hard deadlines

Ken Ayars speaks at Portsmouth's Brown House

Ken Ayars, Chief of the RI DEM Division of Agriculture came to Portsmouth today with a message about the importance of local food and preserving local farms.

"The average food on your table travels 1,500 miles from production to consumption," said Ayars. Which is fine, as long as everything works, but with threats from peak oil, farmland shrinkage, and population growth looming, said Ayars, the time to plan is now. "There has to be a backdrop for how you deal with [local decisions] and it needs to be forward looking and deal with the future of sustainability."

The informal talk, organized by Conni Harding of Preserve Portsmouth, was held on the front porch of the Brown House at the Glen, and despite notes of urgency in the message, felt like nothing so much as a neighborly chat, the kind you might have had a hundred years ago over a glass of lemonade. Town Councilors Karen Gleason, Keith Hamilton, and Jim Seveney were on hand, as were a couple of the candidates. And although many of the battles in this area are played out at the Planning or Zoning Boards, Ayars stressed that the fundamental questions are ones of policy.

"Portsmouth's comprehensive plan is outdated in terms of farming, " said Ayars, noting the enormous changes in farm economics, including shifts from wholesale to direct retail and 'transformative' activities like winemaking, spinning, and food processing, all of which have become vital for survival. "The comp plan is reflective of agriculture 20 years ago."

The issues which come up — the Alpaca farm and the winery were both mentioned — should not be approached as one-off cases, said Ayars. "You've got to figure it out because you're operating in a vacuum. There has to be a balance there."

Ed. note: Speaking of the comp plan, Portsmouth's Zoning Board is taking up the petition by Greenvale Farm to use their winery for weddings and other functions tomorrow night, 7pm at Town Hall. If you have a strong point of view, this is probably the meeting you want to go to. (After you stop by Green Valley to meet the candidates, of course.)

For agriculture in RI to be successful, Ayars said, it needs to be local. "What makes it work is direct connection betwen the buyer and the seller," he said, citing examples of Rhody Fresh and Rhody Warm. "These are high-value crops where the bulk of the money goes to the farmer."

And this isn't just some feel-good idea about saving local farms. It's actually a security issue that has been studied by scientists from Raytheon, Ayars said. Precarious supply chains dependent on foreign oil to move products present quantifiable risks. "A healthy society is our best defense," said Ayars, who noted that Portsmouth, with the largest areas of farm land on Aquidneck Island, has a big responsibility.

He urged Portsmouth to look at the larger issues of agriculture and sustainability and see how they drill down to the local level. "You have a huge role to play in the future of this island."

Full disclosure: I am a long-time supporter of Preserve Portsmouth, and I like farms.

Preserve Portsmouth sent an e-mail to supporters this morning urging everyone to attend the Town Center workshop this evening, 7pm, at the Town Hall. They included a letter to the Daily News written by the Town Center Committee:

Due to the large number of accidents along the section East Main Rd from Town Hall to the intersection of Turnpike Ave, this area - Town Center -- has been identified by RIDOT as being listed as a "High Hazard" location in need of reengineering. Police records indicate in the time period between 2007 and 2009 there have been an average of over 2 ½ accidents a month on this stretch of road as well as the death of one pedestrian and serious injuries to another. This year, through March, this area has experienced an increase to 4 accidents per month with one pedestrian recently being sideswiped while trying to cross at the light located at the intersection of Turnpike and East Main Rd.

A Federal Appropriation has been received through Senator Reed's Office to do the engineering of the safety improvements proposed by the State DOT and - since it was secured through the efforts of the Town Center Committee at the direction of the Portsmouth Town Council -- the Town is assured it will be proactively involved in the decision-making process and plans for the proposed modifications. RIDOT has other priorities and limited funds so it behooves us to work intimately with them to ensure road improvements are undertaken with the best interests of the Town and the safety of its citizens in mind. This Appropriation will bring the road safety engineering project close to a "50% development stage" and, in the process, will detail the ramifications of including roundabouts, wider travel lanes, shoulder areas, safe crosswalks and sidewalks determining if and how they will work. When completed, this effort will put the road into the "construction" category of the State's Transportation Improvement Program, meaning it is ready to be built pending funding. Having been the one who secured this appropriation, the Town will have input throughout the process.

Dating back to 2003, there have been numerous public meetings as well as contact with businesses and residents in this area of town. There have been two public workshops, most recently at the High School where DOT made a presentation to several hundred people and received overwhelming support from the people attending. Other smaller town-wide and neighborhood presentations have been made including one open to everyone at the Library. And, meetings have been held with the Portsmouth Business Association, the Portsmouth Rotary, and the Portsmouth Garden Club and, at every turn, the committee has always received the permission of the Town Council to go forward with any and all of their actions.

As to development possibilities in the area, nothing is being done by the Town Center Committee to foster more growth. It has always gone forward with ideas and potential scenarios to improve that area with the best interests of the Town and its citizens in mind. The Town does not own or control any land in the area along East Main Road. Any new development will come about through private investment. The Town, through the Committee's hard work, has placed itself in a position to control what is built and what it will look like. Plus, new zoning regulations have been put in place that only clarify conditions under which property in the area, that have long been zoned as "commercial", can be developed. The Committee also looked into alternative ways for the property owners to handle their water run-off and waste water, including a common septic system in several locations near to Town Center...not just the property along Turnpike Avenue. And, there have been initial reviews of ways to beautify and create a sense of place in the Town Center area. Including sidewalks, safe crossing areas, planted median down the middle of the road, better curb cuts, architectural design guidelines to name just a few.

