All right.

Clerk, take the roll call, please.

Lynn Underwood Segley.

Here.

Charlie Holder.

Here.

Ellen Pinnock.

Yeah.

Jean Marina Politano.

Here.

David Carlin.

Side camps of Oravon.

Here.

Stephanie Smythe.

Here.

There is a quorum present, Mr.

Chair.

All right.

Please stand for the Pledge of Bleaches.

Madam Clark, anyone sign up for the Citizens Forum?

No, they have not.

Number nine, sorry.

That we move communications under number number number nine under communications to before the consent calendar.

Second.

Motion, second, any discussion.

Those in favor say aye.

Hi.

Before we get into the agenda tonight, we have a certificate of recognition that I want to present to the Quinnick Island Adult Learning Center.

So in recognition, the Quinnock Island Adult Learning Center for its outstanding achievement in being ranked fourth among Rhode Island Adult Education Programs.

There's a testament to his exceptional impact, reach, and commitment to empowering learners throughout our community.

So I'd like to bring up Tracy Shea, the executive director, Bonnie Moran, program coordinator, and Cheyenne Arroyo operations specialist.

You please come up to the podium.

Thank you, please.

Thank you for recognizing the transformative power of education in our community and making our our citizens better.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

You want to call up the number nine?

Yes.

Next, we have a presentation from Tara Mellow's grade eight class from Thompson Middle School concerning Family Activity Center at the former Newport Grand Site and establishing an eighth grade student council.

So Tara's class at Thompson eighth grade won the top middle school project at the uh Rhode Island Civics Day at the State House.

And they reached out to uh to us to to invite myself, I believe uh Councillor Smythe, Councillor Pinnick uh to come and speak to their class.

Uh it was basically an interview session.

Uh I figured I walk in there and you know I you know sit down and you know kind of answer a few questions, talk with them, have a good time.

They were so impressive and so thorough in their questions and their uh and then the whole setup for it.

I I see uh we have Mr.

Winthrop sitting over there on the on the side.

There's a couple uh new hires for you if you need for some uh interview people.

They were they were fantastic.

It was uh one of the most I did it twice actually, and it was one of the most uh great experiences I've had in my time as a council, so thank you and congratulations.

So Tyra, turn on turn over to you.

Thank you.

Good evening.

My name is Tara Mello and I teach eighth grade social studies at Thompson Middle School.

This year, all four of my grade eight civics classes participated in Generation Citizen.

This is a program that empowers students to become active citizens by identifying real issues in their school and community.

It teaches them how to work together to create positive change through discussion, research, and collaboration.

Students learned how to use their voices to advocate for improvements that matter to them today and in the future.

On May 22nd, 12 of my students representing all four classes attended Generation Citizens Rhode Island Civics Day at the State House.

This was the first year Thompson participated, and to say that they did an outstanding job would be an understatement.

In fact, Senator Ewer emailed me this week and they said they're going to be recognizing at some point our students on the Senate floor as well, which is a very big honor.

Last night, two of our groups presented their projects to the school committee covering the issues of substance abuse programs at Thompson and improving school lunches.

Tonight there, the other two will be presenting to you.

The first is Student Voice creating an eighth grade council.

Hi, my name is Daniel Mason, and our Generation Citizen Project is titled Student Voice.

As part of this project, we started by discussing problems and challenges we see in our school community.

After many class discussions, we realized that students need a stronger voice in our school.

That led to us the idea of creating an eighth grade student council that could represent students, share concerns and ideas, and work with leaders and to help improve our school community.

As a part of the project we created surveys and research.

We also interviewed members of the community, including City Councilwoman, Stephanie Smith and Mayor Charlie Holder.

We hope we learn from their experience in leadership and government and better understand how councils work and know how representatives communicate with the people they serve.

Our next steps include creating a a council charter depending on exactly our council.

We work with seventh graders.

Who are in seventh graders who are interested in to carry out this idea?

These projects.

We learn how students can create a challenge of a positive chance change in our school and in our community in our future.

That's at their poster, and they all had to put come up with something like this, and they presented.

They were all grilled with questions throughout the day by different community members throughout the state.

Um and everyone got high rankings.

They all all four of our sections did.

So this is their okay.

Um, our next group is uh they titled there's turning an empty space into a community place, proposing a family activity center at the old Newport Grand site.

While all our groups scored highly on Civics Day, this next group is the one that won top middle school project, which means they received the highest score out of all of the middle schools present, which again, Thompson Middle School's first year, and could not be more proud of them and all the students for all the hard work they did.

So I'm gonna let them up next.

Hi, my name is Jada Lee's Capo.

For our Generation Citizen Citizen Project titled Turning an Empty Space Into a Community Place, our social studies class chose to focus on revitalizing our former Newport Grand Property, including an indoor family activity center.

We arrived at this issue because we believe that youth and families in our community have been marginalized, and many students at our school Thompson Middle School agree.

We believe Newport needs spaces and opportunities for people to have safe space and connect and have fun, and not just outdoor but indoor as well.

Hello, my name is Oliver Desenski.

We did our research on the property in its history, gave out surveys to students and adults, tried to reach out to the Carpina group, and interviewed several members of our community, including City Councilwoman Ellen Pinnock and Mayor Charlie Holder.

We've been creating a family and youth center at the Newport Grand site could positively benefit the community and provide a self-safe, welcoming place for the people to gather, especially for the youth of our city.

So thank you so much for having us tonight.

We appreciate it.

Mr.

Chair.

Council.

You know, well over 17 years ago, a young person came to my office.

I was the deputy in the state treasury, and he was advocating for policy almost exactly like you are today.

A few years later, he would go on to become the original founder of Generation Citizen.

His name's Scott Warren.

And I can tell you your presentations were as good if not better than Scott's originally, so we can't wait to see what you do next.

Well done.

Yeah, really.

Mr.

Chair.

Council Smith.

Um I just want to say thank you guys.

I mean, I am so incredibly proud of all the hard work that each and every one of you did into these projects and for coming forward like this to present your projects, not only at the State House, but here.

Um you should all be very proud of yourselves.

And and Tara, thank you for, you know, in inviting council to come into your classroom and for your students to speak with us and to present this.

So thank you all so much.

Thank you very much.

Mr.

Chair.

Council Pennett.

So go ahead.

No, this is uh another one.

He actually had a banquet before this and wanted to be here so bad that he left it early just to come on.

All right now.

Um Smell, I just want to say you had you have a phenomenal group of young people.

I'm super proud to have them in our community and in our schools.

Um and I also just want to say when we're talking about like listening to young people and making sure that they have a voice.

This is exactly what it is.

This is what it looks like, right?

It's like getting kids, young people to talk about the things that matter to them because they do think about it.

They do care very much regardless of what has been put out there.

These kids care a lot about their community and about one another, and I think that that's been on display here and throughout the year in your class.

I've had the pleasure of working with a lot of these kids since they were in fourth and fifth grade.

Miss Jada.

So I'm super proud.

Um of them and of you and of the work that's being done.

And we will work really hard to make sure that their voices are included in decisions because they should be.

When we talk about marginalized communities, I include kids because often they're not listened to.

So just thank you for making the space for them.

Really appreciate it.

Good job, Jada.

They came up with all this on their own.

These projects, they truly did come up with the ideas.

They went from all of ideas and narrowed them down.

So this is all stuff that really matters, and they do want to continue actually not just make it a project, but actually keep doing something about it.

I don't know if you know, but Jada um is one of my chefs in the summertime.

So Jada has made 1900 lunches for other camp kids every summer.

She works very hard for six weeks.

Um, and that includes prep cook budgeting, delivering all of the things.

So she's had a heart for service for a really long time, and she's cared about community for a really long time.

So this is just elevating that.

So I'm super proud of all of them.

Well, thank you so much.

Appreciate it.

Good job.

Motion to approve the consent calendar with the I'm sorry, with the exception of uh one B7, 9, 11, and C.

Second.

Motion of second, any discussion.

Mr.

Chairman.

Uh Carl.

First of all, the microphone does work.

I assume that's intentional.

Question on uh the pulling of items.

You don't need a microphone.

No.

When we pulled the items from the consent calendar, did we pull number seven?

Yes, we did.

Okay.

So we have a second.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Motion uh to approve friends of Angela Lima doing business as new kicks on the block.

Meant to nomi park, July 5th, 2026 from 12 p.m.

to 5 p.m.

Do I have a second?

Second.

Motion and second, any discussion.

Mr.

Chair.

Council Smith.

I believe Angela.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Come on up.

I have a question.

Uh no, I just wanted to see if you wanted if you wanted to say anything about this event or just to provide, you know, thank you very much.

Community input.

Councilwoman.

Um I'm just putting on a fun friendly community event um for locals.

Um, I also think um uh just hosting it, also recognizing too with the costs, uh rising costs.

Some families may not be able to afford vacationing, and it's just something kids are gonna be out of school and it's something to look forward to.

Um so I just what better way to have fun than doing a kickball tournament named New Kid Kicks on the Block.

So thank you for pulling us together.

Yeah, I think it's gonna be great.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any further discussion?

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Motion to approve a connection latina of Newport doing business as La Broa on Tubario, Teatro on El Varano uh friends meeting house, July 28th, 2026 from 6 p 6 30 p.m.

to 8 o'clock p.m.

Do I have a second?

Second.

Motion and second.

Uh Council Conservoir on how to recuse.

Any discussion?

All those in favor say aye.

A motion to um approved Katie Brown educational program doing business as Katie Brown OUP.

Newport Harbor Island Resort, August 20, August 20, uh 2026 from 5 p.m.

to 8 p.m.

Second.

Motion and second.

Council Councilman.

Uh Mr.

Chair, um, we lost Katie Brown when I was in high school uh growing up in Barrington.

She was the older sister of a classmate of mine.

Um, and I can tell you that the impact of domestic violence at an extreme in this situation is something that is incredibly tragic.

But I wanted to commend the organizers for the good work they've done in her memory here, continuing education on this important issue.

Um, and just wanted to briefly make those remarks.

Thank you.

Yeah, appreciate that.

All right.

Well, any further discussion.

All those in favor say aye.

I next uh motion to receive and refer to city administration for a recommendation.

This is a communication from Newport in Bloom request for fall 2026 approval, replanting 90,000 Dutch Master Daffodil bulbs at Pell Bridge off ramps.

Second, uh motion and second, any discussion?

Uh Mr.

Chair, I just have one little question.

Um this would be done by Newport and Bloom, but is there anything in the a landscape plan from the state that has this sort of um effort?

There's there is not yet, but I did speak with the applicant because that was actually one of my concerns that he may not be aware that Ride Ot was going to be doing its landscaping work uh at the rotary and along JT Connell Highway and uh and along um uh Halsey Street at that same time this fall.

And he said, No, I'm actually aware and I would like to work with the city to to be complimentary to that, not in any kind of opposition to it.

So I found that the applicant was very willing to work with Ryda, and perhaps we can incorporate some of these bulbs into the plan.

Okay, thank you.

Um and I know we have uh some folks from Newport and Bloom.

I don't know if you guys wanted to or Daffodil days.

Do you want to come up and say anything?

Joan or John or Thanks everyone for taking this up.

This has been a project that uh went back initially um when we were doing um the projects with the with the bridge.

And John, want to say a little bit about the histories just to bring people in.

Yes, we we uh fully knew that uh the ride at reconfiguration would uh impact all the planting.

We didn't know it'd extend as far down barewell as we had uh assumed.

So uh the last couple of years every time June or July, we approach Ride Ot and say what's what's going on, working with uh Marine and her uh green Landscape commission, being sure that uh the DAFOs are part of the planning process, and we've uh been reassured for the past two years that they would be.

So we're looking forward to planting.

I think important now is the timing with Scott Wheeler now departing.

Scott's got 25 years of experience knowing how to run our bulb planting machine and where they should go and uh how deep they should go and how uh the ordering process works.

So we want to make sure that we're wired into that whole process.

I think the other thing that's uh um important is for the bulb process, we need to place an order to report in the bloom in the city by the end of April because we have to get that in to the people that supplied the bulbs and we place June.

Yeah, end of June, yeah, sorry, end of June.

Excuse me.

And then they will send them over in October.

So that's how it works.

And if you don't get in, then you can't plant, you know, any later.

It's kind of like uh they have to go in in late fall and then they will be blooming in hopefully April.

So there is a bit of a time um issue relative to making decisions and specifically, you know, understanding with the plan, because there are some places that are not necessarily suitable to daffodils on the type of soil.

So we'd like to be involved with the people that are doing the planning to see if make sure we have it all put together in a reasonable way.

So everyone's going to happy at the same time.

A special favor, thank you.

Um you know when the the daffodils have died off.

I know I've mentioned this before, um, but there's a lot of tall grass that people don't understand why the city has not uh mowed it down and it's because it's to keep the daffodils um from uh dying off for the following year, right?

Can we just make some signs that say pardon our appearance because I get quite a bit of quite a few phone calls about it and I say well it's what has to happen, it's Mother Nature, you know.

So um if we could just put in a couple of signs just to say pardon our appearance, the daffodils are doing their thing, you know.

I I don't know something like that.

That's totally reasonable.

Yeah, we you know, for each of the larger beds, you know, we could do that.

We put signs in um every year in the beds and it says, you know, don't pick up.

Because that's sort of the other thing that people come in with.

We'd love to have children come in, but the parents say, Oh, here, help yourself.

So um we'd be happy to do that.

Thank you.

I appreciate that.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

Joan, John, thank you so much for all the work you do, appreciate it.

Mr.

Chair, John Smith.

Um, I believe Maureen Cronin is here and she might want to add a little bit more to the conversation.

Maureen Cronen, 10 Harvard Street uh chairs uh tree and open space commission.

I just want to make sure that everybody understands because we're all working together absolutely, but the landscape plan was already approved with the state about three weeks ago, and it doesn't have a dedicated to your question.

It doesn't have a dedicated planting bed for daffodils, the way there may have been a dedicated one in the past.

So they're going to be finding ways with which to intersperse them.

So unless we can find a larger field, which is one of the things we're looking for, that we can plant one field itself, maybe in some area, so that we would have that.

And we've also made arrangements, as has the state with adopt a spots.

So this time now we have to work with the people that are managing the adoptive spots to do a lot of the work.

And the only reason I'm making the clarification is I don't I don't want anybody to feel like either you approve something or something changed.

Um it didn't.

It's it that's where we are as of today.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh alls in favor say aye.

Aye.

Next under licenses and permits, uh motion to approve a special event license.

Redwood Library and Athenaeum uh doing business as Redwood Library Summer Party, 50 Bellevue Avenue, July 17, 2026, from 6 30 p.m.

to 11 30 p.m.

Do I have a second?

Second.

Motion and second, any discussion?

How you doing?

Yeah.

Uh did you want to give us a little little breakdown of what you're doing?

A little background about the then?

Yeah, it's a little background little during the event since 2006 with the fundraiser for the Redwood Library.

People we have about 300 and 350 people.

We've been doing valet parking with the ballet picking up people on Redwood Street.

And then we have parking in the different areas that I outlined.

So we do have enough locations for all the cars.

And as I said, we've been doing it for 20 years without any.

Great.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Notice questions from the council.

I beautiful.

Thank you very much.

All right, all is in favor, say aye.

Aye.

Motion to approve a valley parking license daily perfection valet parking July 17, 2026 for the Redwood Library Summer Party, proposed service area, Redwood Street, Old Beach Road and Downing Street.

Motion of second any discussion.

All is in favor say aye.

Aye.

Motion to approve a horse and carriage license daily.

New Deal farm of Exeter doing business as New Deal Horse and Carriage, Belcourt Castle, June 27, 2026, from 11 a.m.

to 3 p.m.

from Bellcourt Castle to Oaker Point and return to Bellcourt Castle route is attached.

Do I have a second?

Motion of second and discussion.

Yes, Chairman.

Council Segley.

I have a question.

Hello, uh, I'm Jack Cleeper.

Uh my wife and I own New Deal horse and carriage.

Okay.

Um, could you just explain a little bit?

You know, it's a little confusing because it says horse and carriage license daily, but then this is just June 27, 2026.

Correct.

It's it's a one-day license.

It's just a one-day license.

Okay.

And how is the route actually going to take go from 11 a.m.

to 3 p.m.

or do you do it multiple times?

Uh we're asking for four hours.

So we would do the route a maximum of three times in that period.

And who is gonna ride in this?

Uh guests at uh Bell Court.

Is it a private party that's happening there or no?

No, it would just be uh regular visitors, museum.

How many horses pull the carriage?

Two.

Okay.

Thank you.

Council Carlin.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Uh first of all, Jack, thank you.

I have every confidence that you and your wife will handle things the right way.

Jack, uh, for my colleagues and anybody who does not know, uh, is a former member of the Newport Police Department, who I am sure has nothing but the best interests of the city of Newport in mind with respect to the plan or the proposed plan.

Week ago, Belcourt Castle's represent a representative who was asking to do an event at Belcourt Castle, came before the council and asked for a special use permit, though this is not necessarily the same type of special use permit.

It is once again an occurrence where the Belcourt Castle is coming before the council uh by a representative of a private entity for the use of Belcourt Castle.

I told the council last week uh that this this is very much against the spirit of the zoning laws of the city of Newport, uh, and that the residents, the neighbors in that area do not want to see Bellcourt Castle turned into anything but what it was originally granted permission to do.

And as a result, I will be voting against this, and I recommend that my colleagues given this will continue.

It will be another event, another time, which is outside of what the parameters of the original zoning grant was given, or outside of the parameters of what was granted to Bell Court by zoning in the first place.

So again, uh please reject this.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Any other discussion?

Oh, there's this someone wants to speak.

Okay, yeah, come up to the podium, please.

State your name and address.

Olivia Nagel 553 Bellevue.

I'm just curious, in light of what um counselor um Carlin has said in the the request for the horse and carriage.

I'm curious because it's my neighborhood, why are they doing it?

What is it for?

Like, is this an event?

I just don't understand what it is.

Do you know what I mean?

It's not like the horse and carriage event that happens with the preservation society.

Like I'm just curious.

What is it?

Yeah.

Jack, you want to speak to that, please?

Sure.

Uh Bell Court was originally primarily a stables.

Oliver uh Belmont was a horse nut, even more so than myself.

And uh, so uh I met uh David, who uh is managing uh Bell Court, and looking around the place.

Uh I was like, it's really a shame that uh there are no horses here, there haven't been any horses uh recently, and uh so I would really like to uh have a chance to recreate a little taste of what uh Oliver intended originally for uh Bell Court.

So we'll see if other people agree with me, but uh that's where the thought came from.

Mr.

Chair, Council Sugly.

My concern really is um the traffic on Bellevue Avenue on June 27th from 11 to 3.

I I think it's it's very heavily traveled at that time.

Um I'm not a fan of horse and carriage.

Uh we used to have it in Newport, and I I was not I've never a fan of it.

I'm I'm a horse person and uh so I just can't approve this.

All right.

Uh we'll do uh we'll vote by a show of hands.

All those in favor uh of the horse and carriage ride on June 27th, please raise your right hand.

All is opposed, is that your hand up there isn't that 4-3 opposed?

4-3 opposed.

Sorry, Jack.

Motion to approve a special event license.

