OPINION/LETTERS: Salve Regina dorm plan cannot be allowed to proceed

Salve Regina dorm plan cannot be allowed to proceed

If Salve Regina is allowed to proceed with their plans to build new dormitories and parking lots, the surrounding residential community will suffer a diminished quality of life and reduced property values. The addition of 400 students will destroy the residential charm of the Golden Age mansions that are interspersed with private homes. Salve Regina promotes the historical uniqueness of their campus and their attention to historical preservation, while at the same time selling Conley Hall rather than retrofitting it for educational use and advocating for new construction. Salve’s former President Sister Jane, repeatedly downplayed Salve’s population by promising not to expand beyond 2,000 students, however, Salve currently has 2,828 enrolled students. This blatant contradiction of their purported values should not be tolerated.

Increasing the population of the primarily residential Bellevue Avenue Historic District with 400+ students will create a massive increase in traffic in a congested neighborhood. Already, students and tourists create safety concerns by driving quickly down Victoria and Shepard avenues. How does the city propose to keep pedestrians safe with no sidewalks or speed control? Without proper studies and planning, the detrimental effects of this project cannot be adequately predicted or addressed.

Salve Regina does not contribute taxes to the city or state, yet depend on their services to maintain and control their student population. In addition to monitoring the increased traffic, Newport will be responsible for the cost of water, waste, and related utilities for this increased population. How can the residents be asked to support a community that will only create hardship? Without a clear plan in place, it is impossible to predict the impact this will have on the city’s future financials.

City Council Members – The residents of Newport implore you to put Salve Regina’s expansion on hold until you have an overall Master Plan for the future of the historic Bellevue and Lawrence Avenue Districts. The decisions that are made now will have an irreversible and everlasting effect of the national significance of Newport.

To view the impact of the proposed dormitories from a bird’s eye view, please follow this link to watch a brief video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/d5q78qib5dnkk8y/03_NMAI-PavedParadise02-720p-V3.mp4?dl=0

Judy and Laurence Cutler, Newport

Regionalization is all about the money

To the people of Middletown: have you asked yourself why the Middletown educators,

elected officials, appointed officers, administration and all others, would want to take a

school district that ranks 14th in the state, Middletown, and merge it with a school

district that ranks 30th in the state, Newport, and claim that it would enhance the

education of the Middletown students. It’s all about state money.

Here are the facts:

Middletown High School

Number 14 in Best Public High Schools in Rhode Island. It has 592 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 11 to 1. Best Public High Schools in Rhode Island

number 14 of 59, number two in Best Public High Schools in Newport County

• Best College Prep Public High Schools in Rhode Island 9 of 55

• Best Public High Schools in Rhode Island 14 of 59

• Best High Schools for STEM in Rhode Island 22 of 32

Academics

Percent Proficient – Reading 62%; Percent Proficient – Math 37%; Average Graduation

Rate 82%

Average SAT 1200; Average ACT 29; AP Enrollment 18%

Rogers High School

Number 30 in Best Public High Schools in Rhode Island

Number 4 in Best Public High Schools in Newport County. It has 645 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 13 to 1.

• Most Diverse Public High Schools in Rhode Island 6 of 64 • Best High Schools for Athletes in Rhode Island 13 of 79

• Best College Prep Public High Schools in Rhode Island 13 of 55

Academics

Percent Proficient – Reading 42%; Percent Proficient – Math 22%; Average Graduation

Rate 87%

Average SAT 1100; Average ACT 26; AP Enrollment 18%

In 1991, Gov. Bruce Sundlun proposed consolidating the number of school

districts from 37 to no more than six. The 18-member 21st Century Commission formed by the governor to study regionalization and other ideas about the future of education in the state. The panel concluded that the final estimates of potential savings (as opposed to the preliminary estimates), did not support the regionalization of the state education system.

Harvey Press, president of the National Education Association of Rhode Island, a

member of the commission, said the preliminary recommendations confirmed some

doubts he expressed when the governor appointed the group. Press said, "The

savings looked good on paper, does this sound familiar; but when dealt with in reality,

they weren't there." He added, “The document shows regionalization shouldn't happen."

Press said he agrees with the panel's recommendation that school systems should

work together more in voluntary cooperative ventures, especially in contracting for

services and buying materials and supplies.

If it shouldn’t happen on the state level: why on the local level?

