Leonard Brown House, photo: Friends of the Brown House.

Portsmouth's first "Heritage Day" will be held Saturday, Sept. 20 at the Leonard Brown House in Glen Farm, and the organizers promise an afternoon of "telling stories of our past to guide our future" at this free, family event.

Three local groups — Preserve Portsmouth, the Portsmouth Historical Society, and
the Portsmouth Community Theatre — are collaborating on the event, which will be held from 1-3pm (The rain date is Sunday, September 21.) Here's what the organizers plan:

Discover Portsmouth’s agrarian roots in a beautiful historic family setting. Period games and activities hosted by Preserve Portsmouth will be offered for the little ones. Portsmouth Community Theatre actors will dress in period costumes and share stories of historical figures who lived and worked in the Glen area of Portsmouth. Members of the Portsmouth Historical Society will teach you how to “card wool” and wash with a washboard.

Those who attend the event will receive walking guides to Glen Farm and a driving tour of historical sites in Portsmouth.

The Leonard Brown House is located at historic Glen Farm, Linden Lane off Rt.138 (East Main Rd), Portsmouth RI.

For additional information, or to join the efforts, contact Gloria Schmidt at Schmidtgh@gmail.com phone 401-683-0787.

Editorial note: Written from a press release.

The Aquidneck Land Trust (ALT) has completed raising the $3M necessary to preserve the St. Mary's Church property in Portsmouth, the group announced in a release today. The final piece of the 14-month funding drive was a $110K grant from The Nature Conservancy via The Champlin Foundations, and ALT now plans to work on closing on the conservation rights on 70 acres between East Main Road and the St. Mary’s Pond Reservoir in Portsmouth.

“We are extremely grateful to all who contributed to our Campaign to Save the St. Mary’s Church Land," said Ted Clement, ALT Executive Director, in a statement. "All participants leveraged one another’s limited open space funds so as to permanently protect this land which is priceless to our island community because of the land’s water resource, agricultural, scenic and wildlife habitat values. We have a lot to celebrate at our July 28th summer gala, Fiesta Verde, which will be held on the beautiful and magical St. Mary’s meadows.”

With the grant from The Nature Conservancy and The Champlin Foundations, ALT has now raised enough in grant awards and cash from 3 governmental entities, 6 foundations and 40 individuals to cover the entire project budget of $3,073,894. A number of parties made significant leadership contributions including the United States Department of Agriculture/Natural Resources Conservation Service, the State of Rhode Island/Department of Environmental Management, the Town of Portsmouth, the van Beuren Charitable Foundation, the Prince Charitable Trusts, the Alletta Morris McBean Charitable Trust, and The Nature Conservancy through a grant from The Champlin Foundations.

The proposed approximate 70-acre St. Mary’s Church conservation area is strategic from a conservation perspective. Pursuant to the Town of Portsmouth’s 2002 Local Recreation, Conservation and Open Space Plan, the subject land is located within a Town of Portsmouth designated Open Space and Active Agriculture Area, Resource Protection Overlay District Area and Greenways Plan Area. The St. Mary’s Church land is located next to a number of previously conserved parcels within ALT’s Center Island Greenway thereby building upon and enhancing this past conservation work. The land also falls within the St. Mary’s Pond Watershed, directly abutting the St. Mary’s Pond Reservoir area with over 1,000 ft. of frontage on the reservoir property. The St. Mary’s Church land therefore acts as a natural buffer protecting this important island water reservoir from harmful runoff.

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 2,386.50 acres on 66 properties across Aquidneck Island since its founding in 1990. ALT is a 501c(3) non-profit organization, and the first land trust in Rhode Island to have received national accreditation. For more information, visit www.AquidneckLandTrust.org.

Editorial note and disclosure: Written from a press release; I am a supporter of ALT.

Preserve Portsmouth will hold a "Walk and Talk" at the Glen in Portsmouth on Saturdy, July 7 and 9:30am, according to an e-mail sent to supporters today. From the e-mail:

"Lace up your sneakers and meet us at The Brown House Front Porch, Linden Lane in Portsmouth at 9:30 a.m. Walk starts at 10:00 a.m.