Newport Pride, doing business as Newport Pride Festival and Parade, Great Friends Meeting House 21 Farewell Street, June 27, 2026 from 11 a.m.

to 6 p.m., including a food truck within 250 feet of an existing restaurant.

The street closure request, Dr.

Martin Leaf, Dr.

Marcus Wheatland Boulevard between number one and number 15, and uh the parade request beginning and ending at the Friends Great Friends Meeting House.

Uh do I have a second?

Second.

Motion and second.

Any discussion?

Any questions we need a representative to come up or good?

All right, all those in favor say aye.

Any opposed?

Motion to approve a special event license, Heritage Flight Foundation, doing business as Newport Air Show, Goat Island Pavilion, September 2nd, 2026, from 6 p.m.

to 8 p.m.

Rain day is September 3rd, 2026.

Second.

Motion and second, any discussion?

Mr.

Chairman.

Council Carlin.

Thank you.

Uh this is going to be a fantastic event.

It's been years in the making.

I'm surprised, frankly, we haven't had an event like this before.

Uh is Mr.

Duramel here.

No need to come up, Gilm.

Thank you for hosting this event.

You've put your own time, your own money, and your own resources into it.

And I encourage every new porter and all visitors to the city uh to be present when the event, which will be spectacular, is going to be held.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you.

Any further discussion?

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Motion to approve a daily entertainment license, Marina Cafe.

Um, LLC doing business as Marina Cafe and Pub3 Marina Plaza, Goat Island to have indoor and outdoor entertainment on June 17th, and June 24th, July 1, July 8, July 15, July 22, July 29, and August 5, 12, 19, and 26, and September 2nd from 4 p.m.

to 8 p.m.

Is that a second?

Motion and second, any discussion.

All those in favor, say aye.

Motion to approve an annual entertainment license renewal, indoors, mermaids, newport, doing business as poor Benjamin, poor Richards Benjamin's 254th Thame Street.

Second.

Motion and second, any discussion.

All those in favor say aye.

That's moving on.

Okay.

Next, we have a memo from the city manager presentation of proposal for solar development opportunities at Newport School Facilities.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you, Madam Vice Chair.

Very pleased today to note that Solect Energy, who is one of the North Sea's leading commercial solar uh energy storage and EV charging station developers, has since its founded in 2010, developed more than 950 solar projects totaling over 200 megawatts, and serves municipality schools, higher education institutions, nonprofits, and commercial customers throughout the region, through a competitive procurement process that has already taken place, run by the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns.

Power Options, uh selected Solect Energy as its solar energy storage and EV charging provider.

And uh based upon a high-level review of available information.

Uh it has found that both Rogers High School and Pell Elementary School appear to present potential opportunities for rooftop solar development.

And so without further ado, uh I'd like to offer the floor to Mr.

Jeff Steele, who's a representative from Solect tonight, to uh show you a little presentation, but largely answer any of the questions that you may have developed uh since the budget process when this uh uh when this topic came into vogue.

So Jeff, over to you.

Thank you, Colin.

I appreciate that.

My name uh thank you for having me tonight.

My name is Jeff Steele.

I'm with Select Energy.

Um, and what I thought I would do, I can go through the presentation, which I believe you had received earlier, um, and and answer questions most importantly.

Um, what we're not looking for necessarily is uh is a decision on construction, but simply want to present some options um to you.

So let's see.

I'm not sure how to use this.

Nobody is.

So I just hit the button on the right.

Um just in and to recap what what Colin mentioned.

So Select Energy uh has been around for 16 years.

We are a wholly owned subsidiary of Pattern Energy out of California, which is one of the largest renewable energy companies in the U.S.

We Select Energy are fully integrated developer in that we design, install, construct, monitor, maintain, and and manage systems throughout primarily southern New England.

We focus on Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut is our primary um areas of business.

We work with both commercial entities as well as uh municipalities, municipalities being the town side of of uh cities and towns, but also um the school side, and we do um build many projects for schools, um higher education, um, any type of nonprofit or public entity.

And as Colin mentioned, power options, and this is a very important caveat that we um were chosen by Power Options to be the preferred through an RFP process to be the preferred provider.

Now Power Options has a relationship or was chosen by the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns through their repa program, the Rhode Island Energy Aggregation Program to um, and this was enabled by uh Rhode Island General Laws, I think 45-40.1, to um to use power options for uh compliant procurement and um and contract development type work.

So Power Options in turn has through a competitive bid has chosen um select energy.

So um I am here because uh Colin and um and the town Theresa Creen as well, reached out to Select because of the relationship with Power Options um to look at potential projects in Newport, specifically uh the two schools mentioned Newport, uh Rogers High School and uh Pell Elementary.

So we've we've moved quickly, and I want to mention why we're moving quickly in terms of the review process.

There is something called the investment tax credit that is phasing or fading out July 4th of this year.

The investment tax credit is part of the the inflation reduction act from 2022, and that allows uh entities that that develop projects to get a 30% federal tax credit, at least 30%, if not more.

There could be 40, 50, 60% with adders back from the federal government in terms of a direct pay uh program.

And so time is of the essence if this city wants to purchase a solar array.

There are other options that we looked at preliminarily, which involve select energy, leasing roof space, and providing and building an array and paying a lease payment on an annual basis, fixed payment to the town for the uh for the rooftop.

Um so let me flip through this.

I think it's probably gonna be what am I doing here?

Is it the top button?

Laptop here.

Oh, okay.

There we go.

Nice.

So I I actually I was I I spoke in front of the school committee last night, toured both schools myself.

Um there Rogers is amazing what has been done.

My my son actually was a paraprofessional at Rogers last year in the last year of its life.

Um it's amazing to see that school.

Um so there are opportunities for solar.

A couple things I want to mention.

The biggest obstacle to doing solar generally is the utility.

The utility can, if there are capacity constraints, that can delay the process of building an array.

Sometimes it can prevent the process.

There's something called hosting capacity.

Hosting capacity is the um is a term uh that the utility uses to provide a level of um new generation or uh load that can exist on a certain part of the grid.

And so if a hosting capacity is limited, you are limited to a certain size array without building new infrastructure and having utility upgrades.

So when I say hosting capacity, that's important with the um Rogers High School because with Rogers, there is a limitation based on Rhode Island energy of a certain size.

So while it's a large school and we could certainly build something the the size of the rooftop or the entire roof, we're limited by size.

So we looked at some options for um the high school, which included a lease.

These are very, very preliminary estimates.

We generally, as a company, when we look at projects, we not only have our electricians walk the site, but then we also provide preliminary designs, which are called helioscopes that looked at the pot that look at the potential production of an array, and then we do internal um design reviews, um costing estimates, and there's there's an iterative process that we go through.

So we're using very basic assumptions here.

Um, and so when we look at potential um options, a lease is one of them.

The lease I put here numbers of for Rogers of uh $640,000 estimated lease payment over 20 years.

Now, not a ton, it's a little, it's something, but it's an option.

Um, there is another option where we can do what's called a I don't want to get too much into the weeds, and I'm happy to discuss this in follow-up, um, called a power purchase agreement where we can offer a rate that is competitive to what you're paying now to the utility.

In turn, we own the array and we provide you with a lower rate.

Now, the there are a couple state incentive programs in addition to the federal program that allow for certain programs to be more profitable than others.

We're not able to do a lot on the the PPA agreement.

We can over 20 years save 500 or thousand or so dollars.

That's in just pure savings because we look at the electricity rates going to go up, let's say 3% a year, while our rate that we offer is going to be frozen for 20 years.

The third option, and again, why I'm really here is with this purchase option.

So the third option is for the town to purchase an array.

In purchasing the array, the town would get a 30% federal tax uh direct payment back within the first year, but there are stipulations.

The main stipulation is this looming July 4th deadline of if you want to buy a project, it has to be signed and down payments done by July 4th, and then you have four years to build the array.

If you can't, and I would think it's pretty hard to do that in the next three weeks, this entire city to to vote on that, um, the option is to um to go through with a contract after July 4th.

The window of build is reduced to um basically the end of 2027.

You just have a smaller time frame.

Now that can be important because if the utility decides to take this to a group study or take it takes its time reviewing, and normally it's around 60 business days, but if they take more time, it could delay the project.

So there's there's a little bit of risk uh getting it done by the end of 2027, but it's certainly certainly possible.

Um, those numbers I had given here, we look at we we modeled it over 20 years, but I we also looked at 25 years, which I didn't put in here, and we had a very preliminary estimate of 1.3 million over 20 years.

Now, again, not a ton, but it's it's something.

And um doing this over 25 years, we've remodeled it and looked at selling recs, which are renewable energy certificates, and that number goes up by at least double over 25 years.

And those are numbers I can share with with Colin afterwards.

I didn't have time because uh we just sort of re reworked the numbers a bit.

Um, but there are some elements here that make a purchase um much more much more feasible.

And the payback period on something like this is around six and a half years for for Rogers.

Now flipping this, let's see.

That's right.

Okay, I just went through Rogers.

Those those were the options.

Um, basically, speaking of the three, and I'll try to make this quick, so I know you have a lot of business tonight.

Um, with a lease, there is nothing the town has to pay nothing.

A PPA town pays nothing, the city.

Um, it's only the purchase option, but the purchase option can be more financially profitable over the period of the array, and you can actually um make some substantial savings because what you're doing is your your um offsetting the price you're paying to the utility by producing your own energy.

And at Rogers, the system would only produce about 25% of the the consumption that Rogers has now.

So it's not everything because of the utility constraint, but it is still something, and that cost savings plus the selling of the recs can amount to considerable money over a 25-year period.

Pell is uh a little different.

Let me say Pell is a little different, smaller school.

Um, there is a potential issue with the roof in that it's older, it's 13 to 15 years old or however long old the school is, and I think it's around that.

Generally, solar is best on a roof that's 10 years or less.

So conceivably there might have to be a lay-a-a um a um sort of a layover or um potentially a new roof, which could ask add cost, but that would have to be determined by an independent roofer.

Um, because it's a smaller project, it it's not as profitable.

Um, some of the the numbers actually that we we redid um uh actually has this as a purchase.

You can you can grow, you know, can the net cumulative cash flow is somewhere around 900,000 up from the number I had given there of 370.

If you look at it over 25 years, the lease option um is again very preliminarily 400,000 over the course of 20 years, not a lot.

It's around 20,000 a year.

Um I'm sorry, not 20,000 uh yes.

And so that it's it's a bit more limited.

We cannot offer a PPA because right now it's a 14 cents um rate that Pell is paying, and it's a tough one to beat without the incentives needed.

So again, I I don't want to get into the weeds and and confuse um uh or go into too much detail, although I'm happy to answer questions, but I I primarily wanted to just lay out that there are options.

Um the purchase option is one that has this looming deadline, and I think that's why I'm here today to at least talk about that as an option and and answer any other questions.

I'll say uh one small question to start here.

Why is the current electricity rate for Pell different than it is for Rogers per kilowatt hour?

I don't I don't have the answer, but they could have different rate codes, size of building, uh consumption rate.

It it's based on utility bills that I've been able to look at, but it's a it's a good question.

Um I don't have the answer to exactly why.

Hey, I'm just doing rough math here.

That's like a 30 to 40 percent differential in rate, which is probably a pretty big assumption to base savings numbers off of.

Second question on the purchase option, direct ownership.

Have you finance direct ownership relationships through the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank using their financing packages before?

I am not sure if we've done that.

We we as a company don't finance um purchases.

Purchases are are done either with a municipality through a bond or a cash purchase um or bank loans, but we we ourselves, select energy, don't um provide financing.

We we do own half our projects because half our projects are municipal buildings or schools, so we own them, the the arrays, and then again provide a very competitive electricity rate versus what Eversource or National Grid provide, or we lease the roof and provide a lease payment.

That's that's better than nothing.

And I say that because a roof, the way I look at a roof of any building, it's a it's an asset, it's an unused asset.

It can be used to offset high electricity price, especially in southern New England, high electricity prices, or it can be a revenue source in terms of um uh fixed revenue uh lease payments over 20 years, um, or as a if if you purchase you can save as well as sell that power to the utility.

So there's different ways to make revenue as well as save money.

And I I want to add that because we're now we've we've done close to 200 school projects in um with over 50 municipalities in Massachusetts.

We're beginning to do that in Rhode Island.

We're working closely with Providence.

City of Providence is is building 12 projects as we well, we're in the process of finalizing that um through this exact program.

They're buying, they're using the renewable energy fund, which is the front is the behind the meter Rhode Island incentive.

So you have the state incentive, and then you have the federal incentive.

So Rhode Island is working closely with us, uh the town of Barrington, and there are others that we're working with because of this power options relationship, which allows for a compliant, no bid, no procurement process, and it saves the town money in terms of not having to go through that, and then you you will get the lowest rates from us and through them.

Lowest margins that we we our margins are capped.

You we we are mandated to lower the keep the lowest rate possible because they pre- they pre-buy.

So they do this as an energy consortium, so they bulk buy.

Hope that answered your question a little bit.

I did just the short version, then you as a company are agnostic on where we get the funding for if it's a direct ownership model.

Correct, correct.

There again, there are cash purchases, which towns and cities will do if they have the funding.

Whatever you tell us, or it's it's bank financing.

And there are there are uh bonds which we can model as well.

We can model a you know a 20-yearly good in this area that can offer financing.

Thank you very much.

Yes.

Is there someone who can answer um how much the school is paying for school for electricity on a monthly basis?

We've been told it's 60 grand a month, which equates to 720 a year.

Yeah, if somebody can confirm that, hi Beth Cullen, uh Newport School Committee.

I can't give you the exact numbers, but I can certainly tell you what's going on at Rogers.

Um thankfully the city's purchasing agent Kevin brought some materials to us at a meeting, and it was astronomical.

We're paying 42% more.

The rate is 42% more than City Hall's rate.

So we are paying between sixty-five and seventy thousand dollars a month at Rogers only.

At Rogers only, so we have electricity bills for also.

Well Pell and Thompson have different rates as well.

They're all right, okay.

I don't know how they were negotiated.

I don't know if there's anybody here that maybe Teresa, you don't know.

Yeah, I don't know.

That's not that's not what I do, but um, I did get those amounts and I was shocked.

So we're spending between 700 and 800,000 at Rogers only.

And supposedly there was somebody a rumor, maybe Lynn can answer this or in the building committee that only electricity could be put into that building.

That's right.

That is factually incorrect.

I spoke with Mario um on the phone the other day, and um that's not true.

So I don't know.

This solar stuff should have been done years ago.

Well, that's all I know.

That's what was discussed several times in our meetings.

So I'm just telling you that.

I can only tell you what, yeah.

Yeah.

Um didn't we go into the net metering?

Um didn't we do net metering now at Rogers?

Isn't that happening?

We are not at we I'm sorry.

Oh, net metering.

Okay.

How much would that bring the the price down to?

We actually looked into this today.

We we think, and this is very, very preliminary estimating based on the volatility of the market and uncertainty, but we we think over the course of 20 years it could save about six hundred thousand dollars.

Um and that's that's uh fixed rate plus net metering combined all school.

That's even that's without solar panels.

That's even without solar panels.

So then if you add the solar panels, you're just you're just um adding to what you can already save just by just by doing metering and fixed rates alone.

Yeah, because you can utilize the the unused roof, which the net metering is excellent, and many, many municipalities in Rhode Island of the 39 do that.

So I'm sorry, go ahead, Mr.

Carter.

No, please.

No, no, no, go ahead.

That's fine.

Charles Crawl.

Thanks.

Um I don't think Director Nolan is here tonight, but who pays the bills uh for the uh energy costs at Rogers, Thompson and Pell.

I'm sorry.

Oh so who who pays the bills for Rogers Thompson Pell?

That's that's the city, the city that then invoices uh the schools for those costs, but the initial bill comes to the city and then this the schools are invoiced.

Okay, so the presumably didn't work out this way in the last two fiscal years in the last fiscal year or this fiscal year, but presumably uh the coming fiscal year, this fiscal year and the coming fiscal year it didn't work out so well, but uh presumably in an ideal situation, the city would receive the bill, pay the bill, and then invoice uh the school department, the school department would either give us by check or transfer money, or we would take it out of their account, correct?

Correct, okay uh who will pay for this depending I I know there are a number of circumstances uh number of alternatives etc but who are you proposing but I appreciate the presentation the more information we get the better but who are you proposing to pay this bill this this ultimate installation or uh the the leasing of the roof since the city is the land owner of the building either way if we're gonna do a direct purchase that would be the city and the reward to the city would be future reductions in uh expenses at the school then comes to us looking for in terms of appropriation okay it's worth noting I think that uh in the last several days we haven't cut the ultimate checks yet but in the last several days the city council has essentially authorized six point two million dollars uh to be directed to the Newport school department of which one point one nine million is for fiscal year twenty seven maintenance of effort at four percent over last year's fiscal twenty six budget the remainder is uh outside of uh operating expenses within the city budget so we're gonna be asked potentially to put hundreds of thousands of dollars more further we're being asked uh to for all intents and purposes make some type of decision by July 4th that's far too quick a time frame for far too much money I think as I have said about the city about the school department's budget I think this has been handled uh poorly uh I agree with whoever said it uh maybe it was Beth Cohen uh that this had this should have been done years ago should have been properly digested by the school building committee uh and uh we should not be looking at a potential three week time frame in which we have to make some type of decision last question or last comment question is for the city manager who else did you invite uh besides Jeff and I appreciate you being here and I appreciate the presentation what other vendors did you invite to come to city council uh and give such a fine presentation or is this a monopoly situation?

No it's because we we already have a competitive procurement through power options by way of the Rhode Island League of cities and towns the League of Cities and town through Power Option has already done this procurement on behalf of its members of which we are one and so that's why uh we invited Solect into the conversation because they're the most pad ready uh for this type of work that's a fine answer and I enjoy and I appreciate what the League of Cities and Towns has done for uh its members including Newport but the League of Cities and towns is not paying the bill for this we are uh I certainly will not be ready to grant any type of contract without seeing other vendors being at least approached it's undemocratic thank you.

I'm sorry.

I'm all for solar uh what I chair the state's largest drinking water utility we transitioned entirely over to solar saved nearly a million dollars in your energy expenses so I buy the the the value of the product itself I think the question for administration is just on an allocation of time right now if we know as uh committee one colin has pointed out that the schools are paying roughly 42 percent more for energy right now just back the envelope on a seven hundred thousand dollar year energy bill that's like three hundred K that we're leaving on the table you you you project that out 2025 years you're looking at north of seven million dollars of savings without even you know PVing it back.

Rather than taking on as a starting point a construction project here as as much marriage as it may have why don't we start by just renegotiating the electricity rates that we're paying that's already in progress so the the rate, that's what I was look pulling up earlier.

The rate that we were paying at Rogers uh prior to negotiating a fixed rate was sixteen point two cents per kilowatt hour.

Um we will bring that down to twelve point three cents per kilowatt hour um upon completion of that negotiation.

The other meters throughout the district have already been fixed at 10 point two cents per kilowatt kilowatt hour, and those rates expire in December of 28.

Uh so we we're already receiving those savings.

We'll we'll catch up with Rogers.

Catch up's not a good word, but we'll we will we will fix the issue with Rogers and receive four cents less per kilowatt hour than we're already paying.

