Thanks to $150,000 in matching funding from Bristol Marine and its owners Andy Tyska and Gerry Lenfest, Coggeshall Farm Museum is one step closer to erecting a new barn on its 48-acre property.

The barn is a critical building block for the Farm’s future, said Jon Larason, executive director of the farm. It will give staff and volunteers the ability to better care for the Farm’s rare, heritage breed livestock.

The barn will also house space for educational programming so outreach can take place on a year-round basis, particularly to students.

“Coggeshall Farm is the only living history farm in the state,” Mr. Larason said. “It’s a working restoration of a late 18th century farm where visitors can experience life in a pre-industrial era, enjoy a pastoral setting, and learn about sustainable farming practices.”

Most farm museums have a historically accurate barn that’s in front of the house, Mr. Larason said. They also have a behind-the-scenes barn where animals are kept, and employees can do work to maintain the farm. Coggeshall’s barn will serve as both.

“We have to have a barn where we can do exhibits,” Mr. Larason said. “We’re very constrained by weather. We recently had our maple-sugaring over the weekend and it was largely attended.

“Last year, with Nemo, we had two people because the weekend of the event was the same as the storm.”

The only indoor space for programs is inside Coggeshall’s 18th century farmhouse, with small rooms that can only accommodate groups of fewer than 10 people.

“Our group visits have gone up over the past four years,” Mr. Larason said. “We have approximately three-and-a-half times more groups that visit Coggeshall.”

The funds will be used to support day-to-day operations, as well as help fund a feasibility study and to establish a concept for the barn. Once that work is completed in early summer 2014, construction estimates will be gathered and a capital campaign will be launched. The hope is to break ground sometime in 2015, Mr. Tyska said.

A&R Marine has been given the OK to operate a ferry service from Prudence Island to Bristol.

In a 79-page order released today, the RI Division of Public Utilities and Carriers granted A&R Marine’s request for a certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN). The company, operating as Bay Island Transport, filed their CPCN application Sept. 19.

“Presumably the Town of Portsmouth’s brief in support of A&R Marine went a long way with the hearing officer,” said Terry Mercer, associate administrator at the Division. “As did the brief and position in support of established by the (Division’s) advocacy section.”

A&R Marine has six months to meet the Division’s criteria before the CPCN is issued: provide adequate dockage on Prudence Island and Bristol; get a ferry; satisfy all Coast Guard requirements for ferry service; meet town permitting processes; get liability and cargo insurance; and pass a Division inspection.

Failure to meet those requirements will void the Division’s decision granting them a CPCN.

However, should A&R Marine meet those requirements, travelers to the Prudence Island would then have two ferry options to get there.

Bruce Medley, owner of Prudence Island Ferry Inc., doesn’t plan on selling or stopping his business now or in the future.

“We don’t care. It won’t affect us,” Mr. Medley said, reacting to the Division’s decision. “As far as I’m concerned, it might be better for everybody.

“But I’m not surprised that they granted the certificate, considering the people at the Division.

A lease for the parking lot on Thames Street between the Town of Bristol and Prudence Island Ferry Inc. is set to expire June 14. Neither side has met yet to renew the contract, and Mr. Medley said he doesn’t anticipate any hiccups in continuing the lease.

“I know the business better than anyone else,” Mr. Medley said. “Just give me an idea of when (A&R Marine’s) going to start. They don’t have anything. When’s the competition going to begin?”

A representative from A&R Marine was unable to be reached for comment.

Click here to read the Division’s order.

To the editor:

I take issue with several of Mr. Burman’s comments noted supra. Yet, we are all entitled to our opinions as I was in my Feb. 13, 2014 letter to the editor regarding “Mr. Sweeney should be commended for choosing Ms. Parella.” I would urge Mr. Burman to reread my letter as well. In my letter, I pointed out the facts and logic of why Mr. Sweeney’s nomination and vote for Ms. Parella was the correct and proper thing to do for Bristol.

I do find it interesting, however, that no one on the Bristol Democratic Town Committee (BDTC) has criticized nor excommunicated Mr. Stuart, the Democrat Town Councilor and member of the BDTC who nominated and voted for Mr. Herreshoff, a Republican like Ms. Parella, to be the Town Council Vice Chairperson. It should be noted that I applaud Mr. Stuart’s vision and courage in his nomination and vote for Mr. Herreshoff. It should also be noted that Mr. Sweeney nominated and voted for Mr. Stuart, a fellow Democrat, to be the Vice Chairperson.