Ted Clement Executive Director of the Aquidneck Land Trust will be speaking about the Land Trust's proposal to conserve and enhance the Glen so that we can directly learn about the proposal and ask any relevant questions.

Jim Garman, a local historian, will help us understand the incredible history of the Glen and why it is important to protect this priceless area from developmental pressures."

Full disclosure: I am a supporter of Preserve Portsmouth.

The Aquidneck Land Trust (ALT) campaign to save the St. Mary's land in Portsmouth got a major boost today from the State of Rhode Island, the group announced in a statement. Governor Lincoln Chafee and Director Janet Coit of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management presented a $400,000 open space grant award certificate to Executive Director Ted Clement of the Aquidneck Land Trust (ALT) for ALT’s Campaign to Save the St. Mary’s Church Land. In the competitive 2011 State of Rhode Island Open Space Acquisition Grant Round, there were 30 applicants from municipalities and land trusts throughout the State with only 15 being selected.

On May 25, 2011, ALT, St. Mary’s Church Portsmouth and the Trustees of the Sarah Gibbs Trust signed an Option Agreement that gives ALT until May 24, 2013 to raise over $3 million to conserve about 70 critical open space acres of the St. Mary’s Church land between East Main Road and the St. Mary’s Pond Reservoir in Portsmouth.

With this State of Rhode Island grant award, ALT has raised about $2.6 million in grant awards and cash against the agreed upon $3 million purchase price for the proposed 70 +/- acre conservation area and additional projected transaction costs for ALT.

The proposed approximate 70-acre St. Mary’s Church conservation area is strategic from a conservation perspective. Pursuant to the Town of Portsmouth’s 2002 Local Recreation, Conservation and Open Space Plan, the subject land is located within a Town of Portsmouth designated Open Space and Active Agriculture Area, Resource Protection Overlay District Area and Greenways Plan Area. The St. Mary’s Church land is located next to a number of previously conserved parcels within ALT’s Center Island Greenway thereby building upon and enhancing this past conservation work. The land also falls within the St. Mary’s Pond Watershed, directly abutting the St. Mary’s Pond Reservoir area with over 1,000 ft. of frontage on the reservoir property. The St. Mary’s Church land therefore acts as a natural buffer protecting this important island water reservoir from harmful runoff. The 2000 study Critical Parcel Identification for Watershed Protection in Newport County, Rhode Island, done by the Aquidneck Island Partnership, recognized the subject St. Mary’s land as critical to protect from a watershed protection perspective. ALT’s recently completed year-long mapping and prioritization study of all the remaining and threatened open space parcels within Aquidneck Island’s seven primary watersheds also identified the St. Mary’s Church land as a high priority for protection. The woods, fields and wetlands of the land provide diverse wildlife habitats that support various listed species such as the Glossy Ibis. This land, which has almost 1,000 ft. of frontage on East Main Road, is also a priceless and iconic property that provides joy to numerous passersby everyday with its spectacular scenic vistas. Furthermore, the fields of the proposed conservation area consist of mostly Prime Farmland Soils as recognized by the United States Department of Agriculture making the property an important agricultural resource.

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 2,352.55 acres on 63 properties on Aquidneck Island since its founding in 1990. ALT is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and the first land trust in Rhode Island to have received national accreditation. For more information, visit www.AquidneckLandTrust.org.

Editorial note: Written from a press release. But still awesome.

The long-standing dispute over the proposed road through the Glen Ridge Alpaca Farm will once again come before the planning board on Wednesday, Jan 12, according to posts from Glen Ridge on Facebook last night.

"RI Nurseries has requested to be placed on the agenda to move forward with their subdivision plans. As you all know the plans currently have the Road through the farm," said the poster for the group called Preserve Glen Ridge Alpaca Farm. "We need everyone to express to the planning board that this is not what the town needs or what the residents want."

I'm never sure when or whether the Planning Board takes public comment, but no matter which side you're on, showing up to lend support would probably be appreciated.

According to multiple postings on Facebook, the Portsmouth Town Council meeting tonight on the Glen Ridge alpaca farm has been postponed.

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.