Even as July comes to a close, city-wide planning and programming should be at the forefront of your mind.

Electrify Everything! is closing

Electrify Everything!, the city of South Portland’s beneficial electrification rebate program is coming to a close. To guarantee funding, applications must be received before the end of business on Monday, July 31.

For HVAC improvements like the installation of heat pumps and insulation, you must come in with a signed contract by July 31 to reserve funding. Work must be completed by Dec. 31 to receive the rebate. If after July 31, you have made an eligible purchase or completed a project, you may reach out to Julie Rosenbach in the South Portland Sustainability Department at 207-347-4148 to learn whether or not all rebate funds have been reserved.

South Portland Comprehensive Plan

The Comp Plan Committee has been hard at work with over 50 public tabling events to engage with people out in the community as we collect ideas on shaping the vision and goals for South Portland into 2040. While that has been happening, individuals such as yourselves, have been contributing to the crowdmap, which is now installed on public terminals at both library branches until Aug. 7, and hosting Meeting-In-A-Box events.

Share your thoughts with us at any of the following public events (more information is available at  https://southportland2040.com/comp-plan-update):

● July 28: Tabling at SoPo Swap Shop.

● July 29: Tabling at Sopo Swap Shop.

● July 30: Tabling at the SoPo Farmer’s Market.

● Aug. 1: Community dialogue session hosted by the SoPo Land Trust (remote).

● Aug. 1: Community dialogue hosted by the SoPo Bike & Pedestrian Committee (in-person).

● Aug. 2: Comprehensive Plan Committee meeting (hybrid).

● Aug. 2: Tabling at Mill Creek Concert.

● Aug. 3: Community dialogue hosted by the the SoPo Library Advisory Committee (in-person) Can’t make it but want to learn more? Visit https://southportland2040.com/ for more ways to share your voice and get excited for Phase II of public participation beginning in late September.

Learn more about the impacts of coastal flooding in our community

The Comprehensive Plan wouldn’t be complete without addressing the city’s coastline. Together with GMRI, we are pairing new flood inundation modeling with a Community Science Program (Register here: (https://investigate.gmri.org/project/coastal_flooding/) to inform the policy direction we set in our Comprehensive Plan update. Together, we can inspire, prioritize, and invest in equitable actions that strengthen our community through active observation and input.

Sustainability has organized several Coastal Meetups throughout the summer with GMRI to discuss coastal flooding impacts with anticipated sea level rise. These last two events are free to residents with registration strongly encouraged at www.gmri.org/events:

Monday, Aug. 7 at 5 p.m., Willard Beach (departing Willard Beach snack shack/main entrance – parking is available at the Willow Street lot or on surrounding streets).

Tuesday, Aug. 29 at 5 p.m., Mill Creek Greenbelt (departing from the Hannaford parking lot – corner nearest to the Greenbelt/Mill Creek crosswalk).

These Coastal Meet-Ups are made possible through a Climate Action Grant from the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation & Future Community Resilience Project program.

Note: Registration for the Coastal Cruise on Aug. 1 is full. Registrants will receive follow-up from the sustainability department with detailed information regarding parking and boarding instructions as well as an agenda of the event.

Our Sustainable City is a recurring column in the Sentry intended to provide residents with news and information about sustainability initiatives in South Portland. Follow the Sustainability Office on Instagram @soposustainability.

Steve Genovese is an AmeriCorps/Greater Portland Council of Governments Resilience Corps fellow serving in the South Portland Sustainability Office through September 2023. He can be reached at sgenovese@southportland.org.

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