Library should really be priority of new center
I was astonished to study that ideas for the new Middletown Heart involved a scaled-down public library tucked absent from West Most important Road.
Our existing public library is as well modest. Shrinking its location by a whopping 4,000 square toes is 180 levels off from the route in which we need to be relocating. Our new library must be even bigger, nicer and prominently positioned correct at the entrance to the Town Center. Why do libraries nevertheless make a difference? Libraries are 1 of the number of locations exactly where family members can go devoid of someone striving to market them some thing. Libraries spark imagination, enjoy of finding out, and curiosity between the younger and the previous. Libraries are the rungs on the ladder to success in instruction and in existence.
Libraries are exactly where my mother, an immigrant working to enhance her English, could get her two young children to discover and grow even though she examined to make a much better daily life for us all. Libraries are wherever I place in the function that led to several graduate degrees and important professional results. The Middletown Community Library really should – no, ought to! – deliver a spacious, welcoming, condition-of-the-art facility. The library sends a quite obvious message to the folks of Middletown, a person way or yet another. Let’s make it a information stating that our town cares about schooling, cares about progress, cares about us. Let us place that attractive library correct at the entrance to Middletown Heart, let’s identify it Pottsy Memorial Library to honor SSG Christopher Potts, and let’s make it a little something all of Middletown can use with pride.
Alex Ellermann, Middletown
Business authentic estate passions very own Middletown
Let’s be crystal clear. Industrial authentic estate passions personal this town. For years the city council, via its possess steps, and its appointments to the zoning and setting up boards, have all but assured that the skids will be greased for any undertaking authentic estate buyers propose. Never feel me?
The progress of the vacant property on West Major Highway, known as Middletown Center, has gained a proposal from Rocky Kempenaar and some others. It involves current market-level apartments, “affordable housing” and business spaces. Also, Kempenaar, who by now owns 4 resorts in Middletown, would like to create a different hotel on this residence. When he was educated that this hotel may possibly not be in the very best pursuits of Middletown, right here is what Kempenaar’s agent mentioned:
“There are things of all those considerations we’ve read tonight that we will undoubtedly go over and test to integrate or address, but in conditions of elimination of the lodge … those people would be a nonstarter for the progress workforce.”
The dialogue of whether or not a further lodge is essential or preferred is worthwhile. What is not worthwhile, what is not acceptable, is the “take it, or leave it” menace supplied by Kempenaar.
Getting been accommodated for decades, Kempenaar and his partners truly feel entitled to demand just about anything from the city. This will continue on until eventually the voters lastly wrest control from these very long-serving town councilors who have unsuccessful to act in the greatest interests of the city.
Lawrence Frank, Middletown
Volunteers make a variation at Portsmouth Puppy Park
The Portsmouth Dog Park celebrated Earth Day on Saturday, April 23, in its have inimitable style. All fingers and paws were on deck for a pretty successful, delightfully chaotic spring clean up-up. What a fantastic group!
Large many thanks to all people who labored so tough. A lot of volunteers appeared with their rakes and shovels and wheelbarrows and, of training course, their canines. 20-a few very productive Marines from the Naval Justice College also returned by preferred demand. And this 12 months, Rumford Pet Express and Animal Earth sponsored the celebration with yummy foods, goodie baggage and a raffle to help the Canine Park.
Unique many thanks as nicely to the City and Neighborhood Forestry System for donating 8 new trees to the Canine Park. Brian Woodhead, director of the Portsmouth DPW, and his group planted the trees, and provided the mulch and topsoil for us to use for the duration of the clean up-up. We recognize anything the city of Portsmouth does to assistance this superb haven for canines and their humans.
The pet dogs confirmed up in entire power, performed and romped and happily ignored all the activity about them. If they only realized all the people who came with each other on Earth Day to assist make their playground clean and safe! On their behalf, I thank you all from the bottom of my coronary heart.
You should check out pictures from the party on our site at portsmouthdogparkri.com.
Jane Regan, chair, Portsmouth Dog Park Committee
Middletown Heart strategy will acquire away from the town
Make sure you support us help you save the library, softball field and basketball court docket. Developer Chris Bicho, owner of The Landing, stated in a information clip dated Oct. 20, 2021, that there is “a hodge-podge of things that are not really currently being used a great deal, now there is an open discipline, a softball subject, a basketball court and the Middletown General public Library and a former elementary faculty.”
Developing up in a community without a sizeable library will adversely impact this neighborhood. People will not want to go to a community that does not have a library that is obvious and at any time-present. If you move the library to a back of a browsing shopping mall, what concept are you supplying absolutely everyone? Our children have to have a area to master and check out our globe by publications. Curiosity feeds growth. Actively playing outside the house is good for the soul. Kids have to have areas to play baseball and basketball.
If Chris Bicho definitely loves his local community, he would be acquiring a procuring heart that does not take more than our city, but improves it. You should not make our neighborhood a transient buying region give us a location in which we can be away from a retail outlet, have peace of brain and investigate and be imaginative and engaged with character.
Cynthia Patistea, Middletown
Not all brief-expression renters are the same on Aquidneck Island
All limited-time period summertime rental entrepreneurs cannot be painted with the exact same brush.
Numerous house owners are in fact absentee homeowners — off-Islanders, out-of-staters and almost certainly out-of-place, who obtained attributes purely for investment decision functions. Frequently these homes are dim in winter season. Normally, they are also the “problem properties,” which are rented to unrelated youthful individuals, usually cited for noise violations. In our Ellery Avenue neighborhood, there are two these types of houses, which are the source of issues by the Renfrew Park resident a short while ago featured in the Newport Day by day News.
Then there are regional homeowners, like us. We stay in Portsmouth. We are pretty much arms-on, and have never ever experienced a sound grievance. We lease to people and experienced adults who have fantastic reviews on VRBO or Airbnb. Our two sons (each of whom have experienced setbacks) reside there nine-furthermore months of the calendar year. The profits realized from summer time rentals enables us to shell out the bills for this arrangement. I’m certain there are numerous other community landlords with identical tales.
I hope the town of Middletown will take into consideration the info for every type of landlord, and tier their tax boosts accordingly.
Shirley Lally, Portsmouth
This write-up initially appeared on Newport Each day News: LETTERS: Business true estate passions own Middletown