Perhaps Mr. Nota can meet with the residents at the other end of the cove.
This confab would also focus on quieting, but instead of the bar noise, this would address motor vehicle traffic.
Every day throughout the year, not just in the Summer, we have traffic go by that either is significantly over the 25 mph speed limit and/or emits excessively loud noise. I’m not referring to the Harley’s that rumble down to Water St. – they have been much better about abiding with the Exhaust Noise Ordinance.
It’s the crotch-rocket bikes, foreign sports cars, compact cars with motorific exhausts, and throaty diesel trucks that blast by our house, sometime in excess of 60 mph as well as 65 dB that we find annoying. They turn onto Crompton Ave. and see the open road in front of them like it’s the quarter mile track at New England Dragway and blast off past 2 different 25 mph signs. The also open-up at the London St. side going up Crompton and only decelerate in the last 100 yd. before the “Stop” sign (or, should I say, “Coast Through” sign).
Perhaps a Traffic Calming device such as the speed bumps that are in front of Cole Middle School would help. If one were established just North of the entrance to the Municipal Boat Ramp it would help to curb speeding from both directions.

When will parking by patrons of the waterfront and main street parking in our neighborhood. It makes impossible for residents to find a place to park.

The days of swimming in the cove have long passed. Jumping in the water off Finn’s Doc, and his boat which prior to the advent of outboard boat motors would tow and retrieve working skiffs off shore so quahoggers could haul the catch of the day to sell or bring some home for family and friends to make stuffies, clam sauce, chowder or just eat them on the half-shell with a little Tabasco sauce.

Also a thing of the past are the days of puddling (digging for quahogs off shore) at Long Point, the Boat Yard, the Ferry Cup, and other places within its confines.

As kids we would swim out to a mooring in the cove to fetch a dingy as it’s owner would be out in the bay on a yacht. We would swim along side the dingy paddling it to Long Point (Goddard Park) and fill it with quahogs. After filing it with quahogs we would once again swim along side of the dingy now full of quahogs (careful not to let it sink) and sell them at Finn’s Shellfish. After which we would return the dingy to the mooring and spend the money before days end. I think we were paid $.05 a pound for “bigs” and $.12-$.13 a pound for “necks”.
Puddling was also a way to call up my mother and tell her I’m going to be sleeping under the stars at the Reed’s or Kasyan’s house so I can dig an early tied in the morning. Hang up before the reply was “no.” Though not a usual response. One such call found me at 15, Joey at 14-15 and Dickey at 12 on I-95 hitchhiking in 12 hours to Washington DC to attend one of the bigger protest against the Vietnam War during the 1960’s.

Most of the bars/restaurants of today on Water Street were just marinas. The only exception aside from the EG Yacht Club was “King” Gorman’s. Gorman’s during my time a dilapidated building which prior was a restaurant. I’d have to be corrected but I think boats also unloaded their catch of the day there.

Ike would transform this building to a bar/restaurant called the Pearly Shell now it’s Finn’s Harbourside I believe.

While the Pearly Shell some would climb it’s exterior to the top of the roof and sit for minutes/hours before deciding to make the daring jump off the roof into the water. Once on the roof it was usually the only way down.

Summer was also a time for fishing for Flats, Stripers, Eels and at one time Sea Bass. Heading into fall would bring a different type of fish, Tautog.

Winter was a time for an ice breaker (ship) to open a path in the ice for those whose income was mainly or supplementary supplied by quahogging. It was also a time for some to chop a hole in the ice to spearfish for eels keeping warm by starting a fire on the ice. I can picture Ned Brennan and brother Bill out on the ice spearing eels in which certain families would benefit from their catch. I was always asked “how can you eat eel.” I always replied “how can you not.”
Winter was also a time for skating on the cove to where on a gusty windy day an open coat would whoosh you along. Occasionally a brave soul would drive his car on the ice trying donuts which were usually out of control spins.

Because of the angle of the newly installed boat launch on Crompton Ave some unfamiliar with this angle would launch both their boat and car.

EG Bay was many things for many people including what a major magazine deemed “The Pirates of East Greenwich Cove.” Even had a Cafe on Water St. which many deemed “The Bucket of Blood” because of the fist fights.

A few “old timers” prior to me being classified as such would tell me “Raymond, I saw a woman walking alone on Water Street the other night. You would never have seen that when I was younger.” Possibly one of the reasons some of the kids that lived west of Main Street were not allowed below Main Street. I still hear that story to this day, “I wasn’t allowed down there.”

Scallop-Town Park was literally the dump. (Still is from what I have read, just a doggy-dump.) A place where on some Sunday’s we as kids would go to shoot the rats. If a fire just happen to start we would line aerosol cans along it’s perimeter shoot them and watch them explode as they launched into the air as the contents were very flammable.

The cove since I was young has always been polluted. The sewers grates along Main Street, Crompton Avenue and other places have embedded medallions on the sidewalks stating not to dump hazard waste/material into them as apparently it doesn’t go through the sewer treatment plant but directly into the cove.
Maybe instead of doggie or walking parks any grants received should be used to rectify this situation and if you own a dog do as I did, fence your yard. You could also bring your little doggie to the horse trails at Goddard Park which gives one a beautiful view of the cove as you walk the horse trails. No ridiculous fees would be charged as I found the only ridiculous fees charged are the ones charged to utilize the golf course.

One thing I remember is the stream from Bleachery Pond to the bay.
Spring Water bubbles out of the ground along that stream. Prior to the installation (and removal) of a fountain where this water was free to the public thanks to whomever installed this spout one could walk down the bank and drink the water as it bubbled directly out of the ground. It was enclosed by a small stone structure. All you had to do as it bubbled out of the ground was drop to your knees for a cool drink on a hot summer day.