Dear Friends,

April brought great things to Connecticut’s 4th district. This month, I enjoyed visiting community organizations and celebrating historic wins for our coastline and ecosystem. Here are some of the highlights from the past few weeks in Southwest Connecticut.

Cruising on the coast

I took a ride on the Greenwich Marine Division boat alongside Senator Blumenthal and Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo to survey Greenwich Harbor. I was proud to help secure $500,000 for the harbor dredging project through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act last Congress. This funding will go toward testing plans to guide the dredging and ensure protection of our marine habitats and ecosystems. I always enjoy a chance to come together with a bipartisan group of colleagues at all levels of government to protect our beautiful coastline.

Launching the Greenwich Harbor dredging project with First Selectman Fred Camillo, Senator Richard Blumenthal and Greenwich Selectwoman Lauren Rabin. Photo Credit: Greenwich Time

Supporting kids in Southwest Connecticut

I toured Filling in the Blanks, a Norwalk non-profit that fights childhood hunger by providing children in need with meals on the weekends. Filling in the Blanks has expanded to include over 100 sites throughout Fairfield and