Residents press council over event space, endangered bats and costs in Ninigret Park debate

Charlestown residents used the Town Council’s Oct. 29 meeting to press elected officials about a controversial element of the draft 2024 Ninigret Park utilization plan: a proposed public-event area that critics say would invite larger festivals and significant traffic, while supporters say the plan mostly preserves green space and adds amenities.

Sarah Fletcher, a resident who identified herself during public comment, said the brochures circulating in town show an "estimated cost of that plan is 39,500,000.0" and urged the council to heed repeated public objections to adding festival infrastructure. Fletcher said she and others fear more large events and traffic impacts near neighborhoods.

Multiple residents echoed concerns about traffic and neighborhood disruption if large festivals returned to the park; several cited the Atlantis Rising proposal that was discussed at Parks & Recreation in 2024. Ed Mitchell, who said he lives adjacent to the proposed event footprint, warned that excavation and construction in the area could disturb buried infrastructure and exacerbate PFAS contamination risks in nearby private wells.

In response to community concerns, councilors and staff repeatedly emphasized that the draft master plan is conceptual. "The plan before the council this evening is not a budget item. We are not voting on a dollar amount," Presiding Official told the meeting, adding that any specific project would require the usual permitting steps and, for large sums, voter approval.

Federal review issues drew particular attention. Carrie Schwab of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service told the council that changes to the federal "lands to parks" parcel would be reviewed by the National Park Service and that environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act could be required. Schwab flagged biological sensitivities, saying that summer occupancy in the refuge "begins around April 15 and continues through September 30" and that "pupping season occurs around June 1 through August 15," during which loud noise and artificial lighting can disturb endangered bat species and migrating birds.

Debate over who would pay for improvements and how projects would be authorized was a recurring theme. Councilors read consultant estimates and a phased cost breakdown into the record; phase 1 items included revegetation (about $3 million), asphalt resurfacing (about $1.7 million), stormwater basins (about $1.2 million) and other smaller items. Several speakers questioned whether event-area infrastructure—illustrated by the consultant as part of a longer-term "menu"—would ultimately become paved roads, expanded parking or leased private-promoter facilities.

Some commenters argued the draft plan would make it easier for private promoters to use the town’s 55 acres without meaningful public oversight. Councilors replied that event approvals require Parks & Recreation and council review; council members also noted that any large expenditure could be placed on the warrant and that citizens may use the petition process to submit specific funding questions to the ballot.

The meeting recorded a broad cross-section of views: residents who want limited, community-focused improvements and more trails and fields; residents who oppose any infrastructure that could attract large festivals; councilors urging clearer language in the plan; and federal- and town-agency staff emphasizing regulatory steps that would follow adoption.

What happens next: the council voted to forward editorial and factual amendments to VHB for incorporation into a revised draft. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and National Park Service processes were identified as potential next steps if the amended plan proposes substantive changes affecting the federally held parcel. Any project requiring money will require separate budget action or a warrant item and, when applicable, voter approval.