Rhode Island to get Superstorm Sandy relief grants

 By The Associated Press

news@abc6.com

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) _ Rhode Island is slated to receive more than $2.5 million in federal funding to repair historic properties damaged by Superstorm Sandy and conduct archaeological surveys.            

The state’s congressional delegation and the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission announced the disaster relief grant recipients Monday in Narragansett.

The grants will pay for repairs, archaeological surveys and recovery work. There are 23 grant projects in 10 municipalities.

The projects include restoring lighthouses in Newport, Westerly, Bristol and on Block Island, and storm-damaged historic landscapes in Newport, Narragansett and Cranston.

More than $1 million will be used for archaeological surveys along the perimeter of Block Island and in Westerly, Charlestown and Narragansett.               

Speakers at the event said restoring these local landmarks will help boost tourism and economic development.

© The Associated Press/WLNE-TV 2014