City of Portland cancels events at all city venues, part of wave across state
File Photo / Kevin Steeves
The city of Portland canceled all events scheduled for the next 30 days at Merrill Auditorium, Portland Expo and Ocean Gateway, as well as the March 16 city council meeting and all other public meetings.
The city of Portland canceled all events scheduled for the next 30 days at Merrill Auditorium, Portland Expo and Ocean Gateway, as well as the March 16 city council meeting and all other public meetings, after calls from state and health officials to practice social distancing in order to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
The city is urging others to do the same and is part of a growing list of businesses and organizations to cancel or postpone events and gatherings, while others go the virtual route.
Meanwhile, Hospitality Maine CEO and President Steve Hewins is advising those in the hospitality industry to postpone rather than cancel.
"We are closely following developments and are in continual consultation with our national association partners, the Maine congressional delegation and state officials," said Hewins in an email to members Thursday. "We are exploring ways to mitigate the financial impact on members."
In Portland, Mayor Kate Snyder, City Manager Jon Jennings and members of city council are holding a news conference at 2 p.m. today to further discuss the issue.
On Thursday, Gov. Janet Mills suggested cancelling or postponing any event with more than 250 people.
“I’d like to stress that we’re cancelling events out of extreme caution, in line with best public health practices and Gov. Mills’ recommendation, and not because we want to instill fear in our citizens,” said City Manager Jon Jennings in a news release Friday morning. “Social distancing is one way in which we can help slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and that is our ultimate goal.”
City staff worked with tenants and event promoters over the last few days to prepare to close the venues.The city will continue to assess the situation update the announcement should anything change, the release said. Anyone with tickets to upcoming shows and performances should call PortTix at 207-842-0800 or visit porttix.com for more information.
Among events put off was Mainebiz's "On the Road" networking event, scheduled for the Ocean Gateway in Portland. More than 700 were registered to attend. Mainebiz plans to reschedule the event on a date to be determined.
The city is also encouraging other community organizations and companies to cancel or postpone public gatherings of more than 250 people.
Portland elementary reconfiguration withdrawn
Schools Superintend Xavier Botana also withdrew the elementary reconfiguration proposal from his FY21 Recommended Budget in light of challenges of having public meetings. "It is responsible to take a step back and work on an implementation plan with a longer timeline, given the amount of questions about the reconfiguration, the challenge of having a meaningful public discussion about it given the restrictions on public meetings, and the general uncertainty facing all of us with the COVID-19 pandemic," he said in a news release.
The school finance committee meeting scheduled for Thursday night, at which Botana outlined proposed investments that will be eliminated from the budget, was closed to the public, but was live-streamed.
Approximately $1 million in investments in the district’s equity work will be postponed until the FY22 budget, the release said. Botana said that the delay in the elementary reconfiguration will also limit the district’s flexibility in making adjustments to the $650,000 shortfall in federal grant funds. The reductions will affect the elementary schools with the largest numbers of economically disadvantaged students at the same time that some of the equity investments directed at supporting high needs schools and students proposed in his budget will be delayed.
There may be more measures from the city as the pandemic situation continues to evolve, the release said. The city is also posting information related to COVID-19 resources on a dedicated page on its website.
Bar Harbor cruise ship recommendation
The cruise ship committee in Bar Harbor met Thursday and will recommend to the town council at its meeting next week that a task force be formed to keep abreast of the situation. The recommendation will include adding health care professionals to the task force.
Bar Harbor is scheduled to receive nearly 200 cruise ships this year. No change in the schedule is planned for now, said Harbormaster Charlie Phippen.
Cancellations, postponements across Maine
Organizations, governments and businesses both big and small late this week announced events and meetings will not take place. Everything from youth basketball tournaments, library book sales, town candidate forums to major conferences and meetings have been canceled or postponed.
Some of the major business and organization cancellations or postponements are:
Bangor Symphony Orchestra is canceling events and performances for the next 30 days at Collins Center for the Arts and Hampden Academy, including Symphony Soiree, March 21; Sounds of the Sea, March 22; BSYO Spring Concert, March 29; Beethoven and Haydn, April 5. Any future concert cancellation updates will be posted at bangorsymphony.org/covid, Those with tickets should go to the website for more information.