But, none of this is a fait accompli since everything depends on safety of the roadway.

The Town needs the release of the $950,000 to make East Main Road safe as soon as possible! No more studies are needed...RIDOT has determined that the next step is the engineering design in order to refine the details of the plan. But, the citizens once again need to be heard as to what they would like to see happen in this area. We invite everyone who lives in Portsmouth to become a part of this process. Hear what DOT has to say at this workshop about our road and how we can make it safe. Please come to the Town Council Workshop on Monday, May 3 at 7 P.M. in the Portsmouth Town Council Chambers.
— Portsmouth Town Center Committee

Resources:
Previous coverage here
Portsmouth Town Center web site

Editorial note: People have asked me when I'm going to post last week's meetings, and I apologize. I'm completely slammed at work, and I'm afraid that you can probably expect substantially reduced original content for the next couple of weeks.

In a unanimous decision last night, Portsmouth's zoning board granted the appeal of Rhode Island Nurseries, sending back to the planning board for reconsideration a proposed development that would include a road bisecting the Glen Ridge alpaca farm. Sitting as the planning board of appeals, the 6-member panel heard nearly three hours of testimony from attorneys representing both sides before rendering their decision.

The planning board, last November, had denied the RI Nurseries application. Since this was an appeal, at issue was the procedural correctness of the planning board's actions, rather than the development proposal itself, and the board decided there were problems that warranted overturning the ruling.

"Whether we like something or not is irrelevant," said chair Jim Nott, in explaining his vote. "We have to go by ordinances." He went on to cite what he called a "disturbing" lack of explanation by the planning board, which only provided rationale for their votes two months after the fact. "If the decision is that important," said Nott, "Why just 'yea' or 'nay'? Why not prepare decisions?" Nott also quoted from two of the board members' written explanations, finding a lack of grounding in evidence in one, and an ambivalence in the other which, he noted, might have been resolved had the board reported out their rationale at the November meeting.

Other board members voiced similar concerns, and voted to remand. The ruling sends the proposal back to the planning board for reconsideration.

This was the first time I've covered one of these appeal hearings, and I was struck once again by the serious professionalism of our volunteer boards. These are our fellow citizens, regular folks with jobs and families, who are putting in long hours to make important decisions affecting the growth and future of Portsmouth. They listened and probed as attorneys for both sides made highly detailed technical arguments, and while supporters of the alpaca farm may be disappointed with the outcome, there should be at least some measure of reassurance that such processes are in place and working. And back to the planning board...

Click to embiggen.

Portsmouth's planning board will meet this evening at 7pm in Town Hall to consider (once again) a request for a road bisecting the town's working Alpaca farm (previous coverage.) Preserve Portsmouth is mobilizing supporters to attend the meeting, and sent out the flier (left) and this e-mail today:

Reminder about the Glen Ridge Alpaca Farm meeting this evening.

The Portsmouth Planning Board has voted 4/3 to deny approval of an access emergency road (once a paper road) through the alpaca farm property but there is an appeal to the zoning board in place that will be reviewed on Thursday night [...]. If the the road is passed - it will force the farm to close cutting the barn off from the pasture.

This is the story of a small historic farm being threatened by development. The alpaca farm has CRMC, DEM, the Portsmouth Police and Fire Chief, Ted Clement from Aquidneck Land Trust, Preserve Portsmouth, Greenvale Vineyards on their side but this is not enough.

This will be the only subject of this meeting. For further details call the farm and ask for Ann: 401 529 4427.
— Preserve Portsmouth

Full disclosure: I am a member of Preserve Portsmouth. I like alpacas and farms. Roads, not so much.

Would this picture look better with a road cutting across the middle?

I'm sure this is an oversimplification, but when Jack and I visited the Glen Ridge Farm on Frank Coelho Drive this afternoon, all I could think about was how beautiful this spot is, how perfect for alpaca (given the steep, uneven terrain) and how absolutely stupid it would be to bisect one of Portsmouth's working farms with a road.

There's an agenda item at the Town Council tomorrow where the owners will be asking the Council to schedule a hearing to consider abandoning the "paper road" which would essentially destroy their farm.

Obvious caveat: I haven't put a lot of study into this (I told you. This is National Novel Writing Month. I'm otherwise occupied.) I'm sure there will be more facts at the Council meeting, and at a hearing, if one is held.

But my first impression: Nice spot for alpaca.

Full disclosure: I'm a long-time friend of Preserve Portsmouth, and I like farms.

Just got word from Conni Harding of Preserve Portsmouth that they will be hosting an informational meeting at the Green Valley Country Club next Thursday, October 15 at 7pm covering a couple of hot development topics in town. Says Harding, "We are going to have presentations from both sides of the Greenvale expansion, as well as more information on Glen Ridge [the alpaca] farm."

The Aquidneck Land Trust is having a reception at 6pm tonight where you can learn more about preserving Green Valley. According to a e-mail sent to Preserve Portsmouth, you can still RSVP to Courtney Ferreira at 849-2799, ext.19 or email her at cferreira@ailt.org.

My bad. Should have posted this days ago...