EAST PROVIDENCE — The concession stand at Crescent Park, dormant since just after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, will open once again under new management after an agreement brokered by the administration was backed by the City Council at the latter's June 25 meeting.

The Council approved a resolution allowing Mayor Bob DaSilva to sign a contract with "Dune Brothers LLC" to operate the stand located on the park grounds adjacent to the Looff Carousel for a period of 28 months beginning on July 1, 2024 and concluding on October 31, 2026, which coincides with the end of the 2025-26 fiscal year.

According to the text of the resolution, the rent is for a total of $28,000 to paid in $1,000 installments on the first day of each month. Also, the operator has agreed to pay the city four percent of monthly gross sales above $100,000. Again, that figure is payable on the first of every month.

As well, the resolution read in part, "the concessionaire will prepare, serve, and sell to the public food and beverage items in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the Request for Proposals" and the desired menu should include, but not be limited to, "traditional clam shack faire" such as clam cakes, chowder and fried fish."

In a press release touting the agreement DaSilva wrote, "“I am very excited for the residents and visitors to the City of East Providence who will now have access to some of New England's best seafood, from the comfort and beauty of Crescent Park thanks to the Dune Brothers. Their ability to be flexible and have mobile operations, make them the perfect fit to provide a high quality experience for our patrons.”

"Dune Brothers" is owned and operated by Chef Nicholas Gillespie and his wife Monica. The pair have run what they call a "chef-driven, dock-to-dish" operation since opening a location in Providence in 2017.

In the same press release, Monica Gillespie was quoted as saying, “Our motto has always been 'Pier to Plate.' We pride ourselves on sourcing locally from small boat fishermen and providing customers with the opportunity to try dishes cooked with underutilized species that are as delicious as the classics (i.e. cod, haddock) but are more abundant and sustainable. We can't wait to get started.”

The concession stand at the park, referred to by most as the "clam shack," hasn't been used since Blount Seafood returned post-pandemic to run its operation under a revised lease during the 2021 season. Pre-pandemic, the Warren-based business was paying the city $2,000 per month. After, that figure dropped to $750.

Blount, however, did not renew its agreement beyond that last year, saying it had outgrown what at the time was described as a dated space. All parties involved seemed to share that sentiment, leading the city to begin the process of replacing the structure with a state-of-the-art kitchen as well as new offices for carousel staff and new restrooms for the general public.

Some three years later, those plans have been stalled for a number of reasons, the most notable being the potential scope and cost of the project. The current Council, which took office in January of 2023, has shown its support for a tighter vision by reducing the scale and price tag and including the installation of concrete pad for a tented outdoor space among other modifications. A new plan and pathway forward have yet to be settled upon though.

The Council did last year allocate $1 million of the city's of what was once the city's remaining $14 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds towards the plan. There is also a standing $500,000 earmark for use at the park under the city's Capital Improvements Budget.

Also late last year, the body approved a submission from the administration to enter into an agreement with Northeast Collaborative Architects to draw up plans for the revised vision of the project at a cost of $124,250. The firm was contracted to "provide basic architectural services including landscape architecture, structural engineering and MEP/FP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection) engineering."

When reached for clarification on where Dune Brothers would operate, DaSilva administration Communications Manager Matt Paddock replied via email, "They are going to be in the existing building with the addition of an outdoor walk in cooler to comply with department of health regulations."

And again answering a specific inquiry about if the old structure meets all current fire and safety codes, Paddock responded with a simple, "Yes."

Around the time of the Council vote at last week's meeting, Ward 4 representative Rick Lawson, in whose district Crescent Park is located, briefly touched on the new operation as well as the greater project proposed there.

About the shack being open once again, Lawson said later, "I'm over the moon that clam cakes and chowder are coming back to Crescent Park. The Shore Dinner Hall was such a part of the fabric of Riverside and East Providence as a whole and maintaining that tradition means so much to me. I look forward to working with the administration to get a new concession building built with public input to ensure another generation of Townies can enjoy some seafood at the gorgeous Crescent Park."