What's New

The seasonal gardens of Prescott Park are in their prime, following weeks of planting, weeding, and cultivation. The City of Portsmouth Parks & Greenery Department is inviting the public to join members of the gardening team for free weekly tours of the formal gardens.  

The Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire (CPCNH) has advised its member municipalities, including Portsmouth Community Power, that the electricity supply rates for the rate period August 1, 2025 through January 31, 2026 will increase, as are all electric rates from utilities across the state. Eversource, the default utility in Portsmouth, has announced an increase to 11.196 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh).

The City of Portsmouth NH will start urgent work in Vaughan Mall to replace the heavily deteriorated sewer and water lines. While the Mall is under construction, the City will also be upsizing the stormwater system to accommodate the additional flows that will be generated during future phases of the Fleet Street Reconstruction Project.

Construction on Vaughan Mall is scheduled to begin on September 1, 2025, and will continue through early December. To ensure accessibility during the winter months, the site is expected to be temporarily surfaced with asphalt.

With the planned transition of Deputy City Manager and Regulatory Counsel Suzanne Woodland at the end of the current fiscal year, City Manager Karen S. Conard is pleased to announce the appointment of Carl Weber as the City’s next Deputy City Manager, effective June 30, 2025.

The City of Portsmouth presents the annual fireworks display on Thursday, July 3, 2025 at South Mill Pond with a rain date of Saturday, July 5. This celebration is an alcohol-free, family-friendly event. The City has not allocated funds for fireworks in next year’s budget. Unless a private donor steps forward to sponsor the event, this year’s celebration will mark the final Independence Day fireworks display.

The City's Planning & Sustainability Department and the Housing Blue Ribbon Committee invited community members to a public meeting on Thursday, July 10. The meeting featured a presentation by RKG Associates on their findings related to the City’s workforce housing incentives policy.

The Department of Public Works Parks & Greenery Group continues to apply a variety of measures intended to control the impact Canada Geese are having at Four Tree Island, Prescott Park, and Bohenko Gateway Park.

As the Seacoast experiences wet conditions conducive to the proliferation of mosquitoes, the City of Portsmouth is continuing its annual mosquito control program, active since April. The program includes larval monitoring and the application of larvicide in identified risk areas, such as wetlands and salt marshes. The City’s consultant Dragon Mosquito Control, Inc.

The Portsmouth Recreation Department and the Portsmouth Public Library host the 3rd Annual Community Picnic and Summer Reading Program Kick-Off on Friday, June 20, 2025 from 5 to 7 pm at the Connie Bean Center Field. This event is free and open to all.

The event includes games, arts and crafts, free popcorn, DJ music, and food trucks (with food for sale). The Recreation Department’s Camp FunStuff Counselors will meet and greet residents. In case of rain, the event will move inside to the Connie Bean Center gym.