EXCERPTS
FROM SELECTED
STATEMENTS OF SUPPORT
STATE GOVERNMENT
I think we've solved it [the power lines issue]….We ought to do it the right way.
--Donald
Carcieri, Governor
Common sense and simple economics demand that we eliminate the blight of high-voltage
power lines from our parks and public spaces today so that we can preserve and enhance the
environment of tomorrow.
--Patrick
Lynch, Attorney General
Burying the power lines will enhance one of the most attractive parts of our capital city,
and provide increased opportunities for tourism growth and economic development in the
surrounding area.
--Charles
Fogarty, Lieutenant Governor
[India Point Park] is the only part of the Providence shoreline which is accessible to the
public, and more than 75,000 people a year enjoy [it] as a natural refuge and recreational
area. As the power lines have to be moved…due to the relocation of I-195, now is the
time to improve Providence's waterfront….I support the proposal to bury the power
lines….
--Patrick
Kennedy, US Congressman
WHEREAS, the potential impact on the environment, economic development, existing and
future parks and public spaces along the waterfronts of Providence and East Providence
could be substantial; now therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and Providence
Plantations hereby respectfully requests the Public Utilities Commission and the
Narragansett Electric Company to favorably consider those proposals containing provision
for burial of the E-183 transmission line from Franklin Square in Providence to Bold Point
in East Providence.
--Unanimous
Resolution, RI House of Representatives
The proposed project [overhead relocation]…would have a negative impact on the
aesthetic value and consequently on the recreational value of India Point Park and Bold
Point Park and the Providence and Seekonk Rivers.
--Advisory
Opinion of RI Dept. of Environmental Management
CITY GOVERNMENT
I consider India Point Park to be the entering crown jewel of the city.
The City and state have been linked inextricably to the waterfront - for commerce,
recreation, and aesthetic purposes. India Point Park can reunite residents to Narragansett
Bay and advance that important heritage if it is improved in such a way that these lines
are not visible to the public.
--David
Cicilline, Providence Mayor
WHEREAS, The waterfront is the signature landscape of the Capital City of the Ocean State
and a cornerstone of its economic future, and
WHEREAS, Other cities, such as Chattanooga, TN, Annapolis, MD, Louisville, KY, and San
Antonio, TX, have found that ridding their waterfronts of obtrusive power lines has reaped
major economic benefits….
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Providence City Council strongly supports efforts
to bury the India Point Park transmission lines….
--Unanimous
Resolution, Providence City Council
India Point Park is one of the most historic cultural sites in Providence….The
existing towers and power lines are a 20th century intrusion…and represent an
overpowering presence….Access to the park is going to be dramatically improved as
part of the I-195 relocation project. The burial of the power lines would remove the
psychological perception that the park is merely a Narragansett Electric right-of-way.
--Bob
McMahon, Acting, Superintendent, Providence Parks Dept.
UNIVERSITIES
An unsightly relic of the industrial era, the wires significantly detract from the
waterfront area that…is one of the city's greatest natural resources….
We have joined in support of burying the power lines because we share the belief that this
investment is in the best interests of our community, our city, and our state….
--John
Bowen, President, Johnson and Wales University
--Roger
Mandle, President, RISD
--Ruth
Simmons, President, Brown University
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
We are now presented with a unique opportunity to enhance the historic waterfront by
burying the lines. While we recognize that this option will require a greater expenditure,
it is a very worthwhile investment in our city.
--Martha
Werenfels, Immediate Past President, RI Chapter, American
Institute of Architects
The relocation of Route 195 represents a remarkable opportunity to further improve the
City's image, its quality of life and its ability to draw visitors to the area….The
one-time cost to relocate utility lines below ground seems a small price to pay for an
unobstructed view of the Bay, particularly given the long-term benefits resulting from
such action….
--James
Hahn, President, South Main St. Improvement Assn.
A "walkable city" needs to use its waterfront effectively….The marginal
increase in cost to bury the lines, compared to the total cost of the highway relocation
and storm sewer projects, is a smart payment for the benefit of future generations.
--Michael
Hogue, President, Jewelry District Assn.
By burying the power lines, the Park will become more desirable for events such as the
Waterfront Festival and concerts, as well as family activities, such as boating and
picnicking.
--George
Donnelly, Director, Providence Tourism Council
MEDIA
It's difficult to think of any other area in the state that could benefit more from the
burying of high-voltage lines, or where the burying could do more good for the
region….Not to do so would look like a false economy, even in today's fiscal climate.
