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
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Friday, August 17, 2012
Images of Second Beach at its best with a glowing fire and the setting sun as summer comes close to a close.
There is something about a bonfire at the beach that brings people together. Some visiting from far away and some long time residents that remember a day when bonfires were a regular summer happening. These images were taken at the recent Community Bonfire at Middletown's Sachuest (Second) Beach. The air was cool, a fresh ocean sea breeze and children dancing and playing to the music that filled the air. The next Community Bonfire is scheduled for Thursday, August 30, 2012 from 7:00 to 9:00pm. These events are free and open to the public.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
With the recent winds, the swells have surfers hitting the waves in Middletown.
If your business seem short-staffed Tuesday, you might want to check the waters. Many surfers left work early to take advantage of the swells that the recent winds brought to the island. Today is rumored to be even better, since the winds are expected to subside, which improves the swell. The best breaks were reported behind Ruggles Avenue in Newport, although a few surfers were still spotted at Second Beach. Down the beach from surfers' end, a wind surfer was clocked traveling at over 35 mph. Enjoy photos of the surfers across the island. If you have pictures of your own, share them with the community by adding them to the gallery!
41.4818
-71.246114
Middletown Sachuest Beaches, Boat Ramps & Moorings
474 Sachuest Point Road, Middletown, RI
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Saturday, April 14, 2012
The accident was off Purgatory Chasm.
A man and a woman, both in their twenties, were rescued at Purgatory Chasm Saturday afternoon around 3:45 through a rope operation and water rescue coordinated by the Middletown Fire Department. There were no injuries reported. Middletown Fire officials say that when the woman lost her shoe, the man tried to retrieve it but fell into the water. She began the decent towards him, but when she was two-thirds the way down, she realized it was too dangerous to climb back up, and she phoned the police. Middletown, Newport and Portsmouth Fire Departments responded to the scene. "It was a very labor intensive operation," said Middletown Fire Chief Ron Doire. A Newport Fire Fighter was lowered by rope to meet the woman, and place her into a …
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
The project started around 10 years ago.
If you spend a lot of time at Second Beach, you might have wondered if you're getting shorter. According to Rian Wilikinson, chair of Middletown’s Beach Commission, there is no need for concern. It's just that the sand dunes are getting taller. Wilikinson said the dunes in front of the old concession stand have grown up to 10 feet in just a few years. Sand was leaving the beach, so around 10 years ago, the town built a 2-foot high mound to see if it would grow. “It was almost a whim,” said Wilikinson. Nobody was sure if the idea would be successful. Since then, volunteers and students from St. George's School have planted over 50,000 culms of dune grass, which binds the sand and grows the dune. The growth rate was a pleasant surprise, …
41.4818
-71.246114
Middletown Sachuest Beaches, Boat Ramps & Moorings
474 Sachuest Point Road, Middletown, RI
/articles/dunes-days-how-sand-dunes-grow-and-protect-our-beaches
1300609
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Tuesday, March 27, 2012
During Monday evening's budget workshop, Councilor Chris Semonelli urged council to consider beach pavilion
Middletown Town Council member Chris Semonelli has asked his fellow councilors to consider the construction of a new beach pavilion at Second Beach, as recommended by the Beach Commission last November. At Monday evening's budget workshop, Semonelli said he will not ask council to approve the investment as part of the budget, but would like Middletown residents to vote on the bond referendum in November. The proposal will be on the docket at the next council meeting on April 2. After a review of the feasibility study conducted by RKG associates, the commission recommended the town build the pavilion with an attached events deck. The other option the firm outlined was to build a beach pavilion as well as an event’s pavilion, similar to …
Monday, March 12, 2012
Town council may vote to put beach pavilion bond request on November ballot at upcoming budget meeting.
Middletown Councilor Chris Semonelli has said that at the upcoming budget meeting scheduled on March 26, he will request a bond referendum for the construction of a new beach pavilion at Second Beach. If approved by the town council, residents would vote on the issue this November. The existing town-owned beach pavilion, built in 1975, is considered functionally obsolete. Last November, the Beach Commission voted to support the recommendation to build a new beach pavilion with an outdoor events deck. The other option that was considered by the commission was to build a beach pavilion with a full events pavilion. According to RKG Associates, the firm hired to prepare the project's business case, the estimated construction costs range …
41.4818
-71.246114
Middletown Sachuest Beaches, Boat Ramps & Moorings
474 Sachuest Point Road, Middletown, RI
/articles/council-may-vote-on-beach-pavilion-bond-referendum-this-month
1300609
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Monday, March 5, 2012
Middletown resident concerned about safety of walkway to second beach.
In August 2010, Middletown resident Frank Maguire wrote a letter to Town Councilor Chris Semonelli, who was council president at that time, with a concern about the walkway from Tuckerman Avenue to the beaches. “We are all aware that the curvature in Paradise Avenue from Tuckerman Avenue to Second Beach has been the site of numerous and sometimes serious accidents over the years,” Maguire said in his letter. Semonelli said there were several discussions about the ownership of the land, and it was concluded the state owns the property. “It is a narrow, bumpy and difficult and dangerous terrain for many people difficult for the elderly, impossible for handicapped persons and young mothers with carriages both of whom, if they wish to descend…
41.48351
-71.276991
Cantone and Sons Mason Contractors
249 Tuckerman Ave, Middletown, RI
/articles/should-middletown-build-a-walkway-to-second-beach
229171
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Sunday, January 29, 2012
A look at life in Middletown.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
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Sunday, January 29, 2012
We're lucky to live in a place that offers such magnificent scenery and opportunity for outdoor fun, even in the winter. Aquidneck Island resident Jim Lipe recently shared this photo of surfers testing the water at Second Beach on Sunday, Jan. 22. Do you like to take pictures? Have you recently captured a shot of something neat in town? Upload your favorite shot from around Middletown, with a few sentences of information including when the photo was taken, where it was taken and who is in it, to our Neighborhood Gallery.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Here's a breakdown of the race route and road closures for the Amica Newport 19.7 Triathlon that follows a course throughout Aquidneck Island.
The Amica 19.7 Newport Triathlon will wind its way through Middletown and Portsmouth on Saturday. That means there are 19.7 miles with places to catch the action and cheer on the athletes as they charge through your neighborhood. Here's a breakdown of the race route and resulting road closures, provided by the Middletown Police Department: The triathlon will start at 7:30 a.m. and is expected to end around 11:30 a.m. The swim portion of the triathlon will take place at Third Beach. The course for the bicycle portion of the race is as follows: Cyclists will exit the Third Beach Parking lot and make a left turn onto the Third Beach Access Road and head south towards Sachuest Point road. They will then make a left turn onto Sachuest Point …
41.48715
-71.25267
Middletown Third Beach
Sachuest Point Rd & Third Beach Rd, Middletown, RI
/articles/pick-your-cheering-spot-for-saturdays-triathlon
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/locations/5453225
41.4818
-71.246114
Middletown Sachuest Beaches, Boat Ramps & Moorings
474 Sachuest Point Road, Middletown, RI
/articles/pick-your-cheering-spot-for-saturdays-triathlon
1300609
/locations/5453226
Fred Baechtold
1:39 pm on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Yes, let's add red tape! The town then can either hire a new person at $75k / year plus benefits, or add to an administrator's job description to give them a $10k / year raise. more ›