City water taxis on Saturday will make their debut transporting volunteers from Central Avenue to Pleasure Beach for a community cleanup of the peninsula in the East End. City officials say they expect the water taxis to be in service to transport the public this summer. A fire that damaged the bridge 20 years ago has prevented public access. News release from community cleanup:
On Saturday more than 100 local volunteers representing The Nature Conservancy, the Park City Magnet School, Wheelabrator Bridgeport, the Police Explorers, the Regional Aquaculture Science & Technology Education Center, the Bridgeport Regional Business Council and other business and community groups will gather with Mayor Bill Finch and Parks and Recreation staff to clean up the shoreline of Pleasure Beach, a protected wildlife habitat and historic site located on a barrier beach on Long Island Sound. Volunteers will remove trash from the shoreline, plant trees and shrubs, and assemble picnic tables as part of ongoing work to prepare Pleasure Beach for future public access.
Passenger ferries will shuttle visitors between the pier and Pleasure Beach beginning at 9:00 AM and continuing throughout the day.
Event Agenda:
9:00 AM
· Volunteers meet at Central Avenue Fishing Pier and travel to Pleasure Beach by passenger boat
9:30 AM
· Volunteers assemble at beach pavilion
· Welcoming remarks by Mayor Bill Finch and cleanup organizers
· Briefing on volunteer work assignments by Parks and Recreation staff
10:00 AM
· Volunteers begin cleanup projects on Pleasure Beach and continue throughout the day
2:30 PM
· Work concludes; volunteers return to mainland by passenger boat
Why: Pleasure Beach is the site of a former amusement park and cottage community, which was abandoned in the late 1990s after a fire severely damaged the bridge connecting it to mainland. This barrier beach is one of the longest stretches of natural coastline on Long Island Sound. The beach and dunes provide nesting areas for shorebirds and several rare plants, while helping protect Stratford Great Meadows tidal marsh. Pleasure Beach also provides important natural infrastructure, buffering the City of Bridgeport and nearby communities from wind and waves during storm events.
Hope folks caught my scoop on the opening of Pleasure Beach on my monthly WICC 600 Coffee Break Chat last week. Pleasure Beach is scheduled to open on Sunday, June 22 according to Parks Director Carroll. The two new 30-seat water taxis will depart from the new parking lot on Seaview Avenue. Over at Pleasure Beach there will be restrooms and a concession stand … just the simple things. Fee schedule not yet announced, but Finch has said there may not be a charge for Bridgeport residents.
Bepo-0this is great news and hopefully will revitalize a long-neglected beach for people to once again enjoy. I understand it was once an amusement park; one can only hope that can happen again.
Who will pilot the ferryboat? Do they have the proper U.S. Coast Guard certification? How much are they paid? Where do you put your application in for this position? Are these positions appointed by the mayor? Can I fill out my application for ferryboat captain at Tiago’s?
That’s Captain Tiago to you. He’s already got this job, too.
How much money did these ferryboats cost? Who will maintain them? Where are they docked and what is that cost? Where was this reflected in the budget? Who oversees this fiasco?
How do you view this as a fiasco? The water taxis were paid for by a federal grant. Think positive!
While some people ask endless questions, others notice the Bridgeport logo on the water taxis and thank those responsible for their upcoming departure to Pleasure Beach.
www .twitter.com/door24
Local Eyes, your link directs us to a Paul Griffith and says nothing about water taxis and logos but does remind me why I do not use Twitter. Who gives a shit what anyone thinks during the day? Just reading his tweets was a gross waste of time.
I just noticed the logo … What city is that?
Who is this Wingnut? The water taxis project is funded by a $1.9 million federal grant. They passed Coast Guard inspection a couple of weeks ago.
So the Federal government gave a $1.9 million dollar grant to fund water taxis to an abandoned island with nothing on it but a $3 million dollar beach house that has never been used? Nice how the Feds like to waste money. How will this in any way help the economy of Bridgeport???
To transport passengers the operator of a vessel needs the appropriate certification. Who will operate these boats? If I was “Wingnut in the know” I guess I would have all the answers like you! LOL!
They should have put the $1.9 mil into a bridge! Not two holes in the water in which one pours money. If you want to find out who I am, be at Tiago’s lunchtime tomorrow, look for the orange Mets hat! In The Know! LOL!
I think this is wonderful and long overdue.
I absolutely agree with you, Mustang. It would be wonderful to see that beach restored to its former glory days. I don’t understand how some people manage to put a negative twist on positive happenings. It’s as if they don’t want Bridgeport to succeed.
Wingnut, a bridge would have cost $30 million and the feds specifically said they would not fund that.
I am glad to see the water taxis up and running, now for the bridge. The fire that damaged the bridge was an arson fire. The mayor was more than happy to close Pleasure Beach because it became a pain in the ass. There were drug deals galore out there, it became a dumping ground for stolen cars. It was costing the city a ton of money in maintenance and other costs.
The mechanism that operated the bridge was not damaged in the fire, just the bridge and maybe some wiring. Nobody has checked to see the co0ndition of the main operating gears. The city does not want to reopen the entire island to vehicles. Don’t forget the plodding plovers are an endangered species, thus no construction of consequence.
I guess then with the issue of the “plodding plovers,” this would preclude any attempt at restoring the Island to its old glory as Donald Trump wanted to do some 20 years ago at his own expense. Didn’t he want to make a Treasure Island theme park there?