#newportvt

[discovernewportvt]

Vintage plane over #DowntownNewportVT and #LakeMemphremagog. | Courtesy of Old Stone House.

[discovernewportvt]

[discovernewportvt]

#NewportVT. If you haven't been there in the last couple of months, it's changed. Amazing! Check it out and try the watermelon gazpacho at theBrown Dog Bistro at the brand new Northeast Kingdom Tasting Center. — @Vicky Parra Tebbets with Patricia M Sears.

[discovernewportvt]

City aldermen, promoters and developers touted Newport City's unique zoning codes to U.S. Rep. Peter Welch during his visit downtown Wednesday at noon.

[discovernewportvt]

DiscoverNewportVT | Community Matters to our growth and wellbeing

Newport, Vermont (pop +/- 5K), is located in the most remote rural area of Vermont. We are on the cusp of $200M of new development in our downtown between now and 2017. A new biotech plant, window manufacturing plant, a whole new city block, a whole new waterfront resort hotel & conference center and $20M in enhancements and expansion of our airport will take place and be completed by the end of 2017. Within the next 4 years. 

While not an Orton Family Foundation 'Heart & Soul' community Newport has benefited tremendously from Orton's CommunityMatters program having served as a pilot location for an all day workshop in February 2013. In March 2013, Newport City Renaissance and Newport Community Justice Center started CommunityCommons, a monthly meeting with community members in an effort to let the air out of the balloon before it popped as some in the community are feeling this new surge in economic development is happening 'to' them. 

The listening and connecting has been a tremendous advance in positive change. While not always smooth, they are really gelling into *productive* listening and learning sessions and are becoming more sought out by other organizations as 'the place' to share info and get feedback that provide 'reality checks' for next steps. Amazing and true. Click here.

And our connection to Orton Family Foundation started at a National Main Street conference that developed into Newport City Renaissance presenting on our successful form-based code experience where members of the community developed it and the City Council adopted it (2010), to the 2010CommunityMatters conference in Denver. 

Included in the CM10 was a visit to Golden. It inspired us so much that we have a remarkable community garden burgeoning from one plot to eight. And it was about listening. And doing. Click here.

And now our public television station (VPT) has discovered the gardens' impact on our downtown neighborhoods and you can see this incredible real-life story here.

And all of this, community gardens, CommunityCommons and more are enriching our heart and soul and keeping us true to 'Newport. Genuine by Nature.' So when the new biotech manufacturing, window manufacturing, aviation assembly & distribution and more... come to Newport bringing over 1K new job opportunities, the prospective new employees will DiscoverNewportVT as a wholesome place to live, work and play. 

We are working with AARP to attain certification as an Age-Friendly City that's recognized by WHO and others. That means implementing Complete Streets. It also means heavy-duty advocacy for gig-pipe robust fiber bringing the best high-speed broadband internet service to our downtown. 

In the meantime, The Northeast Kingdom Tasting Center has opened in downtown Newport bringing an array of local foods in a marketplace under one roof that includes fabulous $5 tastings of your selection of 5 ice ciders/wines/spirits made in Vermont. A bistro serving locally grown/produced items in every menu selection. A butcher shop featuring local meats. A bake shop using locally grown grain for flour and fruit. A maple shop teeming with locally produced products. And the Tasting Center is open 7 days/week ... 8a - 8p. A HUGE Change in downtown retail culture. Think about it. 

This Tasting Center is the newest addition to the Newport City Renaissance Newport. Fresh by Nature. program that links our downtown restaurants to farms in neighboring communities in a meaningful contractual way, celebrates our community gardens and promotes the Newport Farmers Market... and now the Northeast Kingdom Tasting Center, too. Newport is a culinary destination for a true farm-to-table experience. 

These will be reasons why millennials and kids my age who are in their 3rd or 4th chapter of their life will choose to live, work and play in our downtown. DiscoverNewportVT. Only 2.5hours from Montreal and only 3.5hours from Boston. Think about it.

[discovernewportvt]

Come on out for some Newport golf, our Newport Country Club is looking excellent!

Take wonderful advantage of these beautiful August days in Vermont. Did you know that this highly rated public course green fees are only $36 for 18-holes? True story.

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The Community Commons gathering has become the place to be to find out the latest on what's happening in Newport City.

The 3rd Wednesday... 6p - 8p at The Gateway Center in downtown Newport. Sharing Potluck. 

[discovernewportvt]

Crown jewel of #DowntownNewportVT is #LakeMemphremagog. And less than a half-hour from Jay Peak Resort.