Marsh Inhabitants Page 19
BORN FREE
THURSDAY, July 7, 2011
Vol. 39, No. 27
Property Revaluation Begins Door-to-Door
What’s Inside
ARTS ON Page 15
By Lynne Tungett
Table of Contents
NEWPORT — Property inspectors from Appraisal Resource of Warwick will begin a full, door-to-door inspection of Newport residences beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 7. According to Rhode Island law, a full revaluation is to be conducted every nine years. The revaluation, expected to take six months, will include home inspections of every residence in the city
CALENDAR 12 CLASSIFIEDS 22 COMMUNITY BRIEFS 4-5 CROSSWORD 20 EDITORIAL 6 MAINSHEET 12 NATURE 19 POLICE LOG 5 REALTY TRANSACTIONS 7 RECENT DEATHS 19 RESTAURANTS 12-19 SPORTS 24-25 www.Newport-Now.com Twitter.com/newportnow Facebook.com/newportnow
Powerful Serve Propels Isner to Victory
American player John Isner shows the impressive form that contributed to his second-round victory over France’s Arnaud Clement Wednesday afternoon, at the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships. Isner, the No. 1 seed for the event, won the first set against Clement in a tiebreak, 7-6 (6), and the second set 6-4. He will face Alex Bogomolov Jr. in the quarterfinals this Friday. (Photo by Rob Thorn)
Hidden Architectural Gems Revealed at Opera House By Jill Connors As workers peel away dusty wall fabric, faded carpeting, dropped ceilings, and false walls—not to mention sections of moldy ceiling and wall plaster—the original architectural details of the 1867 Opera House, on Washington Square, are slowly emerging. “I burst into tears when I saw the original proscenium this morning,” said Alison Vareika, as she toured the facility Tuesday. Vareika is chairwoman of the board of the Newport Performing Arts Center (NPAC), the group that is spearheading an effort to restore the Opera House as a venue for live entertainment. Tears of joy, that is. A $100,000 grant awarded to NPAC on June 23 from the Alletta Morris McBean Charitable Trust is making it possible to begin the long process of stabilizing the building and ultimately renovating the theater. Upon receiving the grant, NPAC wasted no time; a crew from Farrar & Associates began work within days. “They are doing a selective demolition,” explained NPAC board secretary Liz Drayton, referring to a construction method employed with historic buildings to preserve original details. Carpenters are carefully removing the structural vestiges of the Opera House’s decades-long use as a triplex movie theatre, from the 1970s until 2010. When a
false wall was removed on Tuesday, Vareika and Drayton could fully appreciate, for the first time, the interior volume of the original Opera House. “Isn’t it amazing!” grinned Drayton. The details that were emerging included a decorative plaster ceiling medallion, ornamental plasterwork on walls, decorative wooden panels that once concealed speakers for an organ, and the original proscenium arch. The ornamental plasterwork includes lyres, masks, and other arts-related motifs. “Everything that is original to the building is being preserved,” said Drayton. A pair of original seats is a case in point: Farrar & Associates construction superintendent Bob Murgo carefully carried two dusty upholstered seat cushions and their cast-metal side pieces into the lobby. “We found these in the dropped ceiling,” Murgo said. Even if these two seats are the only ones found, it will be enough for reproductions to be made at some point, noted Vareika. The goal of the work being done this week and next is a “reveal,” that is, to reveal the original details and condition of the structure, according to Drayton. A theatre designer from New York City, with whom the NPAC board has been in consultation for several years, will visit next week to assess the building from a stage and theatre point of view. Farrar
The original proscenium of the Opera House, built in 1867, is visible again for the first time in more than 40 years. Newport Performing Arts Center, a nonprofit organization, received a grant in late June to fund stabilization work on the historic building. (Photo by Rob Thorn) & Associates will also assess what exactly will be needed to stabilize the building itself. NPAC was incorporated in 1999 with the goal of pursuing a performing arts center in Newport; in 2002, the group purchased the Opera House building for $1 million, and has been seeking funding for a major renovation.
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“We envision a dynamic audience circulating through Washington Square,” said Drayton. NPAC sees a symbiotic relationship developing with other cultural facilities in town, including the cinema-oriented, 500-seat Jane
“The update is to equalize the tax burden, it keeps people from paying too little or too much.” Allan Booth Newport Tax Assessor and a statistical update. The last statistical update was completed in 2008; by law, updates must be done every three years. Allan Booth, Newport tax assessor, said the property inspection will take less than 10 minutes. “Essentially, the inspectors will verify the number of baths, number of bedrooms, and size of finished living space. They will also note major things, like has a garage been built or torn down.” He also stated that every inspector will have a clearly visible photo ID nametag. If no one is at home when the inspectors arrive they will leave a door hanger with contact information so the owner can call and schedule an inspection. If the inspector has arrived at an inconvenient time, homeowners are permitted to deny them entry and reschedule. There are only four inspectors who are assigned to the Newport contract; currently they will be attempting to do all inspections Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday or evening time slots will be added later if necessary. The statistical update is done to acknowledge the changes in the real estate market. “The update is to equalize the tax burden, it keeps people from paying too little or too much,” Booth said. “This is not a fund raising event on the part of the city. They adjust or raise the tax rate to take care of those issues.” For more information or if you have questions contact Mr. Booth at 845-5365 or by email abooth@ cityofnewport.com
See OPERA HOUSE on page 7
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