City News Round Up: Friday, September 19, 2025

Meetings & Agendas
Please check our agenda center for the full schedule of upcoming Committees, Boards, and Commission meetings, and to view agendas, backup materials, and videos from past meetings. Read a recap of the September 15 City Council meeting. The next City Council meeting is Monday, October 6, at 5:00 PM. 

9/19-20: Tate House Hosts Historical Reenactment Events
The Tate House museum is hosting events on September 19 and 20 to mark the Bombardment of Portland by the British 250 years ago. On the morning of September 20, a tall ship will perform a simulated reenactment of this historic event. The ship will be positioned in the harbor, in front of DiMillo's Marina, simulating the sounds of bombardment for 30 minutes while visitors observe from the Maine State Pier. Learn more on the Tate House website.

New Date: Congress Square Reconstruction Work Starts 9/29
The Congress Square Intersection reconstruction work has been pushed back and is now scheduled to begin on September 29. The public should expect traffic delays during construction. This project includes mill and overlay of the intersection, sidewalk and ADA improvements, installation of new traffic signal infrastructure, and lighting and landscaping improvements within the Congress Square intersection. Read the full traffic details and project timeline.

City Expands Walk-In Hours for Vaccine Clinics
Starting this week, the City’s Public Health Clinic will expand its fall vaccine walk-in clinic hours (39 Forest Avenue) for eligible members of the public. On Mondays and Fridays from 9 AM-5 PM, children and uninsured adults will be able to drop in, without an appointment, to receive no-cost vaccines and prevent respiratory infections this fall. At this time, flu vaccines are in stock and ready to be administered, and COVID-19 vaccines will be available soon. Read vaccination recommendations on our full release.

Take Our Survey - We Want Your Input on Emergency Planning! 
We want your input on emergency planning priorities. Please take our survey and tell us what is important to you! Visit our emergency planning project page to find more information about the work the City is doing to update our emergency operations plan and share your ideas for how we can share emergency preparedness information.

Congratulations to our August Employee of the Month
Aaron Bridges is a Fire Captain at the Portland Fire Department with over 18 years of City service. Captain Bridges was recognized for his outstanding customer service and commitment to providing the best possible fire prevention to the citizens of Portland. Staff recognized Captain Bridges’ dedication to his work and going above and beyond. One example of this is when Captain Bridges was asked to give a fire safety talk to the Boys and Girls Club a few years ago. He did such a great job with the talk that they had him review their facility, where he pointed out some fire safety issues. They were so pleased with the exemplary customer service provided, they asked him to be a regular member of their safety committee, where he routinely provides them with his fire safety advice. Thank you for all you do, Captain Bridges! 

Help Us Keep the Neighborhood Association Directory Updated
A reminder to our Neighborhood Associations to update your City-hosted pages on our website. Please take a look and be in touch with us if your info needs to be updated - whether that be info related to new leadership or if an association is no longer active. Thank you!

Tax Bill Payment Dates
All property tax bills were mailed the week of September 8. The first half of property tax payments are due on October 17, 2025, and the second half is due on March 20, 2026. Please remember we only mail the bills once. Property tax bills can be viewed and paid online. As a reminder, the new mil rate is $11.98 per thousand dollars of assessed value, a decrease of more than 25% from the projected FY26 mil rate prior to any revaluation. 

Funding for Housing Related Programs Available 
As part of the Healthy Neighborhoods Partnership program, the City, in partnership with Maine Medical Center (MMC), is seeking applications from parties interested in utilizing MMC grant funding for the purposes of developing or continuing housing-related programs or projects in the neighborhood surrounding MMC, particularly within the St. John Valley neighborhood. Read the full details.

Routine CMP Pole Work on Select Portland Streets 
A Central Maine Power contractor will be working on a variety of Portland streets, starting around 9/22 for approximately two weeks, to replace existing poles with new ones and to transfer the utility services onto these new poles. This is relatively routine work and should not cause any road closures or other delays. This work is scheduled to occur on Park Avenue and Alder, Parris, Sherman, and Cedar Streets.

Historic Preservation Program Launches New Interactive Map Tool
Our Historic Preservation Program, in the Department of Planning & Urban Development, has launched a new interactive Historic Designations Mapper tool. This online tool allows users to quickly and easily look up whether properties are historically designated locally, and if they are, to quickly access historical information. Read the full map tool release.