That's great news.

Question though, sixteen cents a kilowatt hour at Rogers.

This analysis we're being asked to consider right here says twenty cents per kilowatt hour.

I mean, these are actually material deviations to the tune of 25% that the estimates are being based on that then are what the projections are based on, we're being asked to consider for decision making purposes.

What's the right number?

Is the number that we're being asked to consider this on, or is it the number that you're telling us here?

The the and again I'm going off of what I got from my finance office today from from our procurement officer.

Um I don't want to say with certainty, but the number I got today, which was in a very clean spreadsheet was sixteen point two cents per kilowatt hour.

I would also note that Jeff made the point that they've been doing a lot of this very quickly on the fly, trying to get preliminary estimates together.

And so I don't want to put words in your mouth, but I would assume that you don't have the same fidelity of data that we do, and so you're doing the best you can with the information you have.

That's correct.

And and I I want to just answer or address two points that were made.

Um we again you can all certainly look at other vendors.

Um the issue is that the power options relationship, they through a competitive bid process have chosen select, and so that's fine to look at others, but that that ability of using power options through the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns allows you to get a low rate and the best finances available and you can you can shop that around, but you won't be able to use power options then.

Um in terms of what we're asking for, I think it would be silly to assume that you could make a decision by July 4th for a purchase and we didn't come here, I didn't come here assuming you would or even ask you to.

Um it's more to lay out the options, but there is still an option after July 4th.

That that is still there and that's still viable.

So what I I think I'm asking or we are asking as a company is to approve the process of letting us do a thorough fees of feasibility study.

Not on it doesn't cost anything to the town, but just to allow us to to go through the process of checking with the utility, double checking with the utility.

We've already done some initial um submissions for for the the uh the feeder line, but allow us to do this research, allow us to do the design, the engineering, which we will do, and then provide you more concrete estimates.

We don't have that yet because this was done so quickly, um, and we would certainly give you all that information and then you can compare and and analyze that and use that.

So to do that, all we ask for is an LOI letter of intent.

Um, and that just gives us confidence to move forward spending our our dollars to to proceed with looking at some preliminary engineering and design and utility.

We'll work with the utility and start looking at that.

Council Paulson?

Yeah, I'm still a bit troubled.

Um I understand why Rogers is a new school fully electric.

Um the bill is higher, but what is the differential between, say, Pell and Thompson and Rogers?

Is that the 60 grand a month?

I I I don't understand.

I I understand the impact is from Rogers.

Beth Cullen, as you know, I'm only nineteen months into this position, so I don't have those answers.

Um I would hope that they would be available through our finance director, but unfortunately he's off site, so the timing is strange.

Um they're all different numbers, they're not as high as Rogers.

Rogers, there was something to do with a new meter, and it just seemed like it was a mistake, but a big one.

A big one.

Okay, thank you.

That's chairman.

Hold on, council.

And you can call him at 4 30 in the morning tomorrow.

He'll get back to you.

Council Pennick, please.

Thank you.

I don't think that's the five.

I just had a question because um you just mentioned an LOI is what you're asking us for.

But what's in front of us is just a memo and um from the city manager and a presentation.

Yeah, we're basically moving towards an LOI.

I'm sorry.

It doesn't happen.

I was just saying, like we're being asked to to approve or not approve an LOI, but what's in front of us is just a memo and a presentation.

Correct.

So the no no approval of anything tonight.

Uh this is advice to to get you to potentially consider coming back with a resolution to sign a letter of intent.

Uh soonest we could do that apps on a special meeting would be the 24th.

Um I I think what that Jeff is right.

The the and and Counselor Carlin is right.

The July 4th deadline is essentially a lost cause now.

The question is, can we uh would we be able if we do a purchase to potentially by accepting some risk, aim towards completing a project by December 31st of 2027.

If we're able to do that, we receive a 30% tax credit rebate.

Even if we're not, uh the estimated installation costs and and I'll note that Jeff indicated this was extremely extremely preliminary estimate, about one point two six million installation cost, and if 30% of that were to come back, it's somewhere around a little over three hundred thousand dollars, three hundred and fifty.

Here's the here's the thing though.

Based on some of the the numbers that he's quoting over the 25 year value to a purchase uh uh option, when we're talking 25 years of value of of 2.9 million dollars, perhaps we hope that we can get the project done in time to collect that tax credit of 350,000, but even if we don't, there's still significant savings uh on the other end.

So I think these are all some of the things that we would like the council to consider um and potentially come back to uh solect with a resolution to sign a letter of intent at a future date.

Don't have to.

Uh we're responding to council and school committee desires to explore and look into options to potentially reduce bills and put solar on our school rooftops.

So uh ultimately it's a decision that's in your hands based on the best information available.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We have a question from the ordinary.

Yeah, come up to the podium.

So state your name and address, please.

Uh Spirit Celiapolis 38 Everett Street, love solar.

It's great, it's awesome.

Um, but I don't imagine the city is going to operate many solar arrays, and the direct pay option seems like that's the situation that the city would be in.

Like it's not just, oh, you lease the the roof and then somebody else operates it, manages it, you collect, you know, you cash a check.

You have to install it, manage it, operate it yourself.

I don't know if that's incorporated into the model, but I mean the three numbers that are provided, one is a cost reduction, one is revenue, those are equivalent units, and the other one is value, and that's not comparable to revenue or cost reduction.

So just be cautious of that.

And I don't know.

I don't I don't foresee, I wouldn't imagine the city has an interest in developing a competency in operating and managing solar arrays.

Thank you.

Don't say I think it's important.

I I do just address one item.

Um the city would not operate and maintain and manage anything.

Um we have an OM service department where we monitor, maintain, manage, and service all the arrays we build, whether they are purchased or we own them for 20 years, and that's included.

It's all part of this uh, you know, preliminary estimated price.

So you don't have to go to we we are a fully integrated company.

We own half of our projects and maintain and and um manage all of them.

Jeff, how how often?

Council Napoleon.

Sorry.

No, I and Jeff, I I trust the vendor because you've been selected by League of Cities and Towns and well, we're involved with them.

Um, but I think what's become readily apparent is the council as a body, while we're doing the best we can to understand this, really aren't equipped to make the type of assessment they're looking at here.

Um we can't even really figure out what we're paying for electricity rates right on a consistent basis.

That seems pretty basic.

Um, that being said, the city is very lucky to have an energy and environment commission of people who do think about this all the time.

Might it make sense for us to refer this to them for consideration or at least further vetting.

I see the vice chair nodding her head.

She's the chair.

Chair, I'm sorry.

Exchange quick.

Um we um Emily Conklin, chair of the Energy and Environment Commission.

We have been in conversations with Teresa about this.

We already had her in one meeting.

We plan to continue to talk about it.

Happy to entertain it and and provide decisions for however we can be helpful as commission.

Thank you.

Uh Lisa Will, come on.

Hi, Louisa Boat Wright, 46 Second Street, co-chair, still co-chair of the school building committee.

Um we have about two to four months left to go.

But um, we did twice uh reach out for grants during this whole project um soon after Pell was complete, and then at the very beginning of Rogers to try to do this, we spent hours and hours filling them out and didn't get the grants.

So we made every effort to do that.

We also considered not just rooftop but solar uh parking lots, which I hope is looked at because that's very common at school buildings in Massachusetts and Connecticut and all over the place, you can get more in for that, and they can be snowplowed around.

That was a big issue.

But I really hope that they look at that as well.

Um the other thing I need to bring up, and I'm sure it's been done, but I just as a responsibility as a school as this um as a co-chair is there's language in the bond that talks about leasing so that you need to re go to the bond authority and talk to them about leasing.

It's very specifically talks about solar on rooftops and things like that.

So I just ask about that.

I'm very much for putting solar on the buildings.

It was an option to be all electric or not, and we voted to be all electric back then.

We used to be on the same agreement at the city for electricity.

I have been off the school committee for two years, but we did that for the last four years of me being on the school committee.

I don't know what's happened since because I'm not on that.

But um, those are the things that I know.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh any further comments or questions from the council?

Okay.

Thank you so much for your presentation.

Thank you all.

Um, Mr.

Chair, just have a question.

Uh would it make sense to come before the council with an LOI to just at least explore this um possibility for the next meeting?

Yeah, we need a resolution.

Yeah, well, but right, but uh this there's a lot of information we gotta find out before that's even gonna be waste our time talking about that.

So hopefully the administration will come up with a lot more information so we don't have to, you know, we have more answers to these questions.

So when we do if we do have resolution about LOI come in front of us, we have we can make a better decision.

But the LOI though does not cost the city anything.

Correct.

Uh and I don't think it's even binding.

Jeff, could you clarify that?

That's right.

Yeah.

So an LOI just basically says uh it's it's not binding on the city to spend even a dime, but it does allow them to push forward with the detailed feasibility study and analysis that they need to get to the very answers to the questions that you're asking.

That's what I'm saying.

We if we if we need that for the answers, I mean if we don't if we don't have the answers, how do we make the decision?

So I mean if would the council be in support of pursuing that?

No, I would not.

I think Mr.

Holt, uh Mr.

Chairman.

I think you're correct.

There's far too many things to address here.

We're being asked within the course of a week again to my point earlier to give uh the LOI or our passive uh approval uh for moving forward without even studying any other.

And I appreciate what everybody has said about well, you know, we've already had the league do their uh research and uh this is a great firm, and I'm sure it is, but Charlie's right.

Um, too early, too early.

Well, in the meantime, we're spending sixty-five thousand dollars a month on electricity bills.

Right.

So I I mean, why don't we do some move forward?

I understand we're moving forward with the net metering.

I understand that that's going to cut costs, but what is wrong with just getting information that's not going to cost the city anything?

Oh, I I would ask you to answer that.

You've been a member of the school building committee for four and a half years.

Well, that's true.

But um we could not afford to put them on, and as you heard um um Ms.

Boat Wright, we went after grants and we're not successful, Mr.

Chair.

Uh yeah, Councilman.

I just have one question for city management.

Just so I'm clear, in order for us to have an LOI, we need to write a resolution.

I mean, that's that's I mean, you don't I don't think I would be comfortable doing that amount.

I I would want the council backing on that.

But the resolution effectively says uh we give the city manager the permission to to write a letter of intent.

That that might be one way to do it.

Then you don't have to actually write the technical letter.

Um, but uh the resolution would be very helpful.

Uh on uh just a quick sidebar to that, uh I know the councilor counselor side indicated an interest in pushing this to the energy and environment commission for a look in advance.

That is certainly an option.

Um the only reason there's a sense of rush at all is because of that tax credit, but if we if we put that aside, there's there's no rush, and there still may be some very significant savings in our future that might well more than you know sufficiently cover that and then some uh as to what that tax credit will be.

So if the cost of confidence is giving up the tax credit by an inability to complete the project before the end of 2027, that may be okay.

Um, and I'd I just I frame it that way for as a point of consideration.

Mr.

Chair, I I would like just like to know if the meter that was installed was put there by mistake, and that we can rectify that situation and see where we are in that uh um okay.

Thank you.

I move 11.

Yeah, action item 6619.

Um, motion to approve and purchase by the city a replacement forward police utility PPV with um with upfitment change over with upfitment change over and mobile police computer uh with accessories to replace cruiser number 10 that was totaled in a motor vehicle accident.

This is currently budgeted.

I move approval.

Second motion and second any discussion.

Uh yes, uh Mr.

Chair, this is um the total price is not to exceed 68,313.50 cents.

Second.

Uh all is in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

I seven.

Action item six six two zero.

The Department of Public Services recommends the award of bid number twenty twenty-six PS-015 road materials for each of the supplied materials as bid to the following five low bidders.

South County Sand and Gravel, Charleston, Rhode Island, East Coast Landscaping Construction, Portsmith, Rhode Island, J.

H.

Lynch and Sons, uh, Peace Dale, Rhode Island, J.

R.

Vinegro, Johnston, Rhode Island, Richmond, Sand and Stone, Richmond, Rhode Island, each of whom submitted bids for materials uh for uh which there was an industry supplier.

Uh Mr.

Chair, I make a motion uh to approve this.

And this is currently budgeted as well.

Yes, this is currently budgeted.

Motion and second, any discussion.

Council Carlin.

Thank you.

Uh is the director of public services here.

Well, first of all, is this a public services uh recommended item?

Yes.

Okay, and this deals with roads, correct?

Yes, okay, great.

Can I speak to the is the public services director here tonight?

He was not able uh to make it tonight too.

Who can answer my question about roads?

Uh I can do the best I can, but he told me that if there were significant questions that that needed his expertise, that uh these are not urgent and could be continued as a result.

Thank you.

Uh I read in uh Newport Buzz this afternoon that the apparently Department of Public Services City of Newport is considering all but eliminating or eliminating hazard road, making it no longer a road.

Can you speak to that?

And why didn't the members of the council?

If you knew anything about it, why didn't the members of the council know anything about it?

I I don't have anything to say because I don't know anything about that.

Okay, so it's not something that you authorized?

Absolutely not.

Okay.

Is it something that the Department of Resiliency and Sustainability authorized?

I I don't know.

And it would have to go through me before anything like that was authorized.

So uh it I would I would argue that if there's any conversation about that occurring, it is immature and not ready for public uh discussion.

Okay.

I I am looking at what is and this was uh earlier mentioned by counselor Kamzovarvank, not the subject at hand, uh, but rather uh the underlying city appointed commission.

I'm looking at a flyer, a picture of a flyer, uh, which suggests uh that uh one of our boards and commissions is looking at the feasibility of uh doing away with hazard or hazard as a uh we have three hazards in Newport, in case anybody did not know that uh doing away with uh hazard.

Uh and uh I wonder if anybody can talk to that.

It's uh the flyer is called Reimagining Hazard Road, hosted by the Energy and Environment Commission.

Uh and I assume that this falls under public works, and I just like an answer.

All right, so but this isn't on the agenda.

So that we're all we're talking about is materials used for roads of committee.

So we can't really discuss the hazard rule because it's not something that's that was given notice.

Fair enough.

Any further discussion on the general part on an item in front of us?

Uh all in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Action item six six two one, the department of public services recommends awarding the contract associated with RFP number 2026 PS-014, hauling of street sweepings to the sole bidder east coast landscaping and construction inc of Portsmouth, Rhode Island for the hauling of street sweeping materials to the state central landfill for the proposed contract period of July 21, 2026 to June 30, 2028.

I move approval.

This is currently budgeted, Mr.

Chair.

Motion and second, any discussion?

Um, did the um no?

I'm all set.

Thank you.

All right, all is in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Action item 6622.

The Department of Public Services recommends awarding a contract to VHB of Providence, Rhode Island in accordance with RIMPA 584 engineering services for the purpose of providing transportation design services for the design of Webster Street improvements in a not to exceed amount of 149,959.

This is currently budgeted.

I move approval.

Second.

Motion of second any discussion.

Mr.

Chairman, Council Carlin.

Quickly or briefly.

Uh again, I suppose to the Department of Public Services or Resilience and Sustainability, or the manager's office or the manager.

Uh VHP has done several of these projects before, including in the south end of the city, which is where Webster's Webster Street, of course, is located.

Uh but this is the third time in a row we've we've given VHB uh a contract without the council seeing how many other bidders there were uh for this project, if any at all.

I would note that several other resolutions uh from the manager's office include the total number of uh bidders for the contract.

Here I see only VHB.

Is it because we were just so thrilled with the last two projects they did that we didn't put it out to bid or did we just omit uh sharing who the other betters were?

No, this just is this was just off of a master price agreement.

So VHB is one of the many firms on uh that's available through master price agreement.

We're satisfied with their services and we continue to use that that master price agreement.

Uh, why do you why do you share in other instances the uh folks or the firms that also bid on a project?

And and with this particular project, you do not?

If it's an open procurement, we absolutely do that.

Uh this one we've selected a vendor uh who's been already pre-procured and and vetted by the uh by the uh state of Rhode Island.

And once again, I I've said this, I said it earlier tonight.

Uh I've said it plenty of times before at other council meetings.

That's that's not appropriate.

Thank you.

Any other comments?

Questions?

All right, all those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any posed?

Posed.

Action item 6623.

The police department recommends awarding a contract to Scholar Painting LLC of Seymour Connecticut for the purpose of repairing the concrete parking structure at the gateway center at 23 uh America's cup in the total amount of 132,320, inclusive of 122,320 for anticipated contract construction costs plus an additional ten thousand dollars in project contingency.

Uh this is currently budgeted.

I move approval.

Second.

I have motion and second.

Any discussion.

All is in favor say aye.

Aye.

Action item six six two four.

It is recommended that the city council approve the attached resolution to receive and approve a 2026 progress update to the city's strategic plan as prepared by Raf Tellis Financial Consultants Incorporated.

The strategic plan provides a framework for the allocation of resources and planning and is an integral document with regard to budgetary planning for the city administration.

I move approval.

Second.

Motion and second.

Uh Deputy City Manager Carula, you want to address this, please.

Yes, just following through here with adhering to the five-year strategic plan for the city.

Um this is an update.

Uh, we're in year number three at this point.

Uh, this is an update basically just to uh identify the measurable uh measurable progress across all of our focus areas.

Um it reflects our uh commitment towards our long-term planning, um regarding in investment and resiliency, modernizing uh government services, focusing on housing, uh all of the all the initiatives that uh that were identified by council in the um in in the previous um uh previous workshops and uh engagements that we had early on in the strategic plan.

Again, this is uh proposed three to five years uh when this was initiated.

Um we're in uh you know we're uh we're in year three approaching into year four.

Uh the recommendation would be that after this update um that um in the near future that we re-engage again with these discussions and start identifying future goals and initiatives for the city.

Uh any discussion?

Council Sai.

One of the things I one of the things I like that you included here are the are the KPIs, uh specific measurable outcomes, things like uh, you know, I'm looking at the uh transportation subject here, number of implementation steps completed of the Newport master transportation plan.

Really nice specific measurable things.

Is there any sort of a dashboard we can actually see how we're doing against those KPIs?

Yes, there is there uh I do also have a um basically an update progress sheet, uh what you have before you as the brochure with all the collective information, uh, but there actually is a uh there is an update with uh percentages achieved uh with the KPIs.

I'd be happy to share that with the council.

Great job, thank you.

Everybody else, right?

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Moving on to resolutions uh supporting the CRMC application of Castle Hill requesting an aquaculture farm.

Uh this I'm gonna make a motion to withdraw this um second.

Excuse me.

That's my resolution.

Since when do we I was going to withdraw, but since when do we talk courtesy since when do we withdraw other counselors' resolutions?

We talked about it in the pre-meeting.

Well, sure.

Well, make a motion to withdraw it.

I was about to.

Okay, and it's indefinitely disposed, indefinitely postponed, please.

So for specific reasons, I'm making that motion.

Okay.

We have a motion on the table.

I'll second it.

Are we a motion and second?

Any further discussion?

All right, all those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Okay.

Uh next, uh, we have a resolution requesting a personal audit.

Personnel audit.

Uh, this is Councilor Smythe.

Thank you.

