Save The Bay to open public pier at Fields Point on May 20

Providence, R.I. – May, 14, 2019 – At 10 a.m. on Monday, May 20, in the second major event of its 50th anniversary celebration, Save The Bay will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open a new Public Pier at Fields Point. The accessible pier, Providence’s newest public access point to Narragansett Bay, offers touch-and-go docking, kayak launches, fishing, and beautiful views of the Upper Bay. The opening of the pier will complete Save The Bay’s original vision for its Fields Point Bay Center as a community resource and urban access point to Narragansett Bay.

“From our earliest days nearly 50 years ago, Save The Bay has been committed to protecting the public’s right, enshrined in the state constitution, to access Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island's stunning coastline. Our facility and grounds at Fields Point in Providence represent this commitment,” said Jonathan Stone, executive director of Save The Bay.

The Bay Center grounds also offer trails to the rocky shoreline, year-round fishing, and an urban coastal greenway trail from dawn to dusk.

“We are delighted and proud to announce the opening of our new public dock and pier, open to all, for fishing, launching a kayak, watching osprey soar, or simply taking in the extraordinary beauty of the Bay. We invite our neighbors in South Providence, Washington Park, and Edgewood, and welcome all visitors from near and afar, to enjoy the new pier and grounds at Fields Point. And we thank our many partners and donors who helped make our vision of a new public pier a reality,” Stone said.

Special guests who will join Stone in speaking at the ribbon-cutting include Senator Jack Reed, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressman David Cicilline, Gov. Gina Raimondo, Mayor of Providence Jorge Elorza, and representatives from the James M. Cox Foundation and REI.

“The James M. Cox Foundation is proud to support Save The Bay’s public pier to help ensure that Rhode Islanders will have access to Narragansett Bay,” said Jay Allbaugh, senior vice president and region manager, Cox Communications.
The public pier is made possible by generous support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Johnson and Wales University, the James M. Cox Foundation, REI, the Champlin Foundation, Island Foundation, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Rhode Island College Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disabilities, and private funders.