A Newport City Council member is set to introduce a resolution prioritizing the removal of a controversial soil pile at Rogers High School, as voters prepare to decide on a $98.5 million bond referendum in the upcoming election.
Third Ward Councilor David R. Carlin III plans to present the resolution at the Oct. 23 council meeting. The measure seeks to ensure that if the bond passes, addressing the approximately 52,000 cubic yards of soil at the Rogers construction site takes precedence within the allocated funds.
The resolution comes as Newport residents face Question 6 on the Nov. 5 ballot, which asks voters to approve or reject the issuance of $98.5 million in general obligation bonds for various infrastructure and municipal facility improvements.
Carlin’s resolution highlights concerns about the lack of definitive spending details for many projects proposed in the bond, particularly the “Rogers HS Landfill & Disposition of Remaining Soil; Rogers Completion” project.
The resolution states that this project description “was originally added with no direction from the city council” and is “a clear example of lacking definitive spending details in favor of ‘estimates at best.'”
According to the resolution, U.S. Government experts suggest these estimates are “greatly underestimated.”
If passed, the resolution would prioritize the disposition of approximately 52,000 cubic yards of soil currently piled at the Rogers High School construction site within the allocated funds for this project.
The proposed bond, as outlined on the City of Newport’s website, includes a diverse range of projects across three key areas: Infrastructure, Resilience, and Community.
For the Rogers High School project specifically, the bond allocates $10 million for “Rogers HS Landfill & Disposition of Remaining Soil; Rogers Completion.”
City Manager Colin Kennedy addressed concerns about the dirt pile during an interview with What’sUpNewp on Wednesday, October 16, citing potential changes in environmental regulations that could reduce removal costs.
Newport City Manager addresses utility billing, early voting, and bond referendum
“Some of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management standards for that pile have now been adjusted downward to be more commensurate with the way they are in nearby states such as Connecticut and Massachusetts,” he explained. “So we may be able to use some of that soil now for refill, like we’d always expected all along, which means that soil we don’t have to remove.”
The city manager suggested that remaining soil might be repurposed on-site, potentially avoiding costly off-island transportation.
“Perhaps we’ll just be able to regrade and turn it into a green space or a park,” Kennedy said. “So that’s a much smaller expense than having to remove all that soil off island.”
The city states that if the entire $98.5 million bond is issued, the average residential taxpayer can expect to pay about $346 more in property taxes per year, or roughly 95 cents per day. Non-resident homeowners would see an increase of approximately $531 per year.
Kennedy emphasized that the bond’s passage would not immediately trigger spending on all listed projects.
“Just because we have the ability to borrow money does not mean that the city council does not have the responsibility and the authority to look at each individual bond sale for whatever amount we need to decide yay or nay on those items,” he said.
Early voting for the 2024 General Election, which includes this bond referendum, began on Oct. 16 at City Hall. Election Day is Nov. 5.
