It appears that Governor Jodi Rell has decided Bridgeport is not the place for a juvenile detention center for girls. She had proposed building a $20 million facility on state-owned property on Virginia Avenue, but then Upper East Side neighbors, led by State Rep. Chris Caruso, screamed no way.
Mayor Bill Finch and many other local officials then also weighed in against the location, offering alternate sites in the city. The city was also considering a lawsuit had Rell gone through with the jail on Virginia Avenue. The governor announced today the issuing of a new request for proposals in the hope she can find a community that will accept it. Caruso told OIB that the governor’s decision is a “positive development. I appreciate the governor has moved in this direction and listened to the people and elected officials.”
What will the state do with Virgina Avenue? News release from Rell:
Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that – in view of united legislative opposition from both Bridgeport and Hamden – she has directed the state Department of Public Works to issue a new Request for Proposals (RFP) for a planned secure juvenile treatment center for girls, soliciting offers along three different pathways.
The treatment center – a home- and school-like facility for girls age 18 and under – would have 16 secure beds and eight beds for girls transitioning from the secure center back to community residential facilities. Governor Rell originally proposed locating the facility on state-owned land in Bridgeport, a plan that drew opposition from Bridgeport-area lawmakers and city officials. The Bridgeport officials suggested instead that the treatment center be placed at the now-closed High Meadows Residential Facility in Hamden – a plan that the Hamden delegation, in turn, also opposed.
“This treatment center is already long overdue – the state has been without a secure facility for young girls since the Long Lane School in Middletown was closed in 2003,” Governor Rell said. “Sadly for the young girls in need, efforts to site this facility have encountered one obstacle after another. However, I believe that through the RFP process we can quickly identify a community that will welcome the project and move ahead in a timely fashion.
“My goal with this project has always been to do what is best for the girls who desperately need treatment in a secure location,” Governor Rell said. “I know that, with help, these girls can turn their lives around. By structuring this RFP around three different scenarios, we can entertain a wide range of potential locations and operating plans, which should also help complete this project at the lowest possible cost to Connecticut’s taxpayers.”
The three construction and operation scenarios outlined in the RFP are:
· A private entity would buy land, build and operate the facility for the state
· A private entity would buy land, build and own the facility, which would be operated by the Department of Children and Families (DCF)
&middit; A municipality would donate land or sell it at nominal cost in exchange for payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) funding, while DCF would build and operate the facility
I have a idea where to stick it Jodi??? Stick it in Brookfield now that is a great great location! Props to Caruso was not a fan of yours in 2007 and shy by a couple of months to vote but if it is a rematch between him and Finch my vote goes to Caruso. You guys know how I do not like Fabs but I would rather vote for him than Finch! If Ganim is not running in 2011 then I support Caruso.
Did anyone read about the group retreat held for the members of Bridgeport’s chronically dysfunctional Board of Education? Who paid for that? I’m guessing the taxpayers. How many people are serving on the board? Not a one of ’em with consensus-building skills.
Jesus H. Christ …