Riverside Shelter & TB Misinformation
Reports of a tuberculosis (TB) outbreak at one of our shelters are false. The Maine CDC has confirmed with City staff that it has not suggested any changed protocols for the shelter on Riverside Industrial Parkway, and is not aware of any TB outbreak at the shelter at this time. Additional information can be found on the Maine CDC website, as they have the mandate for epidemiological surveillance and outbreak response. 

New 2026 Allowable Rent Increases and Short-Term Rental Regulations
Landlords and tenants should be aware that the new allowable rent increase per the consumer price index (CPI) as part of the rent control ordinance has been published for the calendar year 2026. Postcards are being mailed to all registered long-term rental units in the city. The City has also published the new limit on non-owner occupied short-term rentals for units on the mainland for 2026. Read the full update.

Request Your Absentee Ballot for the November Election
Absentee ballots can now be requested online for the November 4, 2025, State Referendum and General municipal election. To learn more about other ways to request your ballot, please visit our Absentee Voting Information webpage. Ballots will be sent out once they are ready in October. 

Portland Water Department Launches Major Meter Replacement Project
We want to make sure you’re aware of recent news from the Portland Water Department (PWD). Beginning this fall, PWD will launch a three-year effort to replace nearly all 55,000 water meters across their service area with new Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) technology. Customers are being alerted and can learn more on the PWD website.

Maine Marathon Road Closures
As a reminder, the Maine Marathon is coming up on Sunday, October 5th, find the road closures on their website.

October Re-Forest the City Events
Save these dates for fall events hosted by the West End Neighborhood Association: Oct 7 (Tree Walk), Oct 21, Oct 28 (Film). Learn more about Re-Forest the City on their website.

In Action: New Street Safety Project on Washington Ave.
New roadway paint, flexible traffic posts, and speed bumps have been added temporarily to Washington Avenue from Veranda Street to Ocean Avenue. The goal: test improvements aimed at making the roads safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers—before committing to permanent infrastructure changes. Read the full update and share feedback here.

Parks, Recreation and Facilities Updates

• Public landing closed, read details: Noon today through Saturday AM, 9/20
• Celebrate with us on Friday, 10/3 - A Historic Milestone for Lincoln Park!
• Thanks to a collaborative effort between City staff and our residents,we are seeing a remarkable success rate for our young trees. 
• The new 2025-2026 Parks & Recreation Program Guide Is Now Available!
• The playground at Nathan Clifford is officially open. Read the latest updates in the AUGUST 2025 newsletter or subscribe. 
• Ending soon! Sundays on the Boulevard: Now through 9/28, Baxter Boulevard is closed to vehicular traffic on Sundays only, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, and OPEN for walkers, bikers, pedestrian traffic, and play! 
• Our Recreation team is hiring! Help us provide programs and safe, fun childcare experiences for our community. Learn more and apply! Current openings: Recreation Supervisor; Recreation Programmer II - After School; Childcare Site Staff; Recreation Programmer II; Childcare Site Staff - After School; Childcare Site Staff - Before School.
• Reiche Pool is OPEN - join us for open swim. Riverton Pool Update: Over the course of the ongoing reconstruction project, our staff learned that additional work will be required prior to completion. They are working to solve this new challenge and taking other steps to expedite the project. Completion is now expected in 2026, and unfortunately, the pool will not be available for the winter season this year. Staff will share updates on the Aquatics webpage. 

Public Works Updates

• Visit portlandmaine.gov/PublicWorks for links to all the most recent DPW project updates. 
• Check here for September paving projects.
• 8/8 Update: Western Prom Project Resumed Monday, 7/21
• Ongoing: Hersey St Sewer Separation Project + Deering Ave Sewer Extension
• Pesticide Disposal Resources Bring unwanted pesticides to a collection site in Portland; pre-register by 9/26 for free collection.

We’re Hiring!
We are hiring across several departments in the city, with a variety of open positions: healthcare roles (RNs/CNAs), trades workers, before and after school recreation counselors, lifeguards, 911 dispatchers, community health workers, and more. Recently posted: Housing Program Manager. Come make a difference with us, our wellness benefits are award winning.

Be the Next Harbor Master!
The Board of Harbor Commissioners for Portland Harbor is seeking a knowledgeable, dedicated, and community-oriented individual to serve as the Portland Harbor Master. This leadership role is responsible for ensuring the safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible operation of Portland Harbor. Learn more and apply.