To the editor:
Our good neighbors at Exxon/Mobil have been property owners in our city since 1915, their first incarnation having been as Standard Oil. They presently own approximately 782 acres in East Providence, most of which encompasses northern Riverside, extending from Forbes Street in the south to Wampanoag Trail (opposite Gate of Heaven Cemetery) in the north and from the Providence River in the west to the Runnins River (Massachusetts state line) in the east. Presently included on their land are Silver Spring Golf Course on Pawtucket Avenue and the Riverside Little League Complex on the Wampanoag Trail just north of Forbes Street.
Exxon/Mobil is the largest refiner in the world; their net profit in 2013 was 44.8 BILLION dollars. Exxon/Mobil in the past has offered “under utilized land to various corporations and to non-profit organizations in order to promote civic responsibility”. That is a quote from their mission statement.
AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organization) Region 715, East Providence, Rhode Island presently has over 700 kids, representing 18 competitive teams and 80 recreational league teams for both boys and girls whose members range in age from 4 to 16. We also offer organized soccer instruction for special needs kids, one of few organizations in the state to do so.
We have one facility in the city which can accommodate our soccer needs and that facility is barely adequate. Our games are played behind East Providence High School where our playing area has been diminished because of the redo of the girl’s softball field.
Other locations in the city: Martin Middle School and Glenlyon Field? Too small; Kent Playground? Built on a land fill and underwater for several days after a heavy rain; Grassy Plain Playground? Ten acres, most of it which is wetlands; the former land fill site on Forbes Street (which would have been ideal)? Now a solar panel farm; Kimberly Rock Complex? Dedicated to softball.
Several months ago I wrote a letter to Mr. Bart Wittner, who is the facilities manager at Exxon/Mobil on the Wampanoag Trail. I explained who I am and whom I was representing. I asked if his corporation would be willing to donate 5 acres to our organization so that we could provide 700 kids with a new, safe place to play soccer. Such a kindness would most certainly promote their “civic responsibility.”
National AYSO would design the facility and local contractors would do the actual construction. AYSO would of course be responsible for maintenance and upkeep. In fact we would welcome an arrangement similar to the ones in place for Silver Spring Golf Course and Riverside Little League where they each pay $1.00 per year rental. We would gladly pay a small rental fee.
The cost to Exxon/Mobil for this project would be zero. Well, Mr. Wittner was nice enough to respond to my letter and of course Exxon/Mobil’s answer was, not surprisingly ,no. It is important here to remember the profit figure of 44.8 BILLION dollars.
Now, I’m curious. Is it possible that all of those 782 acres are brownfields? Maybe. Is it possible that all 782 acres are wetlands? I think not. Wetlands are marshes or swamps that are covered intermittently with shallow water. Wetlands ARE NOT earth depressions that collect water after a heavy rain. If that were the case then Kent Heights Field is a wetland. I cannot believe there are not five clean acres out of 782.
In fact, to my untrained eye the area south of the Little League Complex extending west and parallel to Forbes Street looks quite pristine.
C’mon Exxon/Mobil, lighten up. You can afford 5 acres out of your 782. Donate 5 acres to AYSO East Providence, Region 715 OR the City of East Providence, to be used solely for a soccer complex, a move which would certainly honor your “civic responsibility.”
Such a gesture would really show the citizens of East Providence and particularly the skeptical folks of Riverside that you are indeed a good neighbor.
Ed Prew
Riverside