BNA Public Art Team Project Success

On By BNA AdminIn Arts & Music

Thanks to Betsy Boyd of Portland Downtown, Lily Phillips Carter of Ladybird Glassery, and Kincaid Pearson of 82Parris Gallery, Bayside Portland is a little more colorful now that the BNA Public Art Team was able to bring a PDD-funded utlility box painting program to our neighborhood. Check it out on the corner of Cumberland Ave and Preble Street.

The “Painting Outside the Box Portland Project” is a public art initiative by Portland Downtown that enlists local artists to paint utility boxes to beautify the city. The project transforms ordinary utility boxes into colorful, original works of art. Selected artists receive a stipend for their work.

The contract for the utility box on Cumberland Ave in Bayside was awarded to Lily Carter, whose design was chosen by BNA Public Art Team Lead Kincaid Pearson over more than a dozen applicants, noting “I thought it was a fitting one because it’s based on a quilt and the Bayside neighborhood feels like the most diverse and similar to a quilted network of residents.”

for more information about the BNA Public Art Team, contact arts@baysideportland.org

Giving Tuesday is Just the Beginning

On By BNA AdminIn Governance

Now is the time to donate to the BNA in 2025
December 2nd is Giving Tuesday — the season of giving begins in your neighborhood. Big news — we have a matching gift donor this year, which means your donation to the BNA will be matched by an anonymous benefactor up to $2500.00 even after Giving Tuesday. The Bayside Neighborhood Association is doing more programming than ever, and needs your help more than ever. Please help us continue to help each other. Go to https://givebutter.com/BNA25 or contact us for more information

Neighborhood Meeting Dec 1st

On By Robert SylvainIn Events Team, Relevant Developments, Safe Streets, Uncategorized

The Harvard Kennedy School of Government is calling all Baysiders to participate in a forum to discuss the impacts of climate change and attendant severe weather events in our community. We want to hear from you, and hope you’ll take time to gather with your neighbors to share our thoughts, concerns, and ideas on how to move forward together.

Please share and post this flyer widely. Here are translated flyers for speakers of other languages:

“Join us for an interactive, in-person community engagement session focused on stormwater, flooding, and climate impacts in Bayside. Over about 90 minutes, residents will work together around a large neighborhood map to identify valued community features, share past experiences with flooding using simple color markers and optional notes, and highlight what kinds of resources or support they have used, or might need, in future events. It’s an opportunity for residents to share their own experiences and contribute to supporting the future of Bayside.”

PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT:

Help Shape Portland’s Emergency Operations Plan

On By BNA AdminIn Events Team, Safe Streets

The City of Portland is updating its Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) to improve how we prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies.

Your insight is invaluable. We would like to hear your experiences and ideas to make sure this plan truly reflects the needs of our diverse communities. Your input will help us build a plan that is inclusive, effective, and ready for anything.

You can find all the details on the project page here: https://portlandmaine.gov/emergencyplanning

We’re asking residents to share their ideas and concerns through a survey and an idea board on the website, which are open now through November 30, 2025.

The BNA Safe Streets Team is involved with everything concerning pedestrian and bicycle safety, including but not limited to advocating for improved lighting, signage, and streetscape design, collaborating with Midtown Community Policing on crime prevention and enforcement, safe routes to school, and helping first responders in emergency planning efforts like this. We can do more when we raise our voices together. For more information on how you can help contact safestreets@baysideportland.org

Volunteers mulch trees on Bayside Trail

On By BNA AdminIn Trees & Greens
photo by Avery Yale Kamilla

Portland’s tree steward Cameron Scharff was surprised by the number of volunteers who showed up on Saturday, Nov. 9 to help tuck trees on the Bayside Trail in for the winter. 

“I am incredibly pleased with what was accomplished,” Scharff said. “In less than two hours, we mulched and composted nearly 50 younger trees on the Bayside Trail, with volunteers from Bayside, the West End, the East End, and Libbytown. The addition of this organic material will support tree growth, increase water retention, suppress weeds and improve aesthetics along the trail. This collaborative effort is precisely the kind of community-driven forestry initiative that can make a large difference in the lives of trees, the health of parks and the enjoyment of the community that uses them.”

