City News Round Up:  Friday, August 2, 2024
Please check our agenda center for the full schedule of upcoming Committees, Boards, and Commission meetings. Read a recap of the July 15 City Council meeting. To view agendas, backup materials, and videos from past meetings, please visit www.portlandmaine.gov/agendas. The next City Council meeting is Monday, August 19, which is a special double meeting at 4 PM and 5:30 PM. 

Tonight is First Friday Art Walk! Download the map here. 

Library to Serve as Cooling Center Today
The Portland Public Library (5 Monument Square) will serve as Portland’s cooling center today during its normal hours of 10AM to 5PM. Read the full alert for splash pad locations and heat safety tips. 

Upcoming Treasury Office Closure
The Treasury Office will be closed on Thursday, August 8. Appointments for other dates can be booked directly online or by calling 207-874-8491.

Celebrating Portland’s Newest Public Landing
This week we celebrated our newest public landing, the “Captain Nicholas M. Mavodones, Jr. Landing”, with a ribbon cutting. Named by resolution of the City Council on December 20, 2021 for one of the City’s longest serving City Council members and a life-long contributor to the maritime vitality of Casco Bay, Mavodones Landing is the first significant expansion of public access to Portland Harbor in 30 years. 

HUD Features Portland Affordable Housing Projects
The August 2024 HUD Guide, "Creating a Public Funding Strategy to Maximize Housing Production", is one of a series of Implementation Guides that are part of their "Increasing the Supply of New Affordable Housing Toolkit", and features the City of Portland and two housing projects we helped to finance. Read it here.

Hiring Event! Before and After the Bell Program
We’re seeking passionate individuals to join our Before and After the Bell program team! Meet our Recreation team AND our hiring team in person on Wednesday, August 14, 2PM-6PM, at 212 Canco Road (Parks, Recreation & Facilities Office). There will be on-the-spot interviews, fun activities, and refreshments. Help us spread the word! Registration is encouraged but not required. Walk-ins are welcome. Please reach out to Shae Gonzalez (City of Portland Recruiter) with questions: 207-874-8649, sgonzalez@portlandmaine.gov.

NOAA Announces $69 Million for Maine Climate Resilience
Last week Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the Department of Commerce and NOAA have recommended $69 million for a project in Maine to make the state’s coast more resilient to climate change and other coastal hazards. Read the full update.

Help Us Name Maine's First Electric Trash Truck - Vote by 8/8!
At the end of June we unveiled the addition of an electric trash truck to our fleet – the first electric trash truck in the state of #Maine! In celebration of this milestone we asked for your help naming the truck, and you delivered. Now it's time to VOTE! Visit our website here to vote for your favorite by Thursday, August 8 at 5PM. We've narrowed it down to these eight submissions: Elektra, Lightning McClean, Mack E-Gone, Watts, Eeevee, Optimus Grime, Sparky, E.T. 

New Custom House Mural Captures Portland's Maritime Legacy
Artist Timothy Goldkin is set to unveil a new mural at the corner of Custom House Wharf and Commercial Street (on the side of Casco Variety at 94 Commercial Street) depicting a historic scene of the wharf from the turn of the 20th century, celebrating the enduring spirit of Portland's working waterfront. Join the unveiling event on Thursday, August 8, at 3:00 PM in the alleyway between Custom House Wharf and Portland Pier. The event will feature remarks from the artist, current members of the waterfront community, and a historian. 

8/9: Coffee + Climate, Urban Heat and the Power of Trees
Join the One Climate Future team Friday, 8/9, 9AM-10AM for a chat focused on urban heat islands research and what is being done to increase our tree canopy in a sustainable way. Register here.

8/12: Blood Drive at Merrill Auditorium
Another blood drive with the American Red Cross is coming up Monday, August 12, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, at Merrill Auditorium (20 Myrtle Street). All donors who come in and donate that day will receive a $20.00 Gift Card to Amazon! Direct questions to Blood Program Leader, Clare Norton, clare@portlandmaine.gov, 207-808-5435. Sign up here. 

