Newport weighs internet switch, trail partnership and emergency staffing pressures

Newport town government spent the start of summer juggling routine maintenance and deeper capacity pressures at the same time. Town Manager Kyle Harris said the town was moving toward changing internet providers from Comcast to Fidium, a switch expected to save more than $10,000 a year, with about half of that benefit flowing to the general fund. The town wants to use part of the savings to help pay for a new Voice over IP phone system and trim down the copper and fax lines still in service.

The administrative side of the report also showed how much day-to-day work is still stacked up. Newport received no responses to its reevaluation request for proposals, so the town plans to revise the bid package and send it out again. At the same time, Harris said Newport was continuing negotiations with the New England Mountain Biking Association on a licensing agreement for the town forest behind the Newport High School and Recreation Complex. Under the proposal, NEMBA would handle trail maintenance and replace bridges as needed, a step that would give a more formal structure to upkeep of a popular public recreation asset. Harris also noted that all of the community garden plots were reserved for the first time.

Fire and EMS faced a very different kind of pressure. The department responded to a structure fire on John Stark Highway with a two-person on-duty crew, one call member and the fire chief, and used roughly 900 gallons of water to extinguish it. Harris said the department’s monthly staff meeting focused on staffing issues, call volumes and the impact of the default budget on operations. Andrew Wawrzynrak was hired into one of two open full-time positions after serving as a per diem employee since September 2024, three members passed EMT Basic class and are eligible for National Registry testing, and Alexandra Villers returned to a per diem role.

Police staffing showed similar strain. Officer Walter Anderson and K9 Mako completed narcotics detection school, and Sergeant Aaron Waterman returned from military training. Sergeant Alexander Marvin was sent to Cellebrite training in Hartford, Connecticut, as Newport works to replace mobile forensic examiner capacity after Officer Cody Foster resigned effective June 6, 2026, for a job with the Grantham Police Department that pays about $6 more per hour. The town said Foster’s summer shift would be covered by the School Resource Officer, but his departure left Newport facing its third open patrol officer position and a difficult fall schedule.

The highway division was also busy across town, grading Pike Hill, Cornish Turnpike, Chestnut Road, McDonough, Chandlers Mill, Aires Road and Endicott Road, and adding 30 loads of gravel to Bascom Road. Harris said the division was expected to be fully staffed July 1 and was also working with the state on grindings from the Main Street paving project while helping oversee water main installation at the future North Newport well site, where substantial completion of piping was expected soon. On the June 1 selectmen agenda, the board also dealt with a Water and Sewer tax collector’s warrant totaling $668,457.74 and a license agreement for use of the Newport Municipal Firearms Shooting Range, underscoring how many fronts the town is trying to hold at once.