Mayor Bill Finch today conducted a groundbreaking for construction of a new high school to replace the 90-year-old Harding on property owned by General Electric off Boston Avenue that he would like named Barack Obama High School. The school is scheduled for completion in 2018.
The site once housed an arms and munitions plant before being taken over by GE as a manufacturing facility until 2007. Critics of the site maintain the polluted property is unfit for a school. The state of Connecticut is implementing a remediation plan approved by the Board of Education.
(Finch interview summer of 2014)
The 210,000-square-foot school will cost $106 million for 1,150 students including a football field, baseball field, and eight-lane running track. The state of Connecticut will cover 78 percent of the cost of the new school.
In 2013, the city and GE identified a portion of the company’s nearly 77 acre parcel that would be suitable for the construction of the new high school. That same year the City and GE entered into a site access agreement.
“In Bridgeport, we are focused on preparing our kids to compete for the jobs of tomorrow,” said Finch in a statement. “In order to do just that, we’re giving more kids access to high-quality pre-k and we’re building new schools in order to ensure our kids are learning in the right environment. The Harding High School community deserves a new state-of-the-art campus, and thanks to years of hard work we’re doing just that.”
Great timing Mayor, excellent news and a real shot in the arm for the city and more specifically the Marin School neighborhood. I expect great things to be happening on that site. These are the things the other candidates are not capable of speaking about. This is just one of the success stories. When complete, The old Harding will be part of the Yale-Bridgeport Hospital expansion, which I am certain will be state of the art. That neighborhood will go through an amazing metamorphosis. The Train Station and Seaview Avenue expansion will be a real shot in the arm! It will be nice watching the construction over the next few years as well as Downtown and Steelpointe. I know there are many who believe these issues are no big deal. They are a huge deal and will affect thousands of residents as well as entice developers to invest in our city under the leadership of Mayor Finch. These are just the facts, not an over-the-top summation of the Finch administration. Construction jobs are real jobs and these are all good things.
Blah-blah-blah. This should have been started months ago. Why is Tax Bill waiting to do all this stuff until election day is looming? More than a little cynical.
🙂
Construction jobs for all but Bridgeport residents.
You got that right, Frank. That’s something Bill Finch can’t talk about.
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, what good are new schools when after they’re built you don’t put the resources in the school to insure these students succeed. Bridgeport schools are underfunded by millions of dollars thanks to Mayor Finch.
A new school underfunded by millions of dollars is just that, a new school. There wouldn’t be an achievement gap in schools if there weren’t a resource gap.
And I will say Amen to that, Brother Day.
Is it me? Why is it “new” schools in the suburbs are quite “refreshing” and “happy” in design while ours resemble prisons or penitentiaries. Could be the reason teens in the inner cities drop out at an alarming rate. The new Harding represents my comments with BARBED WIRE and all.
Bill Finch is “preparing our kids to compete for the jobs of tomorrow,” the minimum-wage jobs he is so fond of creating.
Right on, Kid.
Maybe Finch will offer minors in Fishing and Hunting, Coffee Barista, Tex Mex Fast Food, etc.
Gotta agree with you on this one, a matter of taste, but this rendering is an eyesore, at least from the outside.
I have to agree. This looks like a community detention center. What’s the coiled stuff at the top of the main building, razor wire? This is an eyesore.
So Tax Bill is delaying everything until he needs to win votes. That’s more than a little cynical on his and Adam “Pecker” Wood’s part. If these projects had begun sooner and the voting public had been kept informed, Mr. Finch would not be desperate to hold onto a job he did not want in the first place.
Mr. Finch’s hostility toward the less fortunate people of the city of Bridgeport is well known and well documented, as is his arrogance, pomposity, spitefulness and childish resentment of constructive criticism or helpful suggestions.
Vote early and often for him, if he is your choice to lead the city. A vote for Bill Finch is a vote for the corrupt political machine that has earned Bridgeport the classification “fucked up beyond all recognition.”
I recently met a family where the young lady just received her four-year PAID college on a SWIMMING scholarship, why not add a pool? Don’t talk about the cost because in a $106 million deal, $12 to $15 thousand means nothing.
Also, they should not give the old Harding site to Bridgeport Hospital unless that part of the property can be taxed. It may be the site that has the most beautiful view of Bridgeport and would benefit the citizens with a private builder who could build maybe some condos that would be taxed.
The design is horrible. It looks like a maximum detention prison. Who approved this eyesore? I think new schools are great but please fund the present ones. Instead we are taking money away from the present schools and giving them in-kind services such as police and trash removal, which they deserve anyway. The taxpayers are not stupid!
So check out the architect. Most probably a heavy-duty contributor to Mayor Finch/Wood’s campaign. They may call this a school building, but in really this is a testosterone-filled ego trip at its mildest!
While the doomsayers see barbed wire, the optimists see wheels that are part of the building’s green roof. They rotate to capture sunshine and water.
+1.
I hope you are correct and that is what the design specifies, the rendering is more representative of barbed wire!
