A sky-high illegal dumping ground known as Mount Trashmore that scarred the East End and was the subject of numerous protests was finally removed in 1992. A 2013 urban greenhouse proposal for the site, Boot Camp Farms, promising to create jobs for vets, has yet to take off.
From CT Post reporter Brian Lockhart:
The state that spring had awarded the city a $1 million grant to cover the environmental cleanup costs; the 3-plus-acre Bridgeport location was once the address of an illegal dump dubbed “Mount Trashmore.”
And the City Council in November 2013 unanimously approved a resolution giving the Finch administration the authority to lease the property to Boot Camp for $630,000, spread out over 10 annual installments.
As spring approaches, the only difference between the Boot Camp site and the other seemingly lifeless gardens buried beneath New England snow is that the latter will yield crops when the weather warms.
Full story here.
Pure and utter bullshit.
I just checked the brownfield sites listed for Bridgeport and this site is still on the list. Where did the $1 million go from the state to clean it up? Three acres of industrial-zoned property, wow.
Will the brownfield designation disappear like magic just like the brownfield designation disappeared for the old Acme Shear property where Finch built a $7 million park no one goes to? They are going to build two greenhouses, a store and community center all on three acres. I have a question, why not do this in Newtown or Weston where these guys come from?
Asked why he and St. Lorenzo should be trusted to succeed in Bridgeport, Richardson said they learned their lessons from the projects that did not move forward and about how to do business in Connecticut.
Asked for more specifics, he said, “I’m 62 years old and I don’t think I need to explain myself to people.”
Out-of-towners with buzzwords (Veterans, hydroponic greenhouses, remediate property) and plenty of attitude. It’s not as if they have all the dollars and expertise necessary on their own. Getting public resources, like land, remediation action, a deal on rent and likely on taxes too. Any local grocery groups beating down their doors to buy their produce? What other public subsidies if any will be called upon in terms of working with veterans?
Premature news releases don’t scare me, as we are accustomed to those coming from City Hall. What is the simple formula for a business plan in this case? Where is it not making sense to one or more of the parties necessary to make this a thriving go? Time will tell.
John, maybe someone should tell him he has to answer questions when it comes to public land. He is 62 years of age and no one can ask him questions, bullshit!
Wait a minute, the City Council on November 2013 unanimously approved a resolution giving the Finch administration the authority to lease the property to Boot Camp for $630,000, spread out over 10 annual installments. Was there any input from the community about any of this and what did the City and State elected officials from the East End have to say or do with this project?
Ron,
Check it out with those who were or currently are part of the East End NRZ. To initially form they had to do planning and set out areas where they would work in near-, mid- and longer-terms. Who is handling economic development and/or land use issues on that board? If you have a chance, attend their meetings and see what is happening. Time will tell.
Was there a public hearing?
I believe state law requires a public hearing before the sale or long-term lease of city property.
Bob, I think that would depend on for example the land being in a designated Development Zone. Like the West Side Development Zone. I believe the city can’t just sell the land flat-out. They (OPEC) would have to first place Public Notices announcing their request for proposal when the property is located in such a designated zone. No city council approval is required under such circumstances.
Andy, why not Newtown or Weston? Perhaps because people there are not as gullible and impressed by the buzzwords JML mentioned. They ask questions and demand answers. They also demand accountability of their elected officials. “Urban greenhouse proposal for the site, Boot Camp Farms, promising to create jobs for vets.” Sure. Ten annual installments? Why not twenty and include an agriscience charter school? Only in Bridgeport.
Greenhouse? On Mount Trashmore! Gee, I’ll certainly want to rush there to buy some wholesome, lead- and arsenic-enriched produce!
What are they going to grow there? I hope they’re not thinking about growing anything intended for human consumption.
Oh; they’re going to cap all the bad stuff on Mount Trashmore and truck in wonderfully clean soil (from New Jersey, maybe?) to put on the absolutely secure plastic cover that will contain the heavy-metal contaminated soil? Well, now I really feel good about buying Trashmore bean sprouts.
Oh, they’re going to use growing tables that won’t allow any possibility of contact of the produce with any possible leached, heavy metals that penetrate the plastic and cement barriers. So even undetected breaches in the containment system in the context of high water tables in a flood-prone area couldn’t cause heavy metal leaching and heavy metal dust winding up in the produce? Oh; OK. I’m convinced, brownfield-grown produce is a great opportunity for Bridgeport!
