p.11 Winter Comfort Food
BORN FREE
THURSDAY, January 27, 2011
Vol. 39, No. 4
Ice Station Newport
What’s Inside
Second Council Workshop Sets a Vision By Meg O’Neil
arts Page 12
Table of Contents CALENDAR CLASSIFIEDS COMMUNITY BRIEFS CROSSWORD EDITORIAL NATURE POLICE LOG REALTY TRANSACTIONS RECENT DEATHS RESTAURANTS SPORTS
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The near, sub-zero temperatures of the past week were enough to ice over the sea water of the inner harbor, as seen in this photo taken at Bowen’s Whart on Tuesday, Jan. 25 (Photo by Will Tuthill)
After a productive first meeting last week, City Council members convened in the Newport Police Station’s Conference Room on Monday for the second of four public workshops geared toward mapping out a cohesive vision and mission to guide the city over the next two years. With multiple buzz words like “inviting,” “diverse,” and “community,” abounding, the council finally agreed on the short and concise vision for Newport. Namely: “To be the most livable and welcoming city in New England.” Originally aiming to be the most livable and welcoming city in Rhode Island, the councilors agreed with Jeanne-Marie Napolitano when she said that, “[We] don’t want to compare to just Rhode Island. Let’s say the best in New England because there are only 39 towns in the state. That’s setting the bar too low” The strategic planning session lasted for two hours, with six mem-
See Workshop on page 15
St. Clare Home Project Denied
Can We Build Pell… Smarter? By Tom Shevlin
By Tom Shevlin
When voters approved a $30 million bond to construct a new elementary school last November, the vote seemed to signal the end to years of debate and discussion about the future of the city’s public schools. And while true that the question of whether we build at all was settled, exactly what the new school would look like has yet to be decided. That may come as a surprise to school watchers, who over the past year have been given a glimpse of what the new Sen. Claiborne d. Pell Elementary School could look like, courtesy of preliminary renderings by Cambridge-based HMFH Architects. Proponents used the now familiar image of a brick T-shaped building with separate entrances for the upper and lower schools as a rallying point along with the phrase, “Let’s Build Pell.” Now, one group is saying, “Let’s build Pell smarter” On Sunday, a small group of Newport residents met in the board room of the Public Library to discuss the possibility of building a truly magnet school – one that would stress environmental sustainability and incorporate leading edge designs. The meeting was organized by Positively Newport Schools (PNS), a local nonprofit originally founded to “bring about public awareness regarding school needs.” James Asbel, an architect who
A proposal to expand the St. Clare Home was defeated on Monday, bringing an end to a nearly yearlong hearing process and dealing a serious blow to efforts to ensure the facility’s continued viability. In a split 3-2 decision, the city’s Zoning Board of Review ruled that while the project has merit, its size and scope was simply too much for the neighborhood. The decision throws into question the very future of the venerable downtown nursing home, which had argued that it needs to expand in order to remain in business. St. Clare Home has pledged to appeal the decision. “St. Clare Home is understandably deeply disappointed in the decision of the Zoning Board,” said Christopher Boyle, chairman of the St. Clare Home Advisory Board. “We are confident that based upon the uncontroverted evidence that constitutes the record, an objective review of this matter will warrant a reversal of tonight’s decision.” He continued, “Anything less than a reversal of this decision will result in the loss of a beloved and critical institution that has lovingly cared for the elderly and their families of our community for over 80 years. If this decision is left to stand, the community has to know, St. Clare will close.” The decision by the board came after nearly 10 months of testimony, and was not without controversy.
ran unsuccessfully for School Committee last year and one of the co-founders of PNS, led the discussion about ways the city could move forward to not only build a new school, but one that could be heralded as a model of green design. As an architect, Asbel says it’s imperative to ask questions and seek out answers. Over several iterations, he said that he has come to the conclusion that there’s no reason why Newport can not only build a greener school, but a more affordable one, and one that could serve as a model to other communities.
Plans are Plans
Pat Kelley is the chairman of the Newport School Committee and the former head of the ad hoc building committee, which had worked for the last four years to come up with a proposal that would be acceptable to the state and palatable to voters. That plan came to form in only the last 12 months. As voters are likely aware, the plan calls for replacing the Sullivan School on Dexter Street in the
Renderings of an alternative design for the new Pell School have been offered by architect James Asbel
city’s North End with a K-4 facility spanning roughly 100,000-square feet. Once built, it would be one of the largest elementary schools in the state, and its proximity to the border with Middletown could position it well, to capitalize on efforts to regionalize the island’s school system. Preliminary plans detail a steelconstructed building with brick facade, large flat roof, and an auditorium and cafeteria at the rear of the building. Its footprint would form a rough T-shape design, with two distinct wings designed to create two distinct learning environments for older and younger students. A parking lot across the street would help accommodate the expanded facility. In addition, the architects for the project, HMFH Architects, have pledged to incorporate environmentally-friendly design elements like
roofing material that’s more reflective to reduce the building’s heat absorption, as well as geothermal and stormwater control elements. According to Kelley, the ad hoc committee worked diligently with the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) to ensure that the project is environmentally friendly. But could Newport be doing more? More in the way of green design? More to encourage a productive learning environment? More to provide the community with an end product they can truly be proud of? According to a RIDE spokesperson, while the state has approved the city’s preliminary design, there’s still time for a new plan to be submitted. Whatever
See School on page 20
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See St. Clare on page 7