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“I’m 100 percent for it!” neighbor Carol Pietrzak-Kish wrote when word of the groundbreaking hit the Black Rock Community Updates Facebook Page, a popular spot for neighborhood news.
The estimated half-acre park will replace a wide three-way intersection around a small center rotary with a flagpole. The Black Rock Community Council has held its annual Christmas tree lighting at the site for decades, but neighbors said they would prefer a safer, less confusing intersection and a new place to congregate.
Roger Weldon has even come up with a possible name for the future park.
“I like to refer to it as Founders’ Park, in honor of the founders of Black Rock,” he said.
State Rep. Steve Stafstrom (D-Bridgeport) said he was happy to see work begin this week.
“I am very pleased that work on this project has started and once completed it will transform a driving hazard into a real community asset,” Stafstrom said. “This has been a collaborative effort and I want to thank Mayor Bill Finch, Councilwoman Susan Brannelly, Bridgeport’s Office of Planning and Economic Development, and members of the Black Rock Neighborhood Revitalization Zone for all their great work on the project.”
Finch, who has focused on green issues during his two terms in office, agreed.
“We’re thrilled that work is underway on another new park in the Park City,” said Finch. “As mayor, we’ve developed 100 acres of new and improved parks, which has led to an uptick in nearby property values and economic growth.”
The park project will convert an often dangerous and confusing intersection into a T-stop by reclaiming a large portion of the paved surface. Plans integrate native coastal grasses, plantings and a nautical design for the waterfront neighborhood
The project is funded by state Local Capitol Improvement Funds, according to Stafstrom.
The Black Rock Community Council has not yet named a location for this year’s tree lighting.
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