Jamestown joins Harbor Commission to oppose Coast Guard plan to remove navigational buoys

Jamestown’s Town Council voted to sign a joint letter with the Harbor Commission opposing a U.S. Coast Guard proposal to remove numerous aids to navigation across New England.

Jim Hagne, executive director of the Harbor Commission, told the council the Coast Guard has proposed trimming roughly 350 buoys and other aids in the region. “A good number of them, at least the ones that are in Rhode Island, near Narragansett Bay waters, the majority of them certainly would come across as being essential buoys,” Hagne said, arguing that buoys near Beaver Tail and other local marks guide small-boat navigation and protect submerged hazards.

Hagne and other speakers noted that although the broader process of re-evaluating aids happens periodically, the scale of this proposed removal would affect Jamestown waters. The Harbor Commission recommended the town join its letter opposing removal; the council moved, seconded and voted to join the Harbor Commission in signing the submission. The letter is due to the Coast Guard by June 13; Harbor Commission staff and volunteers will finalize the list of specific buoys to advocate keeping. Al Sprague, a Harbor Commission member, said he has spoken with U.S. Sen. Jack Reed and reported Reed opposes the broad removals, and he urged the council to request federal support in writing.

Council members said the buoys support local boating safety and commerce and asked staff to include buoys that are critical to approaches to Jamestown and adjacent channels. The council’s motion carries the town’s formal support for the Harbor Commission’s outreach to the Coast Guard.