Present: Jonathan Blakeslee, White Heron Tea, Monique Shevlin, Signature Escrow and Title, Campbell Lozuaway-McComsey, STREET, Jeanne Russell, Portsmouth Center for Yoga and the Arts/Music Together, Kristen Cokines, Great Rhythm Brewing, Kevin Drohan, Resident, Genevieve Aichelle, New Hampshire Theatre Project/West End Studio Theatre, Sara Curry, Bikram Yoga, Steve Achilles, Portsmouth Fire Chief, Robin Comstock, Workforce Housing Coalition, Karen Marzloff, Seacoast Local/PS21, Whitney Blatsos, Red Post Realty, Anne Crotty, Anne Crotty Law, Jesse Ware, Futuro Construction, Todd Hudson, Red Post Realty/Gravy Lab, Maggie Sutherland , Seacoast Lately, Wes, Resident
     
FIRE CHIEF STEVE ACHILLES: The mission of the PFD is to serve all Portsmouth residents, visitors and business owners. Learn more. Islington Street is an important outbound link for the Fire Department and an inbound link for one station. The fire department is advocating for preemption in the light at the Bartlett Street intersection to improve flow of traffic and passability for emergency vehicles in the case of an emergency.

Total calls to the fire department are up 10% over last year. The PFD has noticed a decline in 2016 in opioid overdoses, which peaked in 2015. Steve attributes that to the increase in available behavioral and mental health services and services for addiction recovery on the Seacoast.

ECHO AVE WORKFORCE HOUSING PROJECT: The Workforce Housing Coalition was created out of a need for affordable housing for the middle class workforce on the Seacoast, most of whom cannot afford to live in the communities in which they work. One of the projects WHC is supporting is the proposed 80-unit development on Echo Avenue.

The project goes before the Board of Adjusters in City Council chambers on Tuesday, November 15th at 7 pm. If you cannot attend the meeting, please submit your statements to your zoning board by Thursday morning.

PLAID FRIDAY: Get your #PlaidFriday (the local alternative to Black Friday) events and information to Seacoast Local to promote holiday shopping in the #WestEnd. Email Karen Marzloff for more information. Shift your shopping for the holidays.

SIGNATURE TITLE AND ESCROW: is running a promotion on Facebook promoting the West End and West End Businesses. Check it out!

SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTION: Have events at your business that you want to share? Email them to our Social Media Coordinator, Devon Boyd.