Bureau of Motor Vehicles Mobile Units have suspended visits until further notice, although all BMV branch offices remain open. The BMV sends its mobile units to 19 locations across the state, in areas that are a significant distance away from one of the 13 BMV branches. The mobile units set up in municipal and community buildings one to three times a month to provide BMV services. Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said the suspension will reduce the possibility of transporting the virus from a mobile unit site to one of the branches.
“While we recognize that this presents a significant inconvenience for many Mainers, our priority is to keep our employees and customers safe, and this is a simple step we can take toward that goal.” Dunlap encouraged people to use the BMV’s online services or visit a branch office to conduct transactions. All Bureau of Motor Vehicles offices continue to be open to the public during regular business hours.
The offices of AAA can also process some BMV transactions, such as issuing state ID cards and Class C, non-CDL driver's license renewals and replacements that don't require such changes as a name change; a new photograph; or a change in restrictions and/or endorsements on a driver's license. A list of all affected mobile units, BMV branch offices and AAA offices is available on the BMV website.
Diocese of Portland has canceled or postponed three events: the Maine Catholic Women’s Conference, scheduled for March 21, and the Maine Catholic Youth Conference, scheduled for April 17-19, both were to be at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland. The youth conference will be held July 24-26. The diocese's Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat, scheduled for April 17-19 in Bangor, is also canceled.
E2Tech CleanTech Open Mixer 2020, scheduled for March 19, orginally at Verrill Law Offices in Portland, is going virtual. The event kicks off the 2020 CleanTech Open accelerator; Information on how to register for the event is available at E2Tech.org.
Fast Forward Maine's all-day conference scheduled for April 7 on growing Maine businesses will now be offered virtually to anyone in the state, and will still feature topics such as business growth, leadership, how to attract and retain the best employees, overcoming workforce shortages, why company culture is a game changer, and more. Those who have paid for the in-person event get refunds, and their tickets converted into virtual summit passes. Registration is now free at fastforwardmaine.com.
HospitalityMaine annual awards gala, scheduled for March 31, and the Maine Restaurant and Lodging EXPO on April 1, have both been postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date.
Maine Statehood Day Ceremony scheduled for Sunday, March 15, at the Augusta Armory is postponed to an as-yet unannounced date. The U.S. Postal Service unveiling of the Maine Bicentennial postage stamp, which was slated to be part of this Statehood Day ceremony, is also postponed. It will be rescheduled to a date that will likely coincide with the Statehood Day ceremony, as planned. News about bicentennial events and programs can be found at Maine2020.org.
Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce in Waterville Business After Hours scheduled for March 19 at the Alfond Youth & Community Center and in May at MaineGeneral Health have been postponed to as-yet undertermined dates; the April 15 event at Eagle Rental has been canceled. The chamber's B2B Showcase, scheduled for March 26 at Colby College has also been postponed, and will likely take place in the fall. Those with questions can contact Cindy Stevens at 207-873-3315 or cindy@midmainechamber.com.
Maine International Trade Center Trade Day 2020 Conference, scheduled for May 14-15 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, has been canceled.
Portland Trails Annual Meeting and 15x15, scheduled for March 25, which was to be an evening of evening of the best ideas in trails, transportation, conservation, and placemaking from community members, will be held at a later date in 2020. Details will be forthcoming, the organization said.
Skowhegan Maple Festival, scheduled for March 21, celebrating the fact that Somerset County is the nation's top maple syrup-producing county, has been postponed. "Skowhegan is a rural community with a large portion of our population who are at risk of life-threatening complications from a COVID-19 infection," sponsor Main Street Skowhegan said in a news release. " We feel that this is the most responsible decision for the well being of our citizens — specifically our older adults and those with underlying health conditions. Organizers, which include Redington-Fairview Memorial Hospital, said that the situation will be monitored and they hope to reschedule in some capacity later in the spring. Developments will be announced on the Maple Fest Facebook page.
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