Tuesday, May 21, 2013
In an effort to organize beach activities, the Middletown Town Council is considering charging businesses and camps to use Sachuset Beach and other town-owned property.
Dozens of boot camps and wellness programs take advantage of Sachuest Beach's large, sandy shoreline - so many, in fact that the growing trend of beach-front exercise is limiting residents' coastal enjoyment. Beach events need to be managed in order to accommodate commercial and public interests as well as to protect the town from liability, said Town Administrator Shawn J. Brown. "There are so many different things that people want to do down and that we need to manage that," said Brown during the meeting on Monday. "Groups can overrun certain properties that are desirable, so it is in our best interest to get our hands around this." Brown is proposing instituting a $25 per day fee to commercial businesses - like yoga, surf camps and …
41.519925
-71.289978
Middletown Town Hall
350 E Main Rd, Middletown, RI
/articles/middletown-council-businesses-will-have-to-pay-for-second-beach
229330
/locations/9406615
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The Middletown Library Conference Room will be dedicated in honor of Norman and Gillian Hall, both of who donated countless hours to ensuring the success of the library and of Middletown.
The Middletown Library Board of Trustees is recognizing one local couple for decades of dedicated volunteer work to different organizations throughout town. The board will name the library conference room for local residents Norman and Gillian Hall. Norman Hall was instrumental in guiding the construction of the new library wing, serving as both a member of the Library Board of Trustees and chairman of the building committee. Hall, who was also passionate about preserving local history, died on Dec. 30. He was 90 years old. "They could always be counted on to follow through with any project and were accomplished in quietly contributing their valuable labor and counsel," said Paul LaMond, chairman of the Library Board of Trustees in a …
41.521929
-71.298859
Middletown Public Library
700 W Main Rd, Middletown, RI
/articles/middletown-library-donates
229245
/locations/9388765
Saturday, May 11, 2013
The route for this year will both begin and end at Potter Cove
After a 37-year tradition was nearly derailed by federal sequestration, Save The Bay has finalized its plans for this year’s annual Swim, one of the longest running and most beautiful open water charitable swims in the country. For decades, The swim began at Naval Station Newport, where 500 swimmers and 250 kayakers plunged and paddled westward across the East Passage of Narragansett Bay to Jamestown. Rather than starting the 1.7 mile swim at the island home of the Naval War College and ending at Potter Cove in Jamestown, the route for this year will both begin and end at Potter Cove. The event, scheduled for Saturday, July 20, celebrates decades of achievement in cleaning up the Bay. Proceeds from The Swim provide critical financial …
Friday, May 10, 2013
Residents of J.H. Dwyer Drive in Middletown are petitioning the town to make repairs.
Twenty five residents of J.H. Dwyer Drive are petitioning the town of Middletown to make repairs on the roadway that they say is an unacceptable condition. Decades of cold patching on the drive have resulted in potholes and rubble littering the roadway and front lawns of the neighborhood. J.H. Dwyer Drive is a stretch of road on Middletown's west side that 35 families call home. The road culminates in a cul-de-sac, which is one of the features that petition organizer and J.H. Dwyer Drive resident Walt Clausen has gone against the drive in terms of expediting repairs. "I know we're not a major road in terms of a thoroughfare, but residents of our road do pay over $250,000 in taxes every year," said Clausen. In the 25 years that Clausen …
State Treasurer Gina Raimondo said the pension changes put in place by the General Assembly have made the system more sustainable.
About 18 months after the Rhode Island General Assembly passed a sweeping set of state pension reforms, the retirement system for state employees is "much healthier" than it was before, Treasurer Gina Raimondo said during a recent interview. Raimondo, who spoke with Patch at Mt. Hope High School, oversees the state's $7.6-billion pension investments. She explained that the fund originally "had less than 50 percent of the funds it needed to cover the liabilities," whereas "today, the system is healthy and well-funded." In order to fix the system, Raimondo and Gov. Lincoln Chafee proposed a number of changes, including suspending Cost of Living Adjustments, of COLAs, for 19 years; raising the state retirement age to match a retiree's Social …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Results from a recent executive survey ranked Rhode Island 37th for business.
