Newport Infrastructure Committee (Buildings)
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Present: Jim Ricker, John Hook, Tom Breitweg, Pam Newcomb, Roger Carr, Douglas Franklin, Donna Hodges
A. Review of last meeting:
1. Housekeeping Issues
a. Meetings are 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, 6:30pm-7:30pm
b. Meetings held in Town Offices
2. Stewardship Roles
a. Leonard MacDaid: Chairman
b. John Hook: Co-Chairman
c. Donna Hodges: Secretary
3. 9 member Panel
Leonard MacDaid John Hook Donna Hodges Pam Newcomb Douglas Franklin Thomas Breitweg Roger Can-Francis Harding, Jr. Jim Ricker
B. New Business:
1. Create a priority list of needs as they relate to buildings/land
a. Jim Ricker voiced priority of the town owning lakefront
property. All seemed to agree that this is a priority and one which
can be worked along with other infrastructure needs.
Some key areas of interest are:
A. Marie Tardy land-purchase, long term lease
B. Vic Firth land-collaborate swap, parking swap
C. Vacant 2.3 acre lot (not waterfront)-collaborate
D. Closing parts of town owned roads for utilization
E. American Legion-collaborate, purchase
F. Gordan property @ Durham Bridge Road
G. Promotion and Expansion of River Walk
H. Envisioning a public/private partnership
b. Pam Newcomb identified the Community Center as a high
priority. Many agreed that a strong community center is an
indication of a healthy town. Some areas explored:
A. Gilman ownership, town leased parking area
B. Property deterioration and size restraints
C. Speculation on possible locations
P.2
1. Old Hood factory-owned by Lovely
2. Collaboration with school dept.
3. Industrial park area
c. Douglas Franklin inquired about the status on the Industrial
Park. Currently there are 3 lots left. All CEBG criteria have been
met (job creation) so the town is under no further restrictions in
that regard. Traffic flow maximums would not be an issue for
quite some time.
d. John Hook began the discussion about the Public Safety
Complex. Jim R. states there is 100% financing available through
FEMA for a police/fire complex. The cost of heat as well as
deterioration concerns as well as funding sources cause this to be a
high priority. There is an engineering concept completed with an
estimated cost of 1.665 million. 20k has been approved by the
Selectmen for an engineer study on the public safety building as it
currently stands. To utilize this funding for something other would
require a request before the Selectmen board.
e. Jim Ricker discussed the Road Dept need for the sand/salt shed.
The estimated cost to build new is 450k. Some options include:
1. Collaboration with School dept.
2. Industrial park area
2. Determine steps we need to take to be ready for action including:
a. identification and exploration of needs & opportunities
b. financing options: grant writing, loans, fundraising
c. identify and strengthen collaborative opportunities with local residents
C. Follow Up:
1. Jim Ricker will identify vacant properties throughout Newport to present to the committee for review
2. Jim Ricker will update Lakefront opportunities by reconnecting with owners of properties identified above
3. Pam Newcomb will be recording minutes for the June 16th meeting