Um, whereas on May 19th, 2026, the Newport City Council held the first reading of the fiscal year 2027 budget, and whereas the majority of council voted to approve a motion to align the Department of Resilience and Sustainability and the Department of Finance and Support Services under the deputy city manager.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that adoption of any modifications to the organizational chart as published in the fiscal year 2027 budget shall be suspended pending completion of an objective personnel audit conducted by a qualified independent firm, the results of which may inform any proposed organizational changes, and be it further resolved that the audit will include a process implementation plan of what it would look like to have the school fine schools finance office realigned as part of the city's department of finance.

Do I have a second?

Second.

Uh motion and second, any discussion.

Yes, Mr.

Chair.

Just have a question.

Do we know how much this would cost?

We do.

Uh it will what we'll likely do, since this is a professional service is do a request for qualifications, uh, based on the scope that we're looking at, but it would be anywhere between a hundred and fifty thousand and three hundred thousand dollars.

Um one of the one of the potential bidders has done work with the city before and might be a very competitive bidder to come in on the low end just because of the data they already have.

Uh but again, depending on the depending on how we write the scope uh following the resolution, somewhere between 150 and 300.

And where would we get that money from?

It would have to be an additional appropriation.

From where?

From where?

Well, we don't have a reserve account, so it would have to be uh we would have to have a discussion about offsets to make or potential future budgets or plus.

That's something we would have to do at a future time.

Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you.

Uh Mr.

Chairman, question please with respect to uh or let me let me first give the the courtesy to the sponsor, Councilor Smythe.

Are you suggesting via this resolution, counselor, that the reorg which was adopted via the budget, fiscal 27's budget, be suspended until such audit is undertaken?

Yes, I am.

I would suggest to my colleagues on the council that that is that that is not the appropriate the mechanism you're using here now is not the appropriate way uh to accomplish what you're trying to accomplish, which I will support, but not this way.

You need to go back and reopen the budget because what we did, councilor Carms of Arovang made a motion to reorg departments that was a part of the budget process, it was adopted by the council, and no resolution outside of uh the amendment of the budget can trump what we did via voting for that budget, and I would ask the solicitor for his thoughts on that.

I think um the resolution passes, we would take that as a statement of the policy of the council and then take the steps as you suggest that need to be done after that in order to implement that, and it would have to be would have to have the secondary steps on that.

So it would not be effective this evening if the council were to pass it, would only be effective if we reopen the budget and voted on that, whatever means, yes.

Whatever whatever means are needed in order to address the vote of the council at the budget at that, and once again, Mr.

Chairman and Council Smythe, I will vote for a personnel audit.

I think it's sorely needed, uh, but I will not vote to suspend uh the budget that was already voted on, nor will I uh vote in anticipation of suspending, apparently uh or taking another mechanism at another meeting.

Um I would prefer that we separate the two items.

I understand what uh solicitor B is saying, uh, but by doing such tonight, the only teeth that it would have is that we'll get back to it at the next meeting or whenever we bring it up.

Um, I I think you should do it as a plain and simple.

The council mandates a personnel audit, without suggesting that we suspend any work was that was done within the budget, Mr.

Chairman, Council Paul Thomas.

I would agree with that.

Um, also I'd like to say that many times people have said, oh, you hired this person or that person.

We have department heads get up in front of us and tell us when they need people and what they need them for, and we haven't hired them.

I don't know if it needs a personnel audit or having a review, maybe with the council in the manager and the assistant manager and the attorney, to figure out what the city's needs really are.

I think most department heads do a very good job, and they have told us when they need additional personnel, and yet they haven't seen it in the budget.

I'm a little concerned.

I certainly don't want to um suspend a pending budget.

I think that's a dangerous way to go.

Um, you know, a personnel audit is fine, but pending the budget I think can really screw things up for the city and for the residents.

Um, the intent wasn't to suspend the budget, um, but to suspend that realignment happening independent of the a personnel audit.

I can understand um council's concerns.

I am okay amending it to reflect.

Um, but I think that a personnel audit is is very important.

Number one, because we we don't we don't really know when the last personnel audit actually happened.

Um I've been through it numerous times uh working for the government, and it has always yielded very positive results as far as reorganizations, realignments, and in some cases you find that you know a couple of departments uh might be able to be merged into one, depending on if there's uh too many employees in one department, less in another, it can also yield the potential of having floaters between departments that can help based upon the needs of those two departments, um, based upon the time of year.

And you know, I just think that overall it's it's going to help the city as far as um work environment, as far as uh customer service, as far as overall quality of work.

So I'm okay with amending the first resolve.

Um to say, oh councilmith, may I may I make a subject?

I'll take a suggestion, sure.

I would I would probably either withdraw this and resubmit after the uh 2027 budget kicks in, which will allow because I do like the idea of the audit, but then it'll allow us more time to actually do the actual study, and then when it's time to implement things, we'll be able to implement it for the we'll have more information for the next budget where we can really make a difference on it or can or can yes, or continue it till uh first council meeting in July, which is the 10th of the 8th.

Okay, so I'll make I'll make a motion to uh continue this uh resolution uh until our first meeting in July, which I believe is July 8th.

Second.

I have a second, I get a motion and a second, any discussion.

All is in favor say aye.

Aye aye.

Any opposed?

I seven.

Okay, next is a parking signage at the gateway uh resolution.

Whereas the city of Newport requires clear and consistent downtown parking signage to promote public safety, improve traffic circulation, enhance accessibility, and effective parking signage assists residents and visitors in locating appropriate public parking, reduces traffic congestion and driver confusion, and supports local businesses and pedestrian-friendly streets, and the strategic planning transportation group has been meeting to I did to design and identify appropriate locations for downtown parking signage intended to alleviate driver confusion and improve traffic circulation, and whereas signage facing north, south, and west on the gateway center would direct drivers to the public parking located on Gladys Bowl House Road, and whereas current zoning regulations permit signage measuring two feet by two feet, but the strategic planning transportation group has determined that signage measuring four feet by four feet is necessary for visibility and effectiveness at the gateway center location, and whereas such signage would help direct traffic associated with the aquarium and the bus station to appropriate parking facilities now.

Therefore, be it resolved that the Newport City Council authorizes the street the strategic planning transportation group to install and display four foot by four foot downtown parking signage at the gateway center on a trial basis and be it further resolved that the strategic planning transportation group shall monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the signage program and if successful return to the council with recommendations for permanent installation.

I move approval second, motion and second, any discussion, council side.

This resolution probably better than anything else on this agenda tonight, highlights why the city can be so frustrating.

Okay, and also the goodness that exists up here on the council.

I commend my colleagues on this.

This sp city spent an incredible amount of time and money on a transportation master plan that called for substantial improvement in signage.

Right?

It was it was a collective effort.

Everybody agreed these things should be done, it gave very clear guidelines, and so now we are week by week, resolution by resolution, advocating for individual signs to go up.

This is a city, it's and it is embarrassing that the council, and Councillor Segley has been asking for this.

I mean, for almost as long as I've been on the council.

I don't know what we need to change in order for there to be more proactive steps on basic common sense things, but uh I'm gonna vote in favor of this and I commend my colleagues on it, but it really does highlight the absurdity of why I think we don't have more good people serving on this council, right?

It's just that that this is what we end up having to spend our time on to get very minute progress is frustrating when this city should be able to keep moving forward once we've set a plan that everybody agrees on.

And so I I commend you, Councillor Sagley, for doing this.

I'm sorry that you had to to get to this point, but it's just like it's just so frustrating.

Well, I do appreciate the work though of thank you of the t strategic planning transportation group.

Um and the the sticky wicket in this was that this um is this building is in the enterprise zone.

So uh that means that because of that, the the funds are restricted and therefore you'd have to go before the zoning board.

So this is a way to get the um if it were just on regular city property, we would that's not an enterprise zone, we wouldn't have to do that, but um because it is uh we have to come it would have to go before zoning.

So instead we thought that a pilot program just to look at it on a trial basis, if that would be helpful to move cars into that parking garage.

Um because it is our uh theory that people just drive around and drive around not realizing that they're already downtown.

So um, so I would I, you know, thank you for your support, counselor, and uh, I just you know hope that this helps with people and uh to uh you know to park and have uh better circulation.

Thank you.

Any further comments?

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Uh next item on the agenda is prohibit or limit the development of additional hotel uses within the city of Newport, Councilor Smith.

Thank you.

Uh I'll just read the resolves.

Uh now, therefore, be it resolved.

The city council hereby requests that the city administration, planning and zoning, and city solicitor review all applicable ordinances, zoning provisions, and land use regulations pertaining to hotels, and be it further resolved that the administration and solicitor prepare and present to the city council proposed ordinance amendments designed to prevent or sustain sustainably limit the development expansion or conversion of properties into additional hotels, and be it further resolved that such proposed amendments may include but shall not be limited to the following prohibiting new hotel developments in currently designated zoning districts, establishing caps or moratoriums on hotel room development citywide or within specific districts, evaluating protections for existing residential housing stock and neighborhood stability, and be it further resolved that the administration and solicitor are requested to provide draft ordinance language and recommendations to the city council with passage of this resolution.

Do I have a second?

Second.

Motion of second, any discussion, Mr.

Chairman, Council Carlin.

Uh well, actually, I'll yield to the uh to my colleagues if anyone wants to speak and to the public before I speak.

Mr.

Chairman.

Council Paul Tano.

Um there's been complaints of late, and there's only two places that could conceivably have a hotel that have been in negotiations, been before planning and zoning for years.

One is Bellevue Avenue, the other is on Thames.

There's two other locations.

One is where the old high lie was, and I wish to God that we didn't have a moratorium, which I voted against, because at the time, even with COVID, they could have taken that building down.

They could have, but we put a moratorium on it, and they couldn't do anything for years, and it has sat.

There was a plan at one time to make a hotel and then to have some retail.

The original interest was to provide year-round jobs, paying jobs, also incorporating the blue economy and other things that we were working with at the Navy.

Now there is only one property that I'm aware of that, you know, there may be a consideration of the Navy.

I think it would be disastrous to have a hotel there where the hospital was.

Disastrous for the point.

Businesses that are connected to the water, marine uses.

So I'm not sure there's any other property that could actually be zoned for a hotel at this point.

I mean, if people know about other properties that could be zoned for a major hotel, I I certainly would be, I'd like to hear it.

Council Carlin.

I reserve uh my time until I reserve what I want to say until after the public's spoken.

Okay.

No, come on.

Say your name and address, please.

Uh Ryan Moots, 7 Gardner Street.

Uh good evening, Chairman, members of the Council.

My name is Ryan Moose speaking on behalf of I'm the manager of government affairs for the Rhode Island Hospitality Association, uh, representing restaurants and hotels.

We have serious concerns about both the process and polity policy direction proposed here.

First, the resolution directs city staff to prepare ordinance amendments designed to prohibit or substantially limit hotel development before the planning board has had an opportunity to conduct a review.

Under Rhode Island General Laws 45-24-50 through 53 zoning amendments must be reviewed by the planning board, which is required to provide findings and recommendations to the council, including whether the proposal is consistent with the city's comprehensive plan.

This resolution effectively presumes the outcome for any review has occurred.

The stated goals of this resolution are to preserve neighborhood character and to protect residential housing stock.

The problem with that is that limiting hotel development may actually work against these goals.

The resolution suggests additional hotel development contributes to housing affordability challenges.

However, academic research indicates that increasing hotel accommodations can help reduce pressure on the housing market by directing visitors towards purpose-built lodging rather than residential properties used for vacation or short-term rentals.

I have a copy with that research with me as well, but happy to share with the committee or with the council.

So if protecting residential housing stock is truly the objective, we should recognize that according to the Newport Comprehensive Plan, the city currently has approximately 19% of total units being used as seasonal rentals or vacation homes.

Hotels are built in business zones, specifically intended to accommodate visitors.

Short-term rentals, on the other hand, often remove housing units from the residential market.

The resolution also cites concerns about an overconcentration of tourism related commercial activity.

Leisure and hospitality is the second largest employment sector in Newport, accounting for approximately 16% of all jobs.

And thousands of residents depend on this industry for their livelihoods.

So to say that there's an overconcentration of tourism related commercial activity.

They're heavily reliant on that activity to make ends meet.

Additionally, tourism is a major contributor to the city's finances.

Newport is budgeted more than 7.1 million dollars in hotel occupancy tax revenue and 3.8 million in meals and beverage tax revenue this year alone.

Together, those revenues count for uh more than 8% of the city's total revenue and help fund services that benefit Newport residents every day.

Newport has been a tourism destination since its founding and will continue to be one for generations to come.

Of course, we should strive for a diversified economy, but preventing new investment and development in the hospitality industry will not move Newport forward.

It will discourage investment, limit economic opportunity, and undermine one of the city's greatest strengths.

The city council is a fiduciary duty to protect the economic well-being of the city and its residents, and we strongly encourage you to study the fiscal impacts of a resolution in any resulting city ordinances or direct it or reject it altogether.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Mr.

Chairman, question please.

Council Carlin.

Uh, in your early testimony, or in the early part of your testimony, uh you essentially suggested in N round uh that we were or that by implication, counselor Smythe was attempting to get around the rules that exist now with respect to comprehensive review.

And I would suggest to you that the process, which you uh probably aware of, the process is for a council.

Should a council member wish to change uh land use ordinances, a councillor brings forward a resolution.

The resolution, if adopted uh by the council, is then sent to the city solicitor's office as well as uh our zoning department, our zoning office, with help from uh planning in the case of Newport.

It's the Department of Resilience and Sustainability.

The two offices combined with input from members of the council, specifically the uh resolution's author and any co-sponsors, then work on uh what would be presented language.

The presented language then comes back in the form uh of a resolution by either the same counselor or suggested by the administration, at which point the council then determines to either yes send it to the planning board for review or no, not send it to the planning board for review.

My understanding is since I've been on the council, that's the way that any land use ordinance changes have gone about.

The process has existed the way I just described, which is contrary, I think to what you suggested.

Uh having said that, I will come back later to speak in detail about that process and what I went through.

And if I'm wrong about that, I would like the uh the solicitor or the counselor who's um uh counselor Smythe uh to tell me so because I am not, but homework I have certainly done on this as Yoda would say, pretty clear under Rhode Island law, the process for adopting so considering an adopting zoning amendment.

So, Mr.

Chair.

Uh yeah, um, I just wanted to respond that um you know the resolution clearly includes planning and zoning as part of the process, and as such, this research and looking into our ordinances, which let's be honest, are a bit archaic for how Newport has grown, um, would be done in conjunction with as a partnership with the comprehensive plan.

So the two would be working together.

Um, I'm not asking for something to be done outside of the comp plan process, but this to be done together.

We the purpose of this resolution is not to eradicate our hospitality and tourism industry.

I grew up in Newport.

I grew up in that industry, so I understand the ins and outs of it and how important it is to our local economy.

And the intent is not to attack any of our small businesses, the intent is to provide more of a balance with the quality of life for our residents and our tourism industry.

This basically starts that process of our city administration, all parts of it that is involved in this, to take a look at it and to come back to council with some recommendations as to how we can provide for that balance and to have both our residents and our tourism industry to be able to survive in this city working together.

Thank you.

Mr.

Chair.

You're good.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um I just wanted to thank you.

Um to Councilor Smythe.

I just wanted to address the um comment that this is a tourism destination.

But it is, but that's a piece of who we are as a city.

There are also residents who live here who maybe don't work in tourism or really understand much about the tourism.

So I just want to make sure that while we're lifting up the fact that we're a tourism destination, we're also a home to 24,000 year-round residents.

And I think um we saw earlier a whole eighth grade class that presented to us about their ideas about what certain areas in this community should look like.

And I think that we're not doing our job if we're not taking into consideration everybody that lives on that lives in Newport and not just uh individuals who um believe that tourism is the way, and no one is saying that tourism is bad, that is part of our economy, and it always has been, as the gentleman stated.

Um but there are also other pieces to the puzzle that I think we tend to overlook sometimes.

So I just want to make sure that we are inclusive of everyone in our community.

That's what I'm comfortable.

I know that's it.

Hi, I'm uh Bart Lloyd, I live at uh 16 Justin Street in Newport.

Um thanks for uh really raising the biggest point that I think is here is this just starts the process, and um, I think to be a healthy community, it's healthy for us to take a look at this and have the all of these committees see if we have too much.

You know, we all have this great benefit for a city of 24,000 people, the restaurants we have, the you know, the music that we have, the films, you know.

I mean, we are super rich, you know, in terms of all of that stuff, and a big driver of that is, you know, the couple hundred thousand, you know, daily visitors in the summer that drive that engine.

Um, but sometimes it's too much, you know.

We and it's healthy for us to ask that question.

You know, what at what time do we start having a barbell economy that doesn't have a room for a lot of people because of what it is?

So this doesn't take away any hotel room that we have today.

It doesn't take away any of the those.

It says if we're gonna do new ones, let's take a look at whether or not what's the standards?

What's the lens that we should apply given who we are today?

And you know, it's tremendously important that that is part of the comprehensive plan because it really is, you know.

Let's let's take a big picture look at this and see whether or not this is what we are.

So I I think this is a very healthy thing for us to do until the court.

Thanks.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Emily Conklin, Seven Gwyn Court, Newport.

Uh, thank you, Councillor Smythe, for putting forward this resolution, and thank you to Councilor Pinek for supporting it, and to those of you who have spoken, um, I agree with Bart that nothing is being taken away by this resolution.

Uh, I urge the council to pass this resolution as it's a step forward towards implementing regulations that protect our residents and our ability to maintain homes here.

I've heard many people say that it's too late for this resolution or for zoning changes that would limit hotels.

As we say about planting trees, the best time for this change was 20 years ago, but the second best time is now.

We have plenty of hotels in Newport.

That doesn't mean we have to resign ourselves to being a resort only a resort town, only building hotels over anything else.

Implementing smart, thoughtful zoning changes is the best way to prevent more.

Residents are rightly worried about properties like the lot next to Chomp on Broadway or spaces in the north end.

We can protect our neighborhoods and prevent these locations from becoming hotels instead of housing.

We can't take for granted that the way that Newport is built now is the way that it will stay.

Because of the mishmash of zoning that exists in our city, there are many areas in Newport where property owners can build hotels by right with no input from the city required if they chose to do so.

We don't need more hotels in Newport.

We need more homes that families can afford to live in year-round.

Those with money and power, such as large corporations and developers will always find a way to earn more money and power.

They don't need our help.

The role of our city government is not to enable that process, but to protect our community and our neighbors.

Evaluating our regulations to limit new or converted hotels won't kill tourism in Newport or prevent visitors from enjoying our city.

It will help to ensure families can rent, own, and stay here for good.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Hi, good evening.

Jonathan Ross, 21 Freeboard Street, and the general manager of the Brenton Hotel here in Newport.

I am by no means questioning the need for analysis.

By no means.

Councilwoman Napala, Napolitano, you just mentioned there is limited zoning available for major housing or hotel development.

That point has been established.

The problem I have is the verbiage within this resolution is geared toward development of large hotels where I would actually challenge the council and town to look at where the infrastructure itself is being stressed.

Where is the traffic coming from?

What is preventing you from getting in and out of your neighborhood in a quick, timely, efficient manner?

What is preventing you from getting reservations at your favorite hotel or your favorite restaurant?

I, with certainty, can tell you that those compression issues are not coming from hotels.

Based on existing ordinances, parking is required at any major hotel that is developed in this town.

