We last reported that on June 27th, CT DEEP sent a letter to the City of Bridgeport Parks Department requiring the City to repair the damage to the mudflat and prevent further damage.
ACCA met with Bret Caulfield, Parks Superintendent and Tree Warden, at the site to find out the City’s next steps. The City will fence off the area on the mudflat side and put up No Trespassing signs while the area is being restored. Spartina will likely be planted, but we don’t know the plan yet as the City is reaching out for guidance from CT DEEP. ACCA has offered to pay for the relocation of the fence for this restoration period. We also want to include educational signage to help people understand why the area is closed off temporarily. We have recommended a community meeting with residents to provide an opportunity for education about the project and discussion.
The City Police can only enforce trespassing on the upland area, but once the City puts the signs up, Officer Bruno has promised to enforce this. We will ask our members to notify us if they see any trespassers once the signs are up.
We continue to ask the City of Bridgeport’s Parking Authority to enforce permit parking at St. Mary’s, particularly during periods of low tide as shown below. The Parking Authority was moved from the Police Department to the Parks Department on July 1st. Since the Parks Department is responsible for the restoration and protection of the area from the diggers, it would make sense that they would issue tickets to discourage the out-of-town diggers from parking. Most of the diggers are not Bridgeport residents, but some are. It won’t stop all diggers, but it will discourage the out-of-town diggers, and thus reduce the amount of damage to the mudflats.
Thank you for those of you who are sending us photos of the diggers. We continue to track the diggers for CT DEEP. If you can also send photos of the police giving tickets, that would be helpful. We’ve been promised an increase in ticketing, but can’t verify that yet. We have noticed fewer out-of-town diggers. Most of the diggers in July have had a Bridgeport Parking Permit, so perhaps there is ticketing occurring that we just haven’t noticed.
