East Greenwich staff described two potential grant applications to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) that would seek up to $500,000 for outdoor sports courts and related parking at the easement fields off Avenger Drive and up to $125,000 for improvements to the James H. Eldridge Memorial Fountain at Cliff Street and First Avenue. The council did not vote; Director of Community Services and Parks Andy Wade said staff will return Nov. 10 with a formal application if there is general support.

Wade told the council the large-grant proposal would place two new outdoor basketball courts, a bank of four pickleball courts and a small added parking area on the northern end of the easement fields. The DEM large recreation award in this round is up to $500,000 with a required 25 percent local match; Wade described the town’s minimum cash/in-kind match as roughly $166,667 for a full $500,000 award. “So tonight, I plan to outline, at a very high level where we are with considerations for our applications in both the large development grant category and the small development grant category,” Wade said.

Wade said the targeted site is a long, open swath of town-owned land that carries an electrical easement held by Rhode Island Energy. He identified three easement strips (Easement 1–3) running north–south; Easement 3 is often wet in the spring and fall and is rarely used. The project as described would use the more usable northern easement areas and add roughly 8–10 parking spaces on the Route 4 side for daytime users; longer-term ideas discussed included a loop roadway and additional auxiliary parking along the easement, should utility access and terrain allow it.

Councilors asked about public access and school-day use. Wade said the easement parcels are separate from school property and must remain available to the public because the town had accepted Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) funds on the property. He said daytime users could be directed to a small, dedicated parking area so as not to affect the adjacent school lot.

Councilors and staff also discussed utility access and the risk that utility work could require temporary disruption. Town solicitor Pete advised that the width and terms of the existing electrical easement will govern what utilities may do and whether courts or parking could be affected: “Conservation easements, there’s a special statute that’s said, in the general laws to release a conservation restriction,” he said, noting that releasing or altering easement or conservation restrictions can require Attorney General review or court action.

Wade outlined site amenities and longer-range items that would not be part of the immediate DEM grant request, including stormwater management tied to the courts, potential lighting for practice use (he cited preliminary lighting estimates on the order of a half‑million dollars for field lighting), possible relocation of the skate park to free parking, and the long-term option of synthetic turf on practice fields. He described the larger project as a phased idea and said the current application would focus on courts and limited parking at the north end of the easement fields.

For the smaller DEM grant (up to $125,000), staff proposed improvements at the Eldridge Memorial Fountain — removal of invasive burning bushes, historical signage explaining the fountain and James H. Eldridge, tree replacement, visual gateway treatments and possibly a small gazebo or assembly area to better anchor the corner for veteran and parade ceremonies. Wade said proximity to RIPTA bus stops could improve application scoring under DEM criteria.

Wade said the town will launch an online public-engagement page and collect comments before presenting a formal application to the council on Nov. 10. He emphasized that there was no vote on grant submission or on committing the local match at the meeting; the Nov. 10 agenda would request formal approval to submit the application and to commit the 25 percent match if an award is made.

Next steps include public outreach and refinement of designs and cost estimates. Wade said he will return Nov. 10 with a formal application request if the council’s general sentiment is favorable.