I can speak on behalf of my guests who come in, park their cars, and take that 67 trolley provided by Discover Newport up and down Bellevue Avenue.

They are not clogging the otteries of the streets.

His best friend lived on Gibbs Street for 12 years.

His senior year in high school, he was forced out of his home and forced to move to Florida because his home was sold and turned into a rental.

Let's look at the problem and make sure that this resolution is written in a way that addresses the true concern as opposed to the conceived concern.

Thank you.

It's me again.

A lot of people have talked about the north end.

I grew up in the fifth ward.

There's a lot of land down there.

Okay.

There's a lot of homes and houses down there.

And I will tell you my uh my parents live down there still, and we don't like visiting each other because of the traffic, right?

Like this town has what two ways to get north and south, right?

It's Bellevue, one way north, one way south, spring, one way what?

North, Thames, South.

That's it.

Like those are the pipes that we have, right?

And I was a little bit concerned when the hotels that were recently approved, I believe, the one on Bellevue and the one on one of the wharves.

I was just thinking, I was just thinking about that, and I was like, okay, so like I'm never gonna see my parents again.

Like, you know, like there's only so many cars that you can fit through those types, right?

And if you're talking about housing and development, there is a lot of opportunity in the south, but no infrastructure to support it, and that infrastructure is dwindling because of the demand that you know, in part hotels, you know, add to our infrastructure.

I just wanted to point that out.

Thank you.

Yeah, I you know, and I can appreciate what you're saying.

I agree with you.

Um I often say, Newport is seven, or excuse me, ten square miles, seven miles is landmass and three underwater.

Go figure.

Go figure, and people want, people have taken these big homes that did have two and three apartments in them.

All of a sudden, it's a single family home.

There is a good number of those that have displaced many families.

Um, I was here when the Navy pulled out, and almost everybody else.

Uh, people lost their jobs, they didn't have contractors, you couldn't get anything fixed, and lo and behold, we recovered from that.

Why did we recover?

Because the Navy placed a different element in Newport.

They had officers for different uh activities, they had the doctors and the the lawyers and everything else, which actually brought up Newport, and people started buying some of these houses here.

It was just ridiculous.

So I really, I even give that that um 10 square miles.

Everybody's talking about, oh, we don't have enough housing.

No, we don't, and young people can't afford the housing we have.

It is so unfortunate, it aggravates me.

But this and and you talk about the hotels, the recent ones that you've heard about.

They've been in litigation bit for years.

They've been in planning and zoning, they've gotten different approvals for years, you know.

And, you know, I understand that.

They've made their investment.

I don't think there is many more places to build any kind of hotel in Newport.

I really don't.

I wouldn't want to see more hotels in Newport.

I think we have enough.

And when people stay at a hotel, their car stays there.

They're not the ones doing the traffic up and down.

They're not, they walk.

Newport is considered a walkable city, and they walk.

And I've met numerous groups and families and stuff, and they tell me that you know they're walking all over Newport.

We don't necessarily have to walk everywhere, but when you have to go someplace and you're stuck in traffic, I can understand you getting aggravated.

I do too.

But uh people sometimes describe America's Cup and say they have to wait at a light for five minutes.

Yes.

Oh, but really.

Lily Dick, um, five Tura Park West.

I would I was not going to speak on this.

I'm here for another reason, which you probably can guess, but I couldn't stand it any longer.

So I commend Counselor Smice for bringing the subject up.

There are many, many people who are concerned about the what's the story of the golden goose that lays the goose that lays a golden egg, and you overdo it, and now no one wants to come anymore.

I know I've screwed that story up, but you get the point.

So, how much is how much?

And counselor Smythe's resolution, while it may not suit everybody, and I think, but I do think that it deserves a close look, and it deserves that the council work together as representatives of as Mrs.

Pinnock said of the residents in Newport, and that's also the businesses, residents and business.

It does behoove you as a group to look at what are we doing with our zoning, our zoning and our own ordinances and our planning board um requirements.

As I know I've told you before, I live on the corner of Pelham and Torah Park West.

There are nine bed and breakfasts or hotels between the same street and my house, which is only one and a half blocks.

To the manager, general manager of the Brenton.

I appreciate the fact that they have parking and thank you.

And they do manage their parking, but those hotels, so-called hotels on Pelham Street, do not have parking, and yet there are nine very hard to have residents, very hard to have affordable housing, and no parking.

So that is a typical example of why new porters are fed up, and not to mention the traffic, it's a nightmare.

And if you could just get together and study the subject comprehensively, I know that a lot of people would appreciate it.

Thank you.

I think great great points made by William.

I'll just point out a couple things.

First, on the issue of traffic, we've studied it.

We have the plan, it's a really good plan with clear steps.

We got to start implementing it, right?

We spend a lot of time on these resolutions that feel really good as we beat our chest on an issue.

We never actually execute on the plans that we have at hand, right?

And so, as I brought up throughout the budget, we've got to be serious about making the investments that that plan calls for if we're going to alleviate traffic.

Second, on this issue of the housing crunch, this is another great example.

We passed resolution after resolution about short-term rentals.

We got the ordinances drafted in front of us.

When the ordinances came forth, this council decided to continue the issue to study it more.

It's the second time those resolutions had come up to put a moratorium on new short-term rentals that would have actually addressed where we are hemorrhaging housing, and we decided not to do it.

And so now we're looking at a resolution that yes will feel good.

And I have to ask a question of our city planner.

Are we not in the comprehensive land use plan process that we're in the middle of right now, looking at the balance of hospitality?

Thank you very much.

I'd also like to thank Councilor Smythe for bringing up this important topic.

Um, as everyone's aware, we are in a really important comprehensive uh updating cycle.

Um we are um at the part where we're starting to make recommendations and in a and different kinds of uh goals and policies that go along with that.

And in the extensive public outreach that we've done to this date, uh we've identified two uh pressing issues that have been consistent through the entire process.

One is the amount of affordable housing that we have and the lack of a different variety of housing, and then the second is the impacts of tourism.

So those are the top two issues that have been coming up consistently consistently.

So I would like to propose we are doing an in-depth study to all of these different things, it's a really interesting process that we're going through.

We have a lot of interesting information.

Um, if this resolution passes, I would propose to take back the resolves to this to the comprehensive planning process immediately.

We have a meeting set up tomorrow, and to introduce these topics and see if they can be incorporated into that as soon as we can.

I would like to ask them, because the gentleman that spoke about the process and how the comprehensive plan relates to zoning is accurate.

We need to have a comprehensive plan that's the vision of a community that supports things in order to make the zoning that goes along with it.

So I'd like to propose that we take these ideas back to the comprehensive planning process, we incorporate um what we can work do moving forward, and that we use that to propose the zoning.

Can I um just add on is um when you do have zoning ordinances in front of you while we start that process?

There's going to be two bodies that need to make a finding about consistency with the comp plan, and that will be the planning board and also the council itself.

So as uh Director Reynolds suggests, we have a comp plan being developed, so they're going to have to look at we have an existing comp plan that's the end of its tenure, and we have one that's going to be probably adopted, uh finalized, uh, approved by the state, beginning of next year, uh early spring, uh, with drafts, with drafts, probably late this fall.

Uh exactly.

Oh, we have a workshop that we're trying to set up now in July, a combined workshop with the city council and the planning board where we're starting to talk about the goals.

We're putting together the drafts, and we're hoping to have that done by the end of the summer, and then um have that before the council by the end of the year.

Um that'll then, if it's approved, it'll go to the state.

Once the state approves it, it becomes um an um approved plan and active uh in a law at that point.

So we're we're in the middle of a process, right?

Right in the middle.

That we are spending an exceptional amount of money and staff time to do.

Time and effort.

It is an intentional process, right?

That marries both the antidotal experiences of our community with the data.

Those two things provide the rational basis we need for zoning reform that stands up on the court of law.

That's important for whatever it is that we decide to do because there are big money interests that will fight things that are not in their best interest that they don't want.

And so I appreciate the intent of the resolution because I share the sentiments here, but I care more about the end impact being something that is going to hold up in the long term.

We're in the middle of a process that is designed to give us that rational basis to make these decisions so they stand up when they're ultimately challenged.

And I think that it's important that we stand behind that and realize that the real challenge here, the tough vote that's gonna have to get made by this council is not on a statement of intent, it is on the resolutions that ultimately come in front of us in the form of ordinances, ordinances that have the weight of law.

That's where the rubber hits the road.

And this council has a track record, unfortunately, of doing the politically popular thing, and then when it comes down to the ordinances backing away, I think we should be following the process here that we're in the middle of with a comprehensive land use plan, get through it with the data that we need to make a good decision, and then have the goal to actually stand behind those decisions when they move into ordinance.

And so I appreciate the intent here.

I agree with the intent here, but I care more about the ultimate impact from a resident perspective being something that is impactful, being something that withstands the test of time.

And so that's where I stand on this right now.

Mr.

Chairman, can we let I'm gonna have Beth just come up because she's been three or four times?

He's getting a little bit quiet, of course.

Um I wanna I want to reference something that uh councillor Smythe said.

The word that stands out is balance.

Another word that stands out to me is livability.

And I'm not familiar with the ins and outs of your resolution.

I I think I heard what Sai said, but I think you need to put something forward that says we are out of balance, we are becoming unlivable, um, and just as a member of the school committee, I can talk about workforce development.

We have an advisory that we're working with many people from industry and higher ed, and um we're focusing on two things that are in demand, their health care.

We need a lot of middle allied health care tech.

Um, we need we need children to know that they can get a real job, a year-round job, not retail, not hospitality, a real job.

Also, the blue economy that goes everywhere from aquaculture to the PhDs working on submarines at Newick.

Newick has a 1.8 billion dollar economic impact on our community.

I don't hear the council talking about those things very often.

Hospitality seems to be the only thing, and in the last comp plan, which I was involved with, that was that was the economic development section, was hospitality.

And I want to say shame, shameful, because we have all of these other industries around us, cybersecurity.

Kids are coming out of Rogers and getting an associate's degree at C CCRI, and they're they're making real money.

These are in-demand jobs.

Now I'm gonna qualify this, and I'm gonna tell you how old I am.

The summer of 1983, I was just out of college, I was a manager at the Clark Cook House, and I lived it.

I saw it, yes.

But there was balance.

Now I've seen it just completely go out of whack.

Completely.

Airbnbs, hotels, whatever you want to say, is out of control.

And I really hope that this council starts talking about other forms of economic development so we can have a live a livable and balanced community.

Thanks.

So having said that, it's always been my uh understanding that though we asked the planning board for a opinion, an opinion about whether a resolution or amendments that your office, Mr.

Bian and the zoning office might bring to the council regarding changes to audit or uh ordinances, it's always been my opinion or understanding that the planning board can offer its opinion on those proposed changes, but it's not the planning board that matters, it's it's the council with or without the planning board saying that the proposed ordinances uh are or fall in line with the intent of the comprehensive plan.

It is the council who ultimately makes that decision.

Council Comzavarabang had a point regarding will it hold up in court.

But first, am I right about what I just said?

And secondly, how much weight does the court put on uh whether the planning board says that a proposed ordinance does not comply with the comprehensive plan.

Well, it if the court had to address an analysis of that, since the zoning enabling act requires the planning board to review these and provide recommendations, and if you did have a finding by the planning board that it was not in compliance with the comprehensive plan, then I would suggest the council should do a very good job of making its findings showing that it was consistent with the comprehensive plan.

And um the planning board is built for that type of thing.

They almost and they deal with the uh comp plan on almost every single meeting.

Uh same thing with the zoning boards, these boards uh they deal with the comp plan uh a lot more than the the council does, um at least in terms of land use.

I'm sorry, the council, there's a lot of other chapters of the uh the comp plan, but uh the planning board definitely I think it would carry weight, but can the council reject that?

Sure they can, but you need to have a good, I mean I think you should be uh thorough in terms of why you're doing that.

Mr.

Chair.

How much how much would does state law though play into what we can and can't do here?

I'm not sure what you in terms of.

Well, zoning laws, the state zoning law.

Like how I mean, is it all about our ordinances or is it about you know what the state dictates about zoning?

Well, no, that that's just the state requirements for a zoning amendment.

They still allow a great deal of authority and discretion at the local level to adopt um uh zoning ordinances that are consistent with the policies of of zoning, which are outlined in the zoning enabling act, but those are policy, the broad general policy statements.

So there's still a broad range of discretion and authority at the local level, but it has to adhere to the the comp plan.

The comp plan is kind of the the master plan for uh all of this.

Thank you.

Mr.

Chair?

Council.

Um, I can appreciate what council has said and the concerns.

I can appreciate Councilor Coms of Boravang's concerns that um, you know, we don't want to interrupt the trajectory of the comp plan's work that is being conducted right now however each counselor on this dais represents the public and council speaks through resolutions so how else are we supposed to communicate information that the public sends to us with their concerns if it isn't through a resolution this resolution is supposed to complement the work that the comprehensive plan is undergoing right now and it is speaking on behalf of the residents that have reached out that they have these concerns to make sure that these topics are front and center with what is being researched and drafted on the comprehensive plan.

That is what this resolution represents.

Mr.

Chair I can appreciate that I really do um but I think that we need to have a larger discussion about tourism in Newport the benefits the the the um pitfalls everything in order to for people to really understand what tourism is doing to help with their tax base to help with the infrastructure to help with the cleanliness of the bay to help with jobs to help with building jobs with all kinds of so you know there's there's a lot more of a discussion that has to happen here I believe rather than just saying well we don't want any more hotels we need we need to have an in-depth conversation with a with panelists who really understand this topic and it's something that I've been pushing for for quite some time now and it will happen within the comprehensive land use plan.

So I'm not comfortable just saying this is this seems to me to be and I'm sorry to say this but this seems to be more of a political document to me and I I think that the work is being done and as I know the work is being done and and uh it will come before the council and we will decide how we want to handle it.

But right now this is a little too soon.

Mr.

Chair Council Smith I just want to clarify this is not a a politicizing anything a political document this is in response to feedback from the community that they just want us to help them provide more balance that's it.

Mr.

Chairman thank you yeah do you want to are you gonna be long or could we have her go first yeah I could I know an hour and 10 minutes schedule I mean I I wrote it all down.

No of course I'm gonna yield to the young lady I'll keep it short and sweet um my name is Kayleigh Messler I live at 19 themes.

I've been a Quidnick Island resident my whole life I have lived in Newport for about four years now in a rental property.

I'm here really to speak um based on this resolution and just things I've been hearing in the neighborhood from whether it's friends coworkers neighbors um family members who have lived here their entire lives and seen what the impact of these big developments have caused their own livelihoods and I've started at age 29 to see it within my own life and my friends as they have to move to different towns different locations in order to afford working in Newport even in the hospitality business.

So there are people who have to move to different locations because of this cost of living rising which I know is happening everywhere um but I do want to acknowledge that this resolution is not as far as I'm aware it doesn't seem that it's trying to change anything in this exact moment, but it's more addressing the future concern and like um we've been saying the residents who you're supposed to represent our concerns and hearing our voices when you are making these different plans um I want to really quickly reference the land discrepancy, the comprehensive land program.

I noticed that there was a big highlight in this about making sure that our economic our economy is diversified um and when I saw that not only these hotels were popping up everywhere, many of them owned by big corporations or corporate interests that are not residents or related to this area, it was quite concerning.

And I noticed a lot of complaining different places, but not much being done about it.

So I decided regrettably too late to start a petition just to raise awareness on the fact that now not only our traffic is being obviously impacted, but also our historical areas and our environmental concerns.

So I created a petition calling for a pause or at least an acknowledgement on the construction at Bellevue due to the trees being removed, which I know is very tree hugger, but I know that's also something that really resonates with the residents of this town if you guys are unaware of that.

And in just nine days, it has collected 558 signatures, including 495 Rhode Island residents and just under 400 Newport residents.

It has been viewed over 6,600 times, and it's caused a lot of conversation on apps like Nextdoor, just amongst our community members.

I had actually sent an email asking some questions just to see as it's our right to ask for public documentation of these processes.

And like I said, regrettably, I was not involved sooner in this.

Um I've spoken to oppose further large scale development and just feel that their concerns haven't been adequately represented by the council or the town in general.

Um so I'm just here to speak on that, and I also do have some documents and other pieces of evidence, and I know I'm not a council member, but community concerns that I've been told in comments that are publicly on this petition, advocating that they have seen this happening for years and tried to speak with people, but nothing has been done as we see most of the resolutions and ordinances that you guys are that have been implemented, more focused towards like corporate or outside interests rather than residents.

And on a quick aside, um I was not planning on saying this.

I do agree that of course the hotels, a lot of them have parking like Bellevue, or I'm not Bellevue, um, the man who spoke earlier at Penn Brendan.

Um, but I also do know that even though Newport is a walkable city, a lot of the people who come here are here to go to the beaches, which means that they need to drive from Newport downtown to Middletown or to first beach, even to Easton's, which does impact traffic flow, at least from my experience.

I'm not speaking on data.

Um I do just want to say thank you for your time, and I hope that this can be a part of the conversation, including residents as opposed to just the corporate interests that we've seen again and again kind of being the priority of the investments and everything in our town.

Thank you, I believe that the uh there will be opportunities through the comprehensive land use plan for all kinds of uh for many different opinions, correct?

Is that true?

Yes.

Anyone raise your hand if anyone wants to come up so we can some more.

Okay.

Hi, I'm Valley Codman of 38 Howard Street, and I just wanted to touch base on a couple of things.

Um, I know we pointed out the um Brenton Hotel and the parking and stuff available there, which is great and fantastic, it's much needed, but we need more parking in this city.

Um we need to save the parking for our residents, preserve parking, and somehow the new parking resident sticker program is not as clear cut as it should be, and there is a lot of um residential parking that is being taken up by out of state license plates, out of state guests, tourists, um and that's a big problem.

We also have an issue with noise that we have from some of these short term rentals, and as well as the tourist community.

So there's quite a few things.

On the tourism and the hospitality industry, retail and hospitality are the two lowest paid industries in Newport.

So we're promoting in an economic development plan, the lowest paid industries that do not help the residents in the city to gain an access wealth.

So why are we promoting something that's not actually wealth oriented for the residents in our city?

It's the two lowest paid retail and hospitality.

So in the big scheme of the economic development, these are the focuses, but we really need to think about the residents.

And then we also looking at the Discover Newport resident sentiment survey, which I'm sure you guys have all seen.

When there's 89% of the survey respondents feel that we are over tourism, we are promoting something that is affecting their quality of life.

So we really need to take that into consideration.

89%.

We have 24,000 residents in our city.

This is a problem, we need to address that.

So these are just some things that I think we really need to focus on.

And I thank you, Councillor Schmyth for bringing this forward, and Councillor Pinnick for supporting it.

Um and I hope that each of you will look at this because you all are here and you have a legacy.

There's so many books on the Newport history.

We're preserving a city, we have a preservation society, preservation and development are polar opposites.

So we really need to rethink that.

Who do we want to be in this world?

So it's really important that we look at what the city is about, preservation and how we can do better for our residents.

So thank you all for your attention to this.

Hi.

Lola Herrera, 59 Bethel.

Um many years ago, I talked with some of you that you were still here, and I thought I say that Newport has a stool with only two legs.

