City of Portland Alerts

City News Round Up: Friday, September 16, 2022

City News Round Up: Friday, September 16, 2022
Please check our agenda center for the full schedule of upcoming Committees, Boards, and Commission meetings. To view agendas, backup materials, and videos from past meetings, please visit www.portlandmaine.gov/agendas. Read a recap of the City Council’s September 1 meeting.

The City Council meets next on Monday, September 19, view the agenda highlights at the end of this newsletter or visit links above.

Tuesday, 9/20: 4th Annual Creative Portland Arts & Culture Summit
Register today for Creative Portland’s annual summit to gather the arts community and stakeholders together under one roof to reconnect, share updates, address progress on the 2018 Cultural Plan Update, and to introduce the Creative Portland app, a marketing tool for organizations & artists. Get all the details and register here.

Tax Bills Due in November
Tax bills are expected to be sent out in October with a due date in November. Stay tuned for updates on our website here to see when the bills have been mailed out. Once available, bills can be viewed and paid on our Citizen Self Service website here.

New Rippleffect Outdoor Center
A new land-based center for outdoor adventure and education will be created thanks to a partnership between the City, Rippleffect, and Portland Public Schools. The center will be located adjacent to Rowe Elementary School in Portland, with a mission to be a future centerpiece of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity of Access for all Maine youth as it relates to outdoor adventure opportunities. Read more about the new center here.

Sustainability Events: Electrify Everything and Drive Electric Maine 2022
Check out these great upcoming events from our Sustainability team:
9/28, IRA + Electrify Everything! Learn more and register here.

10/1, 12PM-4PM, Drive Electric Maine: Learn more about the event here.

Public Comment: New HUD Consolidated Annual Performance Report
The City’s 2021-2022 HUD Consolidated Annual Performance Evaluation Report (CAPER) is now available for review and comment online. This report is submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development annually and includes performance and evaluation measures concerning the Community Development Block Grant, HOME, and Emergency Solutions Grant programs. Learn more here.

Share Your Ideas: Transit Together PopUp Events
Please share your feedback on proposed scenarios for improving bus service in the Greater Portland region! Including changes to bus routes operated by Biddeford-Saco-Old Orchard Beach Transit, Greater Portland Metro, South Portland Bus Service, as well as to the Southern Maine Connector and the Lakes Region Explorer routes. Learn more and see the event dates here.

Community Impact: Health and Human Services
This week our Health and Human Services (HHS) department shared FY'22 infographics demonstrating the work of their division and programs, along with its impact. Learn more about the impact our HHS division has on the Portland community here. 

Portland Fire Department Receives $200,000 FEMA Grant
We are pleased to announce the Portland Fire Department was recently awarded an Assistance to Firefighters (AFG) FEMA grant in the amount of $200,409. The funds will go toward providing two separate firehouse sprinkler systems each costing $100,000; one at the Munjoy Hill Station/Cummings Center on Congress St. and another at Engine 9’s Riverton Station on Forest Ave. Read the full story here. 

City Welcomes New Barron Center Administrator
After a national search and an extensive interview process, the City of Portland is pleased to announce Mary Beth Daigneault as the new Administrator of the Barron Center, the City’s rehabilitation/nursing and long-term care facility. Read the full update to learn more about her. 

Updates from Parks and Recreation
The Fall-Winter-Spring Recreation brochure is now available, read it online here. 

New Public Restrooms Locations Now Available
We’ve added additional public restrooms across the city. Please visit this GIS map to view all locations.. 

November 2022 Election: Request Your Absentee Ballot Online
The online portal is now open to request absentee ballots for the November 8 General Election, visit portlandmaine.gov/absentee. Residents may also call the City Clerk's office to request a ballot: Mon-Fri, 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM: 207-874-8677. Please visit portlandmaine.gov/elections for additional information regarding the upcoming election. 

Work With Us
Apply now to work in our After the Bell Program! This is a fun, part-time job working with kids, and the starting pay is $17.09/hr (availability needed to work between 2:00-5:30 PM or 3:15-5:30 PM. For more information, reach out to recreation@portlandmaine.gov. We also currently have multiple job openings across a variety of departments, view the full list of openings here. 


DPW Paving Updates and Ongoing Construction Projects


Please visit portlandmaine.gov/PublicWorks for information links to all the most recent DPW project updates. Current and ongoing paving projects are listed on our website here.
 

Andrews Square
Final paving tentatively scheduled for next week. Read the full update.

Stevens Avenue Roadwork
All the speed tables have been installed and the crosswalk striping should move forward within the next week or two. Sidewalk work will continue for the next 2-3 weeks.

Update: Elm Street Painting Almost Complete 
The bus lane, vehicle, and bike lane striping has started (some symbols were installed the night of 9/14/22). There is one more night of work to complete all the crosswalks and symbol striping which will be scheduled soon. 

Forest Ave Paving Rescheduled
This project has been delayed due to utility work that is on-going in the road due to a development. The Paving Contractor could not move back their start date and complete it in time this year therefore it has been rescheduled to start in Spring 2023.

StreetScan Partnership Assessing Road Conditions
DPW has partnered with StreetScan, a Massachusetts-based company that has assessed streets in over 100 communities in North America. You might see the StreetScan vehicle in action around Portland! Learn more here.

Back Cove West Project Update & Upcoming Road Closure
Storm drain installation started 9/12 for two weeks. Read the full alert here.

 

City Council Meeting, Monday, September 19, 2022


Agenda Highlights
5:00 PM:  Public comment period on non-agenda items

RECOGNITIONS
Recognizing Officer Matt Pavlis and K-9 Messi, US Police Canine Association's National Detector Case of the Quarter Award

PROCLAMATIONS

Recognizing September 24-October 2, Diaper Need Awareness Week

Recognizing September 26-30, 2022, Clean Energy Week

Recognizing September 30, Day of Remembrance for U.S. Indian Boarding Schools

COMMUNICATIONS - No public comment or formal Council action.

Comm 6 - ReCode Update

Comm 7 - Historic Preservation Impact Study Update

Comm 8 - New Deal Exemptions/Exceptions Granted

Comm 9 - Fossil Fuel Infrastructure Report

Comm 10 - Estimated Fiscal Impact of Proposed Citizen Initiatives + Charter Commission Recommendations

UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Order 58 Approving Collective Bargaining Agreement w/ American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 481-00 Labor + Trades

Order 59 Traffic Schedule Amendment Re: Thames Street

Order 60 Amendment to Portland City Code Chapter 34 re: Landcare Ordinance

ORDERS 
Order 69 Laying Out Town Way/City Street Pursuant to 23 M.R.S.A. § 3022 Re: Thames Street Extension

Order 70 Approving Residential Parking Permit Re: Islander Parking

Order 71 Accepting a Riverside Street Sidewalk Easement from Waste Management of Maine, Inc.

Order 72 Accepting/Appropriating a $200,409.09 Federal Emergency Management Agency Assistance to Firefighters Grant and Appropriating $21,040.91  Local Match

Order 73 Accepting/Appropriating a $3,000,000 Grant from US EPA for the City's Brownfield Revolving Loan Program

Past Alerts