Mayor Joseph P. Ganim
Bridgeport, CT

For Immediate Release:   
November 5, 2019

For More information:
Lauren Lichac (203) 576-7201
lauren.lichac@bridgeportct.gov

MAYOR GANIM ANNOUNCES PROJECTS SUPPORTED BY THE CITY OF BRIDGEPORT & OFFICE OF PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RECEIVE GRANT FUNDING

$2.6 MILLION AWARDED TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF LONG ISLAND SOUND

Bridgeport, CT -- Two projects supported by the City and Office of Planning and Economic Development received grant funding from the Long Island Sound Futures Fund on Monday, November 4th. The first of these is a green infrastructure project to support the Resilient Bridgeport effort in the South End, which is being led by the Connecticut Department of Housing. This project will “install green infrastructure in the Seaside Park neighborhood of Bridgeport, Connecticut. It will convey, infiltrate and filter stormwater from a pump station that is part of a coastal flood defense system, improve water quality in Bridgeport Harbor and Long Island Sound by reducing stormwater runoff, and address flooding in the South End of the City.” 

The second project includes green infrastructure improvements at the Sliver by the River, spearheaded by the Trust for Public Land. This will “develop an alternative analysis of the type of green infrastructure to add to the coastal hazard mitigation plan for a three-acre sliver of land along the Pequonnock River, Bridgeport, Connecticut. It will set the stage for improving water quality and enhancing community resilience to storms and floods in an urban coastal community of Long Island Sound.”

I. Green Infrastructure to Improve Water Quality and Coastal Resilience in Bridgeport (CT)

State of Connecticut, Department of Housing
Project Area: Seaside Park neighborhood, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Grant: $250,000
Grantee Matching Funds: $167,000
Total Conservation Impact: $417,000

II. Sliver by the River: Planning for Greening the Pequonnock River on the

Bridgeport Waterfront (CT)
Trust for Public Land
Project Location: City of Bridgeport, Connecticut
Grant: $85,112.82
Grantee Matching Funds: $170,000
Total Conservation Impact: $255,112.22

A major press event regarding the $2.6 million grant was held at the University of Bridgeport on Monday morning, which was attended by representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP), the Connecticut Department of Housing (CT DOH), Senator Blumenthal, and Congressman Himes. Representative Antonio Felipe, Carolyn Vermont-Fuller, and Constance Vickers from the Mayor’s Office were also in attendance.

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