And if we uh what I want to say is that we only depend on only a few uh the tourists is the first leg, and if you don't put another leg, Newport can be like Bar Harbor.

Bar Harbor in Maine is a ghost city in uh in uh in winter because I mean we only depend on that.

I mean, there are other things that we have to incentivate that is also balance, that's it's also sustainability in a city, and right now we don't have that.

We don't have that.

Um you only have to observe how are these meetings.

Half of the time that you are talking are giving license permits for venues and everything.

We are not talking about the citizens and the problems of the citizens.

We are talking about people that have sobs that are coming.

I mean, I'm not against that.

I mean, um I know that it's important and it's part of our economy, but they need to be a balance.

And the other part that I want to say is the comprehensive plan.

If that is our guiding document, don't you think that at some point the citizens of this city that we are living here are going to go against the council and say we are going to sue the council because at some point we are going to realize that nothing is following our guiding documents, and the council is taking those kind of um decisions like uh the consular say only one by one, you know.

It's like okay, resolution by resolution, or things like that.

So we have to guide us by our documents, the documents that we uh the plans and the things that we are doing for the city.

So I applied this resolution, and I think we have to get the balance, and I think many people is asking for this because all the things that are happening, you know, the hotels, country's, the hotels.

I mean, it's it's a really simplified way of saying, you know, I'm I don't have uh discourse, so I have to talk in this way.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Olivia Nagel at 553 Bellevue.

I wanted to say before I read this, that when I first came here in the 80s, my uncle walked me, Harold Sands, down the harbor.

And you could see the water everywhere.

There were no buildings that blocked your view.

It was an open city.

And that's gone.

So, when Waitsworth was happening, I went door to door and talked to people in the area.

Across three blocks.

Nobody except for one family, nobody wanted Waits Wharf.

They're terrified of the traffic, they're terrified of the construction, and they don't think it adds anything to their life.

It's only going to take things away.

They're already overwhelmed with the drunks, with the smell of food, with the loss of their parking.

If they leave their street to do any errand, they come back and their space is gone.

So this is an ongoing problem.

I, after Waits Wharf, I met with Trish.

I learned a lot about the ordinances, and the bottom line is very simple.

The zoning law developed that we currently have says that developers are allowed to build hotels by right in almost every business zone in our city, and nothing currently in the law can stop the hotels from being built once an application is submitted.

So between now and the time that the current comprehensive plan finally gets completed, and that's if it says the things we want it to say as citizens, what is the word are we talking?

Nine months a year, and in that time, somebody could buy up several houses, knock them down, or connect them all, and there's another hotel.

You see in Spain, Venice, Los Angeles, New York, they just said no more.

Spain, it went to the Supreme Court.

10,000 Airbnbs have to be out of business by 2028.

I've met with several of you counselors, as has Laurie Love and some other people.

We don't want this anymore.

It's the goose, you know, you're killing the goose that laid the golden egg.

So we do need balance.

I wish this resolution said right now that you could ban hotels in all business zones, limited and otherwise.

But it doesn't say that.

We know from experience, we know from experience that writing letters and showing up doesn't change votes.

Hiring a lawyer at great expense, as they did for Waits Wharf, the community didn't do anything because it's all by right.

So the community can jump up and down, but it doesn't matter.

You have to change the zoning law.

Thank you very much.

It feels good to stand.

Um, hi, Victoria Semino 49A Palmer Street, and also the president and CEO of Discover Newport, and the granddaughter of a restaurant owner.

So I would argue that hospitality jobs are in fact real jobs.

I've made a career out of it.

Um I'm here simply to encourage the council to ensure that any conversation regarding a potential prohibition or limitation on future hotel development is informed by data and a full understanding of the hospitality industry's contribution to the city of Newport.

Newport hotels contribute millions of dollars annually in property taxes, helping fund municipal services while reducing the tax burden carried by residents.

I respectfully encourage the council to evaluate the economic, fiscal, and community impacts of any proposed restrictions before establishing policies that could have long-term implications for Newport's economy and tax base.

And as far as the resident sentiment study is concerned, Discover Newport intentionally went about conducting that study because we want to hear from the residents.

We want to incorporate that work into our strategic plan, and we have 25% of our strategic plan for the next two years is dedicated to championing the value of tourism and more effectively communicating how tourism benefits the community.

So thank you for your time and consideration.

You've been up twice already.

So I gotta that I gotta we gotta get we have a council that still have to one quick question.

I'm just curious if I I looked this up before, I'm not sure if it's still current.

How much of the hotel tax does this cover new fort receive?

Is it 50%?

No, how much?

45% of 45% of 5% of the total.

Okay.

Got it.

All right.

No.

No, that's incorrect.

That's no.

That's stop yelling from the audience, please.

So Rice.

Mr.

Rice, you want to come on?

It's a pleasure being here on open mic night.

So I thought I'd lend my uh usual two cents.

It wouldn't be open mic night without you, though.

So I have a solution.

Toll the roads.

If you're gonna have all these people come into town, get something from them.

People do that.

You have an we have a neat example.

Oh, the Turnpike and Bridgethor.

Maybe we should join up.

Talk to them.

I don't understand how we can we can charge money for parking cars on our cement, but we don't charge for driving cars on cement, and the roads show it.

Uh the place is degrading.

We got too many cars, well, total, and it should be relatively painless.

Administrative exercise with uh easy pass uh thing, wouldn't be hard at all.

That's thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Royce.

Council Carl.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman, and thank you everyone for uh your input.

Um, one of the comments that was made is uh that uh the transient guest facilities were taking away house housing stock or potential housing stock uh and could take away housing stock in the future.

I agree with that completely.

Another comment that was made by councillor Smythe was we need to listen uh to what folks want.

So let me be as brief as I can and close with this.

I had a very comprehensive, very comprehensive ordinance change or a second reading placed before the council on March 3rd of this year to do much of what council Smythe is asking in this resolution.

We had no less, no less than nine public hearings.

We might have had 11 public hearings going as far back as 2023 when the proposal was first brought forward by a former council member or by a former counselor, which I supported.

It did not get to the point where an ordinance was approved on the first reading.

So it could not get to the potential for a vote on the second reading.

Mine passed not only the resolution process, but the first reading of the proposed ordinances, which were brought forth to the council after five and a half months of review by the city solicitor's office and by the zoning board's office or by the zoning office.

We then had the first vote was four to three on the first reading of the ordinance changes.

The second vote on March 3rd was a vote by a five to two margin.

Counselor Kamza Varavang and I oppose the motion by a five to two vote when we were on the finish line, on the finish line of getting these things done.

The vote was to kick it to a study commission up at the State House.

That's what they do.

They call it move for further study.

It kills effectively what you're trying to do.

So why can't we have a study commission on yours tonight, Councillor Smythe?

When you're asking for a resolution to be approved here, but you wouldn't support mine on the second reading.

You reverse your vote on the second reading of my ordinance changes after near a dozen, possibly public hearings.

We were right at the finish line.

You said no.

So I think I'm gonna do exactly what you did, and I'm gonna oppose this.

I'd be happy to send it to a study commission.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Right.

Um I mean, it would be I'd be remiss if I didn't have my two cents.

So as the only counselor up here that's in the hospitality industry and have been my whole life.

Um I will say this.

I was very surprised that I didn't I wasn't reached out to for my opinion on on something of of this magnitude.

Um while I don't necessarily disagree with with the goal of what you're stating, um, you know, hotels mentioned I believe eight times in this resolution.

So to say this is not directed at at hotels and large large uh large building hotels is is crazy.

And anytime you want to put a moratorium or a ban on anything, I'm against it.

We put a ban on the uh moratorium on the north end, and we're still sitting at a uh an ISOR of the Newport Grand Property.

Back in the 90s, mid-90s uh through mid-2000s, it was decided to put a ban on party houses, quote unquote party houses downtown.

So all those apartments that people rented that worked in the city.

Granted, a lot of most of them were summer rentals, but they worked in Newport.

They spent money in Newport, but it was too loud for some people.

So what happened?

They got banned.

Now what happens?

They're short-term rentals, they're Airbnbs now, because those property owners are taking uh are gonna say, Hey, I need to make money on the on these property.

And now that happened to be the Airbnb thing came in, and now we'll now look where we're at.

You know, everyone wants like, hey, I remember Newport when I was when I was a little bit younger, it was so much fun.

We had all this stuff.

We had the Newport Yachting Center.

It was awesome.

Concerts, comedy shows, charter festival.

What happened there?

You had a you had a condo owner that lived next door that kept complaining about the noise.

Nine o'clock on a on a Thursday night in the summertime.

The bands were too loud, the music was too loud, the people were too loud.

So what happened?

They sold the property.

Now you have a hotel there.

It's a great hotel, it's beautiful, great restaurant, great views open to the public.

It's awesome.

But we keep wanting like we keep we have people that put their foot down that want to change things that want to ban things.

It doesn't always work out the way you think it's gonna.

Sometimes it says it's gonna limit.

No, this is a straight out ban, just like the short-term rental ordinance was.

Yeah, I I agree with this.

Ban them all, no more hotels.

Fine with me.

Less competition.

You know, but I don't I don't think in a knee-jerk reaction way.

You know, I don't get to I don't get emotionally involved.

You gotta be smart, you gotta think these things through.

And by passing this the way it is reads right now is not is not what we're doing.

I I completely get the public.

I I understand the frustration.

I live it.

I live on Spring Street, I know what the traffic's like.

I work downtown, I've been doing it for for my entire life.

I know what we deal with, I know what the housing issues are.

But this is not the way that's gonna correct that because if we ban any more like new hotels, which like Council Napolitano said, there's not many left, there's not much property to build them on.

There's gonna be more short-term rental houses, regardless if they're legal or not.

Let's be real.

There's over 900 properties that you can see find on Airbnb that you can rent.

There's 370 that are registered.

So to think that this is gonna be a fix that's everything's gonna be magic, there's gonna be housing for everyone is crazy.

We have to do more work, we have to do more research on on finding the right ways to go.

And I agree that we need we need more diverse economic drivers.

But you know what?

Right now, Newport is a hospitality city, and that's what drives Newport.

That doesn't mean we can't find other things to do.

That's why we hope we're trying to get the naval property.

We're trying to we're trying to use uh find some property north end.

You know, we've allowed Iris to expand their campus.

Those are good things.

We can do more of that too.

You know, I'm not saying you know, we need we have to have more hotels, but I'm saying we cannot ban them in this measure.

It's not the smart thing to do for the city.

You know, and I've heard the ghost city.

Uh it was mentioned Bar Harbor, Maine.

Yeah, they might be dead in the winter time.

Newport's not.

Newport is busy almost 12 months a year now.

Whether that whether you like it or not, I remember the days when I enjoyed the time off, to be honest with you.

Now it's not like that.

You know, uh Bicky from Discovery Newport, correct me if I'm wrong.

The average room rate in Newport in December was right around $500 a night.

That used to be uh that used to be the goal to get in the summertime.

So that's that's real money that comes into the city, real money, and uh the jobs that the the hospitality industry puts in uh by hourly rate, yeah, there's some low-paying jobs, but after you get gratuity and tips and and all that, those are very high paying jobs.

You can come and ask any of the workers down there.

So, um, Mr.

Sheriff.

Council Smythe.

I'll finish.

Just want to to say a few final words.

Um first, I didn't consult you on this because I spent decades working in hospitality, including working for you for a number of years.

I was one of the best employees you had.

So that is that is why I didn't reach out to you because of my own decades' worth of experience in the business.

Um, this resolution does not outright ask for a ban, it asks for our city administration to look into what the impact of that would be.

So I just want to clarify that.

Um, as to counselor Carlin's statement, the reason why I switched my vote back in March was based upon the feedback of the residents.

That is why I am in this seat to represent the residents.

So I didn't switch my vote as any way of slighting you or what you were trying to do.

I did it based upon the feedback that I was receiving from the residents.

If you took offense to that, my apologies, although I do have to say, I think it's a little childish, this tit for tat thing, but I respect how you want to move forward with your vote on this.

Thank you.

Good councilman.

I'll just with regards of making public policy.

Well, I appreciate the importance of reflecting resident feedback.

Our job is not to be a weather vein for popular sentiment runs.

Our job is to combine what people are asking us to do with what the data tells us, and we had data, specific data that told us that short-term rentals are costing us housing.

We spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on studies to know that we are losing 25 to 50 units a year on housing to short-term rentals.

And so when that comes forth before us and we have the data, and we have you know months over actually multiple years, Carl's point of community engagement on this.

We have to at some point take a stand to actually pull through to fruition what it is that people are looking for, and if housing is what we care about, and we have data that tells us how to address the issue.

Sometimes you have to make an unpopular decision in the moment if we know what it is to do what is right to make things better for people.

And so I think that at baseline is part of what Councillor Carlin's frustration is.

It is not to say that this is not necessarily a solution forward, but a resolution that just reflects what popular sentiment is without following it through with voting, the tough decisions on ordinances when they aren't popular is what we are up here to do.

And doing things on a rational basis that reflect that intersection of both data and what residents are trying to get at is part of the hard job that we are up to doing up here.

And so I would encourage my colleagues to think about that with the decisions that we're making.

I'm gonna call this to a vote.

All right, all those in favor of the resolution, please raise your right hand.

You've already came up.

We've been on this for over an hour.

Okay.

Point of order, we're in the middle of a vote here.

It is most appropriate to finish the vote.

Thank you.

Uh against raise your right hand.

Five two again.

Thank you.

Next, um resolution requesting the city administration to develop a tree preservation landscaping ordinance.

Counselor Smith.

I will read the resolves on this.

Uh resolved that the Newport City Council hereby requests and directs the city administration in consultation with the planning department, department of public services, tree and open space commission, and the city solicitor's office to draft and present to the city council a proposed tree preservation and landscaping ordinance, and be it further resolved that the proposed ordinance should consider but not be limited to the following components: protections for significant mature and historic trees located on public property, and where legally appropriate private property, tree replacement requirements associated with development, redevelopment, or removal activities, minimum landscaping and tree planting standards for new developments, parking lots, public right-of-ways, and municipal projects, incentives and strategies to increase overall tree canopy coverage citywide, standards for maintenance, pruning, and removal of trees to ensure public safety and long-term tree health, coordination with climate resiliency, stormwater management and sustainability goals, recommendations regarding enforcement mechanisms, permitting requirements, penalties, and administrative oversight, consideration of native and climate resilient tree species suitable for Newport's coastal environment, opportunities for public engagement, education, and partnerships related to urban forestry initiatives, and be it further resolved that the city administration shall present the draft ordinance and any related recommendations to the city council within a reasonable time frame for review, public discussion, and potential adoption.

Do I have a second?

Motion and second, any discussion?

Um, Mr.

Chair, can I just ask a question?

Um, we have ordinances concerning landscaping and trees and tree uh replacements and what what is it that we're looking for that's different from what we already have?

Can somebody just explain that to me?

Go ahead.

Yeah, thank you, Mark.

Maureen Cronin, 10 Harvard Street.

Um, the difference, Councilor Seglia in this instance is that we actually don't have landscape ordinances.

We have ordinances for the tree commission, trade open space commission, we have ordinances about things, activities, and actions, but we don't have anything that protects our green infrastructure that creates something that is highly important tool to the city.

I can tell you right now that there's some uh non-scientific research out there that will tell you that most cities throughout the United States, about 70% have some type of landscape ordinance, and those are things that protect and manage the local environment, stormwater mitigation, they regulate the greenery, cities and they can balance commercial development and community health.

They are really super important because they provide environmental resiliency, they provide aesthetics, privacy, their biodiversity is brought into a community if you have a healthy green, and we don't have anything that protects any of that.

In fact, unfortunately, a lot of people tonight have spoken of balance.

The one thing that we get a lot of is it's just a tree, it's just a this, it's just a green swale, it's just that we'll just take care of that and let it go.

And the worst thing we can do is let that happen.

Because at the end of the day, um, I thought I found it was interesting, uh, Councillor Scams Florida, when you brought up the point that we have all these wonderful studies that we do that are based in science and are based in fact, and we have them, but we're not implementing them.

I don't need to go any further than the canopy report.

Everybody here had somebody in that department, the utilities, public service, the tree and open space commission, a Quindic Island Land Trust.

We spent a year and a half, almost two years meeting with granted money with a professional leading us through it, where we did research on the ground, and we measured temperatures on the sidewalk down on Thame Street, and we measured the carbon the carbon output that we were getting, and we collated all that information, and it showed us that we're in a danger zone, but okay, it's just trees, it's just this, and it's almost it's it's it's it's a behavioral change number one that needs to happen in our community, but it also is something that um personally I'll share my personal opinion about what's frightening about not having a landscape ordinance.

Um, this to me is a tipping point, and the tipping point is we all know is the exact moment when a series of small gradual changes build up and cause a sudden significant and often unstoppable shift in a system.

Once that threshold is crossed, the process becomes irreversible and dramatic transformation takes place.

Now I believe that with our green infrastructure that without giving it the protection it needs, the support it needs, not treating it as a secondary or tertiary kind of uh element that we have that it's always gonna be here.

It's not always gonna be here.

There's gonna be a day if we're not taking care of it, they're gonna wake up and we're gonna say, what happened?

And all we're gonna need to do is look in the mirror.

We didn't stand up enough for it, we didn't give it the time it needed, and we didn't understand and revere the importance that the earth plays the same way the sea does in our island community to keep us healthy.

Public health will tell you healthier communities have a huge, huge green infrastructure.

The land, the people, they're more profitable, they're happier, kids have less illnesses, mental health issues are down, cardiac issues are down, these are facts.

And we're ignoring it because it's just trees, it's just infrastructure, that's all it is.

Well, I challenge anybody to say they can live like that without that, and have a healthy, profitable and fulfilling life.

So Mr.

Thank you.

Can I just ask Maureen a question?

I feel a little strongly about it.

No, no, no, no.

Yeah, I just have a question.

Um, are you looking for a landscaping ordinance for just city property or something on private property as well?

I don't ever like to go in.

Well, I won't I won't speak definite hypothetical.

Um, I don't think we should ever go into anything like this with preconceived notions that it's only going to be public or it's only going to be private.

But I can tell you in answer to your question right now.

I know of at least one property, and I know of another one before that most recently they took trees down that were city trees because they were building their um McMansion, and they promised that they would put them back, but they took trees down to build a home that was not necessary.

There was city trees with a promise that they would fulfill.

I go by one of them all the time.

I'm not seeing a promise there where those city trees came down, and um so eventually it would be behoove us as a community to include landscaping ordinances and permeable surfaces on private property, because the runoff that we get when somebody moves in and decides to just take an entire permeable surface and pave it over, the guy next door is the guy that's paying the price for that, or the people down the street are the one paying the price for it.

So it's not them, it's the people that are gonna get the runoff, and it's not healthy, and it's not good for our city, and it's not good for our residents.

Mr.

Chair, I I completely agree with you, and I think this is a very good thing.

I um I think the thing that has always been on my mind about this, you know, we do have an ordinance that says if a tree is taken down on city property, you have to replace this the tree.

I'm right, but what I would like to see in an ordinance is to do a two to one rather than just a one-to-one.

