NCDD
Newport City Downtown Development
Downtown Newport is the place where community and commerce meet. While community is the heart of Newport, business is its lifeblood – and developing the interests of both is necessary to create a healthy, liveable community and a vibrant local economy that fulfills the needs of those who live, play, visit and work in Newport.
Our Board of Directors
Sarah Chadburn,
President
Scott Grimes,
Treasurer
Ed Gil de Rubio,
Secretary
Umair Malik,
Board Member
Eleanor Leger,
Board Member
Andrea Carbine,
Board Member
Emily Smartt,
Chair – Communications Committee
Dave Laforce,
Chair – Economic Devp Task Force
Felicia Updyke,
Co-Chair – Destination Devp, Promotion & Stewardship
Tim Tierney,
Ex Oficio
Our Vision: A Four-Season, Outdoor Recreation Economy
NCDD is intently focused on what will be needed for Newport to develop and sustain a vibrant outdoor recreation economy. This includes supporting and promoting events that draw people here, working cooperatively to steward the natural resources of our region, and backing the businesses that are the foundation in our effort to create a great community for downtown residents, neighbors from across the Northeast Kingdom, and short-term visitors to this beautiful destination.
Our Mission
Newport City Downtown Development (NCDD) is a 501(c)3 organization working with partners and volunteers to revitalize, preserve and promote historic downtown Newport as a strong and resilient economic hub, a livable and walkable community, and a vibrant residential, social, recreational and cultural center for residents and visitors to enjoy.
There’s room for you in this organization:
NCDD is driven by the energy and the passion of our volunteers and businesses. There are three active committees and many ways to get involved:
1. Destination Development, Promotion and Stewardship – This is the team creating the great events like Winter Saturdays, Northern Star Paint and Sips, and Memphremagog Festival!
2. Economic Development – This is where we’re working on starting new businesses, partnering with North Country Career Center to rehab downtown housing, and dreaming big dreams about hotels and the like.
3. Design and Community Welcome – Public art, historical walking tours, signage on the Newport Waterfront Recreation Path and a Binational Tourism Working Group – plenty here to sink your teeth into.
Meet Our Director
Rick Ufford-Chase is an avid outdoorsman whose family has lived in Lowell for six generations, where he and his wife Kitty live in a cabin they built on his family’s land. He has thirty-five years of experience as a non-profit entrepreneur and director. When not busy with his work, Rick can usually be found working on remodeling projects, playing on the water (sailing and kayaking), or running to get ready for the Dandelion or Fly to Pie events with Kingdom Games. Rick and Kitty have three adult children and one grandchild. Rick can be reached at info@ncddvt.org.