HORSE PLAY
THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC BESTED THE USA IN THE KICKOFF OF THE NEWPORT INTERNATIONAL POLO SERIES ON SATURDAY.
Newport† WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 2010
VOl. 38, No. 23 WHAT’S INSIDE
BORN FREE
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Preparations underway for Cup visit Newport Now Staff Report
Inside Doris Duke’s famed Rough Point. See page 10.
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NEWPORT – The Newport Gulls kicked off their home season on Friday, filling Cardines Field with a record crowd. With the home crowd behind them, the Gulls pulled off the win, 3-2 against rival Northshore Navigators. On Monday, the defending NECBL champions continued their winning ways, drubbing the previously undefeated Laconia Muskrats 11-3. Next up at home for the Gulls: Lowell on Wednesday, June 9; Sanford on Friday, June 11; and New Bedford on Monday, June 14. All games start at 6:35 p.m. and tickets cost $4 for adults, and $1 for chilren under 12.
NEWPORT –Details of the city’s upcoming America’s Cup visit began to come take shape last week. On Friday, members of the state’s America’s Cup 2013/14 Planning Committee met to discuss plans for the event, which is slated for July 1 and is being coordinated by Sail Newport. Plans call for a welcome celebration at Fort Adams to be held from 11:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Documents on file with the city estimate that organizers are expecting up to 6,000 people to filter through to get a look at the Cup over the course of the day. The event will include a Cup Victory Luncheon at Fort Adams to benefit Sail Newport. Tickets for the luncheon are available to the public for $50 each or $1,000 for a sponsored table of 10 and will be available for purchase newport at www. sailnewport. org beginning Thursday. Also on tap: a presentation to junior sailors by team members from BMW/ Oracle Racing, details of which are expected to be released in the coming weeks. “This is a unique opportunity for sailing enthusiasts, families, children Photos by Michelle Palazzo and visitors from all over New England to come out and see the Cup and enjoy a day of festivities in Newport,” RIEDC Executive Director Keith Stokes said in a statement Monday. Governor Carcieri called the visit “an opportunity for tens of thousands of sporting fans to enjoy the rich tradition and heritage of the trophy associated with the oldest continuous sporting competition.” It is still unclear if Oracle chief executive officer Larry Ellison or Russell to be zero. Getting there, however, is a long Coutts, will join the group, but orgaroad. To date, under the direction of nizers are hoping to use the event to Julia Forgue, director of utilities, the showcase their plans for hosting the city has completed multiple projects Cup, should Ellison choose the city under a RIDEM consent agreement, over his hometown of San Francisco. including the installation of 35 sewer system meters to identify sources of extraneous flow to the system and the Long Wharf Force Main emergency repair. The Wellington Avenue interceptor replacement design is also completed, according to Forgue, and plans to fix the Thames Street line is on schedule. The projects are daunting. But tying them all together will be a systemBy Tom Shevlin wide master plan for 2012 which will stress above all one thing: AffordabilNEWPORT – City Council members ity. met on Monday for a last-minute According to CH2M Hill Project workshop to review recommended Manager Peter von Zweck, it’s the changes to the FY2011 budget, but same “$64,000 question that’s being with questions lingering and action asked by cities all over the northeast- scheduled on a funding package on ern United States.” Wednesday, it’s possible that a final Recognizing the sensitivite nature vote on the budget could be pushed of the sheer cost of the undertaking, back closer to the start of the upcomthe city and CH2M Hill has proposed ing fiscal year on July 1. created a steering committee made The meeting, which was called to up of public stakeholders including clarify proposed amendments to the city officials, business leaders, as well document during last month’s first as community and environmental budget reading, lasted less than an groups to help communicate the proj- hour and seemed to raise more quesect scope and neccesity to the general tions than it answered. public. It’s a strategy, von Zweck said, After the meeting, several council that’s rooted in the mandates the fed- members said they would not be aderal government has created. verse to voting to continue action on “I don’t think EPA appreciates the the budget until their next meeting on amount of stress that this puts on a June 23. For the latest on the budget city,” he said. debate, visit www.newport-now.com
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Master Plan, community input eyed in costly sewer fix
FARM FRESH
By Tom Shevlin
MIDDLETOWN – The Aquidneck Island Grower’s Market returned last week to Newport Vineyards, where vendors braved an early morning thunderstorm for the first farmer’s market of the season. Running Saturdays from June until October, the weekly outdoor market has become an island ritual for foodies and families looking for straightfrom-the-farm fresh ingredients for the week. On Wednesday the market makes its return to Memorial Boulevard, just across from the International Tennis Hall of Fame for the companion Aquidneck Growers’ Wednesday Market from 2 - 6 p.m.
NEWPORT – Hoping to ease the burden on ratepayers, the city is currently in negotiations to extend a deadline to complete mandated sewer repairs until 2018. Under a draft order issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last year, the city would have to complete work to stem combined sewer overflow events by 2015. But, according to consultants from CH2M Hill, until a final order is completed, there is room for negotiations. Pushing out the project deadline would help defer costs to residents by spreading the project out over a longer period of time. That was just one of the points that came to light during a special council workshop on Wednesday with the city’s Utility Department and engineers. In addition to seeking out more time to complete the mandate repairs, the city is also contesting a designation by the EPA to treat Newport as separate system, which would hold the city to a much higher standard in terms of water quality and CSO events. That designation, according to the city, is misleading. According to engineers from CH2M Hill, despite recent improvements to segregate stormwater from sewer lines, the system acts like a combined system, suggesting that there are still some connections or deficiencies unknown to planners contributing to the city’s CSO problem. Currently, Newport can expect roughly 30 CSO discharges during an average year. EPA wants that number
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Budget vote could be pushed back