I am deeply troubled by the fact that the BDTC saw it fit to only attack and thus single out Mr. Sweeney. It would be interesting to learn the BDTC’s rationale behind this apparent pick-and-choose approach to, as Mr. Burman noted, “the principle of majority rule.”

The bottom line in all of this, as I stated in my Feb. 13, 2014 letter to the editor, is that Mr. Sweeney was elected by the citizens of Bristol to be a Town Councilor to do what is best for Bristol. Doing the bidding of the BDTC is not what I voted for nor I suspect what most of Bristol’s citizens voted for. Mr. Sweeney continues to support what is best for Bristol and will, once again, have my vote.

Stephen P. Katz

42 River St.

Mrs. Antonetta (Procaccini) Squatrito, age 91 of 9 Dreadnaught Avenue, Bristol, died peacefully, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014 at the Grace Barker Nursing Center in Warren, surrounded by her loving family.

She was the wife of the late Angelo Natale Squatrito, who preceded her in death in 1998.

Born and raised in Providence, she was a daughter of the late Angelo and Maria Giuseppa (Spremulli) Procaccini.

A resident of Bristol for 65 years, Antonetta was a homemaker who enjoyed cooking, sewing and  spending time with her family.

She was a communicant of St. Mary’s Church in Bristol.

Mrs. Squatrito is survived by a son, Nat V. Squatrito and his wife, Patricia; a grandson, Andrew M. Squatrito, all of Bristol; and a sister, Diana Procaccini of Providence.

In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by three brothers, Daniel, Michael and Louis Procaccini; and three sisters, Mary Bianco, Jennie Rainone and Sadie Pagliaro.

Her funeral will be held on Monday, March 3, 2014 at 9 a.m. at the Sansone Funeral Home, 192 Wood St., Bristol, followed by a Mass of Christian burial at 10 in St. Mary’s Church, 330 Wood St., Bristol.

Burial will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Visiting hours are on Sunday, March 2, from 2 – 5 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Mary’s Church, 330 Wood St., Bristol, RI  02809.

Irene B. (Belmore) Holmes, 94  of 20 Elmwood Drive, Bristol, died Friday, Feb. 28, 2014 at St. Clare – Newport.

She was the wife of the late William B. Holmes.

Born in Bristol and a lifelong resident, she was a daughter of the late Edward J. and Florence (Proulx) Belmore.

She is survived by a daughter, Nancy Beausoleil of Foster; a son, William E. Holmes (Catherine) of Bristol; a son-in-law, Donald Beausoleil; four grandchildren, Stephen Holmes (Robin), John Paul, Charles and Nicole Beausoleil; and a great-granddaughter, June Wilson.

In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by a brother, Clifford J. Belmore.

Her funeral will be held at 9:30 a.m., on Wednesday, March 5, 2014, at the Sansone Funeral Home, 192 Wood St., Bristol, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 in St. Mary’s Church.

Burial will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Chestnut Street, Bristol.

Visiting hours will be Tuesday, March 4, from 4 -7 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Big Sisters of RI, 40 Webb Street, Cranston, RI  02920 or to a charity of the donors choice.

Photos by Rich Dionne
A Bristol firefighter hurries to put on his gear as a car fire rages behind him on Thames Street on Monday afternoon.

Before him was his 2000 Ford Focus, the front engine engulfed by flames.

Firefighters responded to the scene just after 1 p.m. Monday, to put out the fire.

Alan St. Vincent (left) speaks to his friends while Bristol firefighters extinguish flames coming from his engulfed 2000 Ford Focus.

The two, along with another passenger, Evan Fortin, jumped from the car. It rolled across Thames Street, crashing into the sidewalk in front of the Prudence Island ferry parking lot and caught fire.

The car, which Mr. St. Vincent bought about a year ago for $1,500, is considered a total loss.

“They’re all safe and not hurt, and that’s the important thing,” said Fire Chief Bob Martin.

Guiteras lunch volunteer Shannon Rozea helps kindergartner Toby Richard recycle and throw away trash after lunch into a new receptacle made by Bristol Recycles.

