Category: Bridgeport

WHAT:              On Wednesday, February 19, Mayor Bill Finch will join Roosevelt School students and teachers in a poetry rally to promote the fourth annual “Words on Wheels” poetry contest in conjunction with Greater Bridgeport Transit.

Roosevelt teacher Ron Rapice started Words on Wheels in 2011 as a way to foster an interest in poetry as an art form and a means of expression. Students in grades K-12 can submit original pieces of poetry, of which about 75 will be displayed in Greater Bridgeport Transit buses – hence the name “Words on Wheels.”

 

Last year, more than 700 pieces of original poetry were entered in the contest and the selections were posted in GBT buses during April, May and June. The selected poets were honored by the Board of Education, and were invited to a City Council meeting where they received citations from Mayor Finch and the City Council for their work.  Funding for the project is provided by General Electric and the Bridgeport Public Education Fund.

Mayor Bill Finch will join Rapice and students at Roosevelt School on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 10:30 a.m. for a rally to encourage student participation in the contest.

 

The deadline for entries is March 10, and must be submitted via email in a Word document to Ron Rapice at rrapice@bridgeportedu.net. Guidelines are as follows: poems must be the original work of the student with a 10-line maximum; all forms of poetry are accepted with emphasis on verse as opposed to acrostic style.  Topic and subject matter are completely up to the student, and all students will be invited to read their works at the annual Poetry Slam in April.

 

 

WHERE:       Roosevelt School, 160 Iranistan Ave., Bridgeport, CT

 

WHEN:         10:30 a.m., Wednesday, February 19

Offer an educational look at the struggles world explorers
had with cold and ice blocking issues in the late 1800s

During February, The Barnum Museum is offering a few fascinating events. Please be advised to check the museum’s website barnum-museum.org or Facebook should weather concerns arise.

During February, The Barnum Museum is offering a few fascinating events. Please be advised to check the museum’s website barnum-museum.org or Facebook should weather concerns arise. Snow dates for each program have been set and are listed below. Programs will run at the same times as originally scheduled.

Wednesday, February 12 at 12:15 p.m. – Sneak Peek Arctic Artifact: Exploring a Re-discovered Treasure in The Barnum Museum Collection presented by Adrienne Saint Pierre, Curator. Attendees are invited to bring their lunches. $2 Donation. Snow date Feb. 19.

For this month’s talk, Saint-Pierre will present a recently re-discovered and highly unusual artifact from the museum’s collection, a 19th century polar expedition sleeping bag made of caribou (reindeer) hide. The sleeping bag was used in 1884 during a dangerous Arctic rescue mission undertaken by the USS Bear, which resulted in locating the few desperate survivors of the ill-fated “Greely Expedition.” Officially called the U.S. Expedition to Lady Franklin Bay, the expedition was part of the first cooperative effort among countries around the world to collect and share polar climate data for the purpose of expanding our understanding of the earth’s climate system.

Tragically, the U.S. team had essentially been abandoned in the Arctic, struggling to survive after the repeated failures of missions to re-supply the men with the food and fuel they would need during their two-year project. Most of the 25 men had perished by the end of the third year, but their scientific mission had been accomplished, and they also set a new record for reaching “Farthest North,” beating the British who had held that title for centuries. The harrowing story behind this artifact is both chilling and riveting and it even has a fascinating link to a topic of current concern, global warming. Attendees are encouraged to return to the museum on February 23 to hear more about the expedition itself.

Sunday, February 23 at 2 p.m.– The Greely Expedition: A Tale of Triumph and Tragedy in the Arctic presented by Professor Michael Robinson, an Associate Professor of History at the University of Hartford and an expert on 19th century scientific expeditions. $5 Donation. Snow date March 2.

In 1881, Lieutenant Adolphus W. Greely commanded the largest polar expedition ever fielded by the United States.  It would be the most successful — and the most tragic — Arctic expedition in American history. Professor Robinson will give a tantalizing overview of the dangerous and ambitious “Greely Expedition,” in his illustrated presentation.

