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The park, at 115 Virginia Ave., features a bike loop, splash pad, horseshoe lanes, picnic areas and a playground named after longtime city leader Anna Migliore. A juvenile detention center was once proposed for the site.
“This was an old state facility at one time, and the building fell into disrepair and it was knocked down,” said Bridgeport parks Director Charlie Carroll. “There was a proposal by Gov. [M. Jodi] Rell to build a detention center here, and this neighborhood rose up against it. The citizens of Bridgeport were heard by the folks in Hartford and the land was eventually given to the City of Bridgeport.”
In 2009, Rell proposed $15 million in funding for a 36,000-square-foot juvenile detention-and-treatment center for teenage girls to be built on the site. For months, neighbors and elected officials, including Mayor Bill Finch, then-State Rep. Chris Caruso and then-State Sen. Anthony Musto, successfully rallied against the proposal. The state subsequently sold the land to Bridgeport for $1.
“Mayor Finch decided to put a park here, and we had the park designed and built. It's a beautiful park, it has tied two neighborhoods together into one. It's a great day for the city and good for this neighborhood," said Carroll.
The announcement came just days after Finch joined elected officials, community leaders and residents Saturday for a grand opening and ribbon-cutting celebration. The park also includes Bridgeport's first dog park.
“The kids of this neighborhood will be playing on a brand new playground and splash pad,” said Finch.
Joel Bing, a Nob Hill resident who served as chairman of the Derail the Jail Committee, was among the many elected officials and community leaders in attendance at the grand opening.
The Migliore family were also on hand to join Finch in cutting the ribbon to celebrate the opening of the Anna Migliore Playground. Migliore was a community leader in the Nob Hill neighborhood who died at the age of 85 in 2011.
"I had the privilege of serving under Ann Migliore, and I'll tell you she kept me on my toes – what a beautiful woman,” said Councilman Michael Marella. “I live right in that corner up there in that apartment and I see this beautiful park every day."
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