2026-05
Newport
Resolution
CITY OF NEWPORT
RESOLUTION
OF THE
COUNCIL
No. 2026-05
WHEREAS: The R.I. Infrastructure Bank’s (RIIB) Community Project Assistance Fund Grant Program (CPAF) provides municipalities with technical assistance grants of up to $50K to undertake feasibility analysis, needs assessment, strategic planning, design, and engineering plans to manage stormwater and plan for climate resiliency; and
WHEREAS: The division of Parks, Grounds & Forestry of the Public Services Dept. in the City of Newport has identified Hazard Road and The Gooseneck Cove ecosystem as a flood-prone roadway that currently restricts tidal flow between two coastal ponds; and
WHEREAS: A Grant Award from the RIIB CPAF program will allow the City to proactively evaluate best options to reduce roadway flooding, restore natural tidal flow, and enhance coastal habitat within Gooseneck Cove; and
WHEREAS: Possible project solutions may consider removal and/or reconfiguration of Hazard Road to eliminate a major barrier to the ecological function of the pond system, reduce risk to public safety, and serve as a model for nature-based adaptation and infrastructure removal in coastal zones; and
WHEREAS: The grant will support projects that closely align with the City’s adopted Comprehensive, Hazard Mitigation, and Green Infrastructure Plans, as well as the State’s Municipal Resilience Program, and the Aquidneck Island Regional Hazard Mitigation Plans; NOW THEREFORE, BE IT
RESOLVED: that the City Council of the City of Newport hereby authorizes the Grants Office within the Department of Resilience & Sustainability, in collaboration with the Division of Parks, Grounds & Forestry, to accept a $50,000 Community Project Assistance Fund (CPAF) grant award from the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank for the purpose of conducting feasibility analysis, planning, and preliminary evaluation of stormwater, flooding, and climate resilience solutions for Hazard Road and the Gooseneck Cove area.
IN COUNCIL
READ AND PASSED
JANUARY 14, 2026
Laura C. Swistak, CMC
City Clerk