NOT!!! STUPID!!!
What do these suburbanites really want to put on this property?
I would be willing bet the city’s yearly profit from the Webster Bank Arena they’re going to put some sort of recycling facility there so the ‘burbs have a convenient place to dump their old computers, lawn chairs, mattresses, tires, and whatever else they want out of their city limits. (They couldn’t be thinking of growing pot on this site, cold they? Well, there has always been quite a market for that type of greenhouse produce in modern-day Bridgeport–but why not let our experienced back-yard farmers have that developing market, on non-leaded land?)
Another great business opportunity brought to the city by Stamford City Councilman David Kooris.
Please get a job in Stamford, Mr. Kooris. (Oh, you are working for Stamford, just in back-office space in Bridgeport? I beg you pardon.)
When these projects are placed in white communities here in Connecticut then maybe the black and brown communities can judge and make a decision on having it in their community.
Ron, a better description would be poor communities instead of black and brown communities.
Andy, they are the same. Show me a poor white community where a Mt. Trashmore could have happened.
I am talking about the poor whites in Bridgeport. BTW who allowed it to happen? Were the people and companies living there all mutes and too dumb to call it in?
So sad. So very, very sad.
Sad that the city even contemplated a venture with these buffoons.
Sad that Mayor Greenjeans is so desperate for a green headline, he allowed this to go so far.
Sad that the Economic Development department is run by a city council representative from Stamford who would never allow a project like this in their city.
Sad that Bridgeport’s city council gave the mayor the authority to sign a deal like this.
I worked in the City office of OPED for many years and one of my major projects was the Mt. Trashmore, Pacelli and Chrome sites. All three are highly contaminated and interconnected. They leach into one another and flow into the creek. I would advise someone to go to Kooris’ office and demand to see the piles of files regarding these sites. EPA put up the fence so people would not walk on the sites. You could not cap one site and plant anything. The NRZ was a group of only a few people who knew what the hell was going on. Example, they wanted a ball field or playground. It is a dangerous area. It is bullshit. Finch knows all about it, in detail.
I went looking for the CT article on-line praising this operation. The praise came from an executive Ginnie Rae Clay in the Economic Development Office. How can anyone praise this operation? It certainly looks like money has been exchanged to get this passed. These two guys have applied to various towns and cities for different projects and none of them have gone any further than the Bullshitting stage.
THESE TWO BULLSHIT ARTISTS HAVE PROPOSED VETERANS HOUSING IN THE FOLLOWING TOWNS: Norwalk, Meriden, East Haven and Rocky Hill and NOTHING has been built. Now they want to build this farming business saying it’s for veterans and their expert states he does not believe these two have a realistic plan.
Kooris should be fired for letting this scam go this far. NRZ is a bunch of bullshit and has no real power and where was zoning? Where is the paperwork showing this property has been remediated? Why are the two sites involved here still on the brownfield list the city has? SOMEONE IS GETTING PAID.
FIRE DAVID KOORIS!!!
FIRE BILL FINCH!!!
This must be a good deal because State Representative Rev. Charles Stallworth’s church is just one block away on the same street.
Stallworth never stands in front of anything if the green is there.
Ginnie Rae Clay is an ex State Director for business development offices within the State. The only input should would have had is in the various old files or some bullshit Finch told her to say or do. Kooris must go, he is nothing more than an ass-kissing mutt for Finch.
To Mayor William Finch and
Economic Development Director Kooris
My partners and I are retired veterans of WWI. We are looking for contaminated property in Bridgeport. We would like to build a factory in Bridgeport that will employe previously unemployed WW1 veterans.
My partners and I plan to open a factory that will put assholes on hobby horses. This will ensure all hobby horses are anatomically correct.
Our second venture is to put tail lights on northbound geese. This will prevent collisions and save the lives of geese.
We have applied for start-up money from the state and we will need a loan to clean up the toxic site. We will need $1,000,000.
We are also seeking a tax deferment for 10 years after which we will pay in increments of 1% per year.
Thanking you in advance,
Jack Pershival, General
US Army ret.
Thank you, Sal DiNardo.
The site was cleaned up somewhat last spring. There was a paintball course set up with tires and plywood structures scattered around amongst all the other garbage. PFD came and removed the tires, wood, brush and concrete. Where did the million dollars go?
You would have to check the bank accounts of our esteemed leaders, a few pastors and people involved in development.
Hello!!! FBI.