After nearly six years since the start of its renovation, the site of the old J.M. Wright Technical School, located in Scalzi Park, has made many nearby Stamford residents concerned about their neighborhood’s public safety, environment and property values.
On Friday, July 27th, State Representative Mike Molgano met with Mark Palmer, a local Hubbard Heights homeowner and member of the Hubbard Heights Neighborhood Association, to take a walk around the schools facilities and discuss the detrimental effect the school’s delayed construction has had on neighboring homes.
Palmer, along with many other Hubbard Heights residents, expressed to Molgano that the schools delayed renovation and un-kept school grounds has made the property overgrown with damaging plant life, and as a result, the number of unwanted wildlife in the surrounding areas has increased dramatically causing a nuisance for the community.
Hubbard Heights residents also spoke to Rep. Molgano about the lack of proper fencing and security around the site which has made the school’s property susceptible to criminal activity and excessive littering – a problem which has some homeowners worried about their property values dropping.
After the meeting, Rep. Molgano said he will continue to contact the Vo-Tech Schools Superintendent, Patricia Ciccone, and work with Stamford Municipal leadership to combat garbage and debris by providing more trash receptacles throughout the premises.
Molgano also said he planned on working with Stamford Officials and Hubbard Heights residents to properly address the plant overgrowth and wildlife population behind Cubeta Stadium.
Molgano also assured he would discuss the site’s clean-up, safety and overall construction progress with his legislative and executive colleagues in Hartford, making sure the technical school remains on schedule to re-open in September 2014.
“After taking a close-up look of the current condition of the site, I have to say there is a number of safety and environmental issues that have me concerned,” said Rep. Molgano. “The children living in the local neighborhood here are walking through this property everyday to get to Scalzi Park, and with this site undergoing serious renovations, and, not to mention the potential asbestos hazard, we definitely need to rethink how we are securing this site for our community. I will keep pushing the issue with the appropriate state officials in Hartford until the clean-up and overall safety concerns of this site are fully addressed.”
Rep. Molgano also conveyed strong support to re-open the Technical School and expressed how important technical schools have been to Connecticut’s economy.
“Since my time on Stamford’s Board of Representatives, I have fought endlessly to re-open the J.M. Wright Technical School. A large number of graduates from technical schools go on to be very successful in their field, and right now, our workforce is not meeting our state’s demand for the many manufacturing and mechanical jobs that require the skilled knowledge one can only get from a technical school. Now more than ever, it’s so important that our children are given the option and opportunity to attend technical schools – and that’s what makes the reemergence of J.M. Wright Tech so important.”
Rep. Molgano represents the 144th General Assembly District covering Stamford.
