News release from Mayor Bill Finch:
In a cafeteria full of students, Mayor Bill Finch and community leaders held a press conference on Thursday regarding park renovations at Jettie S. Tisdale School Playground and Johnson Oak Park. Trust for Public Land has initiated the design component of the project with students from the school and members of the community, including the East End Neighborhood Revitalization Zone.
Mayor Finch was joined by Alicia Sullivan of The Trust for Public Land, Bishop Richardo Griffith of the East End Neighborhood Revitalization Zone (NRZ), and Karen Brown of the Fairfield County Community Foundation at Jettie S. Tisdale School.
Mayor Finch noted that further park development in Bridgeport helps the city stay true to its namesake, the Park City: “Bridgeport is called the Park City, and we want to make sure we’re living up to our name while improving the quality of life for our residents,” said Mayor Bill Finch. “As part of BGreen2020, we initiated the Parks Master Plan in order to create new parks out of formerly rundown areas, blighted properties, and unused waterfront. So far, we’ve created nearly 71 acres of new parks, in large part because of help from groups like the Trust for Public Land. I’m excited about the Johnson Oak Park project because it is giving the kids who will actually be playing on this park with an opportunity to help with the design of the park.”
Funding for the Jettie S. Tisdale School Playground and Johnson Oak Park renovations will be provided by the Fairfield County Community Foundation.
“The Fairfield County Community Foundation believes strongly in urban green spaces, and so we were pleased to fund The Trust for Public Land and its partnership with the City of Bridgeport,” explained Juanita T. James, President and CEO of the FCCF,” As a funder also of the City’s BGreen2020 Plan, the Foundation views this initiative as a terrific example of BGreen2020 in action.”
To support construction costs once the design is completed, the City of Bridgeport and The Trust for Public Land have begun identifying potential funding sources.
“We at The Trust for Public Land believe that everyone, particularly every child, should live within a 10-minute walk of a quality outdoor green space,” stated Alicia Sullivan, State Director of The Trust for Public Land. “We are thrilled to be partnering with the City of Bridgeport in support of their vision to recapture the ‘Park City’ moniker by activating parks, bringing people together, promoting health, revitalizing neighborhoods and reducing crime.”
“We are focused on building new parks and improving upon our current park system to give the children and residents of Bridgeport more opportunities to get outside and play,” said Mayor Finch. “This collaboration with The Trust for Public Land and the City of Bridgeport will ensure that all children can play and learn together in an inclusive environment.”
“I love a parade,” and Memorial Day will feature several good ones.
I also love parks, though somehow the way things go in Bridgeport the profusion of Green signs with the Mayor’s identity broadcast leaves me cold. Why not get sensitive after six years in office and salute the “lowly taxpayer” from whom funds have been wrested through tax payments or tax-favored charitable contributions fed to Foundations and charities?
The above article provides some data as to acreage, but none about actual dollars to secure, plan for, provide final design, fund building and plantings and finally to maintain annually into the future. Why so little financial info? Is it hard to discover? That would be a planning fault. Is it an execution issue? We are not there yet? Is there something else that needs to be kept shaded in the park? Indeed what is dark about our parks and why? Time will tell.
John Marshall Lee, thank you and if you get any answers please make them available.
All parks, no jobs–unless you are Joe Tiago of course.