2-14-07
For a downtrodden city lucky enough to have a waterfront, rediscovering that gift is essential to any recovery effort. Bridgeport has recognized this, making the Sound-facing spit of property on Steel Point the centerpiece of the city's renewal plans. But the city is blessed with more than just frontage on Long Island Sound; Bridgeport also has a major river.
For too long, the Pequonnock River running through the center of town has stagnated, allowed to decay as industries died and pollution festered. The river today is usually thought of only as something to cross over on the way to someplace else.
Still in its early stages, a plan unveiled this week could change that. Under a proposal by local businessmen, including Ed Piquette and former mayoral candidate Rick Torres, Fairfield University may use a converted industrial building as a boathouse for its men's and women's rowing teams. There are many questions to be answered, but any push toward bringing recreation back to the river deserves support.
Chief among concerns is the still-unfulfilled promise of a factory for British automaker AC Cars, also spearheaded by Torres and Piquette, at almost the same site the boathouse is proposed. It's been more than a year since Gov. M. Jodi Rell, with much fanfare, announced that the company wanted to make a home in Bridgeport, and that the state would help them do it.
Almost nothing has been heard since. The city deserves answers on where that project stands, whether it is ever likely to come through and why, if it doesn't, its backers should be believed this time around.
Regardless, it is hoped that the Pequonnock can again be a source of pride for the city. A future of rowers, walkers and other recreational users taking advantage of one of Bridgeport's natural gifts is something to which we can all look forward. The Fairfield University boathouse could be the first step.
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