All Aboard! State Moolah Expected For Site Of East Side Train Station

Mayor Bill Finch has been pushing for a train station for the city’s East Side. The State Bond Commission is expected to approve $1 million at its next meeting for site remediation on the Barnum Avenue site. The mayor announced the other day Deputy Chief of Staff Ruben Felipe will serve as the city’s point person on the project working with state officials. The total cleanup of the 7-acre site could be upwards of $3 million, but this is a good start. Statement from the mayor:

“This funding represents the first step in the demolition of the future site of the P.T. Barnum train station. Cleaning up this brownfield will pave the way for increased economic development and create jobs. I want to thank State Rep. Andres Ayala, and the state delegation for their hard work, and the Bond Commission, in securing these funds; this initial investment by the state will help us begin the demolition process.”

More background: /courts-approve-remington-property-agreement/

Announcement from State Rep. Andres Ayala:

BRIDGEPORT DELEGATION ANNOUNCE $1 MILLION FOR BARNUM TRAIN STATION

The Bridgeport legislative delegation, led by Chair Rep. Andres Ayala, announced today that $1 million in state funding is expected to be approved by the State Bond Commission when they meet Friday December 9th, to begin ground work on a second train station that will bring significant benefits to East Side commuters and the entire city.

“The site of this second rail station will spur further economic development. Currently, the City of Bridgeport has numerous projects in this area which would be well served by the second station,” Rep. Ayala said. “This could be the spark which ignites further investment opportunities and better jobs and housing for our residents. As chairman of the Bonding Subcommittee on Transportation I am pleased to see this project move forward.”

“This project will address one of the barriers to economic activity which is lack of access to public transportation,” Rep. Clemons said. “This project encompasses blight, pollution and transportation with increased avenues for economic activity. This is money well-spent and I am eager to see the work begin.”

“The state’s investment in the revitalization of this significant brownfield property is essential to our future economic success. Giving additional access to our Bridgeport commuters to New York and other major Connecticut cities is key to making Bridgeport a destination city. It is also a key factor in drawing more businesses to our area and making Bridgeport more attractive as a residential community,” Rep. Grogins said. “With the prior attention having been given to Fairfield’s new train station, I am excited and hopeful that the prospect of a new train station in Bridgeport will shift the focus for future economic development in our city.”

“It’s good to see that Bridgeport is getting its fair share of state dollars,” Rep. Hennessy said. “Brownfield remediation is long overdue. This project will spur economic development in a blighted area of this city.”

“Cleaning contaminated brownfield sites and putting them back into productive use will be a key factor in our efforts to increase the cities taxable grand list. This is an effective way to provide tax relief for our property and business owners,” Rep. Santiago said. “Adding to our public transportation infrastructure will help lower our carbon footprint, while the additional commuter traffic will provide opportunity for increased business at existing venues as well as a greater need for new businesses to be established.”

“This contaminated brownfield has been dormant for many years and it is great to see it finally getting some attention,” Rep. Stallworth said. “When you combine the remediation with a new train station, Bridgeport and residents are poised to reap many benefits from this project.”

The funds will support on site remediation efforts on the 7-acre parcel on Barnum Avenue and will help with the area’s revitalization initiatives. Bridgeport was the successful recipient of a Sustainable Communities Grant Award to explore the feasibility of a second station at this site. The planned station will serve to expand transportation options for commuters that have difficulties accessing the current downtown station.

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38 comments

  1. Nothing is going to happen here. Nothing!!!
    This is just Dan Malloy doing a favor for the DiNardo family.
    This is the contaminated property Sal gave the city to go clean up in return for getting his back taxes taken care of.
    Sal gets write-off or right off (as in right off the hook) for back due taxes and interest and absolves himself of the legal responsibility to clean up the property all in the name of a train station that will never be built.

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  2. There is a new sushi restaurant grill buffet opening on upper East Main St. by Beardsley Park. I just thought I would give advance notice. Japanese food is my fave.

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  3. It is disturbing to realize his years of public service have left The Troll a documented doomfreak. Dark clouds distort his vision.

    I expect a train station there even though a specific date is unavailable. A million dollars is still enough to put shovels in the ground. This might start the brownfield cleaning process which is noteworthy and long overdue.

    Bridgeport’s awesomeness is on the rise. I hope you’re a part of it.

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    1. “The total cleanup of the 7-acre site could be upwards of $3 million, but this is a good start.”–Bill Finch
      “The total cleanup of the 7-acre site could be upwards of $3 million, but this is a good start.”–Local Eyes
      “This ain’t gonna happen”–Bob Walsh
      Now who has a better sense of reality here, boys and girls?