Robinson is the author of The Coldest Crucible: Arctic Exploration and American Culture (University of Chicago Press, 2006), which won the 2008 book award from the Forum for the History of Science in America. Robinson’s outstanding blog, Time to Eat the Dogs: On Science, History, and Exploration, was named a finalist in 2010 for Research Blogging.

WHAT: The Barnum Museum’s February programs

WHERE: The Barnum Museum, 820 Main Street, Bridgeport in the People’s United Bank Gallery, entry located at the back of the historic building

COST: Various see above, however Barnum Museum members are always free

Call for more information 203-331-1104 ext.100, M-F from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Vehicles must be moved to ‘even-numbered’ side of the street
by 8 p.m. today (Wednesday, Feb. 12)

 BRIDGEPORT, CT (February 12, 2014) – Mayor Bill Finch has declared a Snow Emergency beginning at 8 p.m. tonight (Feb. 12) in anticipation of the snowstorm which is expected to begin in the early morning hours on Thursday and may drop five to eight inches of snow across the area.

During a Snow Emergency, residents must move their cars off posted Snow Emergency streets or be subject to fines and towing. Alternate-side-of-the-street parking rules are in effect for all other streets throughout the City in order to allow snow plow drivers’ clear passage. To comply with the Snow Emergency Alternate-Side-of-the-Street Parking Rules, residents must move their cars to the ‘even-numbered’ side of the street by 8 p.m. today (Wednesday, February 12), and remain on the even-numbered side of the street until the odd-numbered side of the street has been cleared. (House numbers ending in 0,2,4,6, and 8 constitute the even-numbered side of the street.)

 

For the latest updates, resources and information about the snowstorm, residents are asked to check www.bridgeportct.gov/snow, local television and radio news outlets and follow the City of Bridgeport on Twitter and Facebook and Mayor Bill Finch on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Residents can also stay informed by signing up for the City’s Reverse 911 system online at www.bridgeportct.gov/rev911.  “If you haven’t done so already, now is a good time to sign up for Reverse 911 to receive immediate updates on snow emergencies directly to your home phone, cell phone and/or email address,” said Scott Appleby, Director of Emergency Management and Homeland Security for the City of Bridgeport.

 

During the storm, residents may use the following school parking lots to move their cars off the street: Cesar Batalla School, 606 Howard Ave.; Central High School, 1 Lincoln Blvd. (Madison Avenue entrance); Geraldine Johnson School, 475 Lexington Ave.; Hall School, 290 Clermont Ave.; Luis Munoz Marin School, 479 Helen St., and Jettie Tisdale School, 250 Hollister Ave. A full list of Snow Emergency parking areas can be found at the following link: www.bridgeportct.gov/snow-emergency-parking-lots
Snow Emergency streets are marked with white signs with red lettering. A list of Snow Emergency streets can be found on the City’s website — http://www.bridgeportct.gov/snowemergencystreets . No parking is allowed on Snow Emergency streets. Vehicles left on Snow Emergency streets after the ban goes into effect will be subject to fines and towing.

 

“Our crews are ready for yet another snowstorm. To help clear our roads as quickly as possible, we’re asking residents to comply with the Snow Emergency parking rules – keep cars off snow emergency streets and move cars to the even side of the street on all other streets,” said Mayor Finch. “I urge residents to watch local television, listen to the radio, and stay connected to social media and the City’s website, www.bridgeportct.gov for updates.”

 

Updated Sanitation and Recycling Schedule from the Department of Public Works: Sanitation and recycling pickups scheduled for Thursday, February 13 have been postponed to Friday, February 14. Friday’s sanitation and recycling pickups will be pushed back to Saturday, February 15. The City’s Transfer Station will be closed on Thursday, February 13.

 

During the storm, residents with non-emergency, weather-related questions or concerns should call the City’s BConnected Call Center at 203.576.1311 or the Emergency Operations Center at 203.579.3829. Residents can use the City’s BConnected request system online at www.bridgeportct.gov/bconnected  or on the BConnected mobile application available on iPhone or Android smartphones to report any snow-related concerns.

 

Note from Bridgeport Police Dept.: Vehicles left parked on Snow Emergency streets will be subject to tagging and towing. Violating the alternate-side of the street parking rules also will result in fines. A list of Snow Emergency streets can be found on the City’s website by following this link: http://www.bridgeportct.gov/snowemergencystreets.

