Newport council hears progress report on parks master plan; staff seeks project manager in budget

Newport City Council held a work session March 3 to receive a progress report on the city’s 2019 Parks Master Plan and to discuss priorities for the coming year. Nancy, chair of the Parks and Recreation Committee, and Mike, parks department staff, summarized completed work, projects underway and a budget request for a project manager to address a backlog of park projects.

The committee and parks staff told councilors the plan identifies 38 recommended projects. “We started progress on about 45% of them,” Nancy said, and staff reported that about 10% of the original recommendations have been eliminated for reasons including sustainability or code restrictions. Mike and committee members said 11 projects were started this year and two were completed.

The report highlighted specific accomplishments and near-complete projects. Staff said the Ocean To Bay Trail is substantially finished with signage and kiosks in place along much of the route, and that a ribbon cutting was held earlier this year. The South Beach Marina now has a marked non-motorized boat launch after coordination between the port and the parks department. Completed work in recent years includes…