Bridgeport, Connecticut

BR IDGEPORT , CONNECT I CUT also partnered with the Nature Conservancy on massive tree planting programs; and we just unveiled a new rain garden at a local school that can be used for stormwater control and also education for the kids. It just looks a whole lot better than it did. We’re trying to do a diversified portfolio approach on many levels, rather than putting all our ‘green eggs’ in one basket.” Bridgeport’s population has stayed steady over the last 10 years, despite the trend of exodus from the northeast colder areas to the south and the west. In fact, the city is seeing an influx of younger people in the downtown, and renovation projects of historic buildings into downtown residences are ongoing. Bridgeport is going through a renaissance as people decide to move back to the urban area, and the city is definitely seeing the benefits of that with a resurgence of the downtown. Transportation is no problem, with a train station and a bus station right in the core, connecting to Metro North – one of the most-used commuter lines in the country, as people commute down to Stanford and New York. The city’s tax base is a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial, with some significant employers. Gresko notes, “We have a pair of hospitals in our city that service not only us but the surrounding suburbs and employ a large number of people. The main headquarters of Sikorski Aircraft Corporation is in our neighboring town of Stratford, but they also have a facility here in Bridgeport and they are committed to staying here, as they anticipate even more defense contracts with governments across the world. They employ around 600 people just in an off-shoot facility. And we have all the ancillary businesses that play off of that.” Looking to the future, the city of Bridgeport has just updated their 10-year Comprehensive Plan. Gresko says, “We made a point to go out to all the neighborhood revitalization zone meetings, and we put up a website that allowed people to