Why is Infrastructure & Environment important for a livable Newport?
Clean air and water are basic to good health everywhere. However, for Newport, many of the key reasons people are attracted to visit and live here relate to our environment: clean water, air quality and adequate infrastructure for all the wonderful outdoor recreational activities and historic treasures Newport has to offer.
June 15, 2010
What Will Newport's Waterfront Look Like in 2030? Newport Harbor Walk Design Charrette
On Saturday May 15th, URI’s Coastal Resources Center’s, RI Sea Grant Program (in association with Newport’s Friends of the Waterfront) hosted a design workshop at the Edward King House in Newport.
The purpose of this workshop was to build upon previous accomplishments of Newport’s Friends of the Waterfront, which has a public access and signage program underway, and to assist the City of Newport and other stakeholders in the identification of opportunities and barriers to creating a seamless public waterfront access system along Newport Harbor.
The goal of the workshop was to solicit design ideas from the community, artists and other design professionals for the design and development of strategies for improving the visibility and legibility of the Newport Harbor Walk and to produce conceptual design solutions that the various city stakeholders can then use to develop an implementation and action program to raise funds for more detailed design and construction.
A follow up presentation of the ideas and design work produced at this workshop was held on Thursday May 20th at the Newport Public Library in order to show the design ideas to the community and to solicit further feed-back.
The design forum focused on two design objectives:
Creating a continuous harbor walk that links all waterfront parcels and allows public access both laterally and along the shore.
Honoring the working waterfront, maintain its relevance, and preserve its identity.
Teams of designers. architects and artists presented visualizations of different ideas which would help fulfil these objectives.
Haven’t walked the walk yet? The Friends of the Waterfront will be conducting Harbor Walk tours the 3rd Saturday of each month, departing from Mary Ferrazzoli Park at 10:00am at the corner of Washington St. and Long Wharf.
A primary mission of the Alliance For a Livable Newport (ALN) is to inform Newport residents of significant quality of life issues in our community. In March, 2010 ALN sponsored a public forum at CCRI on the Hess Corp. proposal to build a liquefied natural gas facility at Weaver’s Cove connected by underwater pipe to a loading platform in Mt. Hope Bay. Upon careful study of the issue, the ALN Board has voted to oppose this commercial venture as being detrimental to the quality of life in Newport and nearby communities. The Board took this position after a thorough study of information provided both by proponents and opponents of the venture. A complete discussion of this issue may be found in ALN's Position Paper on Weaver's Cove LNG Proposal.
April 20, 2010
Dana Titcomb, Our New Historic Preservation Planner
In response to the persuasive influence of some of the city’s more significant preservationists – it became evident that there was a need for a full-time professional liaison between the City Council and the community. Consequently, Dana Titcomb, has been hired to serve as the new historic preservation planner.
Seated high above all the clamor and debate attendant upon some of the more controversial aspects of Ordinance fine-tuning, Dana’s office on the 3rd floor of City Hall is a veritable haven of quiet and order. And like her office, Dana is a calm, competent and very committed young woman.
Born into the seventh generation of a Wilton, CT, family, Dana’s predilection for matters historical is endemic to her New England roots. (Her 91 year-old grandmother is still quite capable of “setting the record straight” when it comes to discerning between architectural styles and periods in that part of her world.)
Fortified by a goodly heritage, Dana extended her preservation instincts across the state line to attend Roger Williams University where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Historic Preservation. From there, she traveled south to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree in Historic Preservation from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Then, back to the northeast for a period of time with Historic New England, working to preserve and maintain some ten of that organization’s properties, including four in Rhode Island. And now, she is pleased to return full time to the Ocean State where she has already found ways to share her many gifts and talents with the residents of Newport.
Recent efforts by the Historic District Ordinance Review Task Force, in conjunction with the Planning Board, to define and refine recommended changes to the Historical District Ordinance continue, as Dana develops her unique modus operandi, working with them as well as in compliance with the current Ordinance. She indicated that in order to “fine press” ordinance details, additional interaction will ensue between city staff (i.e., city solicitors; her supervisor, Paige Bronk – Director of Planning, Zoning, and Inspection; Dana) and John Shehan, chairman of the Historic District Commission and the seven members of the HDOR Task Force, chaired by Mark Horan.
Meanwhile, Dana emphasizes the need to simplify the education process for home-owners while at the same time guarding the integrity of the current Ordinance – even as it is being reviewed. Accordingly, she has initiated “new home-owner packets” addressing both the privileges and the responsibilities of purchasing property in an Historic District. (Considering the fact that more than 50% of all buildings in Newport fall under Historic District ordinances, this is no small project!)
She has also undertaken the task of over-hauling the web site to include everything from documents on window repair to tax credits to applications to links to the National Park Service to zoning plat maps. It was interesting, too, to learn that Newport’s Historic District Commission, founded in 1965, predates the national one by exactly one year.