 

Note from Department of Public Works:

• During the Snow Emergency all City residents should heed alternate side of the street parking rules until the Snow Emergency has been lifted.
• Residents must move their cars to the ‘even-numbered’ side of the street by 8 p.m. today (Wednesday, February 12) to facilitate efficient snow removal. Once the ‘even-numbered’ side of the street is clear (house numbers ending in 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8), residents can move their cars to the odd-numbered side of the street (house numbers ending in 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9), so crews can clear the ‘even-numbered’ side of the street. Residents can then heed the alternate side of the street parking rules until the Snow Emergency has been lifted (park on the ‘even-numbered’ side of the street on even-numbered calendar days and the ‘odd-numbered’ side of the street on odd-numbered calendar days.)
• The Department of Public Works reminds all residents and business owners to shovel the sidewalk and walkways, including curb cuts, for pedestrian safety. If sidewalks are not cleared, the City may clean the sidewalk and charge the owner a fee for doing so, as well as impose a $100 per day fine for violating a City ordinance.
• Please do not shovel, or use a snow blower or snowplow to throw snow back into the street from your driveway or sidewalk. Anyone found throwing snow back into the street will be subject to a fine.
• Residents and business owners are also asked to clear fire hydrants and the immediate area around it of snow to improve neighborhood safety.
• Snow Shoveling Tip: Snow should be shoveled to the right side of your driveway as you are facing the roadway. Shoveling snow away from the direction of the snowplow will prevent the bulk of the snow from being pushed back into the driveway.

BRIDGEPORT, CT (February 11, 2014) – Mayor Bill Finch today announced that Pauline A. Mize is the top-ranked finalist in the City’s national search for a new Airport Manager. Her appointment was approved by the Civil Service Commission on Tuesday, Feb. 11.

 

“Ms. Mize’s wealth of experience in various facets of airport management, grants and economic development projects will be invaluable as we implement the $40 million, FAA-approved safety zone improvements at Sikorsky Airport,” said Mayor Bill Finch. “She will be the point person to ensure the project is completed on time and on budget.”

 

The Runway Safety Area (RSA) project, scheduled for completion by December 2015, is the culmination of more than 20 years of effort on the part of federal, state, the City of Bridgeport and the Town of Stratford to improve and restore an important transportation asset within the region.  Relocation of a flooding state roadway, cleaning up an environmental hazard, improving wetland areas and restoring marsh habitat are also part of the project which will benefit other parts of the community.

 

“The dedicated and professional efforts of all the partners in this project including FAA, EPA, DEEP, DOT, City of Bridgeport and Town of Stratford, have demonstrated extraordinary efforts to advance this and I am excited to be part of this team, “ said Mize.

 

Mize has been Acting Airport Manager at Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Airport, the city-owned airport located in Stratford, since September 2013. From 1998 to 2005, she worked for Suffolk County as the Airport Manager at Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach. As airport manager, she obtained $10 million in federal funding to revitalize airfield lighting systems. In addition, she also restructured the airport administrative procedures, formed the Gabreski Industrial Park, obtained funding for and supervised creation of the Airport Business Plan, and obtained designation as a Rebuild NYNow site for a brownfield located on the facility among other projects.

 

Ms. Mize has worked for more than 20 years identifying and procuring federal, state and local grants for varied projects including aviation, parks, wastewater treatment and marine and economic development projects while working in various capacities for Suffolk County government and the City of Glen Cove, Long Island. Most recently, she worked with the City of Glen Cove to secure $21 million in ARRA funding to build a new ferry terminal and waterside improvements. She also served as the Senior Grants Administrator for the City of Glen Cove, and has worked for FEMA as a project specialist and economic development targeted recovery team member.

 

“I look forward to the challenge, and am pleased to have been selected as the City’s new Airport Manager,” said Mize. “My goal will be to make the airport a safer facility for the flying public, our tenants and the surrounding neighbors, and expand the airport’s contribution to the City’s economic development efforts.”

 

She will be paid [$94,161]