Westerly - State of Rhode Island: Division of Planning

The Westerly Comprehensive Planstations and firefighting equipment and is identical to the concerns of the first set – that is, the ongoingcost of providing fire protection to the district taxpayers and its impact on the taxpayers. Thethird set of concerns is shared by all seven districts: the increase in the tax levy as the value of localproperty has increased in an overheated residential real estate market.One concern that was voiced by representatives of Bradford was the increasing amount of area ofthat district that has been set aside for conservation and open space. Bradford has the lowest taxbase of the seven districts.9.3.6 School Administrators and PTO MembersFifteen individuals participated in the focus group held on November 19. Participants included theSuperintendent of Schools, members of the school department administration, PTO officials andparents of students. The meeting was facilitated by Robert Ritacco, chairman of the CitizensAdvisory Committee; Richard Smith, vice chairman and Harrison Day, treasurer, also participated inthe facilitation and discussions.One participant described Westerly as “a place where people want to settle, raise families and retire.”Words used to describe the community were “small town,” “growing,” “close knit” and “familyoriented.”When asked what the town’s primary focus should be over the next 20 years, education was thepriority most often mentioned. Others that were mentioned repeatedly include: limiting housingdevelopment, education facility improvements, development of a community/recreation center andmaintaining a small-town feeling.Participants noted a number of challenges facing the town such as: improving school facilities andprograms, managing growth so as not to lose its sense of community and affordable housing.Among the opportunities mentioned by participants were: improving the education system, coastalarea opportunities, increasing affordable housing, increasing after school activities for children andpeople wanting to live and raise their families in Westerly.There was extensive discussion about the need to upgrade or replace the physical structures of theschool system over the next 15-20 years. There was also discussion about the need for programsand facilities to improve the educational opportunities for students – languages, science labs,technology and honors programs. The importance of affordable after-school programs for studentswas stressed by several participants. They suggested that such programs could possibly be providedthrough closer collaboration with the town’s Recreation Department. Improved athletic facilitiesincluding the idea of a centralized recreation center with a pool and tennis courts was discussed aswell. Improved public transportation for children, parents of school-age children and the elderlywas identified as an important priority for Westerly. The Superintendent noted that traditionally 7-10 percent of the school-age population opts out of the public system for private schools and thereis a concern that the percentage may increase without significant investment to improve the publicschools.Participants discussed concerns about housing affordability, jobs and transportation as factors inwhether their children would be able to remain in Westerly after completing their education. Manyexpressed concerns about the pace of development, the expanding number of condos and presenceWesterly, Rhode Island 131