Narragansett Tribe will be able to walk onto Narragansett Town Beach for free this summer

Members of the Narragansett Indian Tribe will be able to walk onto Narragansett Town Beach for free this summer despite the objections of some residents who voiced concerns about overcrowding.

The Narragansett Town Council narrowly voted to approve the change late Monday night during a raucous meeting that lasted for more than four hours.

"It’s about the beach, but in many ways, it's about more than just the beach," said Town Council President Jesse Pugh, who introduced the resolution along with Councilwoman Deb Kopech.

Typically, anyone over the age of 12 must pay a $12 admission fee to walk onto Narragansett Town Beach, on top of paying for parking. Narragansett residents have the option of purchasing a discounted seasonal pass.

Pugh said Monday that members of the Narragansett tribe, regardless of whether they are town residents, would be able obtain a seasonal pass for free by showing their tribal identification cards at the beach's sales office. The pass will be good only for this summer, and the town has no obligation to continue the program after this year.

Supporters see the move as a small but meaningful way to honor the tribe that the town took its name from. But opponents said it seemed like the measure was being rushed through.

Charging people to walk onto the beach is at odds with the Narragansetts' traditional beliefs, Pugh said. To make his point, he had digitally altered photographs of council members and placed them in unlikely scenarios: President Pro Tem Susan Cicilline Buonanno holding a "Defund Libraries" sign, and Councilwoman Ewa Dzwierzynski next to a banner that said "I Support Styrofoam."

"No one wants to endorse something they don’t believe in," he said while displaying the images on a large screen in the packed council chambers. "That’s exactly what the town is doing."

Two towns on Cape Cod, Truro and Eastham, recently instituted free beach access for tribal members. The idea of doing the same thing in Narragansett first came up during a meeting with tribal leaders that took place over the winter, Pugh said.

Cicilline Buonanno called the proposal "a fabulous idea" and said that she absolutely agreed in principle.

However, she said, "this motion has not been vetted by the people who live in this town and pay taxes.... We’re opening the beach in two weeks, and we’re going to change a policy right now?"

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Numerous Narragansett residents, many of whom live in the Pier neighborhood, cited existing frustrations with parking, the number of people who use the beach, and the behavior of beachgoers.

"If you’re going to give anyone free passes, it should be the taxpayers of this town," said Joe Cardello.

Nancy Lucivero reminded Pugh that he had promised to work in the best interests of Narragansett residents. "I am one of those residents, and this is not in the best interest for me," she said. "Our town beach is crowded as it is."

Tribal members expressed surprise at the level of opposition.

"I didn’t realize there was such prejudice in this town until sitting here tonight," said Randy Noka.

The Narragansett tribe has about 3,000 members — a figure that includes children under 12, who already get on the beach for free. Noka pointed out that it was extremely unlikely that all would show up at once.

"It’s not an ask," said Bella Noka, who suggested that the tribe could charge for the use of its name. "We are going to go after you for everything you have taken from us."

"If it's something you support, then do it," Cassius Spears told the council. "It’s as simple as that ... This is your chance, as a town, to unite behind the tribe and be on the right side of history."

Concerns around proposal's vetting

Concerns from council members largely centered on whether the proposal had gone through the proper vetting process, and fears that it was being rushed.

Typically, the Narragansett Town Council holds a public workshop each fall to discuss beach admission and parking fees for the following summer, and it's unusual for changes for changes to be made so close to opening day.

The proposal to grant free entry to tribal members came to the council as a request from the town's Coastal Access Improvement Committee, which had discussed the matter at its public meetings. Some townspeople said they felt blindsided and had not been aware of those discussions because they took place over the winter, when many residents are in Florida.

Cicilline Buonnano said that she didn't hear about the proposed change until it came up in a diversity committee meeting in mid-April. "I left there shaking because I thought, 'Nobody knows about this,'" she said.

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Catherine Celeberto, a resident who spends the winter in Florida, pointed out that being out of state hadn't stopped her from checking the meeting agendas and voicing her support to the coastal access committee.

"I was quoted in the Boston Globe two months ago," she said. "This idea did not drop from the sky."

She said she was especially disappointed in Cicilline Buonnano's opposition. "Your niece is married to a Narragansett, and you're really not embarrassed?" she asked. "You post pictures on Facebook and talk about how cute these children are ... when they grow up they’re going to be asking you a lot of questions."

Some council members suggested that the proposal should have been vetted by the town's Recreation Advisory Board, which makes recommendations to the council about beach entry fees.

In recent years, the advisory board has repeatedly advocated for making entry fees and parking more expensive. The council rejected its recommendations and declined to institute a price hike for summer 2022.

Recreation Advisory Board chair Tom Warren said that, in his view, there would need to be studies into "the impact on the beach itself" and the effect on parking in neighborhoods near the beach.

"That sounds like a lot of studies," Pugh responded.

Rachel Weisz-Smith, a member of the coastal access committee, said that the idea would "die" if referred to the Recreation Advisory Board, and that it was being "overcomplicated."

Another concern was whether there would be time to order more of the cards that are issued to seasonal passholders before opening day.

Michelle Kershaw, Narragansett's parks and recreation director, said that she typically puts out a request for quotes over the winter, and didn't think she'd have time to do another before the beach opens on June 3.

"How about I provide the cards?" Pugh responded, to applause. "I’ll buy the cards."

Kershaw repeatedly stated that Narragansett Town Beach was "a business." She noted that some tribal members had indicated that they wanted free parking, not just admission — something that the Coastal Access Improvement Committee had recommended, but which was left off the council's resolution in order to increase the likelihood that it would pass.

Narragansett taxpayers do not pay for the cost of maintaining and operating Narragansett Town Beach because those expenses are covered by the Beach Enterprise Fund, which receives revenue from parking and admission fees. If expenses begin to exceed revenue, the burden will eventually fall on taxpayers, Kershaw said.

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Kershaw also took issue with the wording of the resolution, which called for "restoring Narragansett Town Beach walk-on access" for the tribe.

"Access is not denied," she said.

"Michelle, you’re overstepping your role right now," Pugh told her.

The resolution had seemed doom to fail, with only Pugh and Kopech expressing support at the start of the meeting. Dzwierzynski said she had an open mind but was concerned the decision was being made too quickly.

"I am the voice for the residents," she said.

That meant that the swing vote on the five-member council came down to Patrick Murray, a libertarian who for years has expressed the belief it should be much more expensive to park at the beach, but free to walk on.

He suggested an amendment that would get rid of all entry fees and raise parking fees to $50 a day.

"Alright, let's do it," Pugh said.

Kershaw diplomatically put the kibosh on that. "It’s an interesting thought, sir," she told Murray. "It would need to be vetted."

Murray also expressed concerns about "the process," and at one point appeared to refer to tribal members as "you people," which prompted an outcry in the council chambers. He quickly corrected himself and said he had great respect for the Narragansetts.

"I grew up with the Champlins and Thomases ... I went to Chariho," he said. "I am not the enemy here."

As the clock neared 11:30 p.m., Murray expressed support for the bill on the condition that the number of tribal members who receive beach passes would be tracked for "accountability." The resolution passed 3-2.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Narragansett Town Beach will be free to Narragansett Indian Tribe