      Voting begins NOW!

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  4. *** The Fairfield Metro Station is in Fairfield, not Bpt. A big difference in the way things get done; however a positive step in at least cleaning up one of many industrial brownfields in Bpt. The rest remains to be seen, in 10 years maybe? *** NEXT STOP, ZOMBIELAND! ***

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  5. Fairfield has a HUGE commuter population. My imperfections have been noted (thanks Ray), but some people on the new train live in Black Rock. Hint: I think geography will be Bridgeport’s ally for a long time.

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  6. This is the site where DiNardo with the Fabrizi Administration’s prompting through OPED kicked out a thriving artist colony. DiNardo and his property manager Bob Curwen stripped it of all its vintage equipment, selling it to artists in SoHo, let firemen be at risk and neighborhood kids, vagrants and druggies run through it for years, become a complete eyesore, put this invaluable landmark “Shot Tower” at great risk, etc., etc., etc. Now this demo clubhouse pats itself on the back. This building should have been saved and become an innovation center, mixed-use urban mall tied into a new train station. A perfectly good, valuable, historic building, turned over to the corrupt thieves. Train Station? A good idea, New Haven could do one without blinking an eye on its State Street platform. Demo Demo Demo!

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  7. Hello, anybody out there?
    Do you honestly think the Feds are going to dump any money in this after the scam the city pulled on the so-called Downtown Railroad station?
    It seems like the Feds and the state were the only ones who got railroaded there.

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  8. If Ruben Felipe is getting $20K more a year to oversee this fiasco, hopefully we can tap the state money and pay for that pay raise. What do you say, Bill? Or would the state actually require proof he is doing any work on this project?

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  9. $1M earmarked for remediation is a step in the right direction. Bundled with the tentative redevelopment of six Downtown North parcels, all are very positive steps in the right direction. Hopefully they all happen in a timely fashion.

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  10. There will be a WalMart on Steel Point before there is a second train station.
    Oh, that’s right. There will be a WalMart on Steel Point. That is the Finch Administration’s idea of good economic development.

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  11. And if you carefully read the interview with Finch, the developers are looking for state money for Steel Point.
    State aid to build a WalMart.
    Gross incompetency on behalf of the city and the developer.

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    1. The polls have closed and nobody voted. If you want to understand political ineptitude on a grand scale, talk to The Troll–he’s an expert on that subject.

      You misquoted me, too.

      Yes, for political reasons I think The Feds and State will pour money into that project. You fail to understand the changing dynamic that characterizes Bridgeport politics. Watch from the sidelines unless you’re ready to re-enter the game.

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        1. The new world order is always fixated on appeasing large voter blocks like Connecticut commuters.

          I have never been politicalyl associated with Mayor Finch. Consequently, you’re flunking Adulthood and Politics 101.

          Maybe you got your poetic license from a pissed-off Harbor Yard hotdog vender but Shakespeare gave me a high-five after he granted me my latest poetic license.

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          1. Please re-post your last anti-Finch blog, if ever one existed.
            And at least I know where Harbor Yard is.

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      1. Local Eyes: Your poll may have closed already, but you never responded to my comments on your references to “political firepower” posted yesterday! “Yes, for political reasons, I think the Feds and State will pour money into that project.” What glimmer of hopeful reasoning are you advancing to think with Washington fiscal gridlock, there is still a program to pour gobs of money into Bridgeport where such low voter turnout belies your comments of “firepower?” If you truly know more than Troll about the matter, release it from your tightly wrapped vest and share it.

        Gentle Feedback: You are not well regarded for providing new facts or reasoned opinions on the subject matter you address, in my judgement. Perhaps you might move toward discussion rather than derision when you address the comments of another person’s posting? Couldn’t hurt, could it?
        So, re-posting my answer to you yesterday:
        Yesterday it was a Fairfield Metro Station (official name) that opened after years of development, design, planning, conservation issues, and hiccups around financing, but it opened. And today … so much in Bridgeport “awaits preparation” … and your point is perhaps hopefully and optimistically the municipalities are alike??? Or there is an upward surge in the basics of our economy that will ground the development of a “second” Bridgeport station? Or what are you saying for real?

        And then you reference political firepower. and you lose me. Yes Virginia, Bridgeport is a single-party City and the Democratic party rules. But when the local leadership can’t muster more than 25% of those registered to the polls, and this is observed election after election, regionally and Statewide, where is the “firepower” to get things from Hartford or Washington DC (relative to what we might get if we truly had power of any type)? Or if we had a AAA rating rather than a Fitch A?