Expressing both pleasure in her work and gratitude for the support she has been given during her first four months “in office”, Dana acknowledges some challenges as well. She would like to alter the image of the HDC by creating greater accessibility while maintaining a vital respect for good stewardship of our properties: “We must remember that we are merely a glimmer of the life of a house”. In reflecting upon the larger aspect of Newport as a city which is at once dependent to a large extent upon tourism, and yet transcends that reality – “my life is not your vacation” – she observes the need to gracefully integrate the two as essential interdependent components. All of this is indeed a large order; but when filtered through the enthusiasm of this very capable new planner, Newport’s distinguished past is certain to be respected in the present and grafted with sensitivity to the future.
Edited from the original article that appeared in the "Green Light" by Mary Jane Rodman, the bulletin of the Point Association.
"DANA TITCOMB, OUR NEW HISTORIC PRESERVATION PLANNER."
March 15, 2010
Proposal for LNG terminal in Mt Hope Bay
Hess Oil Company/Weaver’s Cove Energy has proposed the construction of an LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) off-shore terminal in Mt. Hope Bay. Supplying the facility would require LNG tanker ships to transit from the Atlantic Ocean through approximately 26 miles of Narragansett Bay to reach the unloading terminal. Construction of the terminal would require the dredging of three million cubic yards of material for the channel and turning basin for the ships, destroying 73 acres of winter flounder spawning habitat and result in massive pollution.
There are several questions regarding this proposal which remain unanswered. As the tanker transits the Bay, there is a moving security zone requiring absence of any boating traffic within two miles ahead, one mile astern, and two thousand yards on either side of the tanker, which would prompt a virtual shutdown of Bay boating operations. The transiting tankers (estimated to exceed 70 trips per year) will severely disrupt commercial and recreational boating on Narragansett Bay, effectively eliminating recreational boating, large scale regattas, cruise ship visits to Newport, and commercial shipping. There's almost no question that the premier sail racing events on the Bay would all go away. In addition, both the Newport/Pell Bridge and the Mt. Hope Bridge will have to be closed to all traffic during the time the tanker is passing beneath the bridges, causing massive traffic tie-ups. A recent study done by the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission, "LNG Traffic Impact Assessment: Newport/Pell and Mt. Hope Bridges," predicts traffic delays of between 30 and 45 minutes at the Pell and Mt. Hope Bridges respectively. If this happened on a regular basis, it could potentially discourage summer tourists enough to go elsewhere. The economic damage that this would bring about would have an enormous negative effect on local businesses. This proposal could destabilize the Bay's economy and jeopardize the livelihoods of thousands of Rhode Islanders and would certainly impact the economy of the entire state.
The issue of the threat to public safety is also a question that has yet to be satisfactorily addressed. LNG tankers are classified by the U.S. Coast Guard as "vessels of interest", or potential terrorist targets, and require extensive security measures to be provided during their transit. When a tanker comes in, patrol boats keep traffic away, bridges are closed, and aircraft patrol the sky and distant waters. But even the best security cannot guaranty that a determined group of terrorists won't get a plane or a boatload of explosives near enough to wreak havoc. The potential damage that would be caused by a tanker explosion as a result of collision with one of the bridges or through an act of terrorism would be catastrophic.
There is also a serious question as to whether the additional supplies of LNG that the proposed terminal would bring to the area are even needed at this point. There are presently four LNG terminals in the Northeast supplying the market that would be affected by this proposal. There are also recently discovered vast deposits of natural gas in Pennsylvania, Virginia and New York known as the Marcellus Shale Formation that contain reserves of natural gas that are the largest known in the United States. Taking this discovery into consideration, it is unclear at this point whether the LNG that would be supplied to the Weaver’s Cove terminal is needed to meet the Northeast region’s demands in the long term.
On a counter-point to this discussion, the demand for gas in this area is great, says Gordon Shearer, CEO of Weaver's Cove Energy, the developer of the Mt. Hope Bay facility. "Southern Massachusetts lies at the end of the nation's gas-transmission system, and hosts several very large gas-fired power plants," he explains. LNG terminals could be built in other places than Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Shearer says. But gas would then need to be delivered here, making such distant facilities less economically desirable.
The Newport Water Division draws from nine reservoirs (ponds) located in Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, Tiverton and Little Compton. Easton’s Pond is unique because it is almost completely surrounded by an earthen dam and is located just across the beach from the open ocean. As a result embankment slopes are steep and unstable with saturated soils and inadequate protection from ocean winds and wave action. In April of 2007 severe windstorm damages almost caused the northern and western dams of the south pond to fail. City officials and Newport residents agreed that these embankment dams needed repair. The controversy arose because there was disagreement about the nature and materials to be used.
