“If you don’t know where you are going – you might end up someplace else.” – Yogi Berra
Perhaps that Yogi Berra quote best describes why the City of Newport, and the School Department are each in the process of developing strategic plans for the first time since 2016.
The strategic plan, says Mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong, is an important tool that helps the community prioritize initiatives, focusing on areas like infrastructure, transportation, economic development, while revisiting the city’s mission and vision statements. He expects the plan to be complete by early 2024.
The school department, meanwhile, is focusing its strategic planning on a variety of educational issues.
While the strategic plans are separate, Khamsyvoravong says he hopes they will be integrated at some point.
The stratregic plan does not replace the city’s comprehensive or transportation plans, but gives the city another tool that provides, according to the Municipal Research and Services Center, “a big-picture document directing efforts and resources toward a clearly defined vision.”
Throughout the process both the city and school department have been seeking community input.
Currently, in what it describes on its website, the city is seeking input on the draft framework. Among the areas, the city is seeking input on a proposed vision statement: “Newport is a world-renowned and inviting historic New England city, distinguished by a diverse year-round community, a vibrant culture, and exceptional quality of life.”
That’s a considerable departure from the current vision statement: “Newport is the most livable, diverse and year-round community in New England; an innovative place to live, work, play, learn, and raise families.”
The website characterizes a vision statement as “aspirational and is intended to reflect what you hope will be true about the City of Newport in the future.”
Residents can weigh in on the vision statement and other parts of the draft framework on the city’s website, with input closing on January 15.
Here are some of the key objectives in the 2016 city strategic plan:
- Economic Development – Provide the conditions that support economic development in infrastructure, transportation, education, and regulatory processes; work to retain and expand existing businesses; attract new businesses in targeted industries; identify innovative approaches to create a diverse, year-round, local economy; and enhance quality tourism opportunities.
- Infrastructure – Develop an inventory of current infrastructure assets and conditions; develop an infrastructure investment and maintenance schedule; use the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) as a tool to prioritize and inform asset ownership decisions; and make information available to the public to promote accountability.
- Transportation and Mobility – Work with non-profit organizations and state and local governments to develop a transportation study; develop public-private partnerships to maximize shared parking with businesses and non-profit organizations; and create appropriate satellite parking in the North End area.
- Communication – Improve substantive communications to the community; improve accessibility to information on city services, programs, and projects; implement state-of-the-art applications that support robust communications; provide clear reports on the progress of programs and projects; and create the staff capacity to implement communication strategies.
