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Youth groups tell Portsmouth council they lack transportation capacity as programs expand
Summary
New Generation and partner organizations told council they lack transportation capacity to move dozens of participants to rehearsals and events, and urged the city to revisit stipulations limiting use of Portsmouth United funds for capital purchases and to consider contingency planning if state support changes.
Several youth-serving organizations told Portsmouth City Council on May 12 that transportation constraints are limiting participation as programs grow.
Christopher Hines, speaking for New Generation, said the program drew roughly 125 participants at a recent event but that Parks and Recreation and Portsmouth United transportation capacity is insufficient to move all children to rehearsals and events. Hines said stipulations placed on Portsmouth United's transportation support remain in effect and that relocating programming could leave students from high-risk neighborhoods without a way to participate.
Sergio O'Neil, also representing New Generation, described efforts to find ad-hoc solutions — including personally acquiring a seven-passenger vehicle — and urged the city to plan for contingencies if state funding for Portsmouth United were reduced. Council members noted two constraints: (1) short-term grants generally cannot be used to buy long-term capital items such as vans, though leasing may be possible; and (2) organizations running programs are primarily responsible for transporting their participants. City Manager Steven Carter explained the grant limitation and said leasing may be an option for short-term funding.
Why it matters: Transportation capacity affects who can participate in after-school and summer programs. Council and staff discussed grant rules, existing city grant programs that organizations can apply to, and private partnerships as potential solutions.
Council follow-up: A council member offered to connect New Generation with a contact who recently acquired a fully insured school bus; the manager said city grant-application information would be made available for future cycles. No formal vote or budget allocation was taken at the meeting.
Provenance: Public comments and council discussion (topicintro: SEG 886, topfinish: SEG 1179).