Fuss and O’Neill, the engineering firm chosen by the City to design the project, favored sheet metal pilings along the water of the western dam and a concrete cap at the top of both dams. Residents preferred an alternative plan that called for riprap stone to be used on the sloping banks instead. Both plans would widen the crests at the top of the embankments to twelve feet with a five-foot walkway in the center. The dams have been closed to foot traffic since the storm in 2007.
At a public workshop for the City Council on January 20 of this year presentations were made by Julia Forgue, the City’s Director of Utilities, and by representatives of Fuss and O’Neill. You can access a video of this workshop below. It was a valuable opportunity to learn about the thinking that has brought Newport to this point in the process. More than 250 people attended and many said they had their questions answered. For instance, the cost of the two alternatives is about the same as is their projected lifetime. There is a significant difference in the construction time for each. Using steel piling and concrete matting would take 90 truck trips (about six months) while the riprap option would require 750 truck trips (about nine months). Residents said they were not concerned with the longer construction time.
Interestingly, pictures of an articulated concrete cap installed at another dam location showed that when vegetation is allowed to grow between the cells of marine concrete the top of the dam looks like a naturally vegetated dirt surface. Engineers say it has the advantage of being much more stable than an earthen cap and reduces wear and tear on maintenance equipment.
Perhaps the most controversial feature of the proposed steel/concrete alternative is the construction of a metal safety barrier (fence) about four feet high on the water edge of both embankments. The fence was defended as necessary to keep people out of the pond and to remind them that Easton’s Pond is a drinking water reservoir. Residents pointed out that the fence looks ugly and would not be in keeping with the pond’s natural beauty.
As a result of public input in this collaborative process, City Council asked the engineering firm, Fuss & O'Neill, to redesign upgrades to the embankments around Easton's Pond using either riprap or variegated concrete blocks that allow vegetation to grow on top. The new design will take about three months, said City Manager Edward F. Lavallee. Until then, the permit application before the state's Coastal Management Resource Council will be on hold.
January 23, 2010
An informational meeting was held at City Hall on Wednesday, 1/20/10 to discuss proposed repairs to the Easton's Pond berm.
View the video to learn the issues & concerns of both the City and community groups.
October 15, 2009
Infrastructure & Environment
Getting There: You Decide
Weight loss? Dollars saved? Better mental health?
Whatever the reason, if you want the City to offer
healthy alternatives (walk, bike or use public transportation),
make your choices known to the
City of Newport Planning Board.
Tired of traffic congestion, few
options?
Aquidneck Island Planning Commission is developing
a Master Plan to guide funding for capital improvements
in the Island's overall transportation system. Residents
are urged to
take the survey.
Among the issues are "quality
of life" aspects of transportation, including:
(1) an infrastructure that permits transportation
vehicle choices ( walking, biking, light rail or bus,
as well as automobile);
(2) the segregation of traffic by average speed (with
clearly marked paths for different types of vehicles);
(3) incentives for the use of low emission vehicles,
car-pooling, and satellite parking at the bridges;
(4) metrics that can show residents how any proposed
new plans will reduce "vehicle miles traveled"
; greenhouse gases; and improvement to overall traffic
safety.
What
Will Newport's Waterfront Look Like in 2010?
Do
you favor a working waterfront and public access?
Read what residents recently told City Planners:
This year, Newport's Planning
Board is updating the Comprehensive Land Use Plan
(CLUP). The initial public workshop on Waterfront
Planning was held on October 5th, 2009, and was co-chaired
by Tanya Kelley (Planning Board) and Peter Clark (Waterfront
Commission). Approximately 25 residents discussed
development issues and recommendations. There was
strong agreement that the CLUP should include a dedicated
"Waterfront Section". Representatives from
the University of Rhode Island's Coastal Resource
Center summarized research and information they had
collected. Residents requested that this information
be made available to the public and be used by city
planners to inform the decision making process.
In
a 2007 public symposium, Newport residents voted overwhelmingly
for these principles to be applied to future waterfront
development:
1) Create a continuous harbor walk that links all
waterfront parcels and allows public access both laterally
and along the shore.
2) Preserve the identity of the working waterfront.
3) Ensure consistent coordination and communication
among different levels of government, commissions,
and officials in order to implement and develop common
goals for Newport's waterfront.
The reports developed from public input in 2007 are available.
They provide the public vision for Newport's waterfront
as well as listing the steps needed to implement the
vision.
The Planning Board requests resident's input on waterfront
development priorities for updates to Newport's Comprehensive
Land Use Plan. Send an e-mail with your comments to
the Director of Planning, Paige Bronk, at City Hall.
The next public meeting will be held in the November-December
time-frame. Now is the time to request the City of Newport to
implement these ideas!
Alliance for a Livable Newport ~ P.O. Box 2636 ~ Newport, RI 02840 ~ iinfo@livablenewport.net
Dana Titcomb, Our New Historic Preservation Planner
Proposal for LNG terminal in Mt Hope Bay