The 15 volunteers were more than had RSVP’d, and people continued to trickle in as the event was in progress. With a fleet of wheelbarrows, shovels and rakes, and piles of loam and woodchips, the volunteers gathered behind Dunkin’ and started with the recently planted trees and expanded from there. The trees in the section of the trail behind Trader Joe’s had been topdressed and mulched in the spring. 

All the activity on this part of the trail discouraged two individuals from setting up a tent. Four used needles were discovered during the tree mulching event. 

Scharff instructed volunteers to spread the loam in a thin layer, feathering it into the topsoil, and then cover it with a layer of woodchips. Volunteers were careful to leave the root flare at the base of each tree trunk exposed to avoid creating the dreaded mulch volcanoes that can injure trees. 

Scharff’s last day on the job was Nov. 21. He served with the Portland Parks Conservancy and Portland’s Parks and Recreation Department in 2025 as a tree steward courtesy of the Maine Conservation Corps, which is funded through the national AmeriCorps program. One project Scharff worked on this season was cataloguing all of Portland’s street trees. Portland hopes to host another Maine Conservation Corps tree steward next season.

Volunteers Needed for Tomorrow!

On By BNA AdminIn Events Team, Welcome Team

Calling all Baysiders! We just got this call to action and our neighbors need our support. Sign up below if you can help on Thursday, November 20th.

Hearts of Harvest Community Thanksgiving Meal Volunteer Sign Up

The City of Portland’s Office of Economic Opportunity is partnering with Food for All Services, a local, multicultural food pantry, to host a Community Thanksgiving Meal and we’d love the support of volunteers in making the event possible! 

Where: Food For All Services, 72 Parris St, Portland

When: Thursday, November 20th, Lunch: 12-3 pm, Dinner: 5-8 pm

(Volunteer Shifts: 11 am-2 pm, 2-5 pm, 5-9 pm)

What: Volunteer roles will include: serving food, greeting people at the door, sharing resources, connecting with community members, set-up, clean-up etc.
Email Lauren at llindenbaum@portlandmaine.gov with any questions!

November Board Meeting

On By Robert SylvainIn Governance, Uncategorized

The November BNA board meeting was moved to November 11th to make room for election day. Monthly meetings are held online on odd-numbered months, and as always the public is welcome to attend. Email info@baysideportland.org for a link to the zoom meeting. Below is the agenda, team reports, and minutes from the October meeting.

2025_011_04 BNA AgendaDownload
BNA Team Reports 2025_11_04Download
BNA_Minutes_2025-10-7Download

Bayside First Friday Nov 7th

On By BNA AdminIn Arts & Music, Events Team, Uncategorized

Another First Friday is upon us, and it looks like the rain will hold off until afterward!

Highlights:

A new neighborhood gallery and performance space is joining us at 47 Portland Street, on the 3rd floor. Open Systems Studios‘ current exhibit “arhythmias” went up last month and was a great hit. If you haven’t seen it come down tonight and check it out before December’s new offering.

Happy first birthday to Maine Clay Collaborative! In addition to the usual Friday free clay play open studio event, they’ll be serving up birthday cake while it lasts. Join us!

Photos from last month’s Bayside Art Walk:

November 2025 Art Team Report

On By BNA AdminIn Arts & Music

First Friday November 7th. Adding Mayhem at 52 Alder Street and Open Systems Gallery at
47 Portland Street, 3rd floor.
Public Art Painting has begun on the utility box on Cumberland Ave and Elm Streets. The contract was awarded to Lily Carter, whose design was chosen by Kincaid over more than a dozen applicants, noting “I thought it was a fitting one because it’s based on a quilt and the bayside neighborhood feels like the most diverse and similar to a quilted network of residents.” Rain has stalled the work but it should be done before snow flies.