Old Crawford General Store in Island Brook, beside the Newport Town Hall.
Newport’s municipal council is proceeding with the purchase of the old Crawford General Store in Island Brook, with its six acres of land adjacent to Town Hall. At a special meeting on September 16, council members voted unanimously to make an offer to buy it for $160,000.
Keith Crawford lived in the house until his death in 2024. When the property came for sale, the real estate agent contacted the Municipality, which had the “right of first refusal.”
“The purchase is not yet completed because the liquidator of the estate is away in Florida until mid-November,” noted mayor Robert Asselin.
The need for more land was identified many years ago, said councillor Anne Marie Yeates-Dubeau. “Ever since Earl Crawford passed [in 1999], it’s always been a dream of different mayors and council members to have more land to expand the municipal lot.” The Crawford property has ample space for parking.
Both Yeates-Dubeau and mayor Asselin said the lack of municipal space forces people to park on the busy Route 212, or to cross the highway on foot. “It’s dangerous,” said Yeates-Dubeau. “I think this is a good purchase. It will be a lot safer for people who come to events and improve accessibility to the Town Hall.”
The Mayor said a public consultation about the general store property is planned for early 2026. The council will present three possible scenarios for the use of the new property and also invite ideas from citizens. “To buy was not my decision alone, it was the council that decided,” he commented. “That’s democracy.”
Several citizens were critical of the municipality’s purchase, due to the potential costs.
“The municipality has an unallocated surplus of $700,000,” mayor Asselin said. “Taxes will go up anyway, because everything costs more than it used to. But not because of this purchase.”
Councillor Jeffrey Bowker concurred. “I feel disappointed that there’s misinformation floating around out there. I think there are those who think this is going to be a huge drain on the finances of Newport. But I believe the way we are moving forward is in the best interests of the municipality.”
