City of New Bedford

Next week is Fire Prevention Week! Friendly reminder to check your smoke alarms monthly. Working smoke alarms save lives! Join us on Saturday, October 19th for the annual open house at the Public Safety Center for demonstrations, fire truck tours, and more! #newbedford #firepreventionweek #smokealarms

Are you passionate about Public Health? Join our team as a Public Health Nurse! Job description and application at the link: https://lnkd.in/ewkJbFTS #newbedford #hiring #publichealth #nursing #nurse #health

It's spooky season! Join the City of New Bedford Police Department (Official) for their annual Trunk or Treat on Friday, October 25th at the South End Public Safety Building from 4:30pm to 5:30pm. Interested in hosting your car and cosplaying? Contact our Assistant Deputy Chief Scott Carola at scott.carola@newbedfordpd.com #newbedford #communitypolicing #halloween #trunkortreat

Today we broke ground on Dias Field! The reimagined park will be home to the City’s first regulation-size soccer field and New Bedford’s first mini-pitch, making state-of-the-art soccer facilities available to players of all abilities in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood. The fields will be accompanied by bleachers and other amenities to provide a first-class atmosphere for competition of all levels. Mayor Mitchell: “For generations, Dias Field was bustling with activity, and we want to make that happen again. This project will ensure that Dias Field will be woven into the City’s rich soccer tradition.” Director of Parks, Recreation & Beaches Mary Rapoza: “We are so pleased to start construction at Dias Field on what will be the first full-size public soccer field in New Bedford. The new soccer field will be part of a first-rate complex that will become a destination for teams, leagues and tournaments across the region.” Renovations are expected to be complete in the summer of 2025. Timothy Gerrish, RLA of Gardner & Gerrish Landscape Architecture designed the new Dias Field, and construction is being done by Dandel Construction Inc. #newbedford #soccer #soccerfield #parks #communitydevelopment #openspace

Mayor Jon Mitchell is proposing a series of zoning reforms aimed at making it easier to build housing throughout the City. The proposals seek to fast-track the approval of new developments, modernize the use table for various projects, and establish a transit-centric district around the new North End train station that encourages multifamily and mixed-use development in large vacant and underutilized lots. They were developed by New Bedford’s Department of City Planning and Solicitor’s Office over the last year. Each of the proposals are based on recommendations in the Mitchell Administration’s housing plan, Building New Bedford, which sets forth a series of measures to facilitate the production of new housing. Mayor Mitchell: “Housing remains hard to come by, here and elsewhere. As our housing plan explains, these zoning reforms will make it easier for developers to offer more housing options to New Bedford residents.” Director of Planning Jennifer (Gonet) Carloni: "The proposed ordinance amendments address the evolving needs and priorities of a modern city, demonstrating the City’s responsiveness to public input and its commitment to enhancing the development landscape." Check out the accompanying map and summaries, and read more about the proposals on our website: https://lnkd.in/e82Ya_sp #newbedford #zoning #cityplanning #ordinance #housing

The Community Preservation Act (CPA) has funded a ton of projects around the City over the years, from housing and recreation to open space and arts & culture. Congrats to our friends at Gallery X on the windows! #newbedford #artsandculture #communitypreservationact

Mayor Jon Mitchell is kicking off the process to build a new headquarters for the New Bedford Police Department. Joined by Police Chief Paul Oliveira, Mayor Mitchell announced the upcoming solicitation of an “Owner’s Project Manager” to assist the City in determining the right location for the facility, and to oversee its design and construction. The construction of a new police headquarters was one of the recommendations made by outside industry experts in the Jensen-Hughes review of NBPD operations the department initiated last year. The NBPD headquarters has been at its current location, 871 Rockdale Ave., since January 1999. The Rockdale Avenue site was originally a Fernandes Supermarket, and then a Maxi Drug store before the NBPD moved in before the turn of the century. It was meant to be a temporary home for two to three years while the City searched for a site and secured financing for a new headquarters that ultimately never came to be. Mayor Mitchell: “This building was designed and built in the 1960s to be a grocery store, not a police headquarters. The New Bedford Police Dept needs a modern, purpose-built facility to meet the requirements of 21st century policing. It will enhance the overall performance of the department, ultimately to the benefit our residents.” Chief Oliveira: "After more than two decades of serving New Bedford from what was meant to be a temporary location, we are excited to start the process of planning a new police headquarters. The time has come to build a facility that meets the needs of our officers and reflects our dedication to public safety. This new building will not only enhance our operational efficiency, but also reinforce our commitment to providing the best possible service to our residents." The City will soon be releasing a request for services package seeking an industry professional to guide the project from start to finish. The project manager will first assist the City identify a location that is close to the demographic and/or geographic center of the City. The process, expected to be three-to-four years, includes site analysis, public input, bid solicitation, design, and construction. The request will be available soon online at https://lnkd.in/edQTuFdE. Anyone seeking more information or has questions on the BID can contact the City’s Purchasing Department at 508-979-1432. #newbedford #police #bid #bidsolicitation

Mayor Mitchell: This morning New Bedford paused with its fire department to pay tribute to the emergency responders and civilians who were lost on 9/11. We will not forget them.

The City of New Bedford’s Department of Public Infrastructure in collaboration with the New Bedford Conservation Commission have been investing in the protection, restoration, and advocacy of Sassaquin Pond, which is leading to a remarkable improvement in the health of the pond environment. Friday morning, six Sassaquin neighborhood residents stepped up to volunteer as the first group of pond monitors as part of an ongoing effort to study the pond that guides management and restoration activities. A specialist from the city’s consultant CDM Smith provided a technical training on proper water quality measurements as well as a water safety briefing. The goal is for the volunteers to conduct sampling biweekly between April and November to better understand seasonal water quality fluctuations. Interested in learning more? Contact the Department Resilience and Environmental Stewardship or check out the NB Resilient Dashboard at https://lnkd.in/egsdT9Vh #newbedford #environmentalstewardship #waterquality #conservation

Connect New Bedford: The Mitchell Administration is Pushing for Better Internet Options for City Residents, Students, and Businesses. "New Bedford residents have bills that are too high and internet speeds that are too low," Mayor Jon Mitchell said. So how do we lower prices and get better service? Bring in competition. The City unveiled a comprehensive study and is preparing to release an RFP on its effort to develop a fiber-optic network across New Bedford that primes the market for other internet service companies to come in and compete for New Bedford customers. Aside from pricing and market options, the study looked at internet speeds across the City, and found that many are well below the federal standard. Learn more about the project by checking out: The press release on our website: https://lnkd.in/enSJqy6b The comprehensive feasibility study and speed test results: https://lnkd.in/e4q_Hcyg #newbedford #fiberoptic #feasibility