Happy Easter. Buona Pasqua.
I know I’m a broken record on this, but any attention to force the building of new Harding High is good attention. From Keila Torres, Connecticut Post:
A plan to set aside money to build a new Warren Harding High School may have found its way onto Mayor Bill Finch’s five-year capital improvement budget, but that may be the easiest obstacle to replacing the deteriorating 1925 structure.
Beyond the cost, a major question will be where to put a new high school.
Funds to rebuild Harding were approved in 2002 and again in 2006. Those funds were returned to the state, however, because the city could not identify a site to relocate and build a new high school in conformance with state regulations.
The $10 million Harding allocation was absent from Finch’s capital plan released March 23 with the explanation that O&G Industries, the city’s school construction managers, told him renovations would be a waste of money to the existing Harding and that a new site would need to be found for an entirely new building. The high school was subsequently squeezed onto the list after Finch met with Board of Education President Barbara Bellinger, school board Finance Committee Chairman Pat Crossin, Superintendent of Schools John Ramos and others.
The mayor said he has been assured by school staff and the board’s construction management consultant that the school’s current location at 1734 Central Ave. can be used for the new school. If that is the case, he said, the proposal will go to the City Council with an eye toward filing an application with the state on June 1.
City officials say a new Harding can be built on the existing East Side site for $50 million. The state would cover roughly 80 percent. Let’s do it! I’ve tutored kids there. The place is a dungeon. It’s been far too long.
Just Incredible, From AP
Pope’s preacher likens accusations to anti-Semitism
The Vatican tries to distance itself from the controversial comparison that has sparked a new wave of criticism.
At a solemn Good Friday service, Pope Benedict XVI’s personal preacher said allegations that the pontiff covered up sex abuse cases by Catholic clergymen reminded him of the “more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism.”
Within hours, a Vatican spokesman sought to distance the pope from his preacher’s remarks after both Jews and a leading abuse victims group reacted sharply, criticizing the comparison with violence that culminated in the Holocaust to the accusations made against Benedict.
The Vatican has been on the defensive in recent days, saying the church has been singled out and collectively stereotyped for the problem of pedophilia, which it says is a society-wide issue.
Good Friday is a particularly delicate day in a decades-long effort by Jews and Catholics to overcome a legacy of mistrust. Particularly harmful to the relations was the long-held Catholic belief that Jews were collectively responsible for executing Christ. A landmark achievement of the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s was a declaration stating the Jews should not be blamed for the crucifixion.
As the pope listened in a hushed St. Peter’s Basilica, the Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa likened accusations against the pontiff and the Catholic church in sex abuse scandals in Europe, the U.S. and elsewhere to “collective violence” suffered by the Jews.
Benedict, 82, looked weary as he sat near the central altar at the early evening prayer service before a candlelit Way of the Cross procession near the Colosseum that commemorates Christ’s suffering and death.
*** Believing is actually seeing & there are still 2 schools on the Bpt school buildings list to be done first. So maybe 5 years down the road the city might see a new Harding High, maybe? But if you knock down the old Harding to build on site, where do you find swing space for 1200 students from the East Side? Lots of legal paperwork, informational Q&A, money management, student busing, community meetings, city & BOE meetings, picking & choosing to be done, etc. … and it’s all within a certain time limit. Yeah, in Bpt talk is cheap, so once again I’ll believe it when I see it! ***
It would seem to me building a new Harding High School at its present location would be a bad idea.
1. Heavily traveled by trucks and cars
2. Lack of parking for teachers and visitors
3. Same cluttered area.
Why not look at the lower East Side in area of the former dog track or where the alternative school is located (former Kolbe) also in this area is the old St Michael’s School. Building a new high school in this area could be the catalyst to updating this area.
Happy Passover and Happy Easter!!!
Any chance the owner of the Remington Property or the GE property would want to show some community spirit and clean those properties so one of them could become the new Harding? I know Mojo, forget about it!
That’s an idea in Remington Woods the Stratford side has been cleaned up and the 2 lakes in there have been cleaned.
We need to get our delegation to move in Hartford to have less restrictive standards for school properties as it relates to brownfields. The state’s regulations are geared to suburban towns where there is an excess of virgin land for school construction.
