The City of Coventry takes control of Johnson Pond

COVENTRY, RI (WPRI) — The City of Coventry has officially taken Johnson’s Pond into the public domain.

City Attorney Stephen Angell said the judge ruled in favor of the city at a hearing Friday morning. This comes a week after the city condemned the dam and filed a lawsuit seeking ownership of the pond.

According to Coventry City Council President Hillary Lima, the city paid the court registry $157,000 for the pond, along with the land, dam and associated structures.

The city opted not to seek title to the additional 69 acres of land downstream because the dam is not required to be maintained.

An attorney for Soscia Holdings, which owns the dam and water flow rights since 2020, says the city “took the pond.”

“Although my client’s ownership of Johnson’s Pond has come to an end, the process of asserting his right to fair and just compensation is just beginning,” said attorney Patrick Dougherty. “Soscia Holdings looks forward to exercising its right to a fair trial and fair compensation through the court system and, in the process, exposing the injustice, misrepresentation and wrongdoing of the City of Coventry and others involved in what happened.”

The city offered Soscia Holdings more than $1.5 million to buy the pond and surrounding properties, but never heard back.

Dougherty called it “a woefully inadequate offer” because it didn’t come close to the property’s value. Soscia Holdings previously claimed the property was worth more than $100 million.

Angell said the city will now work with the DEM to repair the dam so residents can enjoy the pond during the summer. In the off-season, the city plans to drain the pond and make permanent repairs. Angell expects those repairs to cost about $3.5 million.

Soscia Holdings has repeatedly blamed the city for damaging the dam, claiming it was not properly maintained. Dam maintenance was previously dictated by an expired lease between the city and Soscia Holdings.

But the city blames Soscia Holdings for the condition of the dam, arguing that the stacking of boulders made it unsafe and caused unnecessary damage.

Soscia Holdings is currently facing $221,202 in fines from the DEM for failing to obtain a permit to lower the water level in the pond and bring the dam into compliance.

Following the judge’s latest order, the city is now responsible for maintaining the water level in the pond and bringing the dam into compliance.

A Q&A to answer people’s questions about the pond takeover will be held on Monday, July 1 at 6pm in the Coventry High School auditorium.

There are approximately 700 residents living around Johnson’s Pond, officially known as Flat River Reservoir.