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Harbor Master wins approval for 10‑unit city‑owned mooring lottery; council also allows concrete moorings
Summary
Council awarded an RFP to Rhode Island Mooring Services Inc. for a small‑boat mooring field ($20,000), heard Harbor Master Steve Land outline a 10‑at‑a‑time city‑owned mooring lottery for Newport residents, and approved an ordinance to allow concrete moorings in the harbor.
The council approved the Harbor Master’s recommendations to expand public access to moorings and to broaden the types of moorings allowed in Newport Harbor.
Harbor Master Steve Land described plans to establish a small‑boat mooring field on the south side of the island in about 5 feet of water. "We're gonna start with 10 at a time... and we're gonna do a lottery," he said, adding the moorings will be city‑owned and aimed at residents who do not already hold moorings. The council awarded RFP #23‑026 to Rhode Island Mooring Services Inc. of North Kingstown for $20,000; members approved the contract and a related ordinance amendment to permit concrete moorings.
Councilors asked whether the lottery would be limited to Newport residents; Harbor Master Land confirmed the program is "Newport only." The council approved the contract and the ordinance on voice votes.
Next steps include initial installation and a lottery process to allocate moorings; the Harbor Master indicated installations will start with an initial set of 10 and scale from there.
