Long Beach Sale Is A Go, Says Stratford Residents

By an overwhelming majority, Stratford CT residents have approved the sale of Long Beach West to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

I know about 40% of you wont agree but, Yipeeee!!!

I think both sides had valid points about the sale of Stratford’s Long Beach West. However, history has shown me that Stratford and other towns have trouble getting big projects like Long Beach done and keeping them funded.

My fear truly was that the town would never get the job done, and if they did how would they pay for it. My concern was also that the Long Beach revitalization would be underfunded and poorly maintained like the other parks around town. I think that is a pretty valid concern looking around at Short Beach and the other smaller parks around Stratford.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining about Short Beach and the other parks around town. I think they are great but every single one of them either needs to be updated or needs repairs. These things cost money and take away resources from other services in Stratford. I understand that.

The Long Beach West project would have been a much bigger ordeal and maintainence project for Stratford CT than all of the other parks around town combined. I think we did the right thing and I as well as my children very much look forward to having a new park around Stratford that will be unlike any other.

I do trust that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will get this project done and get that beach accessible for Stratford and Bridgeport residents alike. My wife and I are going to take a stroll out there before any work gets done. Sure, we have seen the pictures of the dilapidated cottages and the other structures but we want to see them first hand and capture them with our own camera.

It will be really great to have a clear understanding of the beach before and after clean up of Long Beach. I’m a bit of a nature geek and love places like Hammonasset State Park in Madison CT. If the revitalized Long Beach in Stratford turns out to be anything at all like Madison’s Hammonasset State Park I will be absolutely ecstatic.