Brokered by Andrew McDonald, Governor Dannel Malloy’s chief legal counsel, Bridgeport and Trumbull have moved a step closer to ironing out a land swap to pave the way for construction of a 1,500-student regional science magnet school.
Bridgeport and Trumbull officials met with McDonald in Hartford on Friday. The $125 million school was slated for construction on state-owned land, formerly a Bridgeport park, located in Trumbull. Bridgeport officials say the state will pay for 95 percent of construction costs and 100 percent of operating costs. The communities have been going back and forth regarding other associated costs such as road improvements and communications systems.
The land swap involves property where Bridgeport and Trumbull share a border in the Old Town Road area. Trumbull officials had originally signaled that they wanted the property swap for a sewage treatment plant near the Pequonnock River, an ambitious project loaded with tons of hurdles requiring DEP approval. Trumbull appears to be backing away from that stance saying the property exchange would now allow the town to continue its popular Rails to Trails Project. Bridgeport and Trumbull have also been involved in negotiations for a regional wastewater treatment authority. Bridgeport’s contract with Trumbull to process its wastewater ends in June 2012.
The state will help Bridgeport and Trumbull redraw property lines to complete the land swap placing the school in Bridgeport proper. The new boundaries will require legislative approval, something officials hope to complete in an emergency vote next week. A majority of the students will come from Bridgeport with the rest from area towns. The land swap is not a done deal yet but both sides now seem headed in the same direction.
Ten years from now who will be paying the salaries of the teachers, the administration & maintenance staff? Put on your chastity belts, I can guess the answers.
Trumbull wants this land swap so they can continue the popular “Rails to Trails Project.”
Bullshit!!! Popular with whom? When have you seen anyone on this so-called trail that winds its way through Bpt? Where is the rest of this popular Rails to Trails Project in Trumbull?
First off, the Rails to the Trails project is a waste of money. It benefits a few and is paid for by the many. Our infrastructure is falling down around our ears and we are building bicycle and walking trails. That is a waste of money at this time.
The land that is now owned technically by the state is just that. We sold the land to the state because we needed to give them something in exchange for the many millions that Bpt received from the state during the first term of Joe Ganim.
I was the deciding vote on that sale. The state could not just give us the millions as they really wanted to do. They did not want to own the park land we sold them. They found it to be necessary so Bpt could get the money and stay away from bankruptcy. The land is being treated like it is owned by Bpt and that’s just the way the state always wanted it. I am against the swap and against the high school.
This project sounds to me like it is a decision that should not be made by Finch. The components of the deal and resulting ramifications are simply and obviously beyond his personal capacity to consider, discern and act. His minions, too, are hopelessly inadequate based upon the manner in which past issues of equal, lesser or greater import have been managed. Placing further consideration in the hands of Mario Testa and Paul Timpanelli has been proven absolutely time and again to be not in the best interest of the citizenry. Land swap, Waste treatment expansion to accommodate surrounding communities and the mess at the BOE are but a few of the municipal priorities that Finch & Co. should not be allowed to touch. The man is incompetent and his handlers are no better. The past three and a half years have driven our town deeper into a mire that will soon become insurmountable to escape unless the current political chaos is replaced with a mayor who is skillful, courageous and can serve with honor.
Great posts as usual. We will be discussing these and other issues uniquely affecting Bridgeport tomorrow evening–Tuesday LIVE at 8pm on either channel 77 or 88 on your cable network. Check Bridgeport Now’s post tomorrow for more details. One final thought–I recently came across another great Bridgeport site–www .barnumpost.com. Like this blog it also uniquely and effectively addresses Bridgeport issues. I also like it because it has an Anybody But Finch slant to it. And I know many of us agree on that point!
Good point. Anyone but Finch. If there is an OIB reader or OIB poster out there who thinks Finch has done a good job thus far and intends to vote for his reelection, please respond by stating what he has done to benefit the citizenry and why you think his reelection will further benefit the progress of our city.
“Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Schechter and Rahul Kale … said their investigation shows that from 1999 to 2007, [Bob] Scinto ‘went to Shelton City Hall to hand out envelopes containing $100 bills to each Shelton City Hall employee’ he could locate. They also maintain that Scinto provided loans and building materials to Elliot Wilson, Shelton’s still-employed building official, who must begin a five-month federal prison term Wednesday, and benefits to Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti.”
I dunno about you, Lennie. That sounds like crooked behavior to me.
Kid,
Bob Scinto sounds like a modern-day Robin Hood. He robs from the rich and gives to the poor!
In today’s CT Post an article states the land swap deal between Bridgeport and Trumbull for the most part is a done deal. Look out Bridgeport, we will be getting screwed again.