development rights to a blueberry farm adjacent to Rocky Point are purchased for $345,000
By BARBARA POLICHETTI JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
WARWICK — The preservation of a bountiful berry farm on Rocky Point Avenue will enhance efforts to create a seaside conservation area at the site of the former Rocky Point amusement park. State and city officials announced Thursday that the Rhode Island Agricultural Land Preservation Commission has purchased the development rights to 8.5 acres of farmland adjacent to the park property. The $345,000 purchase of the rights, made possible through a combination of state and federal grants, guarantees the land will remain a working blueberry farm, Mayor Scott Avedisian said. “This land is historically significant and, like nearby Rocky Point Park, holds many happy memories for Rhode Islanders and people throughout the region,” Avedisian said. The land preservation commission works to purchase development rights from farmers who can retain ownership and use of their land but be assured it will be protected as agricultural space if it is sold. According to the state De-
partment of Environmental Management, which oversees the land preservation commission, the program has protected more than 86 farms in Rhode Island, encompassing more than 6,300 acres. Janet Coit, director of DEM, said the blueberry farm located just west of the old park entrance on Rocky Point Avenue is a “cherished local landmark” with a lot of history and a bountiful harvest that still draws summer crowds of people who want to pick their own berries. The farm, which was once part of the 19th-century country estate of Sen. Nelson Aldrich, has produced as much as 13 tons of blueberries in one season, according to Mark and Betty Garrison, who are now retiring from the farm. Avedisian said the Garrisons asked the city to help them find a way to protect the land and were put in contact with the DEM and the agricultural land preservation commission. Officials said the Garrisons are selling the property to Rhoda Shu-maker and Joe Gouveia, who plan on continuing the blueberry farm and say they’re looking forward to next season’s crop of pickers. Avedisian said the preservation of the berry farm is the perfect complement to the portion of Rocky Point park that the city was able to purchase and preserve as open space. The area was recently opened to the public as a passive recreation park with a paved walking path. “This will help preserve the natural beauty of the neighborhood,” Avedisian said of the procurement of the development rights. “It will remain farmland forever.” The former Rocky Point Amusement Park covered more than 124 acres on the rugged shores of War-wick Neck peninsula. In 2008, the city was able to purchase roughly 41 acres of the property — including one mile of shoreline — after working with state and federal officials to cobble together $4.4 million in funding. The remaining 80-plus acres now remain under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Small Business Administration, which is the court-appointed receiver for the park that closed in bankruptcy in the mid-1990s. Last year, Rhode Island voters approved a bond referendum that included $10 million to purchase the remaining Rocky Point land and keep it as open space. The DEM is having the property appraised before it submits an offer on the property, Coit said last month, adding that any purchase would have to be submitted through the SBA and approved by federal bankruptcy court. Until that happens, the SBA-controlled portion of the land remains off-limits to the public. The Garrisons purchased the farm, which is crisscrossed by historic stone walls, about 28 years ago, and say the preservation of the land makes it easier to move on with the next phase of their lives. “Betty and I are grateful that our little farm — the object of affection and work for so many years — will not go up for sale to the highest bidder for residential development,” Mark Garrison said. bpoliche@providencejournal.com (401) 277-8065