NARRAGANSETT, R.I. — Fishermen like Jon Williams, who call Galilee home, have depended for too long on the port’s aging docks and rusty bulkheads.
Williams’ Narragansett Crab Company brings in millions of pounds of fish per year, but he’s hamstrung by a dock that dates back to 1948 and can’t be used because it’s in such poor shape.
But he struck a hopeful tone Friday when Gov. Dan McKee came to his business to learn how Williams and his brethren would benefit from a multi million-dollar project to get the port ship-shape through repairs and modernization.
While a stiff wind whipped off the water, Williams showed McKee the dilapidated and unused pier that he hopes to transform to help sustain his business.
“It’s pretty marginal. It’s not in use for our operations and hasn’t been in use in any amount of scale for quite a few years,” he said of the dock, the site of one of the first fishing cooperatives in the country back in the 1940s.
“It’s a long process, but very aggressive,” Williams added. “We’ve got to get this project up and going and the building all inspected.”
McKee’s current state budget includes more than $45 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding for improvements crucial to the state’s fishing industry, including Galilee.
More than half of the outlay — $24 million — would pay for replacing bulkheads and docks and raising bulkhead caps by an average of around 18 inches throughout the port to protect against sea level rise.
Other projects to be funded include roadway, storm water, sidewalk and parking improvements; water line removal and replacement, new fire hydrants, electrical upgrades, installation of security cameras, further replacement of docks and improvements to the Office of Coastal Resources, DEM’s administrative and operational headquarters in Galilee.
Fishing since he was 12, Williams now operates a fleet of about a dozen boats that bring in crab and other fish, to the tune of a about 10 million pounds annually, he said. He employs about 150 people, with just a few in Narragansett so far.
“After the pandemic hit and everything shut down we thought, ‘What do we do next,’” he told the governor.
Next turned out to be the new retail shop he’s opened on Great Island Road. It sells custom branded shirts, hats, hoodies and other items with his company’s logo. It’s his first foray into retail.
“We had a soft opening and it did very well. And somehow we know what and what not to order next year,” Williams said. He described the shop as a place to buy gear such as rain apparel, but “not a full-blown gear shop.”
McKee donned a navy blue fleece pullover bearing the company’s logo before heading outside with Williams.
“We’re investing in the fisheries down here in Galilee because it’s very important for our economy,” McKee, who is in the thick of a campaign for governor, said. He mentioned other “investments” taking place at Quonset Point, East Providence, Pawtucket and Providence.
“This is a whole strategy in the state of Rhode Island to build up our economy,” he said.
McKee also got a look at work that’s been completed to date, including rebuilt bulkheads and a revamped docking area at the North Bulkhead where fishing boats offload their catch and resupply.
As part of four $15 million state projects, heavy-duty commercial fishing piers are being demolished and replaced, bulkhead asphalt repaired and the electrical supply is receiving upgrades.
Around 200 commercial fishermen landed 48 million pounds of seafood, valued at $66 million, at Galilee in 2019, according to DEM. The seafood and fisheries industry supports 4,300 jobs across all economic sectors and provides nearly $420 million in economic impact, according to a 2017 study conducted by the University of Rhode Island for the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation.
Discussion during the tour briefly turned to the controversial Lighthouse Inn property across the street. The state earlier this year rejected several proposals to redevelop the state land. They included plans by the town of Narragansett, and by current leaseholder PRI X, as well as a vision by Williams that the site could be a “fishermen’s terminal,” a hub for those in the industry.
McKee acknowledged there are many different opinions about what should happen with the property. But rather than offer his own thoughts on how it should be used, he asked Williams.
Williams said mixed-use or multi-use operations would be a good fit, but it also has to promote commercial fishing.
“Without question it should showcase the industry,” he said. “It’s the perfect place for it.”
Without giving specifics, the governor offered Williams words of reassurance.
“I think we’ll end up in a spot that makes sense,” McKee said. “We’re going to invest a great deal of money in the port, and you want to have all the pieces of the puzzle fit.”
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September 30, 2022 at 06:00PM
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