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King Park and Spencer Park to Be
Conserved as Part of ALT's Newport Conservation Initiative
Last night, the City of Newport and the Aquidneck Land Trust ("ALT")
signed a Purchase and Sale Contract under which ALT will purchase a perpetual
Conservation Easement on the 6.70 +/- acre City-owned King Park and another
perpetual Conservation Easement on the 2.44 +/- acre City-owned Spencer Park for
$50,000 in the coming weeks as part of ALT's Newport Conservation Initiative.
ALT's Newport
Conservation Initiative is a two pronged conservation strategy. The
urban parks part of this initiative is focused on conserving the
important existing and inadequately protected parks in the City of
Newport with perpetual Conservation Easements. This will be coupled
with the creation and conservation of new parks in the City by turning
vacant lots into "pocket parks." The landscapes and estates part of
this initiative is focused on conserving the important lands of the
City's world renowned estates especially in the Bellevue Avenue and
Ocean Drive areas. Through this initiative, ALT and its partners hope
to strategically limit the "development infilling" of the City and
conserve the critical natural resources that distinguish Newport and
directly contribute to the quality of life on Aquidneck Island.
Nationally and
locally, the pressures on remaining municipal parks have been growing
and many such parks that lacked adequate conservation restrictions
have been lost to development and other uses. Recognizing this threat
and the importance of municipal parks, especially in urban
environments like Newport, the City and ALT have placed perpetual
Conservation Easements on a number of important Newport owned parks
such as Miantonomi Memorial Park and Braga Park.
King Park and the
nearby Spencer Park create a green oasis in the Wellington Avenue and
Marchant Street area of Newport next to Newport Harbor. These parks
afford island residents and visitors beautiful scenic vistas and
healthy outdoor recreational opportunities. The parks also provide
some buffering against harmful runoff into Newport Harbor from the
dense development in that area.
The Loebs Family
Foundation provided a $50,000 grant award to ALT to make this
conservation project possible. This foundation has made a lasting
difference by strategically supporting time-sensitive land conservation projects on
Aquidneck Island.
Regarding this
collaboration with ALT, Mayor Jeanne-Marie Napolitano stated, "We are
very happy to partner with the Aquidneck Land Trust again so as to
permanently protect the conservation values of King Park and Spencer
Park for the lasting benefit of all Newporters and others who love
Aquidneck Island."
Edward F. Lavallee,
Newport City Manager, noted, "It is very important not to take for
granted the special natural resources which a community cherishes and
that is why we are working with the Aquidneck Land Trust to put a set
of permanent checks and balances on these two parks."
"We
applaud the Newport City Council, City staff, The Loebs Family
Foundation, the neighbors of these two parks, the Newport Tree and
Open Space Commission, and the Spencer and King families, who
originally gave these lands to the City for park purposes, for their
support of this conservation project. Their long-term vision and
respect for Aquidneck Island's natural resources will pay lasting
dividends," said Ted Clement, ALT Executive Director.
ALT's
time-sensitive mission is to conserve Aquidneck Island's open spaces
and natural character for the lasting benefit of our community. The
organization has conserved a total of 2,298.8 +/- acres on Aquidneck
Island. ALT is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and the first and
only land trust in Rhode Island to have received national
accreditation. For more information, visit www.AquidneckLandTrust.org.
As
always, thank you for your continued support
for conservation on
our Island.
This email update has been sent to
the entire Aquidneck Land Trust email list. Please let us know if you
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bottom of this
message. If you have any questions or comments, please call
401-849-2799 x18 or jpohl@ailt.org. | 
