Press Releases/What’s New

Portsmouth-based and internationally-renowned photographer Carl Austin Hyatt has donated a large format black-and-white photograph from his “Portsmouth Salt Piles Series” to the City for public display. The Portsmouth City Council will accept the photograph, “S-1” in a ceremony with the artist and the Public Art Review Committee (PARC) on March 3, 2025 at 7 pm at City Hall as part of their regular City Council meeting. The public is invited to attend the ceremony.

The Department of Public Works has announced that the demolition and removal of the boiler house chimney at City Hall will begin after 6 pm on March 3, 2025. The process will take approximately seven working days to complete. The unused, 95-foot tall chimney has deteriorated significantly, with cracking and structural displacement leading to falling bricks and mortar. As a safety measure, the area underneath the chimney was cordoned off earlier this year. For this project, the City has hired Reneau Industries, a local contractor with experience in demolition.

The League of American Bicyclists has honored the efforts of the City of Portsmouth to build better places for people to bike by renewing its status as a Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC). The award recognizes Portsmouth’s commitment to improving conditions for all people who bike through investments in bike education programs, regular bike events that promote and encourage people to choose biking, pro-bike policies, and bike infrastructure.

H5N1 Bird Flu Notice (February 27, 2025)

The Maine Center for Disease Control has confirmed the presence of HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) in multiple wild birds (four Canada geese, two red-tailed hawks and a great horned owl) in York and Cumberland Counties. Five dead birds found on Short Sands Beach were collected for testing on February 25.