The Voice - November 2021
/Read our Annual Report!
Submitted by City Manager Tom Fromme
Are you familiar with the latest update on our city’s progress?
Our goals for 2021 are outlined in the latest Annual Report, covering progress, plans and challenges for our city. Goals include further redevelopment of residential and commercial properties, quality of life issues such as parks and recreation, and maintaining a safe, walkable community. From a fiscal perspective, we continue to work on growing revenues, improving our credit rating and keeping our expenses reasonable. Read all the details in our Annual Report.
As always, if you have any questions, please email bholiday@newportky.gov or call 859-292-3687.
Great things are happening in Newport! Thanks for making Newport a great place to live, work, shop and play!
Christmas Tour, Tea & More: Help Light Up the East Row!
Submitted by Kym Sutton
Festive holiday lights, luminaria, food, and fun highlight this year’s Victorian Christmas Tour and Tea. Here’s how you can help make it a sparkling success:
Dates for the tour and tea are Saturday and Sunday, December 4 & 5, 3-7 pm.
Help light up the East Row! Decorate and illuminate your home’s exterior by Friday, December 3 for a walking/driving tour of the neighborhood. Complementing the exterior light show is a stained glass window tour and a luminaria display on Saturday evening. Be sure to turn on your Christmas lights and decorations by 5 pm on those dates!
Yes, stained glass windows will be featured. If you have a stained glass window that you would like to be highlighted on the tour map, let John Morrow know at kjohnmorrowjr@yahoo.com.
Speaking of luminaria, please order your kits. We hope to have at least 40 luminaries per block and are asking you to donate $5.00 for your luminary kit which includes 4 candles, (2 for each night), 2 bags and kitty litter. Kits come with instructions covering how to assemble and where to place the luminaries. Please try to ensure your block is fully decked out with luminaries. Volunteers to help are much appreciated! Please contact Kym Sutton if interested in helping (kymsutt@gmail.com or 759-512-6742).
The Christmas Home Tour includes six homes this year, with first-floor rooms only open to visitors. This decision was made to accommodate safety, sanitizing and volunteer resources. Tickets are $10 each and tour hours run later than usual this year, from 3 to 7 pm, to blend in with the exterior lights.
Join the fun! Order your luminaries now to help light up our beautiful East Row neighborhood for the Victorian Christmas tour.
The Victorian Christmas Tea will take on a different form, as a Tea-To-Go. Place orders online for sweet and/or savory pick-up boxes, scones and our much-loved pumpkin soup! See the East Row website for pricing and to place your order.
A street party is planned for Saturday evening featuring food trucks, music and more. Seventh St. between Monroe and Overton will be closed, food trucks will be serving great fare and neighbors can set up lawn chairs to enjoy the carolers and other festivities. There might also be a surprise visit from the jolly red man, himself!
There’s more! Watch for more information as plans unfold. Remember, we are happy to add your address to a “points of interest“ map for lights and stained glass. Just send your address to Kym Sutton at kymsutt@gmail.com.
Order Your Luminaries Now!
are you all set to make the east row glow? Get your luminaria orders to cathy farkas now and be ready for a brilliant display of light during the victorian christmas tour.
Can you imagine what the East Row looked like way, way back in the 1800s? To give our historic neighborhood an extra-special glow, we’re planning two evenings of luminaries during the Victorian Christmas Tour.
We hope to have at least 40 luminaries per block and are asking you to donate $5.00 per luminaria kit. Each kit includes 4 candles, (2 for each night), 2 bags and kitty litter plus instructions for assembly and placement. Please try to ensure your block is fully decked out with luminaries each evening, filling in any blank spaces if you can.
When you order, please include your name, phone number, email, address, number of kits, and payment amount. Submit cash or check payment (made out to East Row Historic Foundation) when ordering.
Send luminaria information and payment to Cathy Farkas at 844 Overton St. Newport, KY 41071. The foundation will accept Venmo, so just mention it if you prefer that method of payment.. Watch your email for details on how to pick up your luminary kits.
Purple People Bridge Reopens November 19
Great news! Our wonderful Purple People Bridge reopens Friday, November 19 and will be illuminated as part of our annual “Winter Nights, River Lights” event. To take part, be there by 6 pm on the bridge approach on the Newport side, off E. 3rd Street.
This event is made possible by sponsors, including Newport on the Levee, Corporex, CIG Communities, The Newport Foundation, Inc., Southbank Partners, and the Newport Southbank Bridge Company.
“Winter Nights, River Lights” is open to the public and FREE to visit during the holiday season.
Comprehensive Plan Public Hearing is November 16
Submitted by Larisa Sims, Assistant City Manager
The Newport Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a special public hearing on November 16 at 5:00 pm to hear comments and questions on the proposed 2020 NewportFORWARD Comprehensive Plan. The meeting will be held in the first-floor multi-purpose room at City Hall, 998 Monmouth St. Public comments and questions will be limited to the published agenda items to comply with special meeting requirements.