Antone Viveiros, Middletown

Community support welcomed for AgInnovation club students

On behalf of the Portsmouth Middle School AgInnovation club students, we would like to thank all of the donors, individuals and businesses, for helping to send us to Washington, D.C., to receive the Presidential Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) at the beginning of August. It was truly an experience of a lifetime that we will never forget. Being able to attend the PEYA awards ceremony in-person at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and to represent our community was such an honor. After the awards ceremony, we participated in a poster session, where we were able to share information about the Portsmouth AgInnovation farm and also talk with other winners and EPA staff to get some ideas for future improvements and discuss similarities between our projects. To see our efforts being recognized at such a high level, with our own eyes, was something that we will never forget.

It was so much fun to spend time together outside of school with Mr. Arruda, the principal of Portsmouth Middle School, who we actually saw not wearing a suit! While we were there, we were fortunate to have the opportunity to meet Sen. Jack Reed and to ask him for advice on how to advance our club’s mission. Many of us visited the free museums and toured attractions and enjoyed spending time together walking around Washington D.C. Many thanks to Desautal Law, who generously matched a $2,500 donation; to Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District, who is our AgInnovation farm partner; and to Greenvale Vineyards, for hosting a fundraising event. We also want to especially thank Mrs. Margie Brennan (Portsmouth science coach), who came into our classrooms that day in 2020, to ask us if we wanted to be a part of a new club (now named the AgInnovation Club), who nominated us for this prestigious award, and who continues to inspire us every day! Thank you all again for your generous support to send us to D.C.! Please look out for future events at AgInnovation (https://www.facebook.com/PortsmouthAgInnovationFarm). We are planning on having an “Open Farm” very soon! The Portsmouth AgInnovation Farm is a student-driven, community farm where kids learn about sustainable agriculture with hands-on problem-solving experiences.

Your PEYA Award Winners: Olivia Almilli, Anabella Barber, Tatum Brennan, Dahlia Brilhante, Aurelius Brockman, Cameron Davis, Elizabeth Lantz, Elle McFadden, Stella McInerney, Maggie Mullen, Brooke O’Brien, Olivia Purdy, Fiona Sarro, Noah Sidewand, Owen Sidewand, Rowen Willett

Monica DeAngelis, Portmsouth

Community makes a difference

As a member of the Middletown Rotary Club I would like to thank the group below for their donations to our steak out effort at Kempennars Clambake Club on Aug. 10, they were a super partner as well we made over $8,000, that we can now share back with the community and our water filter efforts in Cambodia, we made over 20,000 filters there thus far.

A1 Pizza

LeBel Pastry etc

Auto Zone

Bank Newport

BJ's

Shaws

Home Depot

Advanced Auto Parts

Stop and Shop in Middletown and Newport

Fieldstones

Atlantic Grille

Frosty Freeze

Polo Cleaners

Shelly's Barbershop

The Audrain Auto Museum

Tito's

Laura Jean

Club Calaise

Aquidneck Pizza

Mas Donuts

Knights of Columbus

I apologize if I left someone out, they were my personal donors above, our other members received donations as well. It truly takes a village to have impact, and we have a strong village in Newport County let me know if you would like to know more about our club, please contact: Chris Semonelli- Chrissemo@aol.com

Chris Semonelli, Middletown

Time is now to protect your hobbies

We’re hearing a lot about the Hobby Amendment. Long ago the Founding Fathers put out a call to protect hobbies. And it made sense. Who wanted Redcoats barging in at 2 a.m. to snatch your wife’s needlepoint?

So in 1791, after sensible parts of the Bill of Rights were set down, the mood got festive, giddy. A Hobby Amendment was proposed. Gun collectors won the drawing, and the Second Amendment became law. Back then it safeguarded flintlock muskets. Today it protects all of us who need 30-round magazines for our military-style assault weapons.

But things have changed. Redcoats are gone, and with them the threat of nighttime raids. Nowadays, except for farmers, ranchers and those few citizens who rely on wild game for food, guns are a hobby, pure and simple. It’s now time to extend protection to the full range of hobbies.

Government conspiracies abound, and who knows if Girl Scout cookie ovens are next on the list for shutdown by the FBI and its sniffer dogs? As a bird watcher I want my binoculars safe from search and seizure. My stamp albums are nobody’s business. And the neighbor’s wood carving tools—what could Uncle Sam have against tiny totem poles? So let’s open the Second Amendment (Hobby Amendment) to all hobbyists, not just the gun folks.

Call your legislators. Tell them all hobbies need protection. Hands off our rapid-fire machine guns. Hands off our Julia Child simmering pans. And hands off our graphite tube gold clubs.

And while we’re at it, let’s make our state a hobby Sanctuary—safe for all hobbies, even ones that make big headlines like Parkland, Rochester, and Uvalde. You’ll not find Rhode Island on that list. At least not yet.

Ron Marsh, Tiverton

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: LETTERS: Salve Regina dorm plan cannot be allowed to proceed