City Of Portland: City News Round Up: Friday, Febuary 4, 2022

Portland ME

05 February, 2022

10:24 AM

Description

Press release from the City of Portland: February 4, 2022 City Council Meeting - Agenda PreviewYou can always read the full agenda for any upcoming City Council meetings via our website (portlandmaine.gov/agendas), or read the highlights on social media. A few noteworthy items include: Winter Overnight Parking RemindersWith repeated winter snowstorms taking place, don't forget to follow the overnight street maintenance signs that are in effect on peninsula and near USM. Our Public Works crews will use those restrictions to remove and push back snow following a storm. Cars not in compliance with the City's Street Maintenance Signs will be subject to towing. Learn more. Learn more 2/7: Nomination Papers Available for June Special Municipal ElectionThis week the City Clerk alerted Portland residents that nomination papers will be available on Monday, February 7 for the June 14, 2022 Special Municipal Election. Papers can be taken out via the City Clerk's Office at City Hall, please use the Myrtle Street entrance. Masks are required. Learn more.2/8: Public Meeting: Community Housing NeedsOn Tuesday, February 8, at 6:00 PM, the City of Portland and Cumberland County will co-host a public meeting to collect public feedback on reducing homelessness and increasing housing stability. Public input is a vital element in assessing needs and gathering feedback from the community. Learn more.2/9: Portland Walk-in Vaccine Clinic Williston-Immanuel United Church is hosting a walk-in Covid vaccine clinic on Wednesday, February 9 from 4-6PM. The church is located at 156 High Street in Portland. Vaccines and boosters will be available at no cost, including: Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson + Johnson. Volunteer shifts are also available that day, 3:30-6:15PM, to help direct foot traffic and hand out consent forms to patients. For more information: [email protected]. 2/11: Coffee & Climate, Energy Efficient HousingJoin City Sustainability staff on Friday, February 11, 9-10AM for this month's Coffee & Climate on energy efficient housing! This month Jesse Thompson, principal at Kaplan Thompson Architects, will join them to discuss the synergies between energy efficiency and housing affordability. You can find and save the Zoom link on Eventbrite when you sign up! 2/15: Mayor's Monthly ZoomJoin Mayor Kate Snyder on Tuesday, February 15 at 4:00 PM for her monthly Zoom chat; an opportunity for residents to get recent updates from the Mayor and discuss any issues. Find Zoom details here. New Survey: Recode PortlandWe're still looking for your feedback on our recently-released land use code evaluation! Learn about the code evaluation and tell us what you think of its recommendations. Take the survey. Apply now! Paid Positions on our Elections TeamThis week we celebrated the second annual National Poll Worker Recruitment Day! We are grateful to all past and present poll workers who have aided in our efforts to execute the duties of electing our leaders. We are hiring for important roles needed on Election Day; no experience is necessary, and training will be provided. You do not need to be a Portland resident to apply. Learn more. Better Bikeways Initiative: Share Your IdeasAttention Portland bike community! Last week the Planning and Urban Development Department launched a new project in need of your ideas. The Better Bikeways Initiative aims to take Portland's bikeway network to the next level. Two new online tools were created, a questionnaire and a crowdsourcing mapping tool, to collect your input and to start the community conversation. Learn more about the project here. New EV Chargers Operational in the West EndThe Sustainability Office announced that four new EV chargers are operational and ready for public use in the West End, in the small parking lot at the corner of Spring and High. Visit our website for other locations available throughout the city. Real Estate Taxes Due: Friday, March 18 Please visit selfservice.portlandmaine.gov to find your bill or check amounts due. Any questions can be directed to [email protected] or call 207-874-8490. Applications Now Available: Maine Property Tax Deferral ProgramIn 2021 the Maine Legislature reinstated this property tax deferral program to help seniors and the fully disabled stay in their homes and age in place. For qualified and approved applicants, the State of Maine will pay the property taxes each year. The state will place a lien on the property and all deferred taxes (and accrued interest) are repaid to the state when the property is sold or the applicant passes away. Find the full qualification requirements here. Applications must be filed with the Assessor's Office between January 1 and April 1 each year. Please refer any questions to: Maine Property Services, Property Tax Division, 207-624-5600 or [email protected]. Mask Mandate for Indoor Public Places Still in EffectMasks are required when inside public places. Read our Mask Mandate FAQ. Businesses who still need mask supplies can visit City Hall via the Myrtle Street entrance between 9 AM and 4 PM Monday through Friday as supplies last. The Mask Mandate will be discussed by the Council again at its February 7 meeting. Winter Recreation UpdatesThe Playground crew has been working diligently to resurface ice skating rinks this week and announced all ponds are ready for skaters! Be sure to bookmark the Parks and Recreation's Winter Recreation page where you can find details about where to go, what to do. Don't miss their interactive conditions map - up to date info for sledding, skiing and skating conditions throughout our parks. Work With UsWe currently have multiple job openings across a variety of departments. For more information, visit: www.portlandmaine.gov/jobs. See how we are working together to serve the community with other local agencies -in this recent video.  Veranda Street Traffic AlertReminder to drivers: Veranda St/Route 1 in Portland was converted to two-way traffic in August 2021. Although this traffic pattern was put in place back in August, winter plowing and weather conditions have made the yellow paint lines on the road hard to see. There have been numerous instances of people driving in the wrong lane when making the left turn onto the I-295 on-ramp. MaineDOT is updating signage to remind drivers to keep right, and coordinating a repaint and maintenance of the yellow lane lines. Learn more. This press release was produced by the City of Portland. The views expressed here are the author's own.