The mayor’s office budget proposal includes this goal notation for consolidation of city property.
In addition, we are continuing our municipal consolidation plan, moving city offices from inefficient buildings into space at City Hall Annex, with the eventual goal of selling those vacated properties.
During the past year, we have consolidated the Housing Code and Environmental Health departments into City Hall Annex. We anticipate moving the Probate Court offices, and Vital Statistics and Registrars of Voters offices into City Hall Annex in the next six months.
Built in 1854, the Greek Revival McLevy Hall, located on State Street downtown, was City Hall until the mid 1960s when the original Central High School on Lyon Terrace became City Hall. It’s named for Jasper McLevy, Bridgeport’s Socialist mayor from 1933-57. Abraham Lincoln spoke there in 1860. The latest assessment of the McLevy Hall property is $1.45 million. Primary city departments are split between City Hall and City Hall Annex, where the mayor’s office is located, on Broad Street. The Annex is across the street from McLevy Hall on the Broad Street side. Playhouse on the Green is across from McLevy Hall along State Street. Probate Court offices, Vital Statistics and Registrars of Voters are all located in McLevy Hall. Will the Registrars office move before the election? Yes. They will begin moving into The Annex the week of May 16, according to Democratic Registrar Sandi Ayala.
What developers would be interested in the McLevy Hall property?
Now this place would make a fabulous bistro, it fits right in there with Mayor Finch’s Park Plans. Someone buys McLevy Hall and Finch will throw in McLevy Park to sweeten the deal. I think $200k should do it, and the City will hold the paper too. WHAT’S NEXT?
Finch could throw Adam Wood into the deal. Get rid of that asshole any way possible, Billy Boy.
Hold poker tournaments there with the rake going toward the unfunded pensions which are now $80 million. This is not totally tongue in cheek.
Off subject for a minute; the city boot patrol has been active in my neighborhood. I drove down the street today and noted a number of cars with the boot on the wheel. These are people I would never have thought were having financial problems. What a surprise especially at the number booted.
tc, I’ve noticed quite a few of them in my neighborhood also.
Boot Finch! These guys think they can get 1.5 when they can’t even sell old Black Rock Bank and Trust for $750k.
Inch By Inch The Feds will get Finch.
The boots are all over town.
That’s not exactly right. The $750,000.00 price tag is more than enough to attract interest. From what I’ve heard it is the RFP that turns prospective buyers off. Too many people want a say in who buys the property and what is going to be done with it. That’s why they can’t sell the fucking thing. So there it sits. The Main entrance has become a catch basin for stray litter and empty liquor bottles, a place to take a leak on the way home from Matty’s Corner. (So many guys have pissed on the wall behind the building the parking lot stinks of piss. I really want to spend three quarters of a million dollars on a property like that.)
The Bridgeport Kid // Apr 29, 2011 at 2:30 pm
to your posting
Kid,
If the conditions to buy are that discouraging, then it is in preparation to turn it over to someone at a price that’s more than a steal … it’s a giveaway.
Now the question is, who stands to benefit from ownership of the Black Rock Bank and Trust building?
I have my suspicions but will not voice them here.
Yeah, boot Finch’s car. Make him ride the bus. GBT charges $1.75, half a buck higher than any other transit authority. Where’s the extra fifty cents going, Mr. Mayor, who’s pocketing all that spare change?
Speaking of Black Rock, the fundraiser for the victims of last month’s fire in Marty’s Pizza building has been rescheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, April 30, 2 – 10 PM at the Norden Club on Seabright Ave in the Rock. Food, raffles, entertainment for a donation at the door. Come down and support the effort.
Check out that roof in the first picture … yikes!
City Hall should be under ONE roof. Take the old Central High School building (now called City Hall) and raise the roof 3-4 stories, build a parking garage in the back to house the staff and visitors. What this will do is consolidate control over the various departments, make the mayor see what is really going on, repair the worn and damaged mechanicals in that building, and sell/get out of the old Gimbel’s building and McLevy Hall (which should be made into a Museum of Bridgeport as a moneymaker with proper marketing, something with which the Bridgeport administration is is totally unfamiliar).
Right now there is no reason to go downtown except to pay taxes or go to court. Everything else in downtown is available elsewhere. Don’t include the stadium or arena, they are badly run also.
McLevy Hall always reminded me of one of my old New Haven haunts. Let’s give it to Timpanelli, DiNardo & Mario and establish a second Skull & Bones society in BPT.