Here is an idea I am sure the politicians won’t like. Leave the new regional high school they are planning to build on Quarry road there instead of moving it to the Greenwood St property.
Build the new Harding High School on the Greenwood property site.
Let’s build it at “STEAL”point at least something will be done with “a neighborhood already destroyed for a dream.” I’d rather see a state-of-the-art new school than an empty lot.
Good idea Hector.
We’ll do a swap.
We take Steel Point back and give them the Harding High School site once a new school is built.
Maybe a smaller site like that is what Mid Town/RCI Marine/Developments R Us.com really needs.
Hector Diaz for city Development Director.
The 50+ acre Seaside Park landfill has been settling for 20-plus years. I think the DEP has finally signed off it can be used for development. I don’t know how tricky the engineering would be but there would be no relocation of families, and the city owns it so the tax rolls don’t take a hit. Yes there would be special foundation considerations but that might be a lot less costly to overcome than remediation of brownfields sites. The kids could use the fields at Seaside Park. It could be a pre-eminent LEED building like the Yale School of Forestry is. Green Green Green. What a view. Other cities have built successfully on their landfill sites. There are companies that know how to do this stuff TC. Really.
Countdown what does really mean I am lost on that one.
I believe the city has put that property out to bid for a meth lab. Tons of methane percolating on top and bottom of old smokey. You could also put up windmill turbines and link with Resco and light up part of the city. Of course the only Windmill some people in Black Rock would want would be over near Hollister Ave. in Stratford. TC-LEED is an acronym for a green building standard with different levels going up to platinum. Leadership in Environmental and Engineering Design or something like that. 5-4-3-2-1 could better state that before the Grin Reaper blasts off! We could always build the school over at the Airport. Plenty of space and near the East End. Then the kids could really have somewhere to hangar around.
Leonard,
What was it old PT said? There’s a sucker born every minute? $10 million to build a new Harding High School???
Even if that represents the city’s share of the cost (approximately 20%; in reality at least 25%) that would put the total project cost at $50 million.
I have seen some estimates at around $145 mill. Renovations and expansion of Central High is in the capital plan at $16 mill, renovations at Dunbar $4 mill and addition to Black Rock at $4 mill.
Harding High School $10 mill. Leonard, you’ve been punked by a bunch of rank amateurs.
Maybe this was Billy Boy’s idea of an April Fools joke.
Ha, ha, ha.
I don’t know Grin, maybe Peter Abbott did the cost estimate.
Sounds more like Bud Abbott.
City could buy the St. Mark’s property and for the 2 other grades, put up some portables and school kids could have a proper playground and Audie could open up a Charter Obedience School and Dog Park for Harold and Maude 🙂
Peter Abbott was robbing the place with his cost analysis! The late Joe Walsh would have tracked him down.
Who’s Peter Abbott?
A relative of Peter Rabbit.
Oh, pretty good.
It looks like the Pope is really getting crucified this week.
Thank you Lennie for providing input to keep the community commentary percolating. The discussion of City budgeting and capital improvements, with special attention to the longer-term avoidance of dealing with Harding HS renewal speaks to the wide-ranging observations and informal suggestions that have appeared today. Unfortunately, mechanisms for channeling community expertise and wisdom of this nature to current leadership are not as well developed or available as in neighboring communities. Open the process. Hold appointed/elected stewards accountable for communication and progress. Make the process transparent to the public and keep a timetable. OPEN, ACCOUNTABLE, TRANSPARENT. OIB has treated the subject seriously and look what surfaces.
My major disappointment is that none of the comments so far deal with OIB’s other topic, that other institutional presence, the Roman Catholic Church and the necessary changes to its structures so that OPEN, ACCOUNTABLE and TRANSPARENT become obvious to the public including all of the faithful. Perhaps then error can be admitted by info coming into the full light of day and then perhaps justice can be done.
