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PRESS RELEASE

BRIDGEPORT – Mayor Bill Finch today urged all City residents to celebrate safely and act responsibly while enjoying the festivities of this New Year’s holiday weekend.

“We want everyone to enjoy their New Year’s Eve, but it’s important for everyone to be respectful of others and obey the law,” said Mayor Finch. “I would urge everyone to celebrate safely and act responsibly while observing the holiday. Be aware of the penalties and dangers of illegal and reckless activities often associated with New Year’s Eve like driving while drunk, celebratory gunfire and illegal use of fireworks.” said Mayor Finch.

New Year’s Eve is often marked with celebratory gunfire, but unlawful use of a firearm is a crime and anyone caught doing so will be arrested, according to Police Chief Joseph Gaudett. Chief Gaudett asks the public to report anyone seen firing their gun by calling 9-1-1.

Chief Gaudett also cautioned New Year’s revelers to drink responsibly. “Our police officers will be out in force keeping the streets safe throughout the long weekend, and we will be on the lookout for drunk drivers. If you plan to go out, please be sure to have a designated driver,” he added.

Fire Chief Brian Rooney reminds the public that while the sale of caps, sparklers and showering fountains are legal in the state of Connecticut, it is illegal for anyone under the age of 16 to buy or use these types of fireworks. “If you [as an adult] hand a sparkler to a child under the age of 16, you are breaking the law.”

Residents are also reminded to keep their Christmas trees watered, and to dispose of the tree as soon as it begins to drop its needles. Keep the tree away from radiators, fireplaces and other heat sources. When using a fireplace, the Fire Chief reminds residents to “put fireplace ashes in a metal container and place it outside, well away from the house.” The Fire Chief also advises residents to install and maintain smoke alarms on every floor and outside sleeping areas. Residents in need of a smoke alarm can call 203.335.8835 for a free alarm and installation.

Fire safety guidelines outlined by the Bridgeport Fire Department:

Kitchen Safety – Never leave pots on the stove unattended.

Space Heaters – Keep all space heaters at least 3 feet away from combustible items.

Matches and Lighters – Store matches and lighters locked up high, away from children.

Electrical Cords – Keep out of traffic areas and don’t risk breaking the wires by pinching them behind or under furniture.

Candles – Keep candles away from anything that will burn. Blow candles out when you leave the room or go to bed.

Plan your escape – Make a home escape plan with the family and practice it.

Christmas Trees – Always make sure that trees have plenty of water.

Smoke Detectors – A smoke detector is required on every floor and outside of sleeping areas.

Call 203.335.8835 for free 10-year smoke alarm with free installation.

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Here’s some good news just in time for the end of the year.

Press release follows:

BRIDGEPORT ––Bridgeport Rescue Mission now has access to a greater number of resources for donated food, thanks to the gift of a refrigerated truck from Wholesome Wave, a local organization that works to improve access to and the affordability of nutritious, locally grown fruits and vegetables for under-served communities.

“This truck gives us the capability to pick up produce we normally could not receive from organizations throughout the community such as Whole Foods, Target, Creative Meats, Nivo Pasta, Wade’s Dairy, and Westport Farmer’s Market,” said Bridgeport Rescue Mission Food Service Manager Paul Byron. The fresh produce allows the Mission to provide healthier meals to its residents and homeless and working poor men, women and children.

Wholesome Wave bought the truck in 2008 through a generous grant from an anonymous donor who receives philanthropic advisory services from the Fairfield County Community Foundation. At the time farmers markets struggled to survive in the city. With the truck, Wholesome Wave was able to transport fresh produce from local farms to Bridgeport and then sell it at a affordable prices. The demand for the local harvest grew significantly. Over the next two years, one farmers market and two farm stands were established in Bridgeport. These direct markets also run Wholesome Wave’s Double Value Coupon Program (DVCP), a program that doubles the value of federal benefits spent at the farm stands.

With the success nurtured by Wholesome Wave, the markets grew to sustainable size and the truck, while still useful, no longer served its original function. Upon learning of Bridgeport Rescue Mission’s need for a refrigerated truck from staff at the Fairfield County Community Foundation, the Wholesome Wave Board of Directors voted unanimously to approve the donation of the truck to the Rescue Mission.

Pastor Mike Cobb, director of operations, pointed out another advantage: “On occasion, trucks distributing food to supermarkets and wholesalers break down, and the trucking companies allow organizations like ours to pick up this food before it spoils. Until now, we have not been able to benefit from these donations because we have not had a vehicle to use to pick up this food.”

The truck will also be used as a temporary overflow refrigerator when the Mission’s three small refrigerators are at capacity.

“We’re grateful to Wholesome Wave for this wonderful donation which allows us to operate more efficiently and, more importantly, provide a greater level of service to the hungry and homeless here in Fairfield County,” said Linda Casey, director of development and strategic planning. “They can be assured we’ll be good stewards of this tremendous gift.”