Good aesthetics here mean good long-term economics.
Think of how much more alluring this area - in New England's second-largest city, at the
head of Narragansett Bay! - would be if the power lines were buried.
--Editorials,
Providence Journal
COMMUNITY ASSOCIATIONS
Let's not let this moment pass. Future generations will wonder why the opportunity to deal
with these ugly power lines was allowed to slip by.
--John
Roney, President, Fox Point Citizens Assn.
Clearly, burying the power lines,…as a means of enhancing this unique public area,
should be considered a first priority….Taken in that context [of increased tourism
resulting from the riverwalks], it would seem irrational not to continue to develop our
waterfront with an eye toward enhancing its aesthetic values.
--Thomas
Goddard, President, College Hill Neighborhood Assn.
Giant power lines…may have been appropriate over the freight yards that once were
India Point, but they are no more appropriate today at India Point Park than they would be
over Roger Williams Park or the flames of Waterfire. This is the chance that will not come
again, perhaps for a century.
--Peggy
Sharpe & Robert Schacht, founding India Point Park Comm.
The Fox Point Club House uses India Point Park to run several of its outdoor
programs….With electro-magnetic fields passing through the bodies of our young
members, the burial of these power lines will…make Fox Point and the city of
Providence a safer and more productive place for our members to learn and grow.
--Robert
Britto, Director, Fox Point Boys & Girls Club
Turning around the image of the capital city has had a profound effect on the physique of
the citizens of Rhode Island and affected tourism and our national image….Remember
the so-called "China Wall" that existed between downtown and the State House
only 15 years ago. Now it is hard to imagine the railroad berms and tracks that blocked
the views. We have a similar opportunity now with the power lines in Fox Point.
--Peter
Gengler, President, Community Boating Center
Burying these large and obtrusive structures will add to the property values and the
attractiveness of the surrounding area ….The rewards for doing so…have been
proven across the nation.
--Richard
Youngken, Executive Director, The Dunn Foundation
ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS
The Club is interested in burying the power lines not just for reasons of aesthetics, but
also because it would further our goal of reviving our core cities, so necessary to help
protect our remaining open space. A better India Point Park, not disfigured by power
lines, would make Providence a better and more competitive place to live.
--Barry
Schiller, Transportation Chair, Sierra Club, RI Chapter
Rhode Island is quickly becoming the nation's first Urban State….we must consider
smart ways to conserve the few special places we have left….
--Jennifer
Cole Steele, Coordinator, Conservation Law Foundation
Preserving and enhancing green space along the water's edge is critical to the city's well
being….We have a generational opportunity to make wise decisions at slightly greater
cost for the benefit of the city for decades to come.
--Fred
Stolle, Chairperson, RITree Council
It would be a travesty for the citizens of Fox Point, fellow Rhode Islanders, and visitors
to our beautiful State if the State decided not to take this opportunity to send the
message that it cares about protecting and investing in our scenic landscapes….A trip
to India Point Park reveals what a community jewel it is.
·
--Janet
Zwolinski, Director, Preserve Rhode Island
The proposal to bury the power lines would transform India Point….We value aesthetic
improvements to our urban waterfront as vital to enhancing the public's sense of ownership
of our natural resources.
--Topher
Hamblett, Director of Advocacy, Save the Bay
India Point Park is analogous to New York's Central Park, with the Heritage Harbor Museum
representing the Metropolitan Museum. The landscape must exemplify a new inviting setting
for people, and not the impersonal and restrictive remnants of the industrial waterfront
from the past.
--Bob
Votava, Executive Director, DOT Watch
The overhead power lines…create an image of Providence as an old industrial city to
the thousands of motorists who use Interstate Route 195…It would indeed be
unfortunate to present a face that is not in keeping with the elegance that is at the core
of our state's capital city.
--Richard
Santopietro, Chair, Greenways Alliance of RI
Towers carrying high voltage transmission wires have proven to be a dangerous condition
existing in a park. It is recommended that an alternative means be explored to carry
electricity from the Providence power stations to East Providence.
--William
Warner, India Point Park Master Plan, 1987
Fundamentals such as underground wiring are essential to the texture of a beautiful city.
--Mary
Elizabeth Sharpe, founder of India Point Park, 1966
CONTACT US | LINKS | HOME