Dear Director Terry Gray and Legal Counsel Mary Kay, 

 Please consider the following prior to making your decision regarding the selection of the best proposal for the land lease in Galilee.  

When a decision will be made by your selection committee for the best proposal for the land lease area in Galilee, I hope you will recall the investigation by the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office regarding the illegal expansion of the Champlin's Marina in Block Island just before the Procaccianti Developers purchased the Marina.    Jim Hummel did an outstanding video on the outcry of the local residents and concerned advocacy groups who have fought against the expansion for many years as the expansion will have a devastating effect on the fragile ecosystem of The Great Salt Pond.   The learned people of their area raised over 500 million dollars to fight the expansion and have fought the battle for many years, yet a retired judge stepped in and somehow allowed the expansion to be approved.       I read and heard the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office is fighting to have the case heard now in the Rhode Island Supreme Court.    As a result of the Rhode Island Attorney General's Investigation 2 CRMC Board Members had to resign.     We do not hear Procaccianti making any comments regarding his willingness to have his property scaled down to the size the marina was prior to the illegal expansion since it will create harm to the Great Salt Pond.    More boats will inevitably lead to more pollution in the Great Salt Pond that can result in harm to the fish we eat and the type of fish that can survive in a more caustic environment.    I have been reading books about healthy eating, and more studies are showing that wild fish that was at one time safe for everyone to eat is now more likely to be tainted with mercury and other pollutants.  While the ocean, lakes, ponds, and rivers can filter out a certain number of pollutants, once there are too many pollutants in our waterways the poisons will no longer be removed, and the fish will inevitably be adversely affected.   Since many of us eat fish, the pollutants in the fish will have a negative effect on the health of all those who eat fish.    I no longer eat swordfish as the mercury in swordfish is now very high because of our polluted oceans.    Here is the link to the Hummel Report that shows the fight against the illegal expansion of Champlin's Marina:  Hummel Report.     

Block Island residents and all those concerned about the Great Salt Lake clearly show how they have fought for what is best for their area, and now we in Narragansett are hoping our arguments to sustain rather than hurt our Gem of a Village of Galilee will be listed to by the leaders of the RIDEM.  It would be troubling if the RIDEM continues to deal with Procaccianti as his recently purchased resort and marina was determined by the RI Attorney General's Office and all those concerned about The Great Salt Lake to be expanded upon without going through the proper channels, and now his expanded Marina can have a devastating effect on The Great Salt Pond.   Since the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s mission is to support those who want to help and not hurt our fragile ecosystem, I feel the RIDEM should cut its ties with Procaccianti.    

Here is the Providence Journal Link that shows the RI Attorney General's Office is fighting the expansion of Champlin's Marina:  Attorney General's Investigation

 As Procaccianti Developers have shown negligence on the land and property they leased out in Galilee, and they have purchased a marina that was illegally expanded upon without noting or making any public comment on how the expansion would adversely affect the Great Salt Pond, I am hoping the RIDEM will no longer support Procaccianti and his proposal for Galilee.    Procaccianti has created an eyesore for our Gem of a Village of Galilee.    I think it was more than coincidental that Champlin's Marina was expanded upon just prior to Procaccianti purchasing the Marina.     We can see how Procaccianti has tried to manipulate us.    He purposely let his land get run down to create an eyesore in the hope everyone would think anything would be better than it is now even a massive street level parking lot with either a small strip mall or a small green space.    And now he wants to manipulate us again by holding us hostage by noting he will only put up a Boutique Hotel with a 99-year lease.     It does not take a rocket scientist to recognize Procaccianti wants to have primarily a massive parking lot in the area, so he can get the biggest bang for his buck and use Galilee as a stopping ground to bring people over the Block Island so they can potentially use his 19-million-dollar resort and marina.    Block Island Marina Resort | Champlin's Resort (Champlins Resort and Marina)

I hope the legacy of the RI Department of Environmental Management under the Director of Terry Gray and Legal Counsel Mary Kay will be that you listened to the pleas of the residents, the researchers, the research reports such as the one produced by the University of Rhode Island, the Master Comprehensive Development Plan, the committees and associations such as the Friends of Galilee (composed of learned people who dedicated their lives to improve Galilee), and the Narragansett Pier Residents' Association, and last but not least our elected officials consisting of our Town Manager, James Tierney, Town Planner, Mike DeLuca, and our Narragansett Town Council who all support with sound justification that the Town of Narragansett's Proposal is the only viable proposal for Galilee.     In addition, you are hearing pleas from members of the Galilee Advisory Committee such as myself who are urging you to accept the Town of Narragansett's Proposal.  The Town of Narragansett's Proposal can also be accepted by the RIDEM with the condition that the Town of Narragansett would be willing to modify or adjust its mixed-use development plan to work jointly with the fishermen to create viable options both literally and figurative to help our fragile ecosystem and the fishing industries.     A Maritime Museum with an education research component on sustaining both our fragile ecosystem and the fishing industry are possible suggestions.    The Town of Narragansett's Plan is open for modification, whereas the alternative plans are not.   

A seafood processing plant would not help our local fishermen, and it will fail to help attract people to go to Galilee.    Many fishermen sell their catch off their boats.   A fish processing plant will not attract more visitors in the area to buy their catch.    In addition, the fish processing plant has the potential to make the area smelly and noisy.   Lastly, that area of land is not zoned GI - Galilee Industrial, it is zoned GB - Galilee Business, so a fish processing plant should not be even allowed to be built in that area.  

Let us hope and pray the leaders of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management will be forever remembered as listening to all those who provided you with justification to make a once in a lifetime decision that will allow the Town of Narragansett to make our Gem of a Village shine, so that it will be an attraction for all who visit, work, and live at Galilee.    

   We also have an online petition at Change.org that supports the Town of Narragansett's Proposal.    We have close to 2400 signatures:  Here is a link to the petition:  Change.Org

                                 Respectfully Submitted, Dr. Albert Alba 

This paper is written in memory of my dad, Albert Alba, Sr. who advocated for improvements in Narragansett for its residents, its businesses, and to preserve our fragile ecosystem.   As my dad would call Narragansett, A Little Bit of Heaven on Earth, may Galilee continue to be considered as part of our Little Bit of Heaven on Earth.