Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

An application to acquire - at no cost - about 350 acres of surplus Navy land on Aquidneck Island for the Narragansett Indians is incomplete and must be resubmitted by July 10, according to the Navy.

The request "does not reflect the level of analysis required to justify a transfer of excess property, nor does it commit to accept the property when offered and in its existing condition," Kimberly Kesler, a director in the Navy's Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) office, wrote in a letter dated Friday.

Also, because a waiver from the federal Office of Management and Budget is required for the Navy to give the land up for less than fair market value, the tribe should provide a "preliminary review" by the federal agency, Kessler wrote.

Kessler sent her letter to the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, which submitted the application on behalf of the Narragansetts. The bureau, in a June 3 letter, had asked for a deadline extension to submit a separate application for the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head, based in Martha's Vineyard. Both tribes now have until July 10.
The Navy, in disposing of surplus properties, many of which in Rhode Island are contaminated, must first consider offers by federal agencies, including the bureau. But the laws extending this privilege also require the prospective owners to accept the property in as-is condition and to pay fair market value, unless waived. There are eight other requirements.

Properties that aren't acquired by federal agencies will then be advertised in the Federal Register. At that point, the communities of Portsmouth, Middletown and Newport can act on their plans for the land to be acquired for economic development in the Melville marine area, waterfront recreation, hiking trails and a bike path. The communities would be represented by a new group, the Aquidneck Island Reuse Planning Authority, composed of municipal officials.

The Aquidneck Island Planning Commission has been guiding the communities in their efforts to develop long-range plans for the Navy land. On Monday, the commission's executive director, Tina Dolen, said that based on a copy of Kessler's correspondence, it appears the tribes "have a tall order in less than 30 days."

The Navy properties, while contaminated in some instances, also include many acres either on, or with views of, Narragansett Bay.

 Tags  middletown Narragansett Indians Navy portsmouth

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