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Resident urges council to keep Wakefield Elementary land as public open space
Summary
During public comment, resident Britney Appuzzo asked the South Kingstown Town Council to preserve roughly 3.5 acres at the vacated Wakefield Elementary site for community use, saying a community petition supports the request and urging broad public engagement before any sale or housing conversion.
A resident urged the South Kingstown Town Council on Dec. 8 to preserve roughly 3.5 acres at the vacated Wakefield Elementary School as a public asset rather than selling the parcel to a developer.
"This land links us to our main street, to the bike path, and to beautifully restored Saugatucket Park," Britney Appuzzo told the council during the meeting's public-comment period. She said the site is used daily for walking, sledding, gardening and town events and that a community petition supports keeping the property in public hands.
Appuzzo told the council the petition—reported in the meeting transcript as "7 99 members"—documents local support for preserving the parcel; she provided a QR code to make the petition available to council staff. Appuzzo also noted the town approved more than 500 residential units in recent months and urged councilors not to allocate Wakefield’s open land to more housing.
Council members asked staff where the petition would be archived and said they would accept the QR code and follow up. The resident indicated she wants a simple grass park that preserves near-term public access and leaves future options open.
The comment came ahead of ongoing council discussions about several surplus school properties. Councilors did not take a formal vote on the Wakefield parcel during the meeting; staff said further study and public engagement will follow as councilors and staff develop demolition and reuse plans for multiple properties.
