Community garden in Bridgeport is saved from cut-off

Tuesday, 03 November 2009 14:20

Bob Halstead, Bridgeport Community Land Trust (BCLT) president, was surprised when he received a call from the Aquarion Co. collections department informing him the water at the Yale Street community garden was going to be shut down the following day for non-payment of water bills.

The BCLT had never been responsible for this account, but is the manager of the city’s 22 community gardens.

Garden Captain Reg Johnson contacted City Council member Leticia Colon and Mayor Bill Finch about the matter. Soon, many letters were written by BCLT and the garden captain to try rectifying the situation.

Research by BCLT showed the water account was in the city’s name but that the Mutual Housing Association had paid the bill for years, then had stopped paying it.

The BCLT kept making phone calls and writing e-mails and letters to reach a solution, and eventually found out that the city had settled the bill.

“What we have done is we have saved one of the most successful community gardens in the city,” Halstead said. “Once the waterline had been shut off there would have been no money to spend the $2,500 needed — not to mention the chore of coordinating the process — to reinstall the waterline.”

Halstead said having the community garden close would have upset the neighborhood, and the plot likely would have reverted back to a weed- and trash-filled property known for blight.

“It would have been a nightmare for everybody,” he said. “With the advocacy efforts of BCLT, this was avoided and the garden will live on.”

Halstead thanked city officials for stepping up to the plate and paying the bill to allow the community garden to keep operating.