The End of the Road for Rose Nulman Park?

A steady stream of cars wound down the last leg of Ocean Road. The cars were headed for Rose Nulman Park, the parking lot and grassy fields on the cliffs next to the Coast Guard Station and Pt. Judith Lighthouse.

It has been a popular destination for surfers, picnickers, and tourists for years, ever since the property was purchased by Saul Nulman in 1993 and opened for public use as a park, dedicated to his mother.

They were confronted with caution tape and a barrier across the entrance. “Danger” and “closed” were sprayed painted in orange on the side of the old Lighthouse Inn restaurant, which after years of neglect, has collapsed in on itself. The building has been condemned and Rose Nulman Park is closed for safety and liability concerns.

The cars all reluctantly turned around on the road below the park, pausing as they passed by the barrier, eying the signs and looking for an explanation. The damage to the building isn’t very obvious from the road. And while the park has been closed for almost a month, people keep coming.

The quick surf check or the lunch break spent staring out at the horizon are so ingrained in our routine that any change is not easily acclimated to. Surfers especially are at a loss, so used to being able to park at the point to enjoy the waves below, free of parking fees and restrictions.

But instead of being upset that the park is closed with no clear end in sight, most surfers are simply appreciative that they have been able to enjoy the park for so long.

Local surfer and Rhode Island Surfrider Foundation activist Ted Sorlien has a special place in his heart for the waves off Pt. Judith. He’s surfed them for over 30 years, from before dawn until well after sunset. His brother was married there and his band played in the gazebo one night. To say that Pt. Judith is a part of his life is an understatement.

“On behalf of every surfer that has ever had the pleasure to ride the waves at Pt. Judith, I want to personally thank the Nulman family for the years of free and open access to the park,” Sorlien said.

Poised at the very tip of Rhode Island, the cliffs of Pt. Judith take a beating from the weather.

“When the surf is ‘on,’ surfers from near and far flock to the lighthouse,” Sorlien said.  “On the biggest of days the wave can pack a punch. Boards get broken. Tough guys get humbled. When the rip current is running full speed on the point you will feel like you are getting dragged out to Block Island.”

Hurricane Irene brought big swells to Rhode Island, and while Pt. Judith is usually packed with cars, that wasn’t the case this time.

“The park is closed, but the waves are open,” Sorlien said. “To gain access to the water, take the long walk around. We need to be gracious and thankful that we have had this access for as long as we have. If you are a local surfer it is time to step up and make sure that you respectfully avoid the property until they can sort it out.”

Matunuck Surf Shop owner Bob Fox is grateful as well.

“We have been so lucky for so long,” Fox said.

The building has been abandoned “since the ‘80s,” he said.  “I remember surfing there in the ‘70s when the restaurant was still open. The owner of the restaurant was really nice about letting people park there during the winter in the off-season.”

An abandoned building, left to weather the elements, is a ticking time bomb. The closure of the park “has been a long time coming,” said Tricia Pan of Narragansett Surf and Skate.

“It’s unfortunate that the building is falling apart,” Pan said.

It’s clear that the land has seen some form of public use for a long time, and the generous access that has been allowed is rare for such an impressive and expensive piece of property. However, it’s important to remember that it is actually private property. Saul Nulman unfortunately passed away in 2007, but his heirs have continued to keep the park open for all.

“I don’t think that people realize that that’s someone’s private property and they’re allowing us to use it,” Pan said. “I think we have to respect their wishes and show the people who own that park that we’re decent people and we’re not going to trample where they don’t want us to go.”

“The only thing that the Nulman family has ever asked from any of us is to respect the park and to leave it in better condition than how you found it,” Sorlien said. Hho has done more than his fair share of cleaning up the property with the Surfrider Foundation. 

“The signs were clear. Carry out what you carry in. There are no trashcans so take your trash home with you. The continued open access to the park was directly dependent on the people using the park respectfully. Obey the posted park rules, police the park and educate others to treat it as a gift.

 “We can only hope that the Nulman family will be able to re-open the park and keep it accessible to all in honor and memory of Rose and Saul,” he added.

The fate of the property is currently in the hands of the family’s insurance company, who are assessing the liability and risk of the building and evaluating the continued use of the park. An obvious solution would be to demolish the old restaurant building so that the park can reopen without the risk of further damage to the building.

“The issue is getting the permits to raze the building,” Fox said, “because it’s so close to the ocean [Carol Nulman] has to get all these tests for hazardous wastes and its taking time.”

It’s time that surfers should understand. They patiently wait for the ocean to churn up waves, rolling them across thousands of miles to break on our shores. This is just another part of the waiting game.

“The best case scenario,” Sorlien said, “is the park gets re-opened in a short amount of time and is more beautiful than it was before. Locals and visitors step up and take care of the place like it is their own.”