HAVE A HEART We preview the Potter League’s 21st
annual Heart and Sole Walk ! See pg. 2
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TABLE OF CONTENTS CALENDAR 8 CLASSIFIEDS 18 COMMUNITY BRIEFS 4 CROSSWORD 18 10 DINING OUT 6 EDITORIAL LETTERS 6 OBITS 13 REALTY TRANSACTIONS 6 WELLNESS 13
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Members of the Newport Garden Club were busy planting a fresh batch of red and white annuals at the base of the Christopher Columbus memorial statue on Memorial Boulevard on Saturday. Incorporated in 1914, the club maintains several flower beds around the city. (Photo by Tom Shevlin)
Survey gives failing grades to roads, leadership By Tom Shevlin NEWPORT– The results of a survey which sought to determine what exactly residents think of municipal services are in, and the results are mixed. Newport was one of five cities and towns to have participated in the New England States Measurement Project (NESMP), an online survey conducted during the fall of 2009. The stated purpose of the survey was to determine what residents think of the services provided by their municipal government and how they view the quality of life in their town or city. Areas surveyed included public works, parks and recreation, police, fire, emergency services/rescue, public education, permitting and code enforcement, town management, and administrative leadership. According to a report compiled by The Research Bureau, an independent firm who conducted the survey, "residents were generally satisfied with services, but dissatisfied with elected officials and administrative leadership." "This dichotomy," the report states, "seems to require further probing." Drilling down into the numbers, however, reveal some discrepancies,
SEE ‘SURVEY’ ON PG. 7
Cup to visit Newport in July
CHOWDA!
NEWPORT NOW REPORT
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NEWPORT – Mark your calendars. The America’s Cup trophy will be coming to Newport on July 1. “It’s confirmed,” Brad Read, executive director of Sail Newport, told members of the state’s America’s Cup Planning Committee on Friday. According to Read, he received confirmation of the visit earlier in the day, and has already begun the planning process, which he said will focus heavily on incorporating the bay’s active youth sailing programs. “Every other venue that has hosted one of these events, has emphasized introducing the Cup to children,” Read said. Sail Newport, with its robust youth sailing program and location at Fort Adams – the venue of choice in the state’s bid to host the next Cup race – is ideally suited to coordinate a similar effort. Already, Read said he has reached out to local yacht clubs such as Ida Lewis, Newport, and Conanicut, to participate in a large-scale sailing demonstration at Fort Adams on the day of the visit. In all, he expects to be able to be put out at least 400 youth sailors on the bay – and even more if clubs from the upper reaches of the bay participate. “This is going to be a Rhode Island thing,” Read said. The visit is part of an East Coast swing that will start with a trip to the White House on Tuesday, June 29, followed by an appearance on the Today Show in New York on Wednesday, and
culminating in a Thursday visit in Newport that planners hope will serve as a prime opportunity to showcase the state’s enthusiasm for bringing the Cup back to Newport. Previous discussions regarding the Cup’s possible visit had centered on bringing the trophy and BMW/Oracle Racing team to the State House in Providence for a rally and formal presentation with the Governor and congressional leaders. But, with Fort Adams taking center stage in the state’s bid to secure the Cup, focus has now turned to using the fort itself as the visit site. According to Keith Stokes, executive director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, which is coordinating the state’s Cup bid, the fort would make the perfect venue to showcase the city as a potential host port. “The bigger the better,” Stokes declared referring to the spectacle of welcoming in the Cup. More details on just how big of a welcome mat the state might roll out are expected to be revealed at the committee’s next meeting on June 4 at 3 p.m. in City Council chambers.
Keep up with the latest on the state’s bid to bring the America’s Cup back to Newport online at www.Newport-Now.com. Click on the Tag for “Chasing the Cup”
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City eliminates Economic Development position Beach Manager also eyeing retirement By Tom Shevlin NEWPORT – In an effort to rein in expenditures and streamline city government, City Manager Edward F. Lavallee has proposed eliminating the economic development director position, effective July 1. The position, which was created three years ago to oversee the city’s three enterprise funds, has been occupied by Jonathan Stevens, a veteran policy and planning official who made it a mission to improve the efficiencies to the city’s parking, maritime, and beach enterprise funds. But according to Lavallee, as the enterprise funds have grown in scope and independence, the position “no longer fit the mold.” The decision is expected to save the city over $100,000 in salary and benefits per year, but will require the addition of a new non-benefited seasonal position to oversee the city’s parking operations. The cost for that position is expected to cost around $20 per hour, Lavallee said. Created prior to the economic downturn, the Economic Development Director position had been seen as a way to help maximize revenues for the city in order to minimize tax or fee increases. But as Lavallee said, it’s a different environment today. Also in the Economic Development office is news that longtime Beach Manager Ray Fullerton has his eye on retirement at the end of the fiscal year.