Bristol saw lots of change in 2022. From the polarizing redevelopment of the former Robin Rug facility on Thames Street, to the popular additions of the thriving Unity Park, the town welcomed new businesses and celebrated the success of a new marina. Here are some of the top stories from the year.

A new marina makes its debut
Many years in the making, Bristol’s Town Marina was open to the public this spring with expanded slip space for residents as well transient slip and dock space. With fishing permitted along the main concrete pier, a place for the Providence to Newport Seastreak Ferry to stop over summer weekends, and slips designated for Save the Bay and State and Town public safety vessels, the Marina was a hub of activity all season long. A new fuel dock, opened around the same time at the State Street pier, saw brisk business as well. With the early numbers in, the Town is on track to meet their goal of ensuring that this resource is self-sustaining.

The redevelopment of Robin Rug
Though ground has yet to be broken on the Bristol Yarn Mill project, it looks like 2022 might be the year that marked the turnaround of the massive, decaying Robin Rug complex at the south end of Thames Street. The plan proposed by developer Brady Sullivan to reuse the property as an apartment complex ground its way through various town boards during the course of the year. Met with a mix of trepidation and enthusiasm by Bristol residents and abutters, the project eventually received approval from the Town Council. As of this date, it is working to satisfy environmental remediation requirements set forth by the DEM.

Unity Park is open for business
Though Pivotal Brewing Company opened in December of 2021, it was 2022 that saw much of the rest of the complex spring to life, beginning with Brick Pizza Co in February. Just a handful of years ago the property was a blight known as the Bristol Industrial Park, closed for failure to meet state fire safety codes. Thanks to a lot of hard work and the vision of Joe Brito, Jr., Unity Park is a hub of activity and great food and drink, including Borealis Coffee, Basil & Bunny, and O’Brien & Brough distillery, all of which followed Brick and opened in the past 10 months.

Blizzard of ’22
Though it pales with the hit that New York state took last week, our region had its own Blizzard of ’22 back in late January, with an official accumulation of 22 inches in Bristol. The historic storm closed down roads, the Mt. Hope Bridge and necessitated parking bans throughout the state as communities huddled and waited out the high-wind gusts and snow drifts that dropped visibility to near-zero for much of the day on Saturday, Jan. 29. Despite the storm’s ferocity, power outages were not recorded in any significant number, and the police report indicates there were no serious injuries from accidents recorded during the storm. To the doubtless dismay of students across town, Bristol Warren was back in the classroom to start the week.

Families rally in support of Dr. D
When word spread in May that the majority of the Bristol Warren Regional School Committee was not in favor of renewing the contract for popular Principal Deborah DiBiase, there was an outcry among current and former students and parents. Yard signs in support of DiBiase, last year’s Rhode Island Principal of the Year, began blooming on lawns from one end of the district to the other, and a petition drive was initiated. These efforts fizzled out in June, however, when DiBiase announced that she had accepted a district-level leadership position, where she remains today.

Bristol says yes to marijuana
After the state of Rhode Island legalized recreational cannabis in the spring, it was left to each municipality to determine how to manage this issue at home. Like many communities, Bristol will not be permitting cannabis use in public; but in November, voters decided (by an under-200 vote margin) to permit recreational cannabis sales. That vote was no doubt a disappointment to Police Chief Kevin Lynch, who expressed his frustration with the lack of enforcement tools available to public safety officers when dealing with cannabis-impaired drivers. Tellingly, the Town Council was as split as the voters. Though it was not their decision to make, they were asked about the issue during pre-election forums, with Ley and Sweeney in favor, Calouro and Parella against, and Teixeira undecided. Following the vote, Calouro had this to say: “The people of Bristol spoke and we are going to follow their lead. We passed zoning recently so there are places for it, it’s done in a way to make sure we protect children; it’s away from churches and schools, and school bus stops, and we will follow what the people have asked us to do."

A deer plan for our deer problem
Between the lack of hunting pressure on the deer population and the abundance of very favorable deer habitat, Bristol has a deer problem. In fact, relative to other RI communities, we have one of the highest rates of deer-human conflicts in the state. That was the message delivered in August by a DEM official who came to speak before the Council. In response, in October the Council unanimously authorized Town Administrator Steven Contente to draft the creation of a cooperative program — which will be crafted with input from local officials and the DEM — which would permit a deer hunting season to begin in September of 2023 and run through January of 2024. Stay tuned.

Bridge barriers gaining momentum
People using our local bridges to end their lives is not a new phenomenon, and thanks to the lack of a central clearinghouse for bridge-specific suicide data, we don’t even know if this is a problem that is growing. What is growing is the call for the installation of barriers to help deter these tragedies. A step in that direction was announced this fall, with a $1 million allocation for a feasibility study that will take a year to complete. But for many, it’s a step not far (or fast) enough. “We are strongly urging the RITBA to make the bridge barrier studies and safety barriers a priority and act with urgency,” said Melissa Cotta, barrier advocate and co-founder of Bridging the Gap for Safety and Healing. “We are urging them to do all they can right now to make the bridges safe and prevent further loss of life."

Historic preservation: a win and a loss
After year of ownership changes and delays, progress is being made restoring the dilapidated Longfield property on Hope Street, just north of the Bristol County Medical Center. Built in 1848, the Gothic Revival house has appeared in the verge of collapse for years, with each transfer of ownership bringing renewed hope for its salvation. At the other end of town, another Gothic Revival, the Sanford Simmons house at 135 Ferry Road — three years older than Longfield but structurally sound — was torn down this week. Both properties were beyond the boundaries of Bristol’s Historic District; both were eligible for inclusion on the National Historic Register. The difference? At some point in the history of these homes, one of Longfield’s owners applied for inclusion on the Register. The same was never done for the Sanford Simmons house. Food for thought for stewards of historic homes beyond the limits of Bristol’s Historic District.