Steel Point Funding Ambushed, Himes Responds

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Saturday torpedoed funding for the Steel Point redevelopment area that Congressman Jim Himes had secured in 2010. This is a gigantic blow to redevelopment of the lower East Side. From Himes:

Blumenthal, Himes, Finch Fight to Preserve Steel Point Funding

Short-sighted plan exemplifies dangerous cuts in House-passed spending bill

BRIDGEPORT, CT—Senator Richard Blumenthal, Congressman Jim Himes, and Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch held a press conference today to highlight the critical infrastructure investments they are fighting to retain in the federal spending plan passed by the U.S. House of Representatives this weekend. Himes opposed the measure, which would strip appropriations to the program that will fund the $11 million federal grant Himes helped secured last fall to redevelop Bridgeport’s Steel Point area. The planned redevelopment of Steel Point is expected to provide 350 construction jobs by the end of 2011. By 2020, the project is expected to created as many as 1,300 full-time jobs.

“I will not let Steel Point, one of the most important pieces of federal funding the city of Bridgeport has ever received, be the casualty of political posturing in Washington,” said Himes. “The redevelopment of Steel Point will continue the revitalization of the City of Bridgeport, spurring economic growth and paving the way for improved quality of life for everyone who lives in, works in, or visits the area. We will do whatever is necessary to ensure these short-sighted, reckless cuts do not become law.”

In October, Himes and Connecticut congressional delegation announced that the Bridgeport Steel Point project will receive over $11 million through a Transportation Investment Generation Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. After 30 years of delay and setbacks, the development of Steel Point turns an under-utilized brownfield site into a modern and progressive urban community with the construction and modernization of roadways around the Steel Point Peninsula. The plan will create pedestrian and bike-friendly streets that connect neighborhoods to public transit, help open the Steel Point waterfront to the public, and support commercial and residential development.

“Continued federal funding of the TIGER II grants is vital to job growth and job creation in cities such as Bridgeport and New Haven, and across Connecticut,” said Blumenthal. “The Republican spending bill makes totally irresponsible cuts to capital projects, including Steel Point and the New Haven Downtown Crossing. While we must get our deficit and debt under control, eliminating funding for crucial infrastructure projects would hurt our communities and stifle job creation. I will work with my Senate colleagues to fight these irresponsible cuts, ensuring that we maintain our commitment to important projects that create jobs in Connecticut.”

The elimination of TIGER grant funding exemplifies the type of short-sighted cuts contained in the House-passed spending plan for Fiscal Year 2011. The bill also eliminates funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, food safety programs, Head Start early education, and the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, taking over 1,300 officers off the streets in Connecticut.

“This TIGER II Grant is critical to the City of Bridgeport and the Steelpointe Harbor project. With the number of people out of work and the millions of dollars of private sector money already committed to the project, it would be a cruelest of hoaxes for the federal government to have made this promise and take it away at a time when the City so desperately needs the funds to move this project forward and create jobs for our residents,” said Finch.