Press Releases/What’s New

On November 16th, shortly before 11:00 PM, Portsmouth Police and Fire Departments responded to a motor vehicle crash at the intersection of the Route 1 By-Pass South and Greenleaf Avenue. A vehicle travelling southbound on the Route 1 By-Pass left the roadway first striking a utility pole then striking two parked vehicles in a car dealership parking lot before coming to rest. All three vehicles sustained heavy damage.

When the Citizen Response Task Force (CRTF) was formed in early June, its members from all aspects of the Portsmouth economy was to help Portsmouth find its way through the pandemic. Keeping the public informed was, and remains, key to that mission.

On November 12th, 2020, the Portsmouth Police responded to 90 Brewery Lane to investigate what appeared to be a bullet hole in and through an apartment on the 4th floor. Detectives processed the scene and determined that a .45 caliber round came through the wall from an abutting apartment sometime overnight. A search warrant was executed on the apartment for which the round came from where further evidence was collected. As a result of the investigation, the following individual was arrested:

The Clipper Strong Fund Committee announces that nineteen small Portsmouth businesses will receive Clipper Strong Fund mini-grants of $500 each, for a total distribution of $9,000. This second initiative was made possible by generous donations to the Clipper Strong Fund to assist Portsmouth small businesses who “might otherwise fall through the cracks.” The mini-grants provide short-term relief to cover such expenses as utility bills, rent, PPE or other expenses.

The New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration has approved the City’s 2020 tax rate for Fiscal Year 2021 of $14.70 per $1,000 of valuation.

City Manager Karen Conard noted the 2020 tax rate dropped by 16 cents or 1.1% from the prior year’s tax rate of $14.86. 

The City of Portsmouth has received two awards for exceptional financial reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for the publication of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) and the Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR). The GFOA is a professional organization of public officials united to enhance and promote the professional management of governmental financial resources by identifying, developing and advancing fiscal strategies, policies and practices for the public benefit.

With winter weather now appearing in weather forecasts, the Portsmouth Department of Public Works is urging residents to sign up for parking ban alerts and make winter preparedness plans in advance.

The City of Portsmouth Public Works Department is hosting a public input meeting via Zoom to discuss potential traffic calming measures for Banfield Road. The meeting is Wednesday, November 18 at 6:30 pm. To participate by Zoom, advance registration is required. For the registration information, click here.

The Post Commander of Portsmouth Frank E. Booma Post 6 of the American Legion reports that instead of the usual Veterans Day ceremonies this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Veterans Day will be commemorated with a wreath-laying at the Soldiers & Sailors Monument in Goodwin Park.