Watch: Finally, The Lions Roar–City Breaks Ground For New Bassick High School

As a pride of lions go there hadn’t been much of a roar from the mascot of Bassick High School in search of a new home.

Decades in the making the pieces began to merge the last two years: Key funding shepherded by the city’s state legislative delegation, a piece of property on the campus of the University of Bridgeport to relocate the school from the West End to South End.

Rendering of new Bassick High School.

Mayor Joe Ganim on Monday was joined by city and state officials, members of the building trades and Bassick staffers to break ground for a 205,000-square-foot facility featuring auditorium, athletic field, gymnasium, fitness room with a renewed focus on trades.

Crews from the school’s construction manager Bismark Construction were on hand to prepare the property for structure.

City Councilman Ernie Newton noted among the speakers the inspiration high school students will receive for higher education on the campus of a college.

For most everyone there it was far more than a photo opportunity during a mayoral election year but a sigh of relief that in a few years the promise of a needed segue from an old facility to modern educational advancement will be realized.

The building will also include the Bridgeport Military Academy. The two schools combined will house 1,250 students at a construction price tag of $129 million, most of the budget covered by the state. Occupancy is projected for August 2025.

The building will be raised to bring the first floor out of the flood elevation close to Long Island Sound.

Bassick is the last among the city’s flagship high schools to undergo a new home or major modern renovations.

The new building will include these programs for Bassick High School and the Bridgeport Military Academy

— Architecture/Engineering Lab
— Aeronautical Tech
— Advanced Manufacturing
— Automotive Repair
— Construction Technologies
— Liberal Arts
— Law Enforcement
— Firefighting
— Emergency Medical Services
— Homeland Security
— Military Sciences

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3 comments

  1. It’s Groundhog Day! Again.

    Such a feeling of deja-vu after a public announcement, a building demolition and finally Ground breaking, enough with the ceremonies, enough of the platitudes. I was not offered the microphone, if I was however I’d echo the sentiments of the benefits of our students learning on a college campus. I would thank the state delegation and city for securing funding.

    I would point out that in addition to the trades and municipal jobs that our students should aim for jobs in the stem field, finance and other lucrative positions so that they could hire the trades living in the surrounding suburbs rather than merely servicing them.

    I would ask point out the sense of foreboding and dejavu that reminded me of the Harding Groundbreaking in 2015. The year following the Harding groundbreaking was the start of devastating cuts, which coincided with Joe Ganim’s return to office. 231 jobs were cut due to massive underfunding on the local level before construction was complete. We cut 12 more Jobs the following year. The cuts only stopped under Ganim thanks to the Pandemic.

    The Bassick Groundbreaking coincides with the quickly approaching fiscal cliff. In fact it should be completed just in time to coincide with the last of the Esser funded programs being cut, the depletion of the internal savings fund and the beginning of cutting additional positions funded by the operating fund.

    People need to vote smart, who would you rather have a Mayor and a city council (with a few exceptions) who starved the school children of their funding, or some fresh new faces?

    I for one will vote for the only candidate to thus far to put forth a plan to find some more funding for our schools. Vote John Gomes for Mayor our children cannot afford 4 more years of Ganim.

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    1. I was Valedictorian of my ESL class. Your post is awash with typos.
      If you think you’re advocating for students, you’re wrong — if you think you’re showcasing your shortcomings you get an “A”.

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