A CEO magazine ranks Rhode Island as one of the worst states in the nation for business. Chief Executive Magazine ranked Rhode Island 37th based on a survey of corporate leaders. Survey respondents rated the Ocean State poorly in the area of taxation and regulations. Massachusetts and Connecticut ranked even worse. Massachusetts was ranked 47th and Connecticut came in at 45th place. The worst three ranked states in the survey were California, New York and Illinois. Texas, Florida and North Carolina, on the other hand, were ranked as the three best states in which to do business. What do you think about Rhode Island’s business climate? Is this a good state in which to do business?
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The Middletown Town Council approved the purchase of a $79,000 fire rescue boat to replace the town's failing one.
The Middletown Town Council voted to replace the town's failing fire rescue boat at a cost of $79,474 during Monday night's meeting. The 14-year-old vessel was deemed structurally deficient in a survey by Johnson Marine Services in 2012. Although Marine-1 is still seaworthy, its hull was compromised after a door was cut into its starboard side to make the boat more conducive to deep water rescues shortly after its purchase in 1999. The intention was to allow emergency personnel to more easily move injured or unconscious people from the water. This design, however, causes great amounts of water to seep in and swamp the boat's cockpit. "The door was cut too low and it will sink," said Fire Chief Ronald Doire. "It actually has sunk during a …
Friday, May 3, 2013
Former Newport Mayor Stephen Waluk said it is important for Aquidneck Island to have a voice on the RITBA board
The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority board voted Wednesday to re-elect David Darlington, of North Kingstown, as chairman and Former Newport Mayor Stephen Waluk as vice chairman. Waluk was first appointed to the RITBA board by Governor Carcieri in 2005 and was recently reappointed by Governor Chafee for another four year term. "I am happy to be re-elected as Vice Chair of the RITBA," said Waluk. "It is important that Newport and Aquidneck Island have a voice on this board." Last year, Rhode Island's General Assembly approved to move two additional bridges into RIBTA's jurisdiction and install tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge to fund the maintenance. The law has been met by strong opposition by East Bay lawmakers and …
Thursday, May 2, 2013
A bill legalizing same-sex marriage passed 56-15.
Sixteen years after legislation was initially introduced in Rhode Island, same-sex marriage is now legal in the Ocean State. On Thursday afternoon, the Rhode Island House of Representatives passed the legislation with a vote of 56-15. "This is a great day in Rhode Island, not just for the many Rhode Island families who will now get the recognition and equality that they so richly deserve, and not only for the thousands who have been fighting for decades for the dignity and rights of all citizens," said House Speaker Gordon Fox, the first openly gay House Speaker in the nation who has cosponsored the legislation every year. "It is also a wonderful day for the generations of future Rhode Islanders who may never know a time when some …
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Parking violations are $50 this year, an increase of $25 over last year.
It's that time of year again. Effective May 1, Newport's parking season begins. The fine for parking violations are $50 this year, up $25 over last year. Meters Metered parking will be in effect from 9:00 AM until 9:00 PM daily, including weekends and holidays. The fee for parking in a metered space is $1.25 per hour in increments of twenty-five cents. The fee for the Memorial Blvd. meters at Easton’s Beach is $2.00 per hour. All city meters accept credit cards or coins. Pay & Display units located at the Touro St. Lot and Long Wharf Lot accept credit cards, bills and coins. The rate at the Touro St. and Long Wharf lots is $1.25 per hour in 1 hour increments. A Resident sticker does not permit residents to park for free at …
David
4:46 pm on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
I believe they are referring to the business that is getting paid to run the class. If they don't want to pay the towns fee, see if they can use the Y or athletic club for free. more ›