Fort Getty's New Construction Is Built for the Off-Season

"Before Thanksgiving would be great," Meg Myles told the Jamestown Press in late September, when asked when the Conanicut Island Sailing Foundation might hold an opening celebration for its new campus at Fort Getty.

The target date is the telling part. A sailing program that has worked out of tents and trailers in the park is about to open permanent buildings just as the town's own notice says Fort Getty is closed for camping. Across the Jamestown Press coverage from July through this week, one pattern stands out. The work at Fort Getty that is moving forward is the work meant for every month of the year. The upgrades built around the summer RV season are the ones stuck on funding and scheduling.

A campus designed for classes in November

The foundation broke ground last October. The finished campus has two buildings totaling 3,550 square feet, and the Press describes them as built "for year-round marine education." During a September tour, interior work was still underway in both buildings. Myles and outreach coordinator Cam Chadronet said they hoped to start classes within the next couple of months. The foundation's own site says the center is nearly complete and expected to open later this fall.

What's inside shows how the space is meant to be used:

• A 2,320-square-foot education building designed by Union Studio. Mechanized panels can be moved so that more than one class can run at once.
• An 8-foot aquarium as part of the entry exhibit.
• A larger wet lab. Myles said the foundation gave up a second office to make room for it, and Chadronet plans to use it to expand marine science programs.
• A kitchenette with a back patio for a foraging class, where Myles said kids "collect periwinkles and things like that, and then they'll cook them."
• Changing areas, showers, and a staff workroom office.
• A projector setup for guest talks. Myles said, "We haven't had any of that before."

A classroom with a projector and a wet lab can operate in any weather. Myles also said she would like to run adult programs. No fall or winter schedule has been posted yet. The foundation's community keelboat lessons ended September 14, and its booking page lists no later sessions. For now, the adult programs are a stated goal rather than a calendar.

The camper upgrades are on a slower clock

At the September 21 council meeting, Town Administrator Ed Mello updated the council on the RV park's electrical system. The project would install metered pedestals at all 62 sites. Voters approved a $500,000 bond for it in 2025. The current estimate is $875,000, about 75 percent more than expected. Mello put the increase down to metal and copper prices and construction labor costs over the past three years. He also said Rhode Island Energy might add engineering or capital charges, and he doesn't yet know if it will.

Here is how the Fort Getty account breaks down, using the figures Mello presented:

Work on the lower bathroom started the week of that meeting, with the whole exterior being repointed and stripped of paint. The electrical project won't move that quickly. "Even if you said 'go' tonight, let's say we had magical money somewhere, we don't have it on our schedule to do this work over this winter," Mello said. With the time needed to order parts and supplies, he ruled out the 2027 winter. The Press reported that the work probably wouldn't happen until the 2028-29 winter.

Mello wants it to be an offseason job, because otherwise "we would have to close the park for a summer." He outlined two ways to cover the gap. One is to include it in his fiscal 2028 capital plan, which goes to a vote at the 2027 financial town meeting. The other is a bond referendum.

The project would also change who pays. Electricity for the RV campers costs the town about $30,000 a year. Individual pedestals would let the town meter each site and bill campers at the end of the season. Metered water spigots at each site would cost about $30,000 to install and save the town about $10,000 a year.

The pier is being discussed in decades

The pier conversation looks further ahead than any other Fort Getty project. In July, Mello called replacing the pier "a multimillion dollar investment" that needs to happen "at some point," adding, "We just don't know when that day is coming."

At the same September 21 meeting, he said he had met with Dan Costa, the state's port manager. The Department of Environmental Management is "extremely interested" in working with Jamestown to support commercial fishing at Fort Getty, and a partnership could help the town get federal money for the pier area.

"They have an interest in investing there and essentially operating it the same way it operates today to still accommodate the commercial fishermen while allowing the recreational fisher who casts a line off of the dock. They were really looking for nothing else other than their ability to provide that amenity to commercial fishermen for decades to come."

Mello was careful about expectations. "This is a multiyear project. I don't want to get anybody's hopes up," he said. He has asked the state to put its position in writing and expects that within the coming weeks. A smaller related question is also still open. The Harbor Commission asked for five trailer spaces near the pier for Fort Getty's commercial tenants. The Town Council tabled the request, and a later report said draft rules were still being written and no vote had been taken.

Both versions of the pier keep the use that matters most to people who walk out with a fishing rod. The state's stated plan keeps recreational fishing off the dock alongside the commercial boats.

Using the park between now and spring

The town's notice that Fort Getty is closed for camping also lists park hours of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. The town describes summer as the season for nonresident parking and boat-launch fees and for required resident beach stickers. It doesn't say on what date that period ends. Its current fee list shows $20 for daily parking, $30 for parking with a boat, and $15 for a resident recreational pass. A 2010 Jamestown Press walking guide said the park stayed open to hikers all year with no offseason fee. That guide is old, so check with the town before relying on it.

The walk the town highlights is the Kit Wright trail along Fox Hill Marsh. It has a wildlife-observation platform and views across the West Passage toward the Jamestown Bridge. The Audubon Society of Rhode Island describes Fox Hill Salt Marsh as a protected 45-acre habitat where birds and marine species feed and breed. The 2010 guide also mentions views of Dutch Island from the marsh trail.

For dog owners, the most recent detailed rules come from a May 2023 Press report. From October through May 15, dogs could be off leash at Fort Getty from 7 to 11 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m., and had to be leashed at other times. That report is more than three years old, so confirm the hours with the town before relying on them.

A few more changes may show up on your walks over the next year or so. In July, Mello raised removing eight telephone poles, which he said would be "a remarkable view change," and clearing brush from the batteries. He also suggested putting a contractor-maintained portable toilet near the pier. These were ideas presented to the council, not approved projects.

Dates on the Fort Getty calendar

• October 1, 2026: The waitlist for the 2027 camping season opened.
• Later this fall: The sailing foundation's campus is expected to open, with Myles hoping for a celebration before Thanksgiving.
• The coming weeks: Mello expects the state's written position on the pier.
• January 4, 2027: Pavilion reservations open. Residents can book dates for the next two rental seasons, and nonresidents for the upcoming season. Deposits are listed at $250 for residents and $400 for nonresidents.
• 2027 financial town meeting: Voters may see the electrical shortfall in the fiscal 2028 capital plan, unless it goes to a bond referendum instead.

Fort Getty matters on Conanicut Island, and when you're weighing a home here, what happens at the town's public waterfront is part of the picture. If you'd like to talk through how projects like these factor into living on the West Passage side of the island, Fran Bidell is glad to share what she's following. Let's Connect.