New Shoreham council authorizes 10‑year memorandum with Rhode Island DOT, warns state on capital work for garage and roads

The New Shoreham Town Council voted to authorize a 10‑year memorandum of agreement with the Rhode Island Department of Transportation covering town maintenance of state-owned roads and the municipal highway garage, while simultaneously warning DOT that the town will consider terminating the agreement if the state does not demonstrate timely capital progress.

The agreement secures annual funding for operations — the memorandum includes a $500,000 annual allotment for road maintenance — but the council spent the meeting pressing DOT on capital repairs, especially the island’s municipal highway garage, which council members and staff described as structurally compromised.

Town staff briefed the council on DOT’s planning process. Council members said DOT told them the island’s roadway network is included in a draft federal/state transportation improvement program (TIP) with a proposed $20 million allocation for a Block Island “state of good repair” project in fiscal 2026, plus $2 million per year afterward. DOT representatives described that item as a top priority in the draft TIP and said the plan must pass public hearings and final approval (DOT and federal processes would determine final funding and schedule).

But DOT officials told the council they do not currently have a funded capital plan for the island’s municipal garage (the facility used by the town highway crew), and recommended the town pursue a targeted legislative and lobbying effort if the town wanted a guaranteed carve-out for that facility’s repair. That exchange shifted the council’s focus: rather than simply negotiating the operations agreement, members asked staff to put DOT on notice.

Town Manager Amy Lewis Land recommended a three-pronged approach: execute the memorandum to secure the annual maintenance funds, submit a letter placing DOT on soft notice that the town expects progress on capital items, and pursue a parallel local lobbying effort (including seeking an island-specific carve-out or standalone bill) if DOT does not act. “We will know [whether TIP funding holds] in October,” Amy said in the meeting. She suggested the council also reserve the town’s option to terminate the agreement with 12 months’ notice if capital progress toward the facility and roadway network does not materialize.

Councillor discussion centered on balancing short-term operational needs (the town has been maintaining state roads under local practice) against long-term capital needs. One councilor asked whether the town should refuse day‑to‑day maintenance to force DOT’s hand; others said refusing maintenance would be an unacceptable risk to island transportation and emergency services. The council settled on executing the agreement while simultaneously issuing the 12‑month conditional notice to DOT.

Formal action: the council authorized execution of the memorandum of agreement with DOT and directed staff to send a letter indicating that, absent meaningful progress on capital repairs, the town intends to exercise its 12‑month termination option. The motion carried; the chair announced the ayes had it.

Why it matters: The DOT relationship governs who maintains critical island infrastructure and whether the island receives state or federal capital funding for deteriorating roads and municipal facilities. The council’s approach attempts to secure operational funds while reserving leverage to press for capital repairs.

What’s next: Staff will monitor the TIP process through public hearings (final plan expected in October) and begin the town’s outreach to state legislators and other stakeholders on a capital carve‑out for the garage and urgent road patches.

Quotes

“We are going to be submitting testimony through that public hearing process… the final plan is expected to be approved in October,” Amy Lewis Land, the town manager, said when describing the TIP timeline and the town’s next steps.

“If we’re going to be concerned about our employees, we will not operate out of that facility any longer,” a council member said, pressing the safety issue tied to the garage’s condition.

Ending

The council’s twin path — securing operating funds while signaling readiness to terminate absent capital progress — frames the next months of lobbying, design work and public testimony ahead of DOT’s October decisions.