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OXFORD — Police and emergency personnel, including firefighters from Oxford and Southbury found a missing person at Southford Falls State Park late Thursday afternoon.
The search began at 4:33 p.m.
A dispatcher at the Troop A in Southbury confirmed there was an active search at the state park and that they brought in as much personnel as possible to help look for the missing person.
The “missing party” was located at 5:17 p.m.

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SHELTON — The city was recently awarded $14,710 under the Iroquois Community Grant Program to complete construction of the Shelton Lakes Recreation Path, according to Teresa Gallagher, the city’s conservation agent.
The path is a multi-use handicapped-accessible trail that begins near the city’s downtown at Pine Lake and ends near Huntington Center at lane Street.
The 4-mile route is almost complete — except for a central half-mile section requiring trail users to detour onto Oak Valley Road.
The city intends to use staff to clear the trail, then hire a contractor to install a crushed stone surface coat that will be 8-feet wide.
“Our goal is to have the entire Recreation Path completed by National Trail Days, June 2, 2012,” Gallagher said.
The recreation path crosses over the Iroquois pipeline, only 100 feet from the new section that will be constructed in 2012. This is the second grant from Iroquois and the 12th grant to awarded for the path’s construction of the past 10 years, bringing the total amounts of grants received to $409,439.
The city has also contributed $191,600 to the project, as well as the services of staff.

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The Stratford Animal Rescue Society is collecting tax-deductible items for the homeless animals impounded at the Stratford Animal Control Facility.

The shelter is in need of dog food, canned and dry kitten food and cat litter. Gift certificates to local pet stores are also welcome. The items can be dropped off or shipped to Stratford Animal Control, 225 Beacon Point Road.

For more info, visit www.stratfordanimalrescue.com.

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BRIDGEPORT — The Bridgeport Public Library Board of Directors is accepting applications for one board position.

Any registered voter in the city of Bridgeport who has a high level of familiarity with the city’s libraries and who holds a library card may apply. Board members serve three years and can be reappointed by the full Library Board or nominated by the Nominating Committee.  People who wish to help reposition the Bridgeport Public Library facilities, collections, programs and staff to help focus on building community, helping people and changing lives will be considered.

Applicants must be able to attend two or more monthly meetings.  Send letters of interest to: Ms. Sauda Baraka, Nominating Committee, Bridgeport Public Library, 925 Broad St. Bridgeport, CT 06604. For more information about the library please visit their website at www.bportlibrary.org

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James Baraja, a 20-year veteran of the Bridgeport Police Department, was sworn in as its newest deputy chief Thursday during a ceremony at City Hall. “I am truly humbled by the show of support,” Baraja said amidst cheers from his large extended family. “The work is changing but there is still a lot of it that has to get done.”
Also sworn in Thursday night were new detectives Gregory Iamartino, Thomas Scholl II, Vincent Lariccia, Wilfredo Nieves, Lawrence Lazario Jr. and Jessi Pizarro.

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CL&P announced today, the following:

BERLIN, Conn. – December 22, 2011 – Residential customers of Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P) should see their 2012 monthly utility bills go down to their lowest levels in nearly seven years, following approval of new rates by the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA).

A CL&P residential (Rate 1) customer who has not chosen an alternative electricity supplier and uses 700 kilowatts per month will see a rate decrease of 7.5 percent or $9.25 per month.  Their monthly bill will go from $123.61 down to $114.36, the lowest monthly total since 2005.

“The lower rates are primarily due to falling natural gas prices, which affects how much we pay for power,” said Jim Muntz, Acting President of CL&P.  ”This is very positive news not only for our residential customers, but for all of our Standard Service customers, who will see reductions in their rates.”

Standard Service includes all residential customers, small commercial and industrial customers, and streetlight customers who have not chosen an alternative electricity supplier and who have a peak demand of less than 500 kilowatts of electricity per month. These new rates affect about 703,000 or 58 percent of CL&P’s over 1.2 million customers.

While residential and small business customers will see a decrease, rates for 159 large commercial and industrial customers who have not chosen an alternative electricity suppler, also known as Last Resort Service or LRS customers, will increase by 10.6 percent for the three-month period of January 1 to March 31, 2012. The increase in LRS rates is due to increased power supply costs that third party wholesale electric suppliers are charging CL&P for these customers.

Power for Standard Service customers is purchased several times a year over three year spans.  CL&P selects the best prices at the points in time the contracts are bid.  This periodic purchasing helps moderate the impact of market swings, whether up or down.  The impact on Last Resort Service customers is more direct because CL&P is required to purchase power for all of their needs on a quarterly basis; therefore, market swings affect the price more directly.

CL&P continues to encourage all customers to save energy and money by participating in our energy efficiency programs and services.  They are outlined on our Web site: www.cl-p.com or customers can call 1-877-WISE-USE.