The New Shoreham Coastal Resilience Committee used its August meeting slot for a public workshop on the future of the Town Beach Pavilion, and told residents plainly that no decision to build anything has been made. The committee's chair said the town has only authorized consultants to study possible designs, and that even a best-case timeline for an approved, designed and permitted project is at least three years out.
The committee took no votes on the pavilion. It adjourned by voice vote at the close of the session, according to the New Shoreham Coastal Resilience Committee's published meeting recording.
What the committee is recommending
The committee, created by the Town Council in 2021 as the Sea-Level Rise Committee, presented the written position on Corn Neck Road that it delivered to the town in June. Copies were available at the meeting.
The core finding: Corn Neck Road is the island's primary transportation and emergency-access route, and the northern section is highly vulnerable to storm damage. The committee identified the dune system as the road's first line of defense, and identified the beach pavilion as the weak point, because the dune line stops at the building. That gap lets waves travel toward one of the narrowest and most exposed stretches of the road.
Local sponsorAffordable photography lessons in Newport, Jamestown, or your town.E.L. Photo RIIts top recommendation to the town is restoring the dune barrier at the pavilion, which would require relocating the pavilion, rebuilding the dunes, and replanting native vegetation. The committee also recommended carrying out the Scotch Beach parking improvements, dune pathways and revegetation already covered by the current grant, and producing a shovel-ready design and cost analysis for a pavilion.
The chair described the science underpinning the work: about six inches of sea-level rise between 1976 and 2016, another six inches projected between 2017 and 2033, and long-term projections of three to six and a half feet by 2100. She said roughly 95 percent of the state's coastline is eroding at an average of two feet per year, and noted there is no Block Island–specific sea-level rise and erosion data yet, though collection is ongoing.
Phase one work and where it stands
Mike Gardner of GZA Environmental, the firm contracted by the town, reviewed completed phase-one work funded through the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank Municipal Resiliency Program and a federal wildlife foundation grant. The study area covers 1.2 miles of Corn Neck Road between Scotch Beach and a jetty to the south.
Two designs are at roughly 90 percent drawings, Gardner said: a regrading of the Scotch Beach parking area that would slope stormwater toward an adjacent salt marsh, and fencing, signage and revegetation along three dune pathways to keep foot traffic to designated routes. He said widening footpaths create a feedback loop, letting storm water and waves push across the dune toward the road.
A third phase-one concept, addressing chronic flooding in the south beach parking lot, was set aside after public and town feedback. The team said the dune gap at the pavilion was treated as the more urgent problem.
Three possible locations, three design concepts
The consultants outlined three siting options for a replacement pavilion: shifting it slightly landward on its current site, moving it to the north parking area behind an established dune, or relocating the pavilion and parking farther north where dunes are wider. Each was presented with tradeoffs, including parking reconfiguration, wastewater changes, and whether the current site could stay open during construction.
Three conceptual designs were shown. All would be elevated — the parking lot sits at roughly elevation 6 to 8 feet and the dune ridge reaches as high as 25 feet, meaning a new building and its ramps would climb nine to ten feet above the lot. One concept roughly replicates today's square footage with outdoor deck replacing indoor lobby space. A second pulls the building back behind the dune crest, which the team called the least intrusive. A third is smaller, relies on food trucks or mobile vendors for concessions, and pushes a deck out past the dune to get visitors closer to the beach.
The consultants said the existing building sits in the most damaging possible spot for the primary dune. They also noted the facility currently houses restrooms, concessions, a manager's office, storage, first aid, and seasonal quarters for four lifeguards — a set of functions that shapes any replacement.
Questions from the audience
Residents pressed on several points. One asked which concept would work best for weekly summer music performances at the beach. One questioned whether existing parking should be treated as a design constraint at all, and raised shuttle service or a bike path as alternatives; the consultants said the pavilion design is largely independent of parking, and that parking decisions belong to the town.
Another resident asked whether any concept would let the primary dune reach full height, prompting a detailed answer about vegetation, root systems and how far each design encroaches on the dune.
One of the sharper exchanges came over whether removing the building is necessary at all. A speaker noted the town already piles sand in front of the pavilion each winter and plows it out, and asked whether the dune could simply be allowed to grow against the building and the gap narrowed. The consultants said the openings on either side are currently used for emergency vehicle access to the beach, which would have to be resolved. The speaker responded that the town does not need two emergency access points.
Another resident asked about repairing rather than replacing the existing structure. The consultants said they reviewed it and found the building is not in good condition, and that stabilizing and elevating it would cost close to what demolition and replacement would cost, because a new structural support system would be needed.
What residents said they want
The committee ran a "rose, thorn, bud" exercise, in which participants wrote ideas on sticky notes and then marked priorities with dot stickers. Protecting the dunes drew the most support in both the "keep" and "improve" categories, receiving 16 and 15 dots respectively. Community gathering space drew six dots, and public access also ranked among the top items.
Under improvements, parking lot flooding drew four dots, exploring alternatives beyond the three concepts presented drew four, a public shuttle drew three, traffic congestion from cars and mopeds drew two, and raising Corn Neck Road drew one.
For future ideas, parking and transportation drew the most support with 12 dots, followed by siting options — moving the pavilion north or farther inland. Public education about why dunes matter drew six dots. Other ideas included mobile structures instead of permanent ones, improved beach access, and year-round use.
The chair also reported results from an earlier survey with 165 responses, 68 percent from year-round residents. She said 92 percent were aware of flooding risk, 87 percent expressed concern about long-term coastal vulnerability, and 67 percent supported restoring the dune line even if that means relocating or rebuilding the pavilion behind it.
Who was there and what's next
The chair recognized committee members in attendance, including Vice Chair Judy Gray, the committee's founding chair, founding member Mary Anderson, and longtime members Nigel Grindley and George Davis. Climate-resilience coordinator Nora Clark also attended.
The committee said it will synthesize the workshop input and report it to the Town Council, and use it to help shape the scope of a second grant phase. The chair said that grant money has been awarded but not yet received. Phase two would extend work at Town Beach and add the southern portion of Corn Neck Road and Mansion Beach.
Two items residents can use now: a printed guide to protecting Block Island homes from flooding and erosion, developed with the climate-resilience coordinator and available at the hardware store, the school and the library; and a coming display in the Town Beach Pavilion on how the beach and the building have changed through past storms. No installation date was given.
The committee said it expects to run another survey once the phase-two scope is settled, and asked residents to contact committee members with additional comments in the meantime.