Yeah, and and we that would be our goal, but it's taken us this long, with the help of counselor snipe, to get to the point that we can actually please say we had a recent episode here in town where it was pointed out very clearly that unless we got a landscape ordinance, we were going to possibly run into more problems like that, more feelings of disenfranchised by people that live here, more feel more inability to control what we have and what we're growing and what we don't have.

So that's we're happy.

Our goal would actually be the public and private.

Yes.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Council.

Uh Maureen, thank you very, very much.

You're absolutely 100% right uh regarding permeable property, if you will, and the need to secure uh what in the past has been taken largely for granted in the city, but because of some of the ordinances that exist, lead now, particularly on Franklin, John.

Well, particularly in the historic hill, which I for the most part represent.

Uh and I have had a number of constituents who are long-term residents of the hill who have said look, you know, my neighbor is and we welcome everybody, but my my neighbor, for example, has moved in from New York or California and is here uh twice a month, maybe a week in the summertime, and what he or she has done to the property because it is allowed, is to take what formerly was a non-permeable surface, allowing for much better treatment via rainwater systems via anything that relates to the overall topic, and turned it into what is effectively now causing many floods throughout the hill.

Exactly.

I commend you, I commend Councillor Smythe.

It's an excellent ordinance, and I would be happy to work with you and my colleagues on my uh constituents, my friends from Historic Hill to develop a very strong ordinance which would require by the process of zoning, previously planning if need be, zoning, and certainly to get any type of building permit within the city of Newport to put much, much stricter requirements on the type of conditions that I circumstances that I just mentioned.

Thank you, Maureen.

Thank you.

That would be an amazing goal to get to.

Council cancel balso.

Uh yeah, I had it.

It's not a question for you.

I talked to you too much.

Um I had a number of uh questions about this, and I read it through thoroughly.

And then I called Maureen, and uh she shared a lot with me in regard to this.

I also talked to um our tree warden, who really felt a lot of times he was in a position where he didn't want to make the decision, but there's no ordinance in effect that he could rely on.

So I think this is important, but the best part about it is at the very end, opportunities for public engagement, education, partnerships related to urban forestry initiatives, and I I thoroughly agree that we should have an ordinance uh on landscape and entries.

That would be amazing.

Thank you.

You ready to vote?

Yeah, all in favor, raise your right hand.

Any opposed?

Uh next um is a resolution opposing legislation to reinstate the sale of flavored electronic nicotine.

Would you like to withdraw this yourself, Miss Smythe?

Uh yes, I'd like to withdraw it given that uh it wasn't in the state budget.

So, motion and second, any discussion.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Okay, motion uh okay.

Next is establishing a housing commission, councilor Smythe.

Okay, resolve that the city council of Newport hereby establishes the Newport Housing Commission to serve as an advisory body to the city council and city administration, tasked with addressing housing issues and providing recommendations related to housing policies and initiatives with a particular focus on increasing opportunities for middle income families to purchase homes, improving long-term rental availability, and tracking short-term and seasonal rentals, and be it further resolved that the commission will assess the barriers preventing middle income families from purchasing homes in Newport, including the impact of short-term rentals on the local housing market, review current housing policies, proposed proposed zoning changes recommended by consultants previously engaged by the city, and development opportunities, identified by said consultants, and recommend an implementation plan for strategies that would increase the amount of affordable rental properties for middle income residents and make home ownership more attainable for middle income residents, review existing state and federal housing programs and resources for middle income housing, and recommend how those programs could be made suitable for Newport's middle income residents, explore options such as down payment assistance, portable mortgage programs, municipal tax strategies, and zoning adjustments to facilitate home ownership for middle income families, encourage public-private partnerships to support initiatives that help middle income families secure homes and improve long-term rental options, and be it further resolved that the council shall cons the commission shall consist of seven members to serve staggered terms of two or three years, and the commission shall include a housing policy expert with experience in middle income housing and rental market dynamics, a representative from the Newport Housing Authority, a real estate professional, or a person with substantial knowledge of the local real estate market, two to four community members with experience in housing challenges, particularly middle income families and renters, and be it further resolved that the commission will have council planning and zoning liaisons.

Do I have a second?

Second.

I motion a second.

Uh any discussion.

I do have one quick question.

Councilor Smythe, uh that last resolve, the commission will have council planning and zoning liaisons.

Is that planning and zoning boards or is that department liaisons?

Um department, planning department and zoning department, yes.

Any discussion?

Council Balzano.

How would how would this commission facilitate say middle income?

Because that's a real problem in Newport.

I mean, I guess, you know, we had planning, we had the comprehensive plan and all of that.

But you're actually talking about setting up a commission.

And I'm just wondering how would they facilitate any other commission that we have in the city?

Um, I felt as a housing commission is important.

We have commissions for for just about everything else, but our most important issue of housing, which a couple of resolutions ago, council really worked on driving that home.

That housing is an issue.

Um, you know, we've had a lot of studies also to Councilor Comsy Voravan's point a few resolutions ago.

We have had a lot of studies, but not a lot has happened to really um thoroughly, I don't want to say analyze, but but to really dig deep into those studies to see how they can be applied to create a better environment in our city.

Now, whether that is through ordinance changes, um, you know, a number a number of areas, but but this commission would primarily focus on the middle income is is is what is drastically dwindling in our city.

So they would be charged with looking at that and providing you know some recommendations as to how we can address that.

I think this is great.

Love to move the question when we're ready.

Um anybody, yeah.

I mean, my only question with this is uh what are they gonna do?

What are they gonna do?

We've had we've had the planning board, we've had comp plan, like that was mentioned.

We've had we've had the planning um department had a uh brought in uh a company that studied this two years ago or so, and really not much ends up coming of it because we know what the issues are.

The issues are the affordability of of the properties, and but even when we as a council try to or the planning board, you know, we try to put in a some sort of housing issue.

Uh, say Coxhill School for instance, Broadway, for instance.

It's the we still get a lot of pushback from residents.

So it's like everyone says they want housing, but then they don't want housing in their neighborhoods a lot of the time, so it's it's very it's frustrating from my perspective when you know we try to find I I would you know love to have more middle income housing if we could do it, but it's just you know, without being able to control cost of the properties is uh there's really not much a commission's gonna be able to do except tell us what we already know, right?

Mr.

Chair, Council Pennett, thank you.

Um a commission can do a lot more than that, actually.

Um, there are more issues than just affordability.

If you start to look at things like the cliff effect, like there's a lot that goes into whether or not people or family can afford to live in a place, and I like the idea of having some of those people as part of the commissions because regardless of how hard we try, not all stories are going to be told, and there's a huge gap in some of the information that we are receiving, just based on who's collecting it and how and where.

So I think that this resolution will afford an opportunity for us to maybe gather information that we might think we know, but we don't because it's a different lived experience than ours.

So, you know, with that being said, I think this is a great commission.

We already had some people who reached out and asked if they could be part of it, and it's just hitting the docket tonight, so um, you know, Mr.

Chair.

I would like uh commission to look at um the impact of uh what used to be multifamily homes and being turned into uh single family homes, these humongous homes are like 4,000 square feet.

They used to house, you know, have four or five apartments in them.

There's there's many, many, many examples of this throughout the city, and I would like to see perhaps maybe a commission look at an impact fee for every um for every unit lost.

Perhaps um we could put that into some sort of a housing fund.

I don't know.

I mean, it's something that I think that it would be worthwhile for uh a commission like this to look into.

That's what this commission would do.

Also, Mr.

Sherry, I think it's a worthy point to bring up just how limited commissions can be sometimes, but I'd point to the bike and pedestrian commission is a good example of where it can sometimes work.

Um, there are a lot of great members in that commission.

Um Terra's Ambarada is a good example, right?

She's read that transportation plan inside and out, I think, about for Tara's advocacy on sidewalks specifically that we might not have included the increase in funding that we did.

And so the commissions can play a helpful role in helping to advocate, and I thought that was just one good example to point out on how this could work.

But to your good point, a good report's been done, maybe pulling some of those pieces out and actually advocating for passage is impactful.

One last question, um, and this is just a housekeeping thing.

So, seven members it's asking for um we have the housing policy expert representative from Newport Housing, real estate professional, uh, and then two to four community members.

So, if we only had two community members, that would leave us with five.

So we're about to have extra on the other ones or well, this is just sort of a a framework of the qualifications that people being on this commission could have.

Just to provide um stakeholders from all parts of the process.

Yeah, but if we had but it would be all right if we had two people from Newport Housing Authority, for instance.

Right.

Right.

Yeah.

Make sure that was clear.

That's all.

Right, all right.

Uh we'll take a vote.

Uh, all is in favor, please raise your right hand.

All is opposed.

Next, uh requesting the oh, uh let's see, requesting the installation of traffic calming measures on Maple Avenue, Councilor Pinnock.

Thank you.

Um I'm just gonna read the results, but I just want to preface this by saying like it's traffic on Maple Avenue and really all around that area from Admiral Caliphus to Connellton, it's just um becoming worse.

Um, and it was about two weeks ago, one of our residents who lives on Maple was exiting Hillside onto Maple on his bike and got hit by a van because people just fly up and down that street all hours of the night.

And the police department is doing as much as it possibly can with monitoring, and you know, Chief Duffy's been really good with trying to send extra units, but there's only so much that um law enforcement can do, and I think that we need to move toward some additional um traffic common measures.

So um resolve that the Newport City Council request that the administration conduct a review any necessary traffic analysis and prioritize the implementation of traffic calming measures on Maple Avenue to improve public safety and reduce excessive vehicle speeds, and be it further that such measures may include what are not limited to speed humps, raised crosswalks, enhanced pedestrian warning signage, paved markings, speed feedback signs, curb extensions, narrow travel lanes, or other proven trauma traffic calming strategies deemed appropriate by the city staff.

And be it further that the administration and the Newport Police Department are requested to evaluate the feasibility, legality, and appropriateness of implementing a semi-automated speed enforcement program on Maple Avenue or in its vicinity, and to provide recommendations to the city council regarding whether such program could effectively reduce speeding and improve pedestrian safety, and be it further resolved that the administration provide the city council with recommendations, a proposed implementation timeline, and any associated funding requirements for the installation of traffic calming measures and any speed enforcement recommendations, and be it further resolved that the Newport City Council reaffirms its commitment to protecting children, families, seniors, and all residents by creating safe neighborhood streets throughout the city of Newport.

And ask for a second.

Second.

We have a motion, a second, any discussion.

Mr.

Chair, um, have do we have to coordinate with Middletown because some of Maple Avenue is in Middletown?

Not if not if anything we do is on our side of Maple Avenue.

Uh we do not have to.

So we can we can go up to the line but not over.

Do you think that they would want to?

I mean they have residents there too.

It depends on the location.

So if we're talking about the eastern side of uh of Maple, uh, probably would be a good idea to reach out to them just our concern.

Western end, uh I would argue not.

Okay, thank you.

Right.

Uh discussion.

Okay, all is in favor say aye.

Aye.

Next, uh requesting to relocate a stop sign at the intersection of Sergeant Wheederman Street and Hillside Avenue, Councillor Pinock.

Thank you.

So this one does need to be amended because I did find out that there was a study done already, and the engineers have determined that that stop sign, it's a weird intersection.

If you're going down hillside, Sergeant, you have to go past Sergeant Wheederman before you get the stop sign as people are entering an exit in Sergeant Wheederman.

Um, and it's just it's a difficult area to navigate.

So, Council Penn, sorry to interrupt, but just um make the motion.

And then I can amend it.

Thank you.

Thanks, Charlie.

I just wanted to make a motion to amend this.

Um, I motion a second.

Okay, thanks.

All right, so since the study was already done, and the engineers have determined that that stop sign is actually in the right location.

What I'm asking um is for the city administration to add additional warning signage at the intersection of Sergeant Wheederman um and Hillside Avenue.

So resolve that the Newport City Council requests that the administration add additional warning signage at the intersection of Sergeant Wheederman Drive and Hillside Avenue.

Um that's it.

Oh, in accordance with accepted traffic safety standards, and be it further resolved um that the city council finds that any that adding additional signage is a reasonable and necessary measure to improve safety for residents and motorists using both Sergeant Wheederman Drive and Hillside Avenue.

That's for a second.

Second, so we have a motion and a second, uh and then we have an amendment on the resolution.

So uh all in favor of the of amending the resolution to to take out relocate to adding uh additional warning signage um of the stop sign at the intersection of Sergeant Wheederman Drive and Hillside Avenue.

Uh all is in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Aye so it and then uh all in favor of the resolution as amended, say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed.

Next uh is my uh resolution for the Newport Tree Conservancy.

Whereas the Preservation Society of Newport County has agreed to provide the city of Newport with a contract I'm I'm going to amend this to say restricted funds, but let me get through it.

Um restricted fund uh contribution in the amount of 100,000 dollars, and whereas the preservation society of Newport County has requested that $30,000 of the contribution be allocated to the Newport Tree Conservancy to assist with the treatment and preservation of the city's vulnerable beach trees uh with the remaining funds available for allocation by the city, and whereas the Newport Tree Conservancy is a valued partner of the city of Newport and contributes approximately 100,000 annually toward planting, watering, maintaining, enhancing the city's urban landscape.

And whereas the preservation and expansion of Newport's tree canopy provide significant environmental, public health, aesthetic, and quality of life benefits to residents and visitors alike, and whereas the Newport City Council recognizes the importance of supporting the new the tree conservancy's ongoing efforts to protect and strengthen the city's landscape.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Newport City Council appropriates an additional thirty thousand dollars to the Newport Tree Conservancy to support its work caring, uh caring for the city's urban uh canopy, and resolved that the Newport City Council expresses its appreciation to the preservation society of Newport County for its partnership through this restricted fund contribution, and be it further resolved that this appropriation reflect the city's commitment to maintaining enhancing Newport's tree canopy and recognizes the contributions made by the tree conservancy in partnership with the city of Newport to preserve plant and maintain trees for the benefit of residents and visitors alike.

Um I move approval.

I motion a second, any discussion, Mr.

Chair.

I I could I just I just want to make um I I don't want to um omit the word a pilot meaning payment in loot of taxes and I want to um change that to restricted fund in the two in two places so I motion a second any discussion, Mr.

Chairman Council Crawling.

So essentially, what what's this all about?

The preservation society is giving us first of all, when did this come about?

I haven't heard anything about this despite the fact that every just about every society property is in the third ward.

I haven't heard anything and maybe the administration didn't hear anything about it either, but what what's going on here?

What I've got in other words, we're getting 100 grand uh from the preservation society just as a donation because it's certainly not in any separate item in the state budget from a pilot perspective.

This this happens like within the budget season.

So it was it kind of after the budget, and I found out about this through um Natasha Harrison and Teresa.

We had a meeting and found out that the preservation society wants to be able to preserve the beach trees that are suffering from a disease and that they need to be cared for.

Um, on top, so on top of that, um I well Charlie and I, Councillor Um Mayor Colder and I had a meeting with um Natasha, and we talked about the contribution to the city as to all of the effort that they put into the tree canopy and preserving it and trying to uh increase it.

So it was my idea to say let's match the thirty thousand dollars or the preservation society's money and um and have the tree conservancy uh work on the on the tree canopy, and then that would leave another $40,000 for to go into like I don't know, it could be for something else that the preservation society would like to do or recommend, or could be something for the city to say that they need.

So again, I'm not understanding this.

Why what do we need to be a part of this for and certainly beyond the budget process, which was already passed last week?

Why doesn't the city why doesn't the Newport Preservation Society simply uh make a $30,000 contribution to uh and what is it that they're listed as are they a 501c3 organization or are they?

So just make the contribution of them.

What do you need the city to get involved for?

And well, because so they're gonna cut the city a check for 70 grand.

No, they've just gonna give us a check.

They gave us a check for 100,000 dollars, 30 of which is requested to go to the tree conservancy from that's what that that is their that's what's their deal is, okay?

And their agreement is, and I'm saying here we're having this big discussion about trees and tree canopy and resilience and everything.

You know, let's put our money where our mouth is, and thanks to the preservation society, we can do that by matching the 30,000.

So the total that will be expended is 130,000.

No, it's a hundred.

If your resolution doesn't say that, what do you talk about with the match?

What do you mean by the match?

The preservation society wants to see thirty thousand dollars of that money to go to saving the beach trees.

I'm saying the preservation Society's money can also be used for another thirty thousand dollars that would go to the tree conservancy to help with the overall canopy and purchase of trees and watering and all of the labor that goes into it.

There is be another 40,000 dollars.

Now, I'm not sure what's gonna happen with that money.

I don't it could just go into the budget.

We could ask the preservation society if there's something else that they would like to do with it.

I don't know, but this is this is what I was told, and so I thought it was a good use of that money to um put our money where our mouth is.

Once again, why does the preservation society not simply donate the money to the tree conservancy?

I don't know, you'd have to ask them.

So if they want to give us a hundred grand, let's use the hundred grand for things that we need.

We talked about earlier a potential $750,000 purchase of solar.

Uh, you know, not that there's anything at all wrong with repairing beach trees, but uh the preservation society has the means to give the $30,000 to the tree conservancy on their own if they like.

They can give us $100,000.

We'll gladly take the $100,000, but I think there are other priorities for the city if the preservation society is giving us $100,000.

Well, quite I don't understand why they don't make this donation directly.

Is there anybody from the Preservation Society here?

Um, administration has there been any discussions or anything in writing that the preservation society is actually giving us this money, and where it where it's earmarked for.

Yes, this was a donation with donor restrictions, uh $30,000 for uh the uh uh tree rest, you know, the tree can't uh beach trees.

Thank you for the beach trees, ash trees, elm trees, uh trees of that nature in within the city.

The other $70,000 was more generally uh assigned to uh general landscaping needs in the city.

So that's the it's a 3070 breakup uh where the restrictions placed on the donation by the donor.

I mean, if we want to have a larger discussion about the preservation society and what it has contributed to the city of Newport, uh the state of Rhode Island, thankfully, through the governor's budget and what was just passed by the House and Senate, have fully funded pilot payment in lieu of taxes at 27%.

Uh so the state is picking up a large percentage, if not all of the percentage absent the 100,000 that I just found about uh or just found out about uh with regard to what the preservation society uh for lack of a better phrase and other properties for lack of a better phrase causes the city uh with regard to state laws that exist that do not allow us to collect property taxes on their uh on their various properties.

Uh so I mean to speak, but Lily.

This is a very, very confusing, and I'm I mean not at all pleased with with not having known anything about this until uh it came on the council agenda.

I I just I'm very puzzled as to why they couldn't simply cut a check to the uh tree conservancy and then give us the 70 grand and say, hey, uh use it for landscaping.

Uh some something's I'm not suggesting anything's fishy here, but well, I'm uh yeah, I just like to say this docket has this has been in the docket for a week.

So I'm not sure this didn't just come out.

I'd also like to say that uh many years ago, uh preservation society contributed 50,000, and that went on for a number of years.

I'm not sure why it stopped or uh COVID, yeah.

Uh things got very tight, but here they're offering, and they also have designated, you know, something they want to protect, which a lot of people are interested in the beach trees in Rhode Island and particularly in Newport, and and to use the money for um protecting grounds and things.

I don't see anything, I'd say thank you.

You know, I don't see anything wrong with this since when do you have an organization give you a hundred thousand and just say, oh, wait a minute, let's see, what am I gonna spend this on?

