What's New

The Department of Public Works Parking Enforcement Department, which manages the school crossing guard schedule, asks motorists to be mindful of increased pedestrian activity and to follow the directions from crossing guards with vests and signs as they assist students and their guardians who are walking and biking to school. Drivers are urged to be vigilant near school neighborhoods, to plan routes away from heavy school traffic if travel is time-sensitive, and to obey posted school speed limits and crossing guard signals.

The City has resumed the implementation of its Citywide Wayfinding Program, developed to enhance wayfinding types, messaging, and locations in a uniform and recognizable design that is unique to the City. 

The City of Portsmouth NH Department of Public Works Water Division has issued a Water Supply Status Report to inform Portsmouth Water System customers of the current water supply conditions and encourage water use efficiency measures. The region has received very little precipitation since May, and the Water Division advises customers to limit their outdoor watering at this time. 

The Portsmouth City Council, Planning Board and Planning & Sustainability Department invite the public to provide input on the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for Fiscal Years 2027 to 2032 (July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2032). Residents are invited to submit projects for consideration in the next CIP by September 19, 2025. 

In March 2024 the City of Portsmouth Public Art Review Committee (PARC) established the request for proposals (RFP) criteria for a public work of art, funded by the City’s percent-for-art ordinance, to be placed near the new Peirce Island Wastewater Treatment Facility. The percent-for-art ordinance stipulates that all new City facilities include provisions for public art, with the maximum allocation capped by City Council action at $150,000.

Kelli Barnaby, City Clerk for the City of Portsmouth NH, has announced the filing period for candidates interested in running for office in the Municipal Election on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. The Municipal Election filing period opens Tuesday, September 2, 2025, and ends on Tuesday, September 16, 2025. 

Non-Partisan Offices
The following non-partisan offices will be filled by the Municipal Election on Tuesday, November 4, 2025:

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.