The Bristol Recycling Committee rolled out its latest program last week, which captures all of Bristol-Warren schools’ recyclables.

Beaming from ear to ear, committee chair Keith Maloney was joined by several town and school officials last Wednesday at Guiteras Elementary School, for a demonstration of a newly installed recycling station.

Over winter break, each school cafeteria was outfitted with a recycling station — the high school got two. Each station features three disposal slots — one for recyclable material, another for trash, and a third for emptying out any leftover liquid before its tossed in the recycling slot.

“This is a great educational piece for the students and hopefully we will engage the parents at home by teaching the students about recycling,” said Melinda Thies, Superintendent of the Bristol-Warren Regional School District.

Each station cost $1,000, for a total of $7,000. The committee was awarded a $1,000 grant from the Carton Council of America, and the remaining cost was picked up by the town and from private donations.

“It was really a community effort to get this done,” Mr. Maloney said. “From building the stations, to outfitting them ready for use. Bristol businesses did all of this.”

Over the past three years, Bristol has fallen short of the state’s mandated 35-percent recycling rate. In 2012, Bristol’s percentage was 29.2, higher than the 2011 and 2010 percentages of 23.5, and 23.2, respectively.

The Town Council formalized the recycling committee last summer out of a task force put together to analyze the issue and come up with a solution.

“Recycling equals tax dollars,” Mr. Maloney said. “The less we pay in tipping fees, the more save in taxes, and the more the town gets back in profit-sharing.”

Last year, the state made $740,626 in the sale of recycled material. Bristol received $13,366.75 for its share of the profits, which is a $20,000 drop from last year, despite turning in more material.

Tapping into the schools’ recyclables has been a months-long project of the committee. Previously, the school district’s recyclables was collected by the same private vendor that was collecting its trash. While there had been an effort within the schools’ cafeterias to sort out the recyclables from the trash, that effort was futile.

“It was all going into the back, into the trash truck,” Mr. Maloney said.

With the stations, the town will be able to capture all the recyclable material from the school district’s 3,430 students. The Town of Warren had already been collecting recyclables from Hugh Cole Elementary.

“Just think about that for a second,” Mr. Maloney said. “All those kids. If each one had a milk carton for lunch everyday, that’s more than 360,000 milk cartons. That’s huge.”

A large portion of the property is wetlands, as depicted in orange. To build on that property would require an engineering study and approval by the Department of Environmental Management.

Owned by Town Councilor Halsey Herreshoff and his family, the nearly 40-acre property, is listed with Gustave White Sotheby’s International, a Newport-based agency, for $7.7 million. The listing went public on Monday.

“We’ve been working on it for a long time,” said Paul Leys, co-owner of the agency. “We’ve been having discussions with Mr. Herreshoff over a number of years about this. For one reason or another, he decided then not to sell.

“But he finally made it official this week.”

The waterfront property is located on the shores of Mt. Hope Bay with access to both Metacom and Griswold avenues. It abuts the Roger Williams University campus to the south.

“Though it could be split up into many smaller lots, we’re treating this as one large parcel for a developer,” Mr. Leys said.

Roger Williams University officials are aware of the available land, but have no plans to pursue the property at this time, said Lynda Curtis, a media relations manager with the university.

A listing like this typically generates immediate interest within the first month, Mr. Leys said. But it could also remain on the market for years.

“We’ve already gotten some calls from interested people about it,” he said. “One was a potential developer who would create some house lots over there. The other was a person who just wanted to buy the entire property, but didn’t give any details about their plans.”

Before a builder could develop the lot, engineering studies would have to be conducted, as well as approval from the Rhode Island Coastal Resource Management Council and the state’s Department of Environmental Management. Though it is zoned entirely residential, a large portion of the property is wetlands.

Mr. Herreshoff was not able to be reached for comment.

There’s no question that the school’s budget is tight, and teachers often feel the financial strain the most. Especially when trying to think outside the box to expose their students to new experiences.

“Teachers are always supplementing, that’s the nature of a public school system,” said Melinda Thies, Superintendent of the Bristol Warren Regional School District. “It’s hard to work within the constraints of a budget.”

