State officials came together with the city of Newport and a hotel developer to announce their mutual agreement to remove impediments from a public right-of-way to the shore near Lee’s Wharf. The right-of-way, which was designated by state regulators more than 30 years ago, has become overgrown and is presently obstructed by a city-owned pump station as well as a large electric panel. The trio traded the blame for over a year before reaching an agreement, the parties have now shaken hands on a plan to clean up the path and provide a 5-foot easement to allow passage around the more permanent obstacles that would be too expensive to move—such as the pump station, their standing agreement states that the electric panel will be moved.
While the deal still has to endure a round of public comment and review by regulators, all involved, including the Attorney General, feel that the agreement will stand. Once approved, the cleanup will ensure that the right-of-way will be easy to access and obvious to anyone passing by. The Attorney General’s office and CRMC slapped the city of Newport with a violation for allowing the path to fall into disrepair and for granting the construction of obstacles that made using the right-of-way nearly impossible. The Attorney General has been combing through the state’s 230 rights-of-way and checking for violations—Lee’s Wharf is only the second violation that was able to be settled outside the courtroom.