8/12: Free Solar Workshop for Small Business Owners
Learn how to save money and boost the sustainability of your business through transitioning to solar energy at this free CEI workshop on August 12 at 4:00 PM. Participants will learn about options for solar installation and how to determine financial viability of solar investments. Learn more + register here.

Community Garden Volunteer Event Series
Volunteers needed in an upcoming series of raised bed-building workshops in City community gardens. Whether you are an experienced gardener or just starting, these workshops are designed to be informative and enjoyable for everyone. Learn more and see dates for August + September.

Host a Neighborhood Block Party - FREE!
Block parties are a great way to connect with neighbors, build community, and have fun! For a limited time, the City is waiving the block party permit fee and offering free block party kits to reserve. Details: portlandmaine.gov/blockparty.

8/13: West End Annual Summer Picnic
The West End Neighborhood Association annual summer picnic will be Tuesday, 8/13, at Harbor View Park (York Street). It's bring-your-own supper (water + dessert will be provided) and there will be music and art activities: MUSIC with Ukuleles Heal The World, SCIENCE with ReForest the City, and ART with Love Lab Studio. Just bring your own blanket or chair.

Annual Fill-A-Backpack Challenge, Donate by 8/15
The Portland Police Department and the Portland Regional Communications Center are holding their annual Fill-A-Backpack Challenge now through 8/15! Over the past eight years, 2,577 backpacks have been donated to students in our schools from donations within the City of Portland, and from citizens from around Maine. Backpacks should be filled with the following supplies: pencils, pencil sharpener, crayons, colored pencils, ruler, spiral bound notebooks, scissors (blunt edged), erasers, glue. Bags can be dropped off in the lobby of the police station (109 Middle St.) or pickup can be arranged if needed. Please direct questions to: cherylb@portlandmaine.gov.

DIY Electrify! Rebates Still Available
The Sustainability Office is still offering rebates up to $250 to eligible Portland homeowners and renters for a list of eligible items - including Energy-Star certified air conditioners, cellular window shades, smart thermostats, and other energy efficiency items. Save money & save energy, click here to learn more about DIY Electrify.

Revaluation Data Mailers Have Been Sent Out
All residential property owners are receiving data mailers requesting verification of property information. Information about the revaluation process is available on a new website. View a sample data mailer. Property owners are encouraged to visit the site and contact the Assessor’s Office with questions. 

Portland Parks, Recreation and Facilities Updates
Read all the latest updates in their July 2024 newsletter. We’re actively recruiting people to work for our Before & After the Bell program as well as in Aquatics. These are great, flexible positions! Learn more by visiting our jobs portal and help us spread the word. Visit the Parks & Rec website to learn more about new registration changes. Find City Splash Pad hours + locations here. 

9/3: Free Class for Entrepreneurs hosted by New Ventures Maine
New Ventures Maine will offer Venturing Forth: Business Planning for Entrepreneurs, a free, online 60-hour course in business planning, starting September 3. For new entrepreneurs or existing business owners, the class helps businesspeople create a written business plan from start to finish. Contact NVME staff, Alicia LaFosse, to learn more: alicia.lafosse@maine.edu or (207) 621-7457

We’re Hiring!
Come make a difference with us, our wellness benefits are award winning! We are hiring across several departments in the city, with a variety of open positions: healthcare roles (RNs/CNAs), trades workers, before + after school recreation counselors, 911 dispatchers, community health workers, and more. Connect with our city recruiter to learn more, or apply today. 

DPW Paving Updates and Ongoing Construction Projects

New Dates: Baxter Boulevard Construction at Hannaford Plaza Road
Two weeks of construction started Monday, July 29 to install a new catch basin and pipe at Baxter Boulevard and Hannaford Plaza Road. Read full details.

Ongoing: Western Promenade Drainage Improvements Project
Residents were notified by mail of this construction anticipated to begin during the week of June 17 and scheduled to be substantially completed by 10/31/24. Read full details. Starting on Wednesday, 7/31, the Western Promenade Roadway from Bowdoin to Vaughan Streets will be closed to local traffic only.

Visit portlandmaine.gov/PublicWorks for links to all the most recent DPW project updates, or find all paving updates here.