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Council accepts Public Art and Land Bank reports, approves grants and permits
Summary
The Portland City Council accepted the Public Art Committee and Land Bank Commission reports, approved a StrengthenME grant appropriation, updated blasting regulations, and granted a restaurant liquor license change during a meeting marked by public concern about fund accounting and neighborhood impacts.
The Portland City Council approved multiple consent and action items including acceptance of the Portland Public Art Committee annual report and budget plan, acceptance of the Land Bank Commission annual report, appropriation of a StrengthenME grant and a permit change for a downtown restaurant.
Public Art: The council accepted the Portland Public Art Committee fiscal year 2024 annual report and the FY25 budget plan. Kevin Kraft, Director of Planning and Urban Development, told the council that temporary-art projects have not used public-art funds (staff time is roughly 15–20 hours per year), that community art-grant requests have been rare and thus historically budgeted in contingency, and that unallocated public-art funds roll over year to year to subsidize future projects and maintenance. Public commenter George Roe criticized the city for not consistently following a city-code formula he cited (a 0.5% capital-improvement-program allocation to the public-art fund); Councilor Sykes and others said the committee should have clearer line items for community grants and recommended follow-up with staff. The council approved the report by hand vote.
Grants: The council accepted and appropriated a $15,500 StrengthenME grant to support the Coastal Cumberland County project, a collaboration with MaineHealth and DHHS that the sustainability office will deliver through the Sustainable Neighborhoods program. Director Troy Moon described neighborhood workshops, block parties and cleanups funded under the program and said outreach is ongoing; the council voted to accept the grant.
Permits and licensing: Councilors approved municipal officers’ approval for Silver Street by Taj to operate at 35 Silver Street. The applicant said the business will be a restaurant and bar (class 11) rather than a class A lounge after consultation with state regulators; the council approved the permit by hand vote.
Explosives/blasting regulations: The council approved an amendment to Chapter 10 of the Portland City Code clarifying regulation language and moving blasting rules into the Fire and Life Safety Code. The fire marshal told the council the change includes higher fines for violations (first offense $1,000, second $2,000) and an enforcement change so a permit holder can be halted after one violation (previously three). Public commenter George Roe supported the rewrite as removing regulatory burdens from the planning board. The council approved the change by roll call.
Land bank: The council accepted the Land Bank Commission annual report. Public commenter George Roe criticized the report for not including a full registry of holdings and questioned whether interest income was being reinvested into the fund; John Cashmore, chair of the land bank, said the commission does maintain inventories and prioritization lists but acknowledged updates can lag due to staff time. Councilor Sykes asked that the internal policy limiting CIP allocations to committees be reviewed by the Finance Committee; after discussion a referral motion was proposed and then withdrawn, and the council approved the annual report by hand vote.
Councilors took the above votes during the meeting; a later, separate and heavily amended item on the ethics commission also passed (separate article).
