Prom Plans Don’t Float Many Boats in Newport

For many, the senior prom is the one unforgettable memory of youth--an evening of stolen kisses, laughter and dancing the night away.

That’s why Newport Dunes Resort, on the edge of Lower Newport Bay, is the ideal location for Newport Harbor High School’s 2000 prom, student leaders figured.

With students lazily drifting up and down the bay in gondolas and riding in horse-drawn carriages, it would be truly a night to remember. And since many of the teens grew up in the area, a prom in Newport Beach would provide a fitting closure to their high school careers.

“It’s perfect,” said junior Alex Robinson.

But the students’ dreamy vision is in danger because it runs afoul of the city’s strict noise ordinance. The law prohibits loud music after 10 p.m.

As a result, the students may have to go elsewhere--unless they can win a special exemption from the City Council.

Resort vice president Tim Quinn, for one, is doubtful of their chances.

On rare occasions, an extension on music is given until 11 p.m., he said. Never, ever, is amplified music allowed until midnight, when school’s prom is scheduled to finish, he said.

“We’re located on the water, and sounds travel really far across the water,” Quinn said. “We have to be considerate of our neighbors.”

Mayor Dennis O’Neil sounds a similarly cautious note.

“We’d like to support our high schools,” he said. “But we also have to be mindful of the interests of surrounding property owners.”

Even if the city granted the exemption, Quinn said he is unsure if the resort would go along with it. The students “probably would be better served if they went to a hotel,” he said.

Robinson, however, checked with several Newport Beach hotels. They were all either too expensive or too small to hold the 800 teenagers expected to attend, Robinson said.

As a compromise, the Dunes said it could let the students mingle until midnight, but without any music.

That wouldn’t work, the students say.

“We’re a school that likes to dance,” Robinson said.

Byron Romig, 60, president of the Dover Shores Community Assn., said his community would probably be split on the issue.

“We’re talking about a mature community, and they bought in this area to enjoy the peace and quiet of Newport Upper Bay,” he said.

Still, he said, “one prom a year shouldn’t bother them.”