I have to wonder what the particulars are regarding the design and construction of this building, what will be done with the old school building and what sort of deals were made to facilitate it all. That information is a matter of public record; the Finch administration claims to be open and transparent but we all know that is a lie. No matter how many times it is told, a lie is still a lie.
LET’S JUST ALL AGREE–THIS IS AWESOME. NOT AS EXCITING AS A $30 FENCE, BUT COMMENDABLE! MAYBE THE MAYOR WILL SEND OUT A LIST OF ALL THE CURRENT PROJECTS IN THE WORKS ON SEPTEMBER 17. I particularly like the reuse of the derelict property lining 95, 336 units of housing, Charter school and grocery store. I like the housing planned on the waterfront by UB. I am excited to hear about the new housing and hotel on Steelpointe. The hotel will have many jobs above minimum wage. Skilled and unskilled and again many construction jobs. it is so easy promoting Mayor Finch. I am at Central High School today and they have a huge construction project going on. Great energy here.
We are going to agree to disagree, Steven. This most definitely NOT awesome. Turn off the caps lock, you don’t need to shout. No one will agree with you.
And that hotel will be a part of what chain? Should we expect a Marriot or Quintas? They are selling dreams. If it took this long to find an anchor, is it the anchor’s choice? Pay Attention!
I am sure Finch is planning daily groundbreakings, foundation layings, sod planting, artificial turf settings, etc., etc., etc.
Milk this baby ’til the cows come home.
The full list of Democrats running as “independents” looks like a second-string junior varsity version of the Village People. Smokin’ Joe Ganim, Tax Bill Finch, Ancient Charlie Coviello, Harold Gardner, Tony the drug dealer. Maybe they’ll break into a chorus or two of “Dee tee see hey!”
Since it will no longer be built while Obama is still in office, will they still try to name it after him or will they go for Sanders, Clinton etc?
Stupid location. Polluted land next to a (planned) highway. (Lots of new schools in Bridgeport, but no improvement in “education.”)
Bill Finch is not concerned about the toxicity of the adjoining property. After all, in his estimation only “those people” will be attending school there.
Finch broke ground? It looks like he broke wind from this angle.
Finch is using this “groundbreaking” event to hold a fundraiser; he’s going to milk the contractors for a few bucks. Not a “pay to play” operation, more of a “kick back” scheme.
With all the leftover campaign cash he’ll be able to open a small business selling bullshit and flash to pimp wannabes.
It is 10:38 and I just put on News 12 and caught the ground breaking. It seemed to a very well-attended event. Mayor Finch was most eloquent and I guess this has been repeated every 30 minutes. This was a great day for our city. The artist rendering doesn’t do the school justice. It is quite spectacular.
Bob Walsh: I am hoping for groundbreakings every day, that is good for Bridgeport, no? Not good for Ganim for sure. Your friend Ken Dixon certainly was good for Ganim as per my post, pre-debate where you verbally assaulted me.
Steve, starting to be convinced of your ability to see into the future. Any predictions for my life?!
Jennifer, great things for you is my hope, what I actually see for you is depression in November 2015 when your candidate does not perform. I also see misery for you when Donald Trump continues to soar. Otherwise Jennifer, I see smooth sailing for you and many cookies on your plate and always surrounded by good friends.
Bill Finch was there to accept tithe from all the contractors.
Jennifer,
We can predict Steve Auerbach’s future: Bill Finch will lose, Steve will sob and he’ll pick another losing horse four years from now. This flashes through the crystal ball every 30 minutes.
Bridgeport Kid,
One thing is definite. I will support the winner and will not spend four years sobbing, bitching and undermining the leadership of the city.
Of course I expect Mayor Finch to win. In the event Charlie Coviello wins the election I will spend the next four years supporting his efforts. If Mary-Jane Foster were to win I’d support her and congratulate Gage. I would expect Donald Day, Ron Mackey and Bob Walsh to mock me incessantly because that’s what I would expect from them. If David Daniels wins, I would happily support him any way I could. If Ganim won, I would wish him well and congratulate every one of his campaign workers I have enjoyed sparring with and support him and certainly not spend four years doing anything to undermine the leadership of this city.
Honestly, Mayor Finch deserves four more years and honestly, I have covered many miles and spoken to many people. I think ultimately, Bridgeporters will give Mayor Finch four more years because they understand he has positioned our city perfectly for an economic development boom and that is the only way our taxes will come down. The new schools and parks are just a small part of image building and building morale in the city. There is housing going up in every corner of the city. All the other projects are visual facts and the opponents can address negative issues but in the end everyone on this blog, whether they admit it or not is ecstatic with Bridgeport’s changing image and finally, outsiders are interested in the good things happening. This of course is my personal opinion based on my personal conversations with the many people I have spoken to. I wish Mayor Finch continued success!
Lest we forget. The same mayor who embarrassed himself and the City a few years ago by shouting out at a Bpt political rally that was about to feature Pres. Obama as the principal speaker with a taunting “guess who’s coming to dinner,” is now trying to regain some standing with the African American community by naming a high school not yet built after America’s first biracial president.