Department heads used the Nov. 5 New Shoreham work session to summarize the 2025 summer season, highlighting operational successes and outlining infrastructure and staffing needs.

Harbors and marine operations

Kate, the harbors representative, said New Shoreham (including Old Harbor) was named the best harbor in the U.S. for the second consecutive year. She described staff turnover (about four long-term departures) and new hires, and said the most serious on-water incident was a July 3 weather event that damaged many boats in the anchorage; there were no injuries but several fiberglass repairs.

Kate also reported 22 notices of violation (down from 26 the prior year), including four shellfishing infractions; three rescue calls in New Harbor (down from last year); a transmission failure that kept the patrol boat largely out of service for the season but that has been repaired for the winter; and capital items she has requested in the coming budget: dredging permitting and preliminary surveying (town to piggyback on Ballard's Marina dredge and work with the Army Corps), roughly 1,000 cubic yards of material intended for dune nourishment, electrical pedestal upgrades to move from 30-amp to 50-amp service and refurbish old pedestals for parts, and a camera/lighting package at Old Harbor and at the beach pavilion.

Public safety and police operations

Police Chief Paul reported that behavioral issues this summer were generally reduced and that calls for service between Memorial Day and Labor Day fell from about 2,100 in 2023 to about 1,703 this year. He praised seasonal and full-time staff who covered overtime and training duties while noting the department was short on dispatchers for much of the season and continues to recruit. The department recorded six arrests over the summer; mopeds produced roughly 21 crash reports (within the five-year average), and one low-speed-vehicle accident was reported.

Paul also cited two major emergency responses this summer: a house explosion and a fatal plane crash; he praised volunteer fire-rescue response and noted that staffing shortages limit proactive policing during peak visitor periods.

Municipal operations, roads and transfer station

Public works director Mike said road crews were short-staffed much of the summer but completed flail mowing and emergency stair repairs at the Bluffs; July 4 required an extensive cleanup (town crews, volunteers collected about 3,000 pounds of trash). He said the transfer station sees peak capacity over a 6–8 week period in July–August and that earlier this year the town shipped roughly 1,300 tons to the Rhode Island Resource Recovery facility across more than 100 trips. Cemetery staff handled 16 burials between June and September and installed a new cenotaph available for purchase.

Parks, recreation and programs

Parks director Dave said it was one of the busiest summers in a decade. The town employed seven lifeguards for most of the season and ran Campwalk Island with 198 enrollments across 10 weeks. The triathlon sold out (rising from a previous 450 to 480 entries) and organizers expect a practical cap near 500. Softball, volleyball and soccer leagues operated successfully; the town is evaluating playground/refurbishment needs at Bryant Park and use of the baseball field.

Other operational notes

- A new mobile parking-ticketing system launched in early August; staff said online payments worked well and compliance improved.
- The police and parks departments reported ongoing issues recruiting seasonal staff; some recruits and interns were local high-school students and a new year-round dispatcher is starting next week.
- Shellfishing was active; the shellfish wardens issued warnings and few second violations were reported; a soft-shell-clam reintroduction experiment with Brown University students continues slowly.
- Mansion bathrooms received an additional solar panel and battery upgrades; a failed flush pump was replaced and a second pump will be added to provide redundancy.

What the council asked staff to follow up on

Council members encouraged faster completion of dredge surveying and permit steps, asked staff to pursue grants and budgeting for pedestal and camera upgrades, and requested continued outreach about seasonal staffing and transfer-station contingency planning for peak weeks.

Quotes

"We were very proud of that, and that includes Old Harbor," Kate said of the harbor award. "The most significant incident that happened all summer was the weather incident on July 3... it could have been a lot worse. No injuries."

"Calls for service are down," Police Chief Paul said, noting the department still contends with dispatcher shortages and seasonal recruitment challenges.

Context and significance

Department heads said many systems worked well this summer despite staffing challenges and heavy peak-season demand. The council said it will consider budget requests for infrastructure upgrades and asked department heads to return with specifics and cost estimates.