The desire to broaden students’ learning experiences is not lost on the Bristol Warren Education Foundation (BWEF). Since 2007, the non-profit organization has been raising money to fund innovative programs within the school district. The all-volunteer organization, which operates separately of the school district, has awarded $175,000 in grants to teachers over the past seven years.

“As education continues to evolve, and funding continues to be a challenge, communities must work together to fund a healthy system that graduates well-rounded students” said Heather Harley, BWEF board member. “Teachers look to us for grant funding for extra-ordinary programs that could not otherwise exist.”

Such programs include an iPad lab at Kickemuit Middle School, wherein a sixth-grade class is outfitted with iPads to enhance their learning experience; the Colonial Days Project at Hugh Cole Elementary School, where fifth-grade students are exposed to hands-on projects relating to the colonial time period; and Worm Watchers at Guiteras Elementary School, which teaches students about vermicomposting via a worm-watching kit.

“The BWEF is an incubator of creativity for our students and teachers,” Ms. Thies said.

To sustain those programs, however, the BWEF has to continually fund-raise. This Saturday, the organization is hosting its sixth-annual Bodacious Bee — its largest singular fund-raising event — at the Roger Williams University Field House. Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis, who was a teacher at Sandy Hook during the tragic school shootings in December 2012, is the event’s honorary chairperson.

“It’s an adult spelling bee and teams of three work together to show off their spelling skills,” said Ms. Harley, who is co-chair of the event with BWEF board member Kirsten DiChiappari. “It’s humbling and entertaining all for a great cause.”

There are currently 15 teams signed up to compete against incumbent winners, the Mt. Hope Farm Board of Trustees.

BWEF receives grant applications every year, and every year there is an increase, Ms. Harley said.

“This is not a trend we see reversing any time soon,” she said.

Meeting that demand is challenging, and the BWEF is adding a second fund-raiser to its slate this year — The Food Truck 5K, scheduled for May 10.

“Businesses everywhere are desperately seeking an educated and prepared workforce,” Ms. Harley said. “Whether our students continue on to institutes of higher learning, or seek employment immediately, BWEF and similar organizations are a reality in this day and age.”

Bristol Animal Control Officer Dyanne Gibree; Betty Brito, of the Friends of the Bristol Animal Shelter; State Rep. Ken Marshall; and State Rep. Ray Gallison. The legislators presented the animal shelter project with a $2,500 legislative grant Saturday night.

Rockin’ Soul Horns Band’s big band beats energized the dance floor as the 110 in attendance partied into the late evening, March 1. The event raised $20,000 for the emergent care and emergency veterinary fund for the new animal shelter.

The new shelter is slated for a late-April opening, and the Friends are hoping to close the gap in their fund-raising efforts for the capital campaign. The Friends’ capital campaign is $350,000, and is based on the original projection that the $2 million bond passed in 2007 would only cover the cost of building the shelter.

Tom Walsh surprises Joe Brito Jr., at the Mardi Gras Ball.

A major portion of that $350,000 is allocated to the construction of a humane education center, which costs $185,000.

“The Friends believed firmly that the humane education center was a critical element in the shelter and offered to take on the full responsibility of its construction cost,” Ms. Brito said.

To date, the Friends have raised $121,660 against the $185,000 and $217,907 against the overall goal.

State Rep. Ken Marshall and State Sen. Ray Gallison presented the Friends with a $2,500 legislative grant at the Ball, which is included in the total amount raised, Ms. Brito said. That grant will be applied toward the epoxy flooring in the animal areas of the shelter.

Josh Dimon, of N. Kingstown; Matt Dame and Kirstie Goodwin, both of Bristol.

Donors, such as the residents of the Highlands Neighborhood, pooled their resources and gifted nearly $5,000. Another, Olivia Murray, a 6-year-old animal-lover, asked her friends to donate to the animal shelter instead of getting her birthday presents. That amounted to $500.

“While the lack of grant money has made the fundraising challenging, it is moments like those that have been heartwarming,” Ms. Brito said. “Bristol continues to be a community that loves its animals.”

Bristol Toyota, which has been a fixture at the intersections of Tupelo Streets and Metacom Avenue for decades, is moving its operations to Massachusetts.

The move is necessary, said owner Ed Veader, to accommodate a larger customer base. Instead of serving just Bristol and Warren, Mr. Veader’s targeted market area now includes Somerset, Swansea and a portion of Fall River.

