City Council Could Decide on Newport Concert Series at Fort Adams Tonight

The Newport City Council is expected to make a decision tonight about whether to approve or deny a plan to bring a series of summer concerts to Fort Adams this year.

Newport Waterfront Events has requested permission to hold up to 12 concerts between May and June at Fort Adams with a capacity of 2,500 attendees.

The vote follows a public workshop held last month during which supporters and opponents of the voiced their thoughts about whether Fort Adams is an appropriate place for the concerts and how much of an impact there would be on the surrounding neighborhood.

Michele M. Palmieri of Newport Waterfront Events told the City Council in a Feb. 3 memo that the council vote is needed for the company to “further its additional discussions with the [state Department of Environmental Management] and other state agencies having oversight at Fort Adams State Park.”

The company would then file an application for a Special Event License for approval by the City Council — the final step before any chords are struck behind fort walls.

Supporters of the plan said that the concerts are an important way to preserve the economic activity associated with the former Newport Summer Concert Series held at the now-closed Newport Yachting Center.

Opponents have argued that the plan would cause traffic, noise and parking problems for neighbors living near Fort Adams. They have also raised questions about whether the site is appropriate for the concerts since it is a designated recreation area and intended to preserve open space and foster passive and active recreation, not necessarily to support commercial enterprises.

The City Council will meet at 6:30 p.m. at the Claiborne Pell Elementary School, 25 Dexter St, The meeting will be held in the cafeteria.