Tiverton residents, officials tour site of new casino

EastBayRI.com ·

TIVERTON — Residents and town officials got a chance to walk the Twin River-Tiverton project site guided by Twin River employees Chris Shea, Mark Russo and Joe Moore, the Tiverton casino manager. The 70 plus gathering began the trek into the site by walking between two enormous tree clearing dozers. Town officials and residents were allowed tho ask questions along the way. One partial road was cleared and filled with stone and lined with sand bags and straw. The site was visited by Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe medicine man Andrew Noronha. Mr. Noronha joined the tour and viewed the site. The site is still largely undeveloped. Stay tuned for a longer version of this story.

Cultural, archaeological resources

Likely to be unresolved — for a while at least — is the presence or absence of cultural or archaeological resources at the site, and what effect they may have on development plans.

As required by law, the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission (RIHPHC) has weighed in, with an opinion letter dated March 23 from Executive Director Edward F. Sanderson.

"We would like to note that the larger project area, including the future access road and proposed round-about, as well as the footprint and associated utilities of the casino buildings, has the potential to be a sensitive area from both Native American and post-contact archaeological sites," Mr. Sanderson wrote.

The sites could include, he said, stone walls and a network of walls on the site, 19th and 20th century farmsteads, and one from the 18th century "in the property's central area, near the proposed casino building."

The property's western area "may contain archaeological materials associated with the July 18, 1675 Battle of Pocasset," a military engagement in King Philip's War.

Mark Russo, the Twin River casino representative present, said Twin River has retained a consulting archaeologist, is meeting with state officials, and is taking responsibility for the surveying and handling of archaeological resources.

Blasting

Casino site preparation will include blasting, planning board members learned April 4. Twin River representatives said they had no idea how many blasts would be required, because at this time "we don't have any idea how much rock we'll have to deal with."

A blasting plan has yet to be developed, the representatives said.

Representatives gave assurances that various permits and approvals from officials would be obtained —e.g. from the state fire marshal, from the town council — and that fire and police officials would be notified.

Outreach will start soon, the representatives said.

Although state law requires notifications to neighbors up to 500 feet, Twin River said it will notify people up to 1,000 feet away. Seismographs, videotaping, and dust controls will be used, they said, and blasting will occur only with 24 hour notice and between the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., once per day only.