Management of the sexual abusers has been late, inadequate, more fearful of scandal and loss of power/money than concerned with Christian compassion for victim/survivors. And look what results with delay and a resort to the legal? Not good for anyone. Whether you are a faithful Catholic today, were raised as one and have left it behind (perhaps you are ready to file an EXIT INTERVIEW with a Bishop?) or tread a different spiritual or religious path, the long-term worldwide sexual abuse ‘trial’ indicates a need for institutional change. The recent battles in Hartford are not about “religious freedom” as the Bishops would have us believe, but about their freedom to apply their man-made laws created only by the ordained to all of their religious membership thus keeping “the faithful” in the dark about so many “Church” activities, preventing Church discussion or dialogue about many current issues of concern to Catholics, and using Church tax-free funds obtained from people in the pews at one time or another to suppress and control while attempting to maintain their authority. Still a mess!!! How about some productive comments from OIB readers?
If it is accepted that Harding High is a pit and must go, a new high school on-site should be considered first.
It would give some geographical balance to the location of facilities. It is probably better to be on the east side of the Pequonnock River. A new school will help keep Mill Hill stable.
The best reason to move would be if Bridgeport Hospital stepped up with a development proposal for the site. Grab it! Unlike a wire mill that can move, people will always need to see doctors when sick and a place to get better. That area could be a heckuva medical campus tied to existing hospital facilities.
If building on the old landfill is a possibility, why in God’s name would we build a High School there? We have a hill overlooking Long Island sound and with a beach and all of the oceanfront amenities and someone suggests building a high school. That shows a total lack of vision, planning, maximum use and potential of available land. This is so typical Bridgeport. Find a simple solution. Not a lot of work. Devalue the upside potential. This is nonsense.
Sell the property for maximum dollars.
Build high-end condos. Fantastic views. Sell the property for big bucks and generate a long-term revenue stream for the city.
No one knows exactly what is in that dump. There were reports back in the day of a lot of midnight disposals in exchange for numbered stationary from the U.S. Department of Treasury in large denominations.
Anyone care to guess?
I’ll take a guess: Jimmy Hoffa?
I would be willing to bet that under all that dirt capping the dump it is still smoldering. In either case the location of the dump is still part of Seaside Park, why open it up to commercial development? Before you know it we will be doing that in other parks just like we are doing at 90 Acres Park aka Veterans Park or 74 acres in this case we are building a school.
Bob I can see us selling high-end condos and the rich that live in them wanting to cut off that area of the park to the local people because they are annoyed with the traffic and noise.
Hey, didn’t Mandy bury the elephant from the zoo there? Let’s dig it up and donate the bones to the Barnum Museum.
I think Bridgeport teenagers deserve a classroom with a gorgeous view. The high-priced condos are heading toward the former Remington Shaver site. Rumor has it their three-year-plus trudge through DEP and the Army Corps is almost done and they will be getting their dredging permits soon. Now there is a development that is using every bit of patient restraint imaginable. The bureaucracy is killing Bridgeport’s projects.
*** Using the area by GE & Bond St. would require some major cleaning & tenant relocation but nothing the city hasn’t done before. If GE were to clean up the site in exchange for past property taxes owed, it would be a perfect site. Besides it’s not like the city’s going to get a back taxes check from GE anytime soon,”you dig?” *** As far as the (glow in the dark) Seaside Park Compost site, that was a part of the area thought of @ one time for the new animal shelter. However the surrounding community did not want it there & that side is prone to flooding. But if United Tech (helicopters) is thinking of closing that factory & you have the old British-owned industrial closed site next door, along with Sal DiNardo’s industrial site next to that; well then a new high school is possible! Would have to switch Harding over to the rear of Beardsley Park’s site & put the magnet high school on South Ave. instead? School busing would have to be worked out as well but you already do have public buses that go to Seaside Park, etc. and it’s close to I-95! *** It’s a matter of all city, state reps.& senate pulling together, with Congressman Himes’ help & really moving forward on this mission to see it happen within 3 to 5 years tops! *** Cross your fingers, close your eyes, click your heels 3 times & take a big breath! *** “To be continued!” ***
Finch has the same regard for the students at Harding as he does for the clients and employees at the Health Dept. They are not on his list of priorities unless he is embarrassed into pretending they are. He has no intention of building a new Harding just as he has no intention of building a new Health Dept building. Empty promises that make nice front page stories.
Finch took the advice of O & G and that’s why he didn’t have Harding on the first list. Or so he claims. How much is the BOE paying O & G for such lousy advice?
The Health Dept building is a disgrace and should be condemned and demolished. It is obscene the clients and employees there have to breathe in the mold and asbestos on a daily basis. It’s no wonder the East Side has the highest incidence of asthma in the city. How do you treat people like that while Finch and his cabinet enjoy their nice newly renovated offices in the Annex? The people at the Health Dept should get together and file a class-action suit. Judge Lopez, are you interested in doing this pro bono?
*** Good not great final four, with Butler & Duke going to the big dance! #1 seed “Duke Blue Devils” should really have “no problem” with #5 seed, the “Butler Bulldogs” but “one never knows do one?” *** Last but not least, our Lady Huskies play today & should be able to outrun a larger rebounding Baylor Team thus sending them again to the Big Dance! “Let’s go Lady Huskies!” ***
I wish a blessed Easter for everyone. May Bill Finch have a true Epiphany and remember he was elected to serve the citizens of Bridgeport NOT himself and his cronies. It’s about services for the people. It’s NOT about renovations, new offices and vehicles and raises for the select few. Look for councilmen Paoletto and Blunt to be moved to the Annex in the upcoming weeks. They too are being rewarded with brand-new renovated offices. Obey the master and ye too shall be rewarded.
Doesn’t the BOE have a facilities director or someone with a different title who’s in charge of the school buildings and their condition? Didn’t we also pay a retired school administrator as a building consultant on one of the new schools we just built?
How did O&G get this contract? Was it put out to bid? Other than O&G stating Harding could not be repaired what were the reasons other than the building is to old. How much has O&G contributed to local political campaigns?
I have a question why is it a state requirement you need 8 acres to build a new school?
The 8-acre requirement is a Bridgeport Board of Education School Facilities Master Plan requirement. It is not a state requirement. That is the BOE’s requirement for pre-k to 8th grade schools. New Haven’s School Master Plan doesn’t require 8 acres. Take a ride through New Haven and look at their schools. Some are on matchbook-sized parcels but their high schools are on much larger sites. I haven’t read the Bridgeport BOE Master Plan in a while so I don’t know what their land area requirement is for a high school. However I am a strong believer that high schools need playing fields and running nearby (walking distance) with enough parking that game and special events days don’t cause the neighborhoods to come under siege.
There was a Construction Management RFP and O&G was selected, a couple of times over the years I think. They are a strong CM firm for building and roads jobs. They do this very successfully in other municipalities and for private companies.
The School Construction Committee meetings are public. Councilman Jim Holloway co-chairs the meetings. It is a mix of City and BOA councilpersons, BOE members and senior staff of key departments including the BOE’s Facilities Director. The membership is dictated by statute. They oversee this whole operation including all of the RFP’s. In New Haven, the Mayor controls the school building committee. I think their CM is Turner Construction.
The development/construction-related staff within City Hall is very lean at the moment. That is going to be troubling once the financial institutions start lending again and the developments in the queue are ready to work through the land use boards and city review processes.
Bridgeport’s Public Facilities Department used to have its Design and Construction Management office led by a Professional Engineer. That person left to go work for UB. I am not sure if there is a licensed professional engineer on staff at DPF these days. Thankfully there are a couple of licensed landscape architects on staff.
There is now a new architect in OPED that will be providing land use and construction reviews for the land use boards, similar to what John West used to do while the Master Plan update process was underway. I wish him good luck. He has an important position to push back at the design proposals going to the land use boards. Since John West left, those volunteer boards have not had internal written design and regulation reviews. The developers have been the dominant force. The volunteers on the boards have been on their own except for Engineering Department reviews. This new professional architect should level the playing field. There still isn’t a traffic engineer or traffic planner on staff. There is also good news in the zoning office. There are more bodies to do zoning enforcement. That is a very good thing.
Having said all that, it is critical O&G is there with their depth in architects and engineers. It is important to make sure the facts are correct and who is really saying what. The quotes in the paper were not from an O&G official. Therefore I am not sure what O&G’s recommendations are vis-à-vis replace or repair Harding. Personally, I would be hard-pressed to believe it could be repair. I would also be very surprised if they could really do it on the present site.