“Toyota did a consolidation of some of its dealerships and realigned their service areas,” Mr. Veader explained. “I need to be within a two-mile radius of those communities.”

For the past six months, Mr. Veader has been scoping out properties along Route 6 in Swansea. He’s currently negotiating to buy 6.64 acres of the former Baker Tractor Company site, 2283 G.A.R. Highway. The parcel is divided into two lots and is owned by Bill Chadwick, former president of Baker Tractor.

Mr. Chadwick will be before the Swansea Planning Board tonight, March 6, with plans to reassemble those lots, and construct a dealership on one. The property has three existing access points: Rte. 6, Filko Avenue and Nod Road.

“It’s easier for people in Swansea and Somerset to come there,” Mr. Veader said. “It’s strategically and conveniently located.”

Between buying the property and building a new dealership, Mr. Chadwick estimated Mr. Veader’s investment to be in excess of $5 million.

Mr. Chadwick is hopeful that the deal will be closed in two weeks, but the process thus far has been anything but quick.

“There have been so many extensions to this,” Mr. Veader said. “I didn’t want to come out and say anything until I knew exactly what was going to happen.

“There are so many moving parts to the puzzle. (Mr. Chadwick) doesn’t have the money yet, and I don’t own the property yet.”

If Mr. Veader doesn’t acquire that property specifically, he’ll have to keep looking. Toyota has given him a deadline of mid-2015 to relocate.

“If the consolidation didn’t happen, I’d be here as long as I could,” he said. “It’s a beautiful area and a great community.”

Bristol Toyota has been at its current location since 1986. Before that, it was a Village Toyota dealership. Those who are currently employed are “invited to come,” when the move takes place, Mr. Veader said.

“This is not something that we were looking forward to happening,” said Town Administrator Tony Teixeira. “There wasn’t much we could do to reach out and change their minds.”

Despite being across state lines, Mr. Veader assured that his civic commitments to Bristol will be on-going.

“I have grandchildren here and family here who are all involved in activities and the schools,” he said. “You never forget your roots.”

Alayne White talks inside her new spa location on Constitution Street in Bristol.

The storm blanketed Bristol in two feet of snow in early 2013. Shortly after, a deep cold set in and the pipes circulating around the Alayne White Spa, housed inside the Bristol Harbor Hotel, burst.

“About 50 percent of my business was destroyed, flooded,” she recalled.

Instead of wallowing in pity, she drew inspiration from the disaster.

“I immediately started looking for a new location,” she said. “I found out I was able to get out of my lease because of all the damage.”

Within a week, she had her sights set on 11 Constitution St. – a two-story home that housed a former bead shop. The shop owners lived on the second floor and ran their store on the first.

“It was perfect,” she said. “The first time I stepped foot in here, I said to the owner that it all must have been built for me; I was meant to be here.”

The building was a short sale, on the market for $799,000. Ms. White “took a leap of faith,” in putting in her offer.

“I had no idea if I’d get financing, or if I could afford it,” she said.

Six months later, the lender agreed to sell it to Ms. White for $430,000.

And then the transformation began. She installed drop ceilings with faux tin tiles; erected partitions, creating rooms in the back; painted and re-decorated.

The second floor only required her furniture.

But remodeling the building wasn’t the only thing to get a makeover: Ms. White re-did her entire business plan.

She dropped “Spa” from her business name, and refocused her energy on bringing healthy lifestyle changes to women.

“When women come to a spa, we give them treatments and they feel great when they’re here,” said Ms. White. “But then they leave and go back into that environment that brought them here in the first place.

“I want to get women to make positive lifestyle changes, to create that inner joy by surrounding themselves with peace and harmony.”

To do that, Ms. White is opening her home for occasional educational workshops centered on healthy eating, fitness and other de-stressing classes.

“I want to show women how to feel more beautiful on the inside,” she said. “I think that when women are calmer, healthier and nicer, they drive more peacefully, and have better connections.”

She will still offer typical spa treatments, and considers her lifestyle movement an add-on. She also plans to sell kitchenware by Jamie Oliver, and gluten-free makeup.

“Women are getting sicker younger,” Ms. White said. “They’re all living in their heads.

“If they can calm down and walk gently through the planet, they’ll be happier.”

The new Alayne White opened for business last week.