Cumberland approves pact with National Parks Service
Agreement paves way for working relationship with Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park
CUMBERLAND — The Cumberland Town Council Thursday unanimously voted to authorize Mayor William Murray to enter into a cooperative agreement with the National Parks Service that would create a partnership on future programs, activities and projects within the newly-established Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park, which includes the Ashton Historic District in Cumberland.
According to Cumberland Assistant Town Solicitor Christopher Alger, the agreement, which would accomplish various projects or tasks anticipated and initiated over a span of five years, will allow the NPS to work cooperatively with the town, which would share costs or services for individual tasks within the scope of the cooperative agreement.
Similar agreements have already been signed by North Smithfield and a handful of other towns, including Hopedale and Northbridge in Massachusetts. The Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor has also publicly supported the proposed partnership.
“The National Park Service is requiring every community that has a piece of the park in it to sign an agreement
which outlines what the responsibilities of the town are as far as being a host community,” Alger told the council. Alger said either party can terminate the agreement for any reason with 60 days notice. The Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park was established on Dec. 19, 2014, as the 402nd park in the National Park system. The role of two-state Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park is to help preserve, protect, and interpret the nationally significant resources that exemplify the industrial heritage of the Blackstone River Valley. While the park has been legislatively established, there is still some work to do. First and foremost, the National Park Service is working on drawing the park boundary. Once opened, the park will include the Blackstone River State Park in Lincoln, the Old Slater Mill National Historic Landmark District in Pawtucket, the Slatersville Historic District in North Smithfield, the Ashton Historic District in Cumberland, the Whitinsville Historic District in Northbridge, the Hopedale Village Historic District, the Blackstone River, and the Blackstone Canal. Park Service staff is now meeting with state government agencies, non-profit organizations, municipalities, stakeholders, community members and volunteers to help define the boundary. Even without a park boundary in place, Park Rangers are already out and about at sites across the Blackstone Valley offering programs and meeting with visitors. The Ashton Historic District in Cumberland consists of a mill and adjacent mill village that was built for workers of the mill. The district lies between Mendon Road, Scott Road, Angell Road, Store Hill Road, Front Street and Middle Street and includes properties along Lenky Drive, Store Hill Road and Wiggins Street. The district also includes St. Joseph’s Church, an asymmetrical, twin-spired Gothic Revival architecture, which is one of the finest late Victorian religious edifices in Rhode Island.