Press Releases/What’s New

The City of Portsmouth is happy to announce the completion of two large solar energy arrays located at the Portsmouth High School and Portsmouth’s Madbury Water Treatment Plant. The combined total size of the arrays is 578 kilowatts DC and will produce more than 700,000 kilowatt hours of renewable electricity annually.

Mayor Jack Blalock has proclaimed April 9th through April 15th Public Safety Telecommunicator Appreciation Week.

Portsmouth maintains a round-the-clock Public Safety Dispatch Center in its police department. Portsmouth Dispatchers are involved in Fire, Police, and medical emergencies, in addition to dispatching for Public Works emergencies after hours.

The Portsmouth Police Department aggressively enforces New Hampshire’s statute, “Use of Mobile Electronic Devices While Driving” on a daily basis. The effort will be emphasized in April as part of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

The use of mobile electronic devices while operating a vehicle is dangerous and has directly been the cause of crashes involving injuries and death. Below are statistics compiled within the last several years as smart phone purchase and use has increased.

The Portsmouth Police Department in Community Partnership with Cindy Naiditch of Steve DeMasco’s Shaolin Studios, held their first Women’s Safety Clinic this past Wednesday night.

The Portsmouth Community Development Department is now accepting applications for the FY 2018 Public Service Agency Grant program. The funding for this program is provided by a Community Development Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is a competitive grant program that makes grants of up to $10,000 to non-profit public service agencies that serve Portsmouth individuals and families who earn very low, low or moderate-incomes. Funds may be used for operating expenses during the program year beginning July 1, 2017 and ending June 30, 2018.

The City of Portsmouth is partnering with the University of New Hampshire Sustainability Institute’s (UNHSI) Sustainability Fellows program in hosting a Fellow that will be assisting with several City initiatives throughout the summer.

UNHSI’s Sustainability Fellowships pair outstanding students with challenging, important projects that will propel communities toward a low-carbon future. Sustainability Fellows each undertake tasks to meet challenging deliverables, and receive supervision, mentorship, unique networking and professional development opportunities.

The Portsmouth Community Development Department is now accepting applications for the FY 2016-2017 Public Facility and Accessibility Improvements Grant Program. The funding for this program is provided by a Community Development Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Grants generally ranging from $15,000 - $50,000 will be based upon available funding and individual project needs. Projects that demonstrate ability to fully expend and meet CDBG programmatic requirements before June 30, 2017 will be given priority consideration.