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Bridgeport City News | Bill Finch, Mayor
October 10, 2014
Report cites value of Bridgeport parks – CT Post
Mayor Bill Finch, the Rev. Jefferey P. von Arx, and staffers from Fairfield University and the City of Bridgeport and Board of Parks Commissioners President Mark Marko discuss a new parks economy study at Ellsworth Field on Monday.
Bridgeport, the Park City, takes great pride in its playing fields, beaches and playgrounds. A new study shows the city's ample parkland offers more than good feelings.
A report issued this week from BGreen Bridgeport and Fairfield University says a property's value increases the closer it is to a park.
Click here to read the study: http://bit.ly/1vElLU6.
Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch said the findings validate the city's push to broaden access to public land. "We know that parks attract investment and economic development. They also act as a town green," he said.
"We have a commitment to expanding our park system, and this study serves as proof that it's a wise investment."
Residential properties within a 10th of a mile from a park in Bridgeport have an 8 percent higher value on average than properties in the next 10th of a mile away, the study showed. Commercial properties showed an 11 percent increase compared to the second 10th of a mile away.
In addition to property values, the study notes the environmental benefits of parkland in terms of improved air quality and less water runoff. "Parks operate as a giant sponge, diverting water away from our stormwater system," Finch said.

"President Obama Coming To Bridgeport Next Week"
- Fox CT

On Thursday, the White House confirmed that President Obama will join Gov. Malloy in visiting Bridgeport next week.
In response, Mayor Bill Finch’s spokesperson, Brett Broesder, made the following statement:
“Mayor Finch is thrilled that President Obama will be visiting our state’s largest city with Gov. Malloy next week. President Obama, Gov. Malloy, and Mayor Finch are all making smart investments aimed at moving Bridgeport forward. These include a number of major initiatives – the re-opening of Pleasure Beach after years of neglect (http://bit.ly/1CYCxSr), breaking ground on Steelpointe Harbor after decades of broken promises (http://on.wsj.com/1rfN3Ml), and building a second train station (http://bit.ly/1o0TDVj).
These projects are creating more confidence in the city’s future, and wouldn’t be possible without the unwavering support they’ve received at the federal, state, and local level. This visit serves as an opportunity to celebrate the city’s progress. And, it gives all three elected officials an opportunity to discuss ways to make Bridgeport a place where more people want to live and work, and where more companies want to invest and hire people.”

"Bridgeport Road Crews Conduct Snow Emergency Drills as Winter Nears"

 - CT Post

It might be 64 degrees outside right now, but the fact is that we’re getting closer and closer to winter and snowfall. That’s why the City of Bridgeport’s Road Crews were out on Thursday preparing to tackle the difficult weather conditions brought upon us during the upcoming winter months.
The snow plow drills also served as preparation for the Connecticut Association of Street & Highway Snow Plow Roadeo, which is a competition where municipalities from across the state compete in a large obstacle course that trucks with snow plow equipment must maneuver through. The competition is meant to further incentivize Road Works Crews to get started early in preparing to tackle winter weather conditions (Click here for more info: http://bit.ly/1scGdMX).
“Keeping our kids and families safe is our top priority,” said Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch. “And, making certain that our roads are clear and safe is critical in doing just that. I’m thrilled that our road crews are getting started early, and know that they’re up to the task of doing everything possible to ensure the safety and security of kids and families, during the winter months and year round.”
Jorge Garcia, the City of Bridgeport’s Public Facilities Director, noted that this is part of the department’s effort to make Bridgeport’s roads work for people who live, work, and raise their families here.
“Police aiming to look like the city they serve – CT Post
Members of the most recent Bridgeport Police Academy class.
Bridgeport's Assistant Police Chief James Nardozzi sure set the right tone commenting in Hartford on the department's intention to recruit new officers for the city's department.
"We would love to recruit more Bridgeport residents. We want to make the Police Department much more reflective of the community that we serve. Anything we can do to promote diversity in the Police Department, gender diversity, ethnic diversity, racial diversity, religious diversity, we think that is a recipe for improving police-community relations and forming a real partnership with the community," Nardozzi said at a press conference called to showcase the decline in the crime rate in Connecticut in 2013.
Of course Nardozzi was standing in for Bridgeport's Police Chief Joseph Gaudett Jr., the man who has set the tone for diversity in the department.
The department recently hired 17 new officers and is on the verge of conducting a new test for police officers. No date has yet been set, so the actual wheels of the recruitment process have not yet begun in earnest.
Bridgeport's 394-member police force is 56 percent white, 15 percent black and 27 percent Hispanic, according to department statistics.
Considering various overlaps in the reporting and compilation of U.S. Census data, the city as a whole is roughly 40 percent white, 35 percent black and 38 percent Hispanic.
Of Connecticut's major cities, Bridgeport's percentages of black and Hispanic officers are the highest.
Coming Up
in the
Park City

Hispanic Heritage Celebration
Discovery Museum
Saturday, October 11
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, Bridgeport's Discovery Museum will host a Hispanic Heritage Celebration from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
This FREE event will include:
- Skype with NASA and Arecibo Observatory!
- Latino Science Hall of Fame
- Sound and Instrument Demos
- Music & Dance
- Planetarium Shows
- Solar Scopes
- Children's Crafts
- Family Fun
For more information go to: discoverymuseum.org
Bridgeport Sound Tigers Opening Weekend
vs. St. John's IceCaps
Saturday, October 11
7:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 12
3:00 p.m.
Webster Bank Arena
Bridgeport Sound Tigers hockey is back!
The Sound Tigers open the season with two home games against the St. John’s IceCaps on Saturday, October 11 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, October 12 at 3:00 p.m.
The 106th Columbus Day Parade & Celebration
Sunday, October 12
Steps off at 1:00 p.m.
From the corner of Wayne Street and Jewett Avenue proceeds south on Wayne St to Madison Avenue, finishing at the Central High School parking lot.
The Columbus Day Parade & Celebration, the oldest continuous parade in the state, is preparing to step off Sunday, October 12 in Bridgeport’s North End.
The 106th Columbus Day Parade & Celebration, sponsored by the Council of Italian-American Societies of Greater Bridgeport (CIASGB), will begin at the corner of Wayne Street and Jewett Avenue in Bridgeport’s North End at 1:00 p.m, and then proceed south on Wayne Street to Madison Avenue, finishing at the Central High School parking lot.
Leonard S. Paoletta, former mayor of Bridgeport, will preside at the parade as many as 60 different units, including bands, floats, politicians and organizations will march in the parade.  
Stay Connected with
Mayor Bill Finch

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Office of the Mayor | City Hall Annex | 999 Broad St. | Bridgeport | CT | 06604
www.bridgeportct.gov | Phone: 203.576.7201

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