After six years of talks about renovating the University of Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay Campus, voters last week gave approval to move forward with a $100 million bond referendum to continue to transform the campus.
Voters in Rhode Island approved the measure with 57.6 percent of voters backing Question 1. Paula Bontempi, Dean of the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography located at the Bay Campus, said the money represents an investment in the future of Rhode Islanders and the economy, not just current URI students.
With the new funding, URI plans begin Phase 2 of the project which includes tearing down Horn Lab at the Bay Campus and replace it with an Ocean Engineering Complex and Ocean Frontiers building that will house new classrooms, offices and crucial laboratory space. Phase 1 of the project started in 2018 and included a $70 million bond for a new pier. In return, Bontempi said the federal government paid for a new research vessel to be docked there.
"This new space is critical for recruitment but also retention of talent," Bontempi said. "Right now, the roof is leaking, sometimes into labs where there is sensitive work going on. The elevator is out of service and we're unable to get parts for it because the entire building was built in 1968."
Bontempi said the new bond will transform the campus into the hub for Rhode Island’s blue economy, which she hopes will encourage students to stay in Rhode Island after graduation.
"The really critical part here is training the future, climate-literate workforce," she said. "Kids start out with this incredible fascination with the ocean and by high school we've lost them to other fields. We want to tap into that potential to boost careers in the Ocean State. As Rhode Island pivots to renewables we have to be training people in these new careers. This is an opportunity for Rhode Island to lead."
Bontempi said the research is being done at, among other places, a marine geology, geophysics and superfund lab which concentrates on research into contaminates like PFAS also known as "forever chemicals." She said the current work happening at the Bay Campus attracts more than $50 million in research grants each year to the University.
"New facilities also increase our ability to compete for bigger federal grants," she said. "We have the talent here, it's just a matter of having the right tools."
Matthew Jewel, who founded Juice Robotics in Middletown in 2013, said he was inspired by the ocean engineering program at URI.
"I was drawn to URI because of the strength of the ocean engineering program," he said in a statement. "As a business owner, I remain here because of the vibrant ocean economy, in which URI plays a significant role."
Construction at the Bay Campus site is set to continue for a few weeks until winter sets in, Bomtempi said, but Phase 2 construction won't start in earnest until next Spring.
"Right now work is going on at the new Pier and we have a new research vessel on the way, set to arrive in mid-2024," she said. "We're hoping construction on the pier will wrap up in January and then our existing ship Endeavour will be able to return. We're hoping to start site work on Apr. 1 and then work on our ocean robotics lab after that."
