Press Releases/What’s New

Wednesday, May 8th is National Bike to School Day. To celebrate, three Portsmouth Schools are participating this year with their own events, including:

Due to new protocols made by the City’s vendor, Public Works is asking the community to adjust how they organize brush and yard waste for collection. Moving forward, sticks and brush should be tied and organized separately from bagged leaves (yard waste). Residents will notice that Public Works crews will first collect yard waste, and then do a return route to collect the curbside tied brush. Public Works appreciates your cooperation!

The City of Portsmouth is seeking candidates for its Director of Human Resources position. This is a dynamic, leadership role that includes the management of numerous City divisions and unions.

Ahead of the busy summer season and anticipated increased foot traffic, crews will be doing some brick repair work on sidewalks in the Market Square area beginning on Thursday, April 25th. This work occur Thursday, Friday and Monday (not over the weekend), and will include various areas in need of restoration in all four corners of the Square. The crews will be leveling out and repairing spot areas to alleviate puddling and unevenness. 

A water main break has occurred on Route 1 near the location of Mr. Mac’s restaurant. Public Works crews have shut off the water main while they address this issue; this affects buildings along Route 1 heading in the direction of Rye, as well as surrounding side streets with the exception of Ocean Road. Crews anticipate the water to be turned back on around noon to 1 p.m. this afternoon. Crews will be shutting the water main off again overnight from midnight to 4 a.m. to permanently fix this break.

Pavement crack sealing operations begin in Portsmouth on Wednesday, April 17th. The following roads and neighborhoods have been selected for treatment, and will be completed as time and budget allows:

The Walk Friendly Communities program (WFC) has awarded Portsmouth with its Silver Level Walk Friendly accreditation due to the City’s work in prioritizing pedestrians and creating safer, comfortable and inviting places to walk. Other communities recognized this year by WFC include San Francisco, California, who received Platinum Level, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Lakeland, Florida, who received Bronze Level.

The Water Division will start their twice annual routine hydrant flushing of the City’s 190 miles of water mains to remove sediment buildup on Monday, April 15th. This work will occur on both public and private hydrants spanning New Castle, Rye, Greenland, Newington and Portsmouth, lasting about six to eight weeks. Between 7 p.m.