        And Fairfield Metro is also an example of what happens when the economic marketplace changes and the taxpaying portion of the project does not get off the ground until … some time in the future … when things get better … and the only real development is kept alive by the State advancing additional funds to the project and causing Fairfield to be the safety net for environmental problems and to lose first call on the parking fees it had expected to reap. That’s a taxpayer project. One Million Dollars for plans for a project that is years and years away, maybe (remember the Bridgeport Archive room of all the plans for Bridgeport that have been futured, featured, and stayed rolled or folded, gathering dust? … Time will tell.

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        1. Local Eyes is to Only in Bridgeport like Donald Trump is to Chuck Todd. Well, um, uh, er …

          Local Eyes doesn’t owe BEACON2 a response. If my opinion is held in such low regard, how come you value it so much? Upgrade your feedback.

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          1. “Political firepower???” Have you forgotten what you meant when you used the phrase yesterday? Or are you lighting a dead match in an out-of-town voting booth?
            Perhaps you would rather tell us about the Trumbull-Bridgeport plan to upgrade what flows downhill to the processing plant? That is a political issue that may affect you before there is ever a second Bridgeport railroad station. Time will tell.

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  12. The Feds are going to pour money into the project???
    You obviously are too local in your opinions.
    There is a whole new world order going on and pouring money into a railroad station in Bridgeport is not part of it.
    The Republicans in Washington (yes Local Eyes, they are in control of the House and possibly next year in control of the other house) are saying you must cut expenses somewhere to increase them somewhere else.
    Haven’t you been paying attention to this rhetoric?
    They are saying NO MORE EARMARKS.
    And yet you and Bill Finch believe the feds are going to come up with $250 Million to build a railroad station that is not needed.
    Dream on, my son.

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    1. Bob Walsh is behind the curve in regards to the new world order. When it comes to RR stations, supply creates its own demand. No more earmarks might equal more deficits. We’ve seen that before. If you’re trying to insult me with your meaningless political insights, it’s backfiring.

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  13. I can only hope Bob Walsh is wrong on this one. I don’t know either way.
    We need a new train station in Bridgeport so the high-speed trains can stop here. As it is now the high-speed train is unable to stop in Bridgeport.
    I am no fan of DiNardo but I don’t give a damn whether he profits or not as long as Bridgeport moves forward. It is a little scary to have the mayor’s aide Ruben in charge of this project. Where the hell is the economic development director? Better yet, why hasn’t he been fired?

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    1. tc,
      Although I can understand your mindset about high-speed trains if that is a reference to getting out of town quick, but I don’t think that will influence the folk down in DC.

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  14. Folks, let’s look at the positive in this … The raise Ruben is getting will be invested in our local economy for his liquid lunch and dinners at Murphy’s Law and Tiago’s …

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  15. If the cleanup cost is estimated to be upwards of $3 Million and only $1 Million is at hand, where is the rest of the money coming from?

    During the past four months, DiNardo has been keeping Capociello’s equipment on standby at the Remington site in anticipation of funding approval. One of the demolition machines became a target of one of those copper thieves from the area–the radiator was stolen for scrap and not a single Local Eye from the area saw who did it. It was probably the ghost!

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  16. Local Eyes’ Rumor Mill:
    Donald Trump just called me. Here’s what he said: “throw BEACON2 and that Pension Plan A he rode in on, OVERBOARD. Don’t worry about the ripple effect–he’s a lightweight who uses a clip-on bow tie. He’s an insurance adjuster, we’re risk takers.” When I told him I wasn’t looking for a job, he said “I don’t care, you’re hired.”

    (wink and a grin)

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  17. LE,
    Guess you haven’t been around when I have stepped on the scale lately. Anything but a lightweight.
    I am upset your Donald dream references a “clip-on bow tie.” I tie every one I wear, because I learned how to, practiced and that makes for success.
    Perhaps you find it difficult “to tie one on” so I have a quick lesson for you:
    1) Is it safe to assume you know how to tie your shoes? OK–take off one of your tie shoes. It doesn’t matter which foot the shoe comes from.
    2) Put the shoe on top of your head. Since you told me that you can tie your shoe, begin making the knot you always do with the shoe on top of your head.
    3) Having fun, or ready to go back to the clip on? (If the shoe falls off your head, put it back on top of your head and continue the knot.)
    4) It is simple isn’t it? Cross the laces (or the bow tie around your neck) and then make a bow on one side and know that the other end has to go through the center material (lace or bow tie) and come out with a bow on the other side.
    5) Pull the two bows tight while evening up the tail ends. How does it look? (The tie, not you!)
    What have you learned from Donald Trump lately? How to put your name on a deal and get paid for it, but not have any money at risk??? So much for risk taking. Time will tell.

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