Finch Thanks Feds For Pleasure Beach Improvements

From city Communications Director Brett Broesder:

Today, Mayor Bill Finch thanked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for their $2 million investment in repairing breakwaters off the shoreline of Pleasure Beach, a 71-acre barrier island on the Long Island Sound.

“Last year, we reopened Pleasure Beach to the public after decades of closure and neglect,” said Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch. “Now, we’re seeing further investment that will help safeguard the barrier island and the thousands of visitors who enjoy this newly reopened gem in our city. Thanks to the federal government and our congressional delegation members for supporting these investments, which ensure our city continues getting better every day.”

Ø Click here for photos of the breakwaters work off the Pleasure Beach shore: bit.ly/1GaDPyi and bit.ly/1JkEeff.

Ø Click here for video of the breakwaters work off the Pleasure Beach shore: bit.ly/1zzl3c8.

The Bridgeport Breakwaters were originally authorized for design and construction in 1790, and the last known update was in the 1800s. In 1892, Bridgeport, Conn. took ownership of Pleasure Beach after annexing the island from West Stratford.

The most significant investment made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Pleasure Beach was in 1948 when the barrier island was enlarged by approximately 2,000,000 cubic yards. It was done by pumping sand and gravel from the harbor on its western and southern sides. The rationale for the project was to provide increased recreation and parking facilities, and was seen by engineers as an action against erosion. By enlarging Pleasure Beach, it became connected to Long Beach in Stratford, Conn.

Ø Click here for a photo and description of the 1948 enlargement of Pleasure Beach (Source: Bridgeport Post. April 24, 1948): bit.ly/1H55ilj.

Through the end of the 19th century and more than half of the 20th century, Pleasure Beach served as home to an amusement park. But in 1966, it was shut down for the last time due to a steady decline of visitors. Thirty years later, on Father’s Day of 1996, the bridge to Pleasure Beach–which served as the only way to reach the barrier island for visitors–was set ablaze and deemed unusable thereafter.

On June 28, 2014, after nearly two decades of neglect, Mayor Finch opened up Pleasure Beach to the public. In the approximately two months that it was open and accessible to the public via free water taxi, more than 25,000 people visited Pleasure Beach.

Ø Click here for a photo with additional info on Pleasure Beach reopening in 2014 (Photo Credit: Autumn Driscoll, Connecticut Post): bit.ly/1HJ3SvN.