Tours Scheduled In Bridgeport For Soon-To-Be Demolished Buildings

BRIDGEPORT, CT — Bridgeport’s Office of Planning and Economic Development will host site tours on Tuesday for contractors interested in bidding on the four major demolition projects for which the City’s Purchasing Department issued bids.

The four site tours will be conducted as follows:

The demolition project at 774 East Main would take down the vacant former City Health Department Building in order to prepare the property for redevelopment. The three other demolition projects would take down chronically blighted buildings that are privately owned and have been ordered demolished by the City Building Official or by the City’s Board of Condemnation. These three enforcement demolitions include the Warnoco Building in the South End, the Ostermoor Building in the Hollow, and a collection of dilapidated industrial buildings located adjacent to I-95 in the West End. Both the Warnoco and the Ostermoor buildings, which are owned by companies managed by the same principal, have been blighted for nearly two decades. In the case of the West End, those properties have been blighted for approximately eight years.

According to OPED’s Senior Economic Development Associate, Joseph Katz, “We expect a good response from the demolition contractors; and we hope to get competitive prices. We want to give bidders every opportunity to see the sites, to ask questions, and to understand the work. We will have our technical consultants with us so that we can provide detailed information.”

These projects are being carried out in furtherance of Mayor Ganim’s Anti-Blight Initiative, which aims to eradicate chronically blighted buildings from the City.

“It’s a quality-of-life issue,” adds Mayor Ganim. “No Bridgeport resident should have to live or work or study or recreate in the shadow of these blighted buildings. We have young children going to school and playing in neighborhood parks. They have to pass these buildings every day. If a private property owner is unable or unwilling to invest in their properties, or at least to maintain them in good and safe condition, then we will act.”

Adds OPED Director, Thomas Gill, “This is a broad effort, touching four different neighborhoods in the city. Taken as a whole, it’s the largest demolition bid package released by the City in decades.”

Bids for these demolition projects are due to the City’s Purchasing Department by 2pm on Tuesday, August 12th. Information on the upcoming site tours and the full demolition bid packages may be found online at the City of Bridgeport Procurement Portal. Bidders may also contact the Purchasing Department by asking for Ms. Ann Binkley at 203-576-7150 or by emailing ann.binkley@bridgeportct.gov