I think this is a good way to um showcase, particularly not only the preservation society, but the grounds surrounding Bellevue Avenue.

I think it's beautiful.

Lily, do you want to talk about this?

It's beautiful.

Well, uh Lily Dick Five Turo Park West.

I can't represent the Preservation Society, and I can't represent the tree conservancy, so I'm sure Councillor Carlin is wondering why I'm even getting up.

Not at all.

But you know, you know uh that I have been involved with the tree conservancy for many years, and I do know that as counselor Napolitano said, the preservation society has for years and years and years donated $50,000 that went to the planning department.

Right for the help in planning whatever the city needed.

Um we all know how important planning is.

So that was wonderful, and due to COVID, they had to stop.

So they are they have now upped their donation to uh considerably doubled it to a hundred thousand dollars.

I think it is a remarkable generous increase of of another fifty thousand dollars.

We know that, and the preservation society particularly knows how important the way Newport looks to tourism, and we all need tourism, we all need hotels, um, and we all need balance and we need trees and we need grass and et cetera, et cetera.

So I won't belabel the point.

The tree conservancy pays for all of the trees that are put in the ground, all the public trees, they pay for the watering of the trees.

They have purchased a truck, we have a 250 gallon um tank on the back of it.

Thankfully, we can fill it that truck with the water from city.

But in any case, they also pay for the count this tree conservancy pays for all the injections of the ash borer, the protecting the beach trees and so on and so forth.

So I think, and I can't speak for the preservation society, that they're just trying to focus part of their donation where they know it will make a difference to tourism in Newport.

So I hope that you feel uh um representative or councilman Carlin that it is a good thing.

And the city, the s the conservation, I mean the tree conservancy.

I'm sorry, it's late, and you know how late it is.

I'm gonna stop, but the tree conservancy works so closely with the city.

We work with Scott and we work with um the the planning board, so I mean the um planning department.

So this is just uh I think a win-win.

I really would hope that you would accept the money and say thank you.

Uh Mr.

Chairman, Council Carlin.

Lily, uh I'm gonna vote for this because of you.

Uh and I don't know any other way to put it, but I'm gonna have a lot of questions for the preservation society afterward.

Thank you.

Uh, question for the administration.

So we should just be considering this as a one-time opportunity or offer because I don't want to assume this is gonna happen every year and uh tree conservative is gonna get sixty thousand dollars from the city every year.

So I yes, I that's how it should be frame.

Okay.

There's no such thing as maintenance of effort in in tree restoration.

Um, uh yes, this is a one-time 30.

It's the end of the fiscal year.

Uh we have a small but but present surplus.

Uh uh of course, you know that we use uh a great deal of that uh at the end of the last meeting uh to assist Newport public schools with their fiscal 26 deficit, but there's a little left, and we have the ability to do this.

Thank you.

All right.

Uh ready for vote.

Did we vote on the amendment?

Yeah.

Um, all in favor of the um amending the res uh resolution to take out uh payment in lieu of taxes to restricted fund, say aye.

Aye, any opposed.

All right, motion to approve as amended.

Second, all is in favor say aye.

Council McCall on Council Carlin.

Question.

Um, and I wouldn't ask this, but for uh Manager Kennedy mentioning we have enough money to do exercising, et cetera, etc.

So we're take we're taking our own money out.

So it is $130,000 then.

No, no.

Uh let me break it down for you.

$100,000 was the donation.

Yes, correct that.

Yeah, this is a $30,000 one-time appropriation.

Um, and then there was there was some other money towards the tree conservancy that was part of the budget already passed, but today and today only is $30,000 straight up.

So $100,000 comes from the preservation society.

Of that $100,000, $30,000 is going to be tree care.

In addition to that, the city will authorize tonight an additional $30,000 to the Newport Tree Conservancy.

Out of the preservation society budget.

No, it's not, so it's not the city money.

It's not city money.

So it's not, I mean, council, we have we seem to have a different.

Oh, wait a minute, okay.

That's that's news to me.

I'm sorry.

Uh so counselor where just to clarify, where do you envision the 30,000 coming from?

From the preservation society's donation.

Oh, okay.

I thought we I must I must have misunderstood you when we cleared this up.

So you essentially you're reaffirming the donation that's already been given.

Yes, I'm I'm saying thirty thousand dollars is what they want to put toward beach trees, and I'm saying let's match that $30,000 with the preservation society money to help with the the tree canopy.

So it's all preservation money, it's all preservation money.

Mr.

Chair, I don't know what to do.

Counselor Smith, does everyone have a calculator?

I think the confusion is within the first resolve because it says that the Newport City Council appropriates an additional thirty thousand.

I I think maybe amending that in some way to state that that 30,000 is coming from the 100k the preservation.

The donation had restrictions.

So unless we go back to the donor and ask them to amend their own restrictions, I don't think it would be prudent for us to be declaring that their restrictions are invalid.

Uh the restrictions were 30,000 for tree conservancy and 70,000 for general landscaping.

I don't want to get in legal trouble.

I I mean it to me it seems very clear.

30,000 preservation society money just for beach trees, 30,000 from the preservation society for tree canopy.

I don't know why why this is difficult.

That was just clear as mud.

I mean it's clear to me.

I think I get it.

Are you basically saying since the last is not any taxpayer money?

This is all preservation society money.

Got that.

Okay, uh, so essentially you're saying that that's 70k for general landscaping, since it's general and ambiguous, we are going to, we are going to take 30 of that 70 and say that general landscaping money is now going to go towards the tree conservancy.

Yes.

I understand.

Thank you.

So then once again, thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Once again, uh the question that I asked earlier, I'm getting a different answer to now.

Uh I asked if it's $60,000, and I was told no.

But now, based on what you described, it should be simple arithmetic.

We took this in the third grade.

What it should say is we're giving $60,000 of this $100,000 donation, for which we are very grateful to the tree conservancy.

It should not be as tangled as uh tarantula's web.

I think we don't understand Mr.

Chair.

You can't just say $60,000 is going over.

Well, we can, except for the fact that the preservation society has requested that $30,000 go toward just the beach trees.

So I wanted to delineate the fact that what they wanted and what we can appropriate from appropriate from their own contribution.

So that's why I separated it because I wanted the preservation society to understand that we are going to make sure that the tree conservancy gets $30,000 just to treat beech trees.

I mean, all right, please vote.

Calls to a vote.

All those in favor, uh raise your right hand.

Any opposed?

All said.

Next, uh requesting funding support for the public sculpture commission.

Count Mr.

Holder.

Uh yeah.

So the resolve that the city council authorizes the administration to help Newport Public Sculpture Committee seek a legislative grant and contribute two thousand five hundred dollars to those efforts.

Second motion of second, any discussion.

Mr.

Chairman, Council Carlin.

I want to thank the uh the new chair uh of the commission.

Uh and I'm gonna thank others who are here to speak on other resolutions, but you've been patient.

And I know that uh Rico had to leave uh a few minutes ago.

He was extremely patient as well.

Apologize for the length of the meeting.

We've found a very, very long agenda.

Um these things happen sometimes.

I'm glad to support this.

Paul, would you mind just giving uh a little background of the what the grant is for?

Well, I think uh our our one of our main remits is the public public mission, is to basically oversee the condition of the sculptures that were that are under our pure are in our purview.

Uh they are all on city property, um, and there are 11 of them.

And as a first step, we really need to take a professional evaluation of each sculpture, each monument, each memorial, uh, as to their condition, and that will give us an idea of the kind of triage we will have to do, what will need the most urgent care, what we've been put off a little bit, and what we can basically not worry about too much.

And in order to make that decision, we have to have a study done by people who know what they're doing.

And uh, so that we have uh we uh uh we interviewed several companies, and we came up with the uh the company we came up with was very qualified, plus they were uh reasonable, comparatively reasonable.

They're called conserve conserve art LLC, and they're from Connecticut.

Um the total cost of the preliminary uh survey will be about ninety-five hundred dollars.

We have a uh potential grant from the state for a certain amount of money, and we're going to various other sources to try to make up the difference.

So, but twenty-five hundred dollars from you guys would be a great start.

So that's basically what we're here for.

Thanks, Paul.

Uh any questions from the council?

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Resolution very much.

Resolution supporting the nomination of census track for designation as federal opportunity zone 2.0 program shareholder.

So go down to read the just the final resolve on this.

That the city clerk is hereby directed to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the governor of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Executive Office of Commerce and such other parties as may be appropriate, and that the city manager is authorized to make the resolved recommendations to the executive office of commerce on the city's behalf.

May I get a second motion of second?

Any discussion?

Uh Manager Kennedy, would you want to just uh kind of explain and give a little background on the opportunity zones?

Absolutely.

And I also want to thank Councillor Napolitano.

She and I had a discussion about this uh because she helped with the establishment of the first opportunity zone back in 2017 when version 1.0 of the program was instituted uh by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Treasury, and this is uh the second iteration uh and it's a targeted federal tax incentive uh for certain economically disadvantaged census tracts.

Um that are there's an eligibility matrix that's that's predetermined by the federal government issued to the states in Rhode Island.

There's 55 eligible districts, and we uh we by we I mean the state is allowed to ultimately select 25 of those.

Uh so this is a resolution by the council to uh to nominate Newport's two eligible districts to participate in this program, um, and I think it'll it's really good.

It's going to be geared towards assisting um housing, creating jobs, expanding opportunities, stimulating economic development in some of our underprivileged areas of the north end.

So I appreciate the council's support of this, and I look forward to sending it uh to the executive Office of commerce uh for their consideration.

And is there a timeline on this?

Uh yes, June 24th is my deadline to submit the recommendations.

Then I will attach a copy of the resolution to it.

If it passes, Ms.

Rice.

So I'm curious.

So where the uh census tracks were.

Is anybody who's one on the map?

One is the uh naval hospital property, and one is the uh copyright property of the Newport Grand sits.

Yeah, one is almost exclusively all naval property.

Yeah.

With it is actually good.

That's a good question.

Right now, it is entirely federal property.

However, it will not, you know, assuming we're able to ultimately have the naval hospital parcel conveyed to us, that would immediately become part of uh one of these uh census tracks and provide potential developers and uh uh blue economy, health care, IT, uh the types of urban village businesses that we want there would immediately provide them with some some federal tax incentives to to uh encourage their uh their relocation here.

Okay, I I wasn't sure there was there was method in the madness of designating the federal thank you, thank you welcome.

Any uh questions from the council?

All right.

Uh all in favor say aye.

Aye, any posed?

I seven.

A resolution supporting the rededication of Memorial Boulevard in honor of the veterans of Newport.

Mr.

Carlin.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman, Madam Vice Chair.

Uh thank Mr.

Chairman.

Uh, I will not read the resolves as they are four of them as there are four of them, uh, but I think it's fairly self-explanatory.

What I'm asking the council to do is to support the efforts uh to rededicate, as was just mentioned, memorial boulevard, uh, in honor uh of our veterans, uh, and for that purpose, which I am not an expert.

I would like to ask uh the commander of BFW Post 406 here in Newport, Commander and some Richards and Selm Richards, uh, to give an explanation with my thanks, gentlemen.

Uh, not only uh for your waiting here for many many hours, uh, but for your service.

We're coming off the anniversary of D-Day, uh June 6, 1944, and we're coming off of the Memorial Day celebration, which is not really a celebration, but celebration because we do celebrate and pay tribute to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to the country.

And that's frankly, in my opinion, what this is all about tonight.

But it again, you're the expert, and I appreciate all the work you've done on it.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Just want to make the motion so we can get it seconded and open it up.

Uh yes, I asked for second, I move the motion.

Motion and second.

Mr.

Chairman, uh, city council, thank you.

And thank you for uh allowing us to be here this evening.

So uh quickly, forgive me for reading, but in the essence of time, I will read this uh and it'll move right along.

So the purpose VFW post 406 Newport's only the FW posts respectfully requests a city council resolution of support for the installation of informational and commemorative signs along Memorial Boulevard to both educate residents and visitors about Memorial Boulevard's historical significance and the Newport Veterans it honors quickly.

Historical background is provided by the Newport Historical Society Burt Lippincott.

In 1932, Newport City Alderman proposed honoring Newport's World War I casualties who are not mentioned in the Monetomini Tower or elsewhere in the city.

Seven memorial sites were selected through Newport, including the Bath Road Islands, one of which we rededicated this past spring being Murphy Field, these memorial sites were formerly dedicated on November 9th, 1932.

In 1946, Bath Road was renamed Memorial Boulevard to commemorate Newport's five World War One casualties and all Newport residents who served during World War II.

Newport veterans honored on a memorial boulevard.

So there are currently five existing black uh pressure treated signs that you may be familiar with in the center median of Memorial Boulevard, the Bath Island.

The existing black memorial markers recognize five Newport veterans who had lost their lives during World War One.

Those veterans are Mars Slup, that's Freebody Street, Joseph Sylvia, Middleton Ave, Christos Papalastopolos, Red Cross Av, Frederick Mayer, Rhode Island Avenue, and W.

Clark Barrett Gibbs Avenue.

Proposed sign locations.

The project proposes installation of interpretive signs.

Think of the signs you see in front of the mansions in front of the Elps, Toro Park.

One at the north corner of Bellevue Avenue and Memorial Boulevard.

And the others at Memorial Boulevard and Eustace Avenue Crosswalk, vicinity of the sign that says Cliff Walk.

I.e.

get people as they're heading to the cliffwalk and have people see the signs when they're at Bellevue and Memorial.

Project support and funding.

VFW post 406 has secured a $4,000 state grant to support this project as put forward by representatives Abney and Carson.

Newport Public Service Department has indicated support for this project.

And we met with the Newport Tree and Open Space Commission with Scott Wheeler in April of 23rd.

Right out requirements.

Because Memorial Boulevard is under Rideau jurisdiction, state approval will be required for any permanent installation within the median or roadway setback areas.

Ride dot's primary concern is the appropriate setback from the roadway and the use of breakaway sign structures to minimize hazards to motorists.

Ride dot has indicated that evidence of community and municipal support will be important before initiating a formal review process.

That's why we're here this evening to get the City of Newport's support for this project.

Sign design and safety.

Newport's existing informational signs are manufactured, as I said, by durable outdoor signs and frames and panier graphics.

Panier graphic signs utilize breakaway construction.

That is the firm from which we've received bids.

So again, similar to what you've already seen in front of the mansions and or Turo Park.

Requested council action, VFW Post 406 respectfully requests that Newport City Council adopt a resolution of support for the Memorial Boulevard Veterans Tribute Project, demonstrating community backing and enabling the project to advance through the RIDOT U process.

The goal is of this initiative will create a lasting tribute that preserves Newport's history, honors the sacrifice and service of veterans, and educates future generations of Newporters and visitors of the significance of Newport Memorial Boulevard.

If all goes according to plan, the anticipated dedication would be Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11th, 2026.

Thank you very much for your consideration of this project.

Mr.

Chair.

So the world the veterans I mentioned, the five are World War I veterans, but the purpose of Memorial Boulevard as mentioned is World War I and World War II.

The signs will speak to the history of the boulevard, so that it's painfully clear that we have five names that are mentioned who are World War I veterans, but World War II is why Memorial Boulevard was created, as it said.

The thought behind all this goes back a few years.

If we were to ask the general population, Memorial Boulevard, what memorial why Memorial?

Why Murphy Field?

Who's Murphy in a town like Newport?

Who's Murphy, right?

Why Memorial Boulevard?

They may not know.

And as time goes on, almost a hundred years since this project was undertaken originally.

Well, what's another 75 years gonna want to bring?

So that's the thought behind this.

Is a lasting tribute.

No, I think that's wonderful.

I I do.

Um I had a great uncle who passed who died in 1944 in France.

And I kind of would hope that his name would be out there.

So thank you.

And I just mentioned that the World War II uh that died in World War II is at a memorial at City Hall here.

So all the names, and there's a lot.

It's a lot.

And we can do many things with QR codes.

We are in the process now of engaging a signed designer, a graphic designer, what the representation should look like, fit on the panel.

The panels are about the size of this podium.

So there could be a very well be a QR code that would speak to.

That would be wonderful.

Yeah.

Include the names on both the tower, the names on the plaque uh outside this building.

Uh thank you.

So how much money is the preservation society giving to that 60,000 hours?

Thank you very much.

Uh and so gentlemen, the ladies and gentlemen of uh you have three army officers.

We're professional.

It's not a problem.

The uh the folks at uh at the post, you all uh have been tremendous.

I get to know many of you from Murphy Field, and I think my colleagues this post, these men and women have credibility with this city council.

You all know that having uh participated in uh in mid-November with the rededication of Murphy Field.

Um cutting aside all the nonsense and we're at the end of the night, all the the joking and the serious stuff.

I uh I really I salute you three.

I can't salute you because I don't serve.

I haven't served, but I salute you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All those in favor say aye.

Next, there is a resolution to condemn the removal of the trees.

Council Carl.

Uh thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you.

Uh Madam Vice Chair.

I will read the resolve on on this.

Uh resolved that the Newport City Council hereby condemns the decision made by the city administration to support the request of a private entity to have several trees which were planted by the city and exist on city land cut down and removed against the wishes of many city res many city residents and contrary to the spirit, if not actual intent, of the tree and open space master plan language.

I think it's fairly self-explanatory.

Make a motion.

Uh, sorry, I make a motion.

Is there a second?

Second.

Got a motion, a second, any discussion.

Where are these trees?

They're cut down.

The city cut them down.

Oh.

They're on Jones Street on city property.

A private entity came to the city and asked for permission to remove the city's trees.

They should not have been removed.

And by way of supporting this resolution, we are in effect denouncing that city decision.

Mr.

Chair.

Council Smith.

Um, as much as I was against the removal of the trees, I I did work with the tree and open space commission on this.

Um our tree warden did have a public hearing and explained why the trees had to come down.

Um, I'm not in favor of condemning city administration for following along what our ordinances basically tied the hands of our tree warden from being able to properly fight the removals of these trees.

Um again, I I don't uh approve of any trees coming down, but these trees are also going to be replaced.

And so I I think that that the biggest part that we can we can help in this situation is to ensure that these trees will be replaced, and in some cases, um they're gonna be doubled.

So there will be more trees that will be put into place.

Once again, I I don't agree with how this process came about and the trees being removed again.

I think that it is up to council and administration to look at our ordinances.

They are not as up to date as they should be with the state of our city.

Uh, but because of that, I am going to vote against this resolution.

If only we had a tree landscaping ordinance, uh, that would help so much.

But uh uh Council Smith, I I agree wholeheartedly with your your reasoning, and uh I feel the same way.

I say uh the same.

And um, you know, those trees were not healthy either, and they will provide for once the property is developed that the their their removal is in order to um help with drainage.

So there will be five more five trees to replace and then six additional ones.

So you're uh other comment.

All right.

All is in favor of this resolution, please raise your right hand.

All is opposed.

Motion to adjourn as council and convene as board of licensed commissioners.

Yeah, we're not done yet.

Oh, I think it's good.

All's in favor say I motion to motion to approve the consent calendar in its entirety.

Second.

Motion second, all is in favor say aye.

I move to adjourn.

Motion to adjourn.

That's my job, Mr.

Carlin.

Motion second, all in favor, say aye.

Take that away from me.

I did not know.