World War II Veterans Memorial State Park is a Rhode Island state park located in the city of Woonsocket. The park occupies land known as the Social flatlands where textile mills operated along the banks of the Mill River until the early years of the 20th century. Since 1979, the park has hosted the three-day Autumnfest celebration held annually on Columbus Day Weekend.RedevelopmentIn 2012, the city and state governments were embroiled in a controversy over who should take responsibility for future maintenance of the park. The director of the Department of Environmental Management announced that a $2.6 million plan to refurbish the park, which had fallen into a state of disrepair, would be put on hold until a long-term agreement regarding park maintenance and staffing could be reached with the city. In 2014, the state legislature budgeted moneys for the park's redevelopment and maintenance over a five-year period beginning in 2015 with the aim of allowing "the state... to turn the land over to the city so it can take charge of its maintenance."
