The Newport City Council will tackle a packed agenda Wednesday night, including a new license agreement for the Newport Gulls at Cardines Field, the annual Newport International Boat Show agreement, and a slate of special event permits for the upcoming summer season.
The meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, Council Chambers, 43 Broadway.
The council will open with a proclamation recognizing Public Works Week, May 17-26.
Gulls, boat show and Hotel Viking
Among the higher-profile action items is a new license agreement between the city and the Newport Gulls for use of historic Cardines Field. The Gulls are also seeking permission on the consent calendar to place temporary signs at various locations around the city on game days.
The council will also consider the Newport International Boat Show license agreement, along with companion items to exercise option years on agreements for use of the Easton’s Beach parking lot for both the boat show and the annual Audrain’s Newport Concours Motor Week.
A parking agreement with Brenton Hotel, LLC, for the Gateway Parking Lot is also on the agenda.
Sitting as the Board of License Commissioners after the regular meeting, the council will take up a continued hearing on Hotel Viking’s application to expand its licensed premises. The hotel, at One Bellevue Ave., is seeking to add a 15-foot-6-inch by 6-foot-9-inch portable bar to its patio area and expand service into Spa Fjor. A related victualing license expansion appears on the regular agenda.
Special events
The consent calendar includes a lengthy list of special event requests, among them:
- An “Evening with Cynthia Nixon” hosted by the Preservation Society of Newport County at The Breakers on April 26.
- Bike Newport’s Bike to Work Day on the front lawn of City Hall on May 15.
- The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride on May 17.
- The Audrain Veteran Car Tour on May 17.
- A slate of events hosted by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, including a “Water Bro” movie screening on June 10, a summer-long “Live from the Loading Docket” concert series and a 3-on-3 backyard BBQ basketball tournament on June 19.
Under licenses and permits, the council will consider a continued request from the Audrain Automobile Museum for its Cars & Coffee series, which includes 12 dates between May and November.
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is seeking a special event license for the Hall of Fame Open, scheduled for July 5-12, along with a transportation plan update, a request to use the north side of Memorial Boulevard for bicycle parking and restricted parking on Freebody Street.
The Bermuda Race Foundation is also seeking a license for the Newport Bermuda Race 2026 at Fort Adams State Park on June 19.
New business license applications include victualing licenses for Co-Dough at 95 Broadway and Amy’s at 104 Broadway, which is also seeking a sidewalk café license. Mooseman’s Kettle Corn is applying for a new mobile food cart license.
City business and appointments
The council will receive communications including the annual State of the Harbor Report from Newport Waterfront Commission Chair Mark Marosits, the 2025 annual report from the Trust and Investment Commission and a notice of a projected school budget deficit from Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain.
The council will also receive “with regret” the resignation of Patrick J. O’Connor from the Waterfront Commission.
Reappointments up for approval include Bartholomew Grimes to the Zoning Board of Review, Joseph Logue to the Sister City Commission, Jack Grant to the Henderson Home Commission and Edith “Didi” Lorillard Cowley to the Energy and Environment Commission.
Other action items include a quarterly traffic safety update from the Police Chief; a collective bargaining agreement with the Newport Municipal Employees Association supervisory unit; Cliff Walk repair professional services; Miantonomi Park playground improvements; a comprehensive system-scale leak detection program; and authorizations to procure security apparatus for both the Station 1 and Lawton Valley water treatment plants.
The Newport Historical Society and Newport 250 Committee are also seeking approval to commemorate 2026 milestone anniversaries and participate in a “Light to Unite” initiative.
Ordinances
Two ordinances are up for second reading: an amendment to Section 5.04.030 of the codified ordinances, concerning registration fees, and an amendment to Section 10.24.010 that would prohibit parking at all times on the north side of William Street, beginning 156 feet west of Thomas Street and extending 23 feet west.
The full docket is available on the city’s website.
