The University of Rhode Island's Kingston campus. Photo: Quintin Soloviev via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Rhode Island voters will decide five statewide bond questions on Nov. 3 that together would let the state borrow $600 million. Two of the biggest items on the list would land in South County: a new health sciences building at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston and money that can go toward the Quonset Business Park in North Kingstown.
Early in-person voting is already underway and runs until 4 p.m. on Nov. 2, according to the Secretary of State’s voter handbook. Polls on Election Day are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., except in New Shoreham, where they open at 9 a.m.
What the borrowing would cost
The handbook estimates the full cost of all five questions at about $962.9 million if every bond is issued, assuming 20-year repayment at 5 percent interest. That is $600 million in principal and roughly $362.9 million in interest and issuance costs. Each question is voted on separately.
Question 1: higher education, $275 million
The largest question includes $165 million to design and build an Integrated Health Building on URI’s Kingston campus. The state describes it as a home for health education, clinical training and workforce development across URI’s health programs. The handbook projects it would be ready for use in 2031.
The rest of Question 1 would go to Rhode Island College’s Adams Library and a new student success and career readiness center ($50 million), and a Workforce Innovation Center at the Community College of Rhode Island’s Knight Campus in Warwick ($60 million).
Question 3: economic development, $100 million
Question 3 splits into $55 million for site development and $45 million for “growth industry infrastructure.” The site development money can be used for land acquisition, environmental cleanup, utilities and site preparation, and the handbook names improvements within the Quonset Business Park as an eligible use, along with large industrial sites and the I-195 District in Providence.
The $45 million piece is aimed at ocean, defense, life sciences and data or cybersecurity industries. Eligible uses listed in the handbook include water-based test ranges and onshore ocean- or defense-related production facilities. Projects would begin in mid to late 2027, according to the state.
Question 5: green economy, $55 million
The environmental bond is a collection of smaller pots, several of which matter to a coastal region:
- $25 million for the Resilient Rhody Infrastructure Fund, which helps cities and towns make infrastructure and coastal habitats more resilient to flooding and storms,
- $12 million for improvements at state parks, beaches and campgrounds,
- $7 million for Narragansett Bay and watershed restoration grants,
- $3 million each for brownfields cleanup, farmland protection through the Agricultural Land Preservation Commission, and state open space acquisition, and
- $1 million each for local recreation grants and public boat launches and docks.
South County is home to several state beaches, including Scarborough in Narragansett and Misquamicut in Westerly, but the handbook does not list which parks, beaches or campgrounds would get the $12 million.
Questions 2 and 4
Question 2 asks for $120 million for housing. At least $25 million would go toward housing built for homeownership, and up to $10 million could support a public housing development program. The state expects projects to begin by 2028.
Question 4 asks for $50 million: $45 million for a State History Center in the state government complex in Providence and $5 million for the State Preservation Grants Program, which funds repairs at historic sites and museums run by towns and nonprofits.
Where to read the full text
The Secretary of State’s Voter Information Handbook includes the ballot language, project timetables and cost tables for each question. Sample ballots with local questions and races can be previewed at vote.ri.gov. Voters who mailed ballot applications by the Oct. 13 deadline must get completed ballots to the Board of Elections or a drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
