Time for answers on sale of beaches

4/15/08
After months of rumors, half-truths and hearsay, area residents want to hear some real answers on the potential sale of some highly valuable property.
Representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be in Stratford on Wednesday to answer questions about the possible $10 million deal to sell Long Beach West, a 35-acre peninsula considered among the area’s prime waterfront locations. Also under consideration is the sale of neighboring Pleasure Beach, 63 acres in Bridgeport, to the federal agency.
When Stratford last summer evicted seasonal residents from a number of Long Beach cottages, it was clear something was in store. The issue has divided the town, with some counting on the federal government to guarantee safe, clean access, and others worried about being cut off from a town resource at the expense of endangered birds.
Stratford has a decision to make, and deserves the full story on its parcel. More problematic, though, is the Bridgeport half of the plan. If a deal goes through, the historically poor East Side of Bridgeport stands to lose out on ever reclaiming its neighborhood beach. Though the city is (as usual) cash-strapped, officials need answers to many questions before undertaking any deal. Among the issues:
l Access. How will people get over there? The bridge to Pleasure Beach has been out for a decade, and people need to know whether it will be rebuilt. If not, is it water taxis? Who will pay for them — including gas, drivers, insurance, storage, etc.? Could access only be available from the Stratford side? Where will people park?
l Activities. Bridgeport and Stratford residents need to know what they will and won’t be allowed to do on a federally owned peninsula. Swimming? Barbecues? Kite-flying? Volleyball? If it will be nothing but nature trails, we need to know now.
l Maintenance and security. A peninsula this size will not be cheap to keep clean, and security will always be a concern, on both sides of the town line. Can Bridgeport afford these costs? If not, who will?
l Sale price. As much as Bridgeport and Stratford could use the one-time cash infusion a sale would bring, officials must be sure they’re getting enough. Hard economic times mean officials will be looking for any help they can get, but they must hold out for the best deal possible if it comes to that.
Pleasure Beach has decayed for decades now, a symbol of all that is wrong with Bridgeport and everything it once was, and could be again. To give up on its promise would be difficult, but it’s no solace to see it lie there on the horizon, just out of reach.
Before Bridgeport and Stratford make moves that they can’t undo, we need many more answers.