The following article from the July 17th edition of the North*East Independent and appears with their permission.

Church group examines reuse of Davis land

NORTH KINGSTOWN - More than a year and a half since a transfer of ownership of a large parcel of property outside Wickford village, the planning effort to figure out how to best reuse it is moving ahead briskly.

St. Bernard's Church, one of the original recipients for the Davis property at the corner of Ten Rod Road and Tower Hill Road, is directing the planning effort. It just started publishing periodic newsletters to keep the parish informed of the work of a steering committee appointed to examine possible uses of the property, such as moving the church and/or opening a Catholic school there.

The church has hired the architectural firm of Durkee, Brown, Viveiros & Werenfels of Providence to prepare a master plan for the property. The committee and a member of the firm met with town officials recently to keep them abreast of the planning effort, committee member John Gibbons said.

The firm has done work for a number of nonprofit organizations and has earned numerous awards for its work. According to the newsletter, the firm worked on renovations to the Tennis Hall of Fame, the State House and Trinity Repertory Theater. It also won an award for its design of the Audubon Society of Rhode Island's Environmental Education Center built a couple of years ago in Bristol.

Nothing about the 26-acre parcel has been determined, Gibbons said. At a recent stewardship fair on the property, much of the talk was on the old farmhouse that fronts Tower Hill Road. Most agreed that should remain, although its use remains unclear as it may be too large to use for a rectory.

"One thing that is sacred is the house," Gibbons said. "We'll have to find a way to bring it up to code and still have the aesthetically pleasing house."

There are many outbuildings on the property, and some of them are in great disrepair. Gibbons said it is doubtful all of them could be saved.

One of the ideas for the property is to have the entire church operation move there. Gibbons has suggested that the church's parish center might be a good location for the town to build its new headquarters building for the Fire Department, but no real talks have taken place.

"We think it makes a lot of practical sense," he said.

The idea of a school is a viable one and is backed by a study commission of the Diocese of Providence that showed a need for more school facilities. The only two places in this area are Monsignor Matthew F. Clarke School in Wakefield and Our Lady of Mercy School in East Greenwich. Both schools have seen enrollment surge in recent years and each needs more classroom space. The study indicated that somewhere between the two, most likely in North Kingstown, would be the best option.

The Diocese owns the property now, after it purchased a share of the estate that had been willed to St. Bernard's and two others. At one point in the summer of 2001 it went on sale for $800,000, causing a flurry of interest among developers about what could be built in that location. It was taken off the market shortly thereafter and was willed to the church after the last owner of the property died