Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Events topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves Folk and Jazz festival permits; foundation outlines multi-agency traffic planning
Summary
Council granted special-event permits for Newport Folk and Jazz festivals at Fort Adams and heard from a Foundation representative that quarterly interagency planning is underway, but several councilors pressed for a concrete traffic mitigation plan before future approvals.
Councilors voted to approve special-event permits for the Newport Festival Foundation's Folk and Jazz festivals at Fort Adams after an extended exchange about traffic, shuttles and public-safety logistics. Jennifer Reaver, appearing on behalf of the Foundation, said the organization "have started to convene a multi departmental meeting, involving the police, fire, many members of the city, many many members of the state through the DEM," describing quarterly planning meetings and work on shuttles, ferries and ancillary parking to reduce congestion.
Several councilors pressed the Foundation and staff for clearer, written plans before future permits are issued, noting prior coordination successes with the USGA and the Newport Country Club for large events. Councilors said they would like to see specific shuttle and parking plans, metrics on attendee numbers and how park-and-ride or ferry options would be funded; the Foundation said some planning is underway and that many solutions are complex and costly. Councilor remarks indicated a willingness to approve this year's permits while urging more detailed advance planning for subsequent events.
