WEDNESDAY, November 24, 2010
Vol. 38, No. 47 What’s Inside
December 1 Marks the Start of Festivities holiday festivities begin SEE holiday lights P. 11
Table of Contents 02840 10 CALENDAR 14 CIN CALENDAR 12 CLASSIFIEDS 22 COMMUNITY BRIEFS 4 CROSSWORD 21 EDITORIAL 6 NATURE 8 POLICE LOGS 5 REALTY TRANSACTIONS 7 RECENT DEATHS 22 RESTAURANTS 12 TIDE CHART 8 www.Newport-Now.com Twitter.com/newportnow Facebook.com/newportnow
By Katherine Imbrie Doesn’t the time just fly when you’re having fun? Hard to believe, but the multi-faceted, month-long, many splendored, citywide, December festival known as Christmas in Newport (CIN) is celebrating its 40th year this holiday season. Beginning Dec. 1 and continuing up to New Year’s Eve, there is not a box on the familiar parchment-yellow foldout calendar that is not inked in green with several holiday happenings that all sound like they’d be fun to go to. In fact, the only empty box is ... Dec. 25, and that box is filled with the message of the season: A
Joyous Christmas to All. Founded in 1971 by Ruth Myers, who had a desire to bring back the family-oriented, charity-minded, candle-lit Christmases of yore, CIN originally was a two-week festival. Now it’s a full monthlong, and it’s one of the most popular events on the Newport year-round calendar, drawing crowds from near and far who come to Newport to admire the clear, twinkly lights decorating the historic neighborhoods and waterfront. While CIN is unquestionably good for business in Newport, it also remains true to its original purpose, which was to do good. With
the help of some 1,500 volunteers, the non-profit organization each year raises thousands of dollars for a wide range of charitable causes. In keeping with Myers’ vision, any event that is listed on the CIN calendar must be either free or it must benefit a non-profit organization or charity. This year’s official opening of Christmas in Newport is Wed., Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. in Washington Square, where there will be a proclamation by the Mayor, tree lighting, Newport Artillery cannon salute, and live entertainment. For more information visit the website www.christmasinnewport.org or call 849-6454.
MiddletownClosertoSurplusNavyLandforGreeneLanePark By Jill Connors The Town of Middletown submitted a request to a federal authority last week, asking for a public-benefit conveyance of 15 acres of former U.S. Navy land along Burma Road to be developed as a park; the land includes 6,000 feet of frontage on Narragansett Bay. “This request enables us to receive the land at no cost,” explained Ronald Wolanski, Middletown Town Planner. The public-benefit conveyance was submitted to the Aquidneck Island Reuse Planning Authority, a federal entity composed of local members from Portsmouth, Middletown, and Newport. The Authority is responsible for overseeing the reuse of the 225 acres of Navy property on Aquidneck Island that became available as a result of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 2005. The public park that Middletown is proposing would include a fishing pier and shoreline access along Burma Road, near the intersection of Greene Lane. As noted in the proposal, the park “would provide Middletown with its only direct public access to the East Passage of Narragansett Bay.” A shoreline path, kayak launch, playground, restrooms, and picnic area are also included in the proposed park, which was originally conceived in the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission’s West Side Master Plan. “Only a portion of the total land area would be used to develop the formal park. The remainder would likely be left in its natural state,” Wolanski noted.
A public-benefit conveyance is a government-authorized method of transferring property from military use to state and local use at no cost, provided the land will be used for a public benefit. These uses include historic monuments, education, public health, parks and recreation, and ports. The public-benefit conveyance program requires that a local group must have a federal agency sponsor. Middletown Town Plan-
ner Ronald Wolanski contacted the Department of the Interior’s National Park Service, who toured the property and have agreed to sponsor the town’s public-benefit conveyance request. Wolanski said final approval of the request will come from the Navy, which will get the full reuse plan, from the Aquidneck Island Reuse Planning Authority, next summer.
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BORN FREE
In Park Holm, a Neighborhood is Reborn By Tom Shevlin NEWPORT – It’s been a long, sometimes frustrating road, but city and federal officials last week let it be known: things are looking up for the Park Holm neighborhood – and be sure to place an emphasis on “neighborhood.” “We have arrived,” James Reed, executive director of the Newport Housing Authority, said during a ceremony on Friday. Standing before a modest crowd of residents, construction workers and city officials, Reed recalled how, when as a child, he would come to Park Holm to play baseball or meet friends after school. Growing up in the area, he said he remembers fondly a sense of community. His story is not unique. Countless Newporters have grown up here, and even more grew up visiting with friends and relatives. Reed recalled a neighborhood made up of young, blue collar families who chose to settle in, what was then, some of Newport’s newest and most affordable communities. Today, the area has come full circle thanks to a multi-million-dollar renovation project, that, taken with the development of Newport Heights, has transformed the once crime-ridden North End into a new revitalized and thriving community. Some $5 million has been spent so far in Park Holm to realize an estimated $40 million master plan developed by Davis Square Architects of Somerville, Mass., formerly Mostue & Associates. Friday’s ceremony marked the completion of Phase One of the project, much of which was funded by a $2.7 million federal stimulus grant. Reed said that the authority was in the process of applying for an additional $30 million grant to help complete the project, which unlike the neighboring Newport Heights project, preserved the original housing, stripping them to the studs and retrofitting them to strict green building standards. Inside, gleaming new tile, energy efficient appliances and countertops made from recycled materials greet new residents. Only the hardwood floors were saved. The energy efficiencies warranted a $15,000 grant from National Grid to promote energy-saving initiatives and education programs for residents. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Regional Administrator Richard A. Walega praised the project, saying, “I have never experienced anything like Park Holm.” According to the city’s Housing Authority, the residents who make up today’s Park Holm neighborhood are, like when the area was first developed, often young families and individuals working in a variety of industries from defense and medical, to the hospitality and
See NEIGHBORHOOD on page 3