A draft version of the proposed plan is available on the city’s website: www.newportky.gov and is on file in hard copy at 998 Monmouth St., second floor, during weekdays, 8 am-4:30 pm. Comments and questions may be provided in writing in advance of the public hearing, addressed to Mark Boswell at mboswell@newportky.gov.
ERHF Update
Reminder: ERHF Christmas Party is December 7!
The East Row Historic Foundation’s Christmas Party for the neighborhood is quickly approaching! Join your neighbors at St John’s Church, 415 Park Av., on Dec 7 at 6:30 pm (our normal monthly meeting time). Food will be catered, but if you would like to bring appetizers and desserts, that would be great!
ERHF Bylaws Revisions Underway
The Bylaws Committee has met a number of times over the summer to put together a revision to the East Row Historic Foundation (ERHF) Bylaws. Changes and edits are mostly to clean up the bylaws, since they were last revised back in 2007, but there are no major changes that affect the operation of the ERHF and its relationship to the neighborhood.
Major structural changes, aside from general typos and formatting are:
Remove mentions of the Newport Citizens Coalition. This organization no longer exists, but was a primary reason for the ERHF to exist in the early 2000s.
Standardize all votes to require a two-thirds majority of all members present. This includes bylaws revisions, philanthropic grant approval, expenses/budget, and resolutions. This change standardizes the process across the bylaws and would have minimal effect on the results of votes, since the vast majority are passed unanimously.
Remove references to counter or dual-signed checks, but add a requirement for the chair to approve in writing any expenditures by the treasurer. This is to allow electronic payments and other expenses where checks are not appropriate. This was not a bank requirement on checks, so the written approval was deemed a sufficient check.
Updates to the list of standing committees, including combining the Finance/Audit Committees and adding the Dog Park Committee.
Per the existing bylaws (and with no changes made in this revision), the Bylaws edits were announced at the Oct 5 ERHF meeting and available for review. The 1st reading was at the Nov 2nd ERHF meeting. We have no meeting in December, so the 2nd reading will be at the Jan 4, 2022 ERHF meeting, and adopted immediately upon passage by a two-thirds vote of the members present.
A huge thank-you to the committee members that joined Jason Kramb in this effort: Elizabeth Robson, Corey Siddal and Ian Budd. Reading bylaws is never exciting work, but very necessary to ensure the organization continues to operate smoothly.
Get in the Holiday Mood at Peluso's
For an authentic holiday experience, visit Peluso’s Market at 623 Monmouth St. The Christmas tree lot will take you back to your childhood as you wander through rows of trees, soaking in the smell of pine and evergreen. You’ll also enjoy an old-fashioned assortment of Christmas candy including Mom Blakeman’s Kentucky Creamed Pull Candy. Yes, it’s back and so fresh! Have fun selecting from a full array of old-time candies, available by the scoop.
Tom Mitts Christmas Tree Sales is getting ready. Set-up has begun and they are looking forward to seeing everyone this season. Christmas trees will be sold starting November 18 at 9 am. You’ll enjoy visiting Peluso’s Market in historic downtown Newport, “Where everything is down aisle one!”
Campbell County Public Library: Drop Your Drawers!
Submitted by Mackenzie Manley, PR Coordinator, Campbell County Public Library
Coming to our Newport branch – Signature Series: Jeremy Pinnell Friday, November 19 and Drop Your Drawers Now through December 31 & More! 901 East 6th Street.
Signature Series: Jeremy Pinnell, 7 pm Friday, November 19: Fresh off the release of his third studio album, Goodbye LA, Northern Kentucky native and country artist Jeremy Pinnell will perform at our Newport Branch as part of our Signature Series. Free tickets are required.
Drop Your Drawers Campaign: Campbell County Public Library's annual Drop Your Drawers campaign runs through December 31. The donation drive aims to meet a crucial need for public schools in Campbell County, keeping Family Resource Center’s emergency supplies of socks and underwear stocked. New pairs of socks and underwear of any size in their original packaging can be dropped off at all CCPL branches, with the goal of collecting 7,000 items. Schools hand out socks and underwear to students for a variety of reasons, including accidents, illness, homelessness, etc.
This is Drop Your Drawers’ 6th year, following a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
For a complete list of events, please visit the website of the Campbell County Public Library.
We Love our Dog Park!
As always, thanks to everyone who has volunteered, donated, moved dirt, raked mulch, bought bricks, and helped with our terrific East Row Dog Park, located behind the library on 6th St.
As a reminder, we rely on donations and fundraising to cover the costs of this pawsitively wonderful addition to our neighborhood, so please consider helping out as you make a donation, buy a brick or sign up to be a volunteer.
Yearly costs to keep the dog park safe, clean and fun are more than $6,000. You can lend a hand in a variety of ways while building a community and meeting new friends at the park.
Visit our Newport Dog Park website for all the details on our community-supported dog park and how you can pitch in for our furry friends!
The Voice
Editor: Paula Brandon
Send articles to voice@eastrow.org. The editor reserves the right to edit or reject submissions due to length or content.
