The City Council meets Wednesday, Aug. 12, at 6:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall, 43 Broadway, with a docket headlined by a federal grant agreement for the Cliff Walk restoration, a recommended site for the city’s public health vending machine, and a push for state action on Memorial Boulevard.
Cliff Walk restoration
Councilors will vote on whether to approve a PROTECT grant agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration worth $11,000,800 — the largest single piece of funding for the restoration of the Cliff Walk following the collapse in March 2022. The accompanying resolution would authorize the council chair to sign, subject to favorable review by the city solicitor.
The draft schedules attached to the docket put the total project cost at $23,001,000. Alongside the PROTECT grant, the budget includes $5 million in congressionally directed spending, a $3 million RIDEM grant from the 2024 state general obligation bond, and $4,000,200 in local funds. That local share combines the $2.75 million match required by the PROTECT grant — already budgeted through the municipal infrastructure bond Newport voters approved in the 2024 general election — with a separate $1.25 million city match tied to the congressionally directed spending.
The city’s August 2023 grant application listed a total of $13,751,000, a figure equal to the federal request plus its required match. The documents attribute the larger current total to additional funding sources secured since then, and note separately that construction cost estimates have risen, without quantifying by how much. The $112,700 originally allocated for design will now go toward increased construction costs, after the council decided to directly fund the design and NEPA processes. The grant covers construction activities only.
The schedules also document a substantial change in timeline. The project start date moved from July 1, 2024, to Nov. 2, 2026, which the city attributes to delays in executing the grant agreement and longer-than-anticipated NEPA coordination. Construction, originally expected to run about 15 months, is now projected at 26 months because access to the area will be restricted between Memorial Day and Columbus Day each year. Planned substantial completion moved from Sept. 30, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2028.
The schedules are marked as a template not intended for execution without modification, and several administrative fields remain unfilled, meaning the figures represent terms the council is being asked to approve rather than a finalized agreement. For federal performance reporting, the documents identify a study area along the Cliff Walk between Narragansett Avenue and Webster Street.
City Manager Colin K. Kennedy transmitted the item, with Public Services Director William R. Riccio Jr. slated to present.
Harm reduction vending machine
Fire Chief H.J. Donnelly IV is recommending the west side of Newport Fire Department Headquarters, 21 West Marlborough St., as the location for the Newport Prevention Coalition’s harm reduction vending machine.
In a July 25 memo, Donnelly cited the site’s central location, proximity to RIPTA bus routes, and the fact that fire headquarters is a designated Safe Station, where people seeking help for substance use disorders can connect immediately with trained personnel and recovery resources. He wrote that the location offers a safe, visible and accessible environment consistent with the city’s commitment to public health and harm reduction.
The council established the pilot public health vending machine program in January under Resolution 2026-12, sponsored by Councilors Stephanie Smyth and Ellen Pinnock. The machine is to be stocked with personal hygiene items, first aid supplies, cold weather items such as socks and blankets, and harm reduction tools including naloxone, fentanyl test strips and educational materials on overdose prevention and treatment. AIDS Care Ocean State will supply and stock the machine. The city is to evaluate the program after one year using both quantitative data and feedback from community partners.
A separate resolution from Smyth and Pinnock on Wednesday’s docket would authorize the placement.
Memorial Boulevard safety review
Smyth and Pinnock are also sponsoring a resolution that would formally ask the Rhode Island Department of Transportation to conduct a comprehensive traffic engineering, roadway safety and Complete Streets evaluation of Memorial Boulevard, with priority on the stretch from Bellevue Avenue to Easton’s Beach.
Memorial Boulevard is owned by RIDOT, not the city, which is why the resolution takes the form of a request. It would direct the city clerk to send copies to the RIDOT director and members of Newport’s state legislative delegation.
The resolution cites resident concerns about excessive vehicle speeds, long pedestrian crossing distances, drivers failing to yield at crosswalks, and bicycle safety along a corridor that carries heavy seasonal tourist traffic while serving Easton’s Beach, the Cliff Walk, Bellevue Avenue, Salve Regina University, schools, parks and neighborhoods. It identifies the segment between Bellevue Avenue, Easton’s Beach, the Cliff Walk, Rotary Park and Aquidneck Avenue as having some of the city’s highest pedestrian activity.
The requested study would cover existing and projected traffic volumes, seasonal impacts, vehicle speeds and crash history, pedestrian and bicycle safety, crosswalk use, transit and ADA accessibility, emergency vehicle operations, and school and recreational access. The resolution asks RIDOT to weigh signal timing changes that give pedestrians more crossing time, leading pedestrian intervals, and speed feedback signs — particularly near St. Michael’s School — along with design treatments such as narrower travel lanes, pedestrian refuge islands, raised crossings, curb extensions, bicycle facilities and improved lighting. It notes the resolution’s premise that such measures have proven effective while maintaining acceptable traffic operations.
It also asks the city administration to have RIDOT identify federal and state funding that could pay for any recommended work, naming the Highway Safety Improvement Program, Safe Streets and Roads for All, and the Transportation Alternatives Program.
Also on the agenda
Other resolutions would add stop signs at Bellevue Avenue, East Bowery and Bowery streets; establish a temporary advisory committee on utility structure review; support the Newport Middle Passage Port Marker Project; request additional civic support for the Newport County Development Council; and reschedule September’s council meetings.
Three entertainment licenses come up for first hearings: new applications from Gardiner House at 24 Lee’s Wharf and Midtown Race Club at 255 Thames St., both seeking indoor and outdoor entertainment, and an expansion request from Jo’s American Bistro to extend weekend indoor hours.
Councilors will also weigh two Department of Justice Byrne JAG grant awards totaling $24,932, contracts for historic gravestone restoration and carousel storage, a multifunction vehicle purchase, and amendments to the city’s sewer pretreatment chapters. The consent calendar includes special event approvals for the Tennis Hall of Fame induction celebration Aug. 28-29, Bike Newport’s 10-Spot Ride Aug. 29, Newport Beach Fest at Fort Adams Sept. 5-6, the Newport Mansions Wine and Food Festival Sept. 17-20, and Newport Pride’s Velvet Ball at Ochre Court in November.
The council then convenes as the Board of License Commissioners for daily liquor licenses tied to the boat show and the wine and food festival, plus a renewal hearing for Norey’s on Broadway.
Citizens’ Forum runs at the start of the meeting, capped at 15 minutes, with speakers limited to three minutes on one topic. Speakers must sign in with the city clerk. The full docket and supporting documents are at clerkshq.com/newport-ri.
