News release from Mayor Finch:
Blight Removal, School Renovations Highlight Mayor Finch’s Capital Spending Plan
Council to Review Proposed Allocations
A $6 million dollar blight removal/demolition and citywide clean-up campaign, and $7.45 million for sidewalk replacements, neighborhood beautification and road maintenance plans highlight the 2011-2015 Capital Plan submitted by Mayor Bill Finch to the City Council.
The Capital Plan, which totals nearly $47,750,000 dollars, also includes a request for $24 million for renovations to Dunbar, Black Rock and Central High Schools and $2.4 million in much needed WPCA sewer separation projects. Capital Plan projects include those which have a lifespan of at least five years, and are also necessary to:
• address safety concerns
• eliminate hazardous conditions
• are major repairs to infrastructure, and,
• which are environmentally sound, and will promote efficiency while improving neighborhoods.
“These projects will address much needed work to remove blight and help beautify our neighborhoods. In addition, we have committed to renovating the city’s oldest and most neglected schools to create a better atmosphere for our students to learn and thrive,” said Mayor Finch. “We are also recommending an investment to protect and restore the Freeman Homes.”
City Council members, local legislators and members of the community are encouraged by the City’s spending plan.
“Mayor Finch’s capital plan reflects the need for a continued focus on our neighborhoods and a stepped-up effort to combat blight throughout our city. As a council, this is something we have made a top priority,” said City Council President Thomas McCarthy, D-133.
“These renovations at Dunbar Elementary School have long been needed. I applaud Mayor Finch for funding these important and necessary improvements for the East End’s elementary school,” said City Council member James Holloway, D-139.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for Bridgeport and our Black Rock residents. The planned expansion of Black Rock School is extremely important to our students, residents and to the preservation of this wonderful neighborhood school. The city’s bonding commitment is critical to moving this process forward at the state level,” said State Rep. Auden Grogins, D-129.
McCarthy and Grogins added, “We are also very pleased that the city plans to move forward with much needed improvements at Central High School. We will do everything possible to support funding at the state level to make this a reality.”
The City also plans to make a significant investment to protect and restore the Freeman Homes in the City’s South End. “This important investment recommended by Mayor Finch will not only help restore the Freeman Houses quickly, it will allow new preservation dollars from outside sources to flow to Bridgeport for the first time. With the City of Bridgeport and the Mary & Eliza Freeman Center working together, these homes – rare examples of African American life in a free, seafaring community before the Civil War – will harness the power of Bridgeport’s cultural heritage and help revitalize the South End,” said Maisa Tisdale, President, The Mary & Eliza Freeman Center for History and Community.
The complete City budget must be submitted to the City Council no later than April 6. The Budget and Appropriations Committee will schedule public hearings for all department budgets soon after.
Did I miss something in this article? Tell me Harding & Bassick are not 2 of the oldest schools in the city.
Nope TC, you didn’t miss anything. I read it twice and Harding and Bassick are not on the list even though they are in much worse shape than Central. However Central is in Mr. McCarthy’s district so it gets top priority.
Congressman Jim Himes will make a call tonight from Washington to the weekly live TV show “Bridgeport Now” at 8:15pm to discuss the historic landmark health care reform legislation.
As for the city update on infrastructure and improvement in schools, we support positive direction and continue to highlight in pictures for all to see, this story.
Too old are Hall Edison Whittier.
*** Maybe just P/R announcements for future election points? I’ll believe it when I see it done, since other capital plans from the past have yet to happen. *** Just an example of Fed “$” allocated to Bpt to help in, educating, finance screenings, and finding city foreclosed properties, etc. for 1st-time homebuyers. It’s been over a year & a half and “nothing” has happened? Yet still waiting are the interested buyers who have gone through the required classes & screenings all in jest, because the $8000 buyers’ tax credit expires in April 2010! The city’s E/D dept was supposed to work with certain area banks & realtors, etc. in getting this program off the ground, however??? *** Most of the time council members that sit back & wait for any type of info from the Mayor’s office are left out in the cold ’til it’s time to actually vote on a city government item. It’s no wonder only a small few are able to get leaked info sometimes as to what’s really happening & sometimes able to prepare. I learned a long time ago, “don’t believe the hype!” *** In ending, let’s hope (since Shays is not running) the endorsed Dem candidate for Gov is Malloy, at least he has experience as an Urban city Mayor and much more in tune to the problems & money issues cities face. ***
Why should Finch care about the schools or the kids when no one on the BOE does?
Just 2 prove a point they cut back workers’ overtime they hire contractors at triple the cost to do projects instead of the workers doing them at sharply lower costs. This taxpayers is BAD business.
When will the Board wake up and smell the coffee?
Can you say “KICKBACK”???
*** BOE/Admin always seem to use the Bpt school kids as an excuse during budget time to ask the city for more money. Yet a % of the money always seems to be used & mismanaged on things that don’t directly affect the children’s education! I wonder if the BOE has some type of slush fund other than the city for emergencies the way they spend money? If in fact the BOE-Admin really kept good records of their incoming & outgoing monies and still always seem to come up short, a professional financial audit would in fact show this in its findings which in my opinion would help their cause during the city & state’s budget seasons. But they always make excuses & seem to fight it like the plague! I really think @ least 4 of the BOE members (new & old) this year will start to see some of these problems at the end & beginning of the budget season and really push for the audit & actual grant application for some of the Fed. stimulus money instead of relying on the city. ***
McCarthy, Holloway and Grogins …
How come the mayor didn’t ask me for a comment?
No Library projects with all of that new cash they have???
Mojo is right, none of this means anything until the city actually goes out to the bond market to see how much they will have to pay for this wish list.
Birdman is a day late and a dollar short! This is all political to get your vote. He must think we taxpayers are some kind of IDIOTS!