Backed by Governor Dan Malloy, the State Bond Commission Thursday afternoon approved $500,000 for improvements to the Black Rock business district on Fairfield Avenue. The money will fund new facades for businesses, updates to streetscape and lighting along the pedestrian areas of the business district including landscaping and paving to increase pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, according to State Rep. Auden Grogins who proposed the request.
“I would like to thank the Governor for his continued investment and support for the City of Bridgeport and for recognizing how essential the Black Rock central business district is to our local economy and the state of Connecticut,” said Grogins in a news release. “This funding will go a long way in helping the Black Rock Business District Improvement Program make much needed streetscape, facade and storefront improvements along Fairfield Avenue, which is the gateway to our city.”
“With this funding, we are improving the quality of life for residents in the Black Rock neighborhood while at the same time encouraging business growth and economic development in our largest city,” said Malloy. “This investment also represents our statewide efforts to partner with local stakeholders to help communities around the state meet their full potential as more accessible, more walkable hubs of cultural and economic activity.”
According to Grogins, The Black Rock Business District Development Program invests strategically in support of private and public improvement projects along state owned Route 130 and Fairfield Avenue. It supports over 250 businesses including 14 with direct aid while creating over 20 permanent living-wage jobs.
“In addition to city and private money raised, this grant will help stimulate economic development, help to create hundreds of manufacturing, construction and retail jobs, and benefit many local businesses,” Rep. Grogins added.
What are the legislators doing to improve the downtown area of Bridgeport? Bars on windows, trash in the streets, boarded buildings, businesses leaving and a train station with no funding. (Funding to only remediate the site, no funding to build the new train station.)
All the things you mention are the responsibility of the private sector, save trash pickup … the city is responsible for providing an environment that is conducive to business, not for providing acceptable housing for the business. And another train station? We have two already, another train station isn’t necessary, the economics don’t support it yet. The city of Bridgeport is a perpetual failure and will continue to be so for decades to come. There will not be the need for another train station for 25 years.
*** I have over the years not been a big supporter of Rep. Grogins and her political aspirations towards a possible shortcut road towards a judgeship and lack of real political and city minority support, in “my opinion.” However, I cannot overlook the “bang-up job” she has been doing for her constituents in Black Rockand the 130th district in general! Wish all the Bpt State and City Reps were just as committed towards their work in putting their district and Bpt. first! *** YOU GO GIRL, NICE JOB! ***
Congratulations, Black Rock! Great work, Auden! THANK YOU for all you do for Bridgeport and especially for our neighborhood!!! You are simply awesome!!!
“LIKE” 🙂
Thank you to Dan Malloy for his constant support of our city. Thank you to Auden Grogins for bringing home the money. I find it curious the Mayor’s office and Paul Timpanelli did not get a sound bite here. Although I am a North End resident, I appreciate all the support our elected officials get in bringing money into our city. Thank you to all involved. Black Rock’s consistent improvement is good for Bridgeport and our image. We should all celebrate this positive event.
Slurp.
Must be an election year for local state reps and state senators … and Malloy needs all the help he can get. But when else does anything get done in politics? An election year, of course.
Sorry but that’s just bullshit, Bob. Auden has a group of constituents that ask a lot of her; and she works very hard, all the time, election year or not to deliver our requests. That nastiness of yours holds no relevance here.
Darn it Blue, you said what I was gonna write. As a member of the Smut Busters who worked with Auden, hands down she has my vote and support, including a financial contribution for her campaign. We cannot afford to not support Auden.
Kudos to Representative Auden Grogins. Keep bringing that money home. You go, girl! Streetscape and facade improvements are really needed along Fairfield Ave. Congratulations to Black Rock. Ms. Grogins is a keeper! If and when the opportunity for a seat on the bench comes her way, she deserves it. Auden Grogins WORKS–she does her job and she does it well. Actually, she is the only member of the Bridgeport delegation who does. Consistently.
Good work, Auden!
Now I would like to propose you continue your good work on the other side of the tracks for a rejuvenation of the corridor that lies between Black Rock and Downtown, some of which is in your district and to work with the 132 and the 131 to get a viable corridor along State Street and Fairfield Avenue, capitalize on the great work done with the Wakeman, Fairfield Avenue Street improvements, the new RR viaduct that will allow much-needed pedestrian and bicycle passage, and work with the long-suffering holdouts on State Street like State Hardware, Copy Break, Gigante, and the newcomers like the NEST where we can get perhaps the same kind of attention as other districts such as North Main Street where they have offset parking. It’s hard to get out of your car in this corridor, there is too much blight and it is dangerous for bicycles. So keep it up Auden? Good Luck!
The background planning for this funding to provide facade improvement, streetscape improvements as well as safety and other improvements to benefit auto, pedestrian and bike traffic, has come from two years of strategic planning and five years of efforts at implementing the short, middle and long range strategy for the Black Rock neighborhood. Fairfield Avenue from the Fairfield border to I-95 overpass is included in the territory of the Black Rock NRZ approved by the City Council.
A sincere thank you to OPED and David Kooris for their fashioning neighborhood wishes into a coherent plan for today. And another serious and sincere thank you to Representative Auden Grogins for picking up the paper and moving the case for this Black Rock business improvement forward in Hartford.
Earlier this year the CT Post featured an article showing Senator Andres Ayala had brought $1 Million of state funds to Bridgeport for NRZ projects (however since Black Rock is in Senator Musto’s district, none of these funds were to be allocated to Black Rock NRZ territory).
HUD-CDBG funding can be used on Fairfield Avenue projects in the vicinity of I-95 and has been used in that census track for previous small NRZ projects, but this money will provide an opportunity for efficient focused development on this main thoroughfare for businesses. Hopefully this will elevate business success and property tax values. Time will tell.