The Newport City Council will take up a diverse agenda at its May 28 meeting, including contracts for beach concessions, utilities supplies, and pavement marking, along with several ordinance amendments addressing smoking regulations throughout the city.
The Council is set to award a one-year agreement to Rhody Surf, Inc. of Newport for umbrella and chair concessions at Easton’s Beach. The company proposes a payment of $2,000 to the city for the 2025 beach season, with operations running from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.
“Rhody Surf, Inc. has been the watersports concessionaire at Easton’s Beach since 2019. They will incorporate the chair and umbrella concessions into their existing mobile watersports concessions operation,” according to the recommendation from the Department of Public Services.
The Council will also consider approving a subrecipient agreement with the Rhode Island Department of Transportation for the Newport Cliff Walk Restoration Project. The agreement provides $5 million in federal Congressionally Directed Spending funding to assist with restoration efforts following the March 2022 collapse between Narragansett Avenue and Webster Street. The federal funding will be matched by $1.25 million in city funds from the bond referendum approved by Newport voters in November 2024.
Several contracts for city infrastructure are on the agenda, including a supplemental agreement for the Pavement Marking Program. The Department of Public Services recommends approving an additional $100,000 to continue striping roads in Newport at previously approved contract bid prices, bringing the total contract cost to $194,893.
The Council will also consider awarding a contract to BETA Group, Inc. of Lincoln, RI, for professional services to develop a pavement management system for the city’s roadway network. The contract, not to exceed $25,000, will provide asset management, capital planning assistance, and GIS services.
For the Department of Utilities, the Council will review bids for water treatment chemicals and utilities supplies. The chemical award, estimated at $1,719,675, includes products used in the treatment processes at both the Lawton Valley and Station 1 water treatment facilities. The utilities supplies bid, not to exceed $986,013, covers meters, piping, fittings, valves, and other products needed to maintain the water, sanitary sewer, and storm drain systems.
Several ordinance amendments addressing smoking regulations throughout the city will have their second reading. The amendments update language in multiple sections of the city code to include prohibitions on smoking “weed or plant products” and “vaping apparatus” in addition to traditional tobacco products. The affected ordinances include:
- Section 5.64.080, “Smoking on Buses Prohibited”
- Section 5.97.120, “Regulations for Pedicab Operations”
- Section 8.28.010, “Smoking prohibited in and around municipal and school buildings”
- Section 12.32.060, “Easton’s Beach Regulations”
- Section 12.32.090, “Athletic and recreational facilities—Prohibition of smoking”
- Section 12.32.125, “Prohibition of smoking on public beaches, in public parks and cliff walk—finding and intent”
- Section 12.32.130, “Smoking prohibited on public beaches, in public parks and cliff walk”
The Council will also consider a resolution supporting the design and construction planning for the Newport Middle Passage Port Marker Memorial. The resolution endorses the concept and proposed location on a state-owned traffic island at the intersection of America’s Cup Avenue, Thames Street, and Church Street.
“The City of Newport acknowledges its central role in the transatlantic slave trade and supports the public commemoration of that legacy through the establishment of a Newport Middle Passage Port Marker Memorial,” the resolution states.
Additional resolutions on the agenda include a request to resume consideration of the FY2026-FY2027 Biennial Budget at the June 11 Council meeting or at a special meeting in June, a proposal to restrict resident parking stickers to residential properties only, and a request to install a flagpole at Murphy Field in honor of PVT Michael Murphy.
The Council will also consider adopting the Vision Zero: Safe Streets for All – Newport 2025 Safety Action Plan, which provides data and implementation strategies to eliminate all traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries by 2034.
“The Safety Action Plan (SAP) document consists of crash analysis, a review of community engagement data, important relevant definitions and concepts, systemic process reviews of Newport’s transportation planning efforts, and actions and strategies tailored to Newport’s goals,” according to the recommendation from the Department of Planning & Economic Development.
The Council will also receive a memorandum from the Zoning Officer regarding a plan to prohibit all new short-term rentals within the city which are non-owner occupied, as directed by Council Resolution No. 2025-88.
The meeting is scheduled for May 28, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at 43 Broadway.