PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 27, 2021
Portland officials are eyeing a multimillion-dollar makeover of two of the city’s most photogenic streets. City Manager Jon Jennings said staff members are recommending a project to remake Wharf and Dana streets in the Old Port using money from the American Rescue Plan Act, a one-time infusion of $46.3 million in federal funding aimed at helping communities recover from the pandemic. The announcement came prior to the City Council’s unanimous approval last Monday to keep the two streets – plus a one-block stretch of Milk Street – closed to traffic, so restaurants and bars would have more room for outdoor dining. The approval was part of the city’s Open Air Portland plan, which made permanent certain accommodations for businesses struggling through the pandemic,