R.I. Sen. Jack Reed announces $861,000 Boating Infrastructure Grant to convert Bristol’s historic Naval Armory into a destination for transient boaters

Patricio, Melissa A.

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CPC Feasibility Study Lauded as Bristol Lands Funds for Maritime Center

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Roger Williams UniversityDOCS@RWUFeatured News Story The Week at Roger9-10-2013CPC Feasibility Study Lauded as Bristol LandsFunds for Maritime CenterMelissa A. PatricioRoger Williams UniversityFollow this and additional works at: https://docs.rwu.edu/weekatroger_featured_newsPart of the Higher Education CommonsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the The Week at Roger at DOCS@RWU. It has been accepted for inclusion in FeaturedNews Story by an authorized administrator of DOCS@RWU. For more information, please contact mwu@rwu.edu.Recommended CitationPatricio, Melissa A., "CPC Feasibility Study Lauded as Bristol Lands Funds for Maritime Center" (2013). Featured News Story. 150.https://docs.rwu.edu/weekatroger_featured_news/150Home News News Archive CPC Feasibility Study Lauded as Bristol Lands Funds for Maritime CenterCPC Feasibility Study Lauded as BristolLands Funds for Maritime CenterR.I. Sen. Jack Reed announces $861,000 Boating InfrastructureGrant to convert Bristol’s historic Naval Armory into adestination for transient boatersMembers of the Bristol Maritime Project team were on hand forthe awarding of an $861,000 grant to the Town of Bristol tocomplete the project. Pictured with Senator Jack Reed are: MikeLefebrve '12, graduate student Lauren Bombana, Jen Hall '13,Reed and RWU senior Darci Lake.September 10, 2013 By Melissa A. PatricioBRISTOL, R.I. – Just six months a er a team of students from Roger Williams University presented their  ndings from aneconomic feasibility study to transform a historic Naval Armory on Bristol Harbor into a welcome center for visitingboaters, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) announced an $861,000 Boating Infrastructure Grant from the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService that will bring the Bristol Maritime Welcome Center to life and boost the local economy.Citing the collaborative e orts of the Town of Bristol, the Department of Environmental Management and RogerWilliams University, Reed noted that Bristol was one of just six recipients of the federal grant nationwide. The BoatingInfrastructure Grant is a nationally competitive funding program that awards funds to states speci cally seeking toenhance their waterfront accommodations for transient boaters. In addition to building 16 new moorings and a dinghydock for eligible boaters, the maritime center will include laundry facilities, restrooms with showers, social spaces andinformation about downtown shops and restaurants.“All of this is going to improve the quality of maritime service here in Bristol,” Reed said. “This is going to be somethingwe’re going to look back on as a real boost to the economy in Bristol, and all of Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island.”Access to the ocean via the bay is a critical component of the state’s economic viability, from generating jobs andincome to serving as a re ection of the quality of life, Reed said. With this maritime center, Director of EnvironmentalManagement Director Janet Coit – whose team at the DEM worked in tandem with the Town of Bristol to facilitate thegrant application – said she is con dent that Bristol will become a buzzed-about destination.“Investing in these types of local projects is what puts you on the map,” Coit said. “It’s high leverage, it’s a big multiplier– you’ll have transient boaters coming to join this place. As a destination, you will  nd that this boating center will attractpeople who will come back many times and tell people about it.”Helping to facilitate economic growth in local communities is an undercurrent of the Community Partnerships Center atRWU, and emerged as a key indicator of the feasibility study conducted by students from the Mario J. Gabelli School ofBusiness alongside students from the architecture and construction management programs. Sen. Reed directlyreferenced the study in his announcement, citing the potential for an annual economic impact of $700,000 when theharbor is fully utilized.The cross-disciplinary demographic of the RWU research team, working under the advisement of faculty members HankKniskern and John McQuilken, was critical to producing a thorough report and providing rich materials for the DEMgrant team to include in the application, said CPC Director Arnold Robinson. In addition to bene tting the town and thestate, however, Robinson pointed out what he considers a veritable edge for the students who worked on this projectentering the workforce:“Think about these students walking into a job interview,” he asked the audience. “Students from other schools aregoing to say, ‘Here was my project from Accounting 401.’ These guys are going to walk in and say, ‘Here’s a picture ofme with Sen. Reed at the announcement of the grant my team got, which was over three-quarters of a million dollars.’Who is going to get the job?”It’s a win-win, Robinson said: the once-hypothetical project becomes reality and the students take away practicalexperience.Senator Reed echoed Robinson’s remarks in his kudos to the University and the work the CPC has done for more than50 community projects in just two years:“One of the things about Roger Williams University is that President Farish has committed himself not only to thisparticular community, but also to making college a ordable and making the experience very practical – that studentswill not graduate from Roger Williams without being engaged in a real world project that helps make things happen.”Share This: REQUEST INFO  VISIT CAMPUS  APPLY  MAKE A GIFTMap & DirectionsContact UsDirectoryNewsEventsAthleticsrwu.eduUndergraduate SiteGraduate SiteSchool of LawSchool of Continuing Studies    © 2018 Roger Williams University. All rights reserved.  GMAIL AT RWU BRIDGES MY RWU IT HELP SITE POLICIES WORK AT RWUOne Old Ferry Road, Bristol, RI 028091-800-458-7144

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CPC Feasibility Study Lauded as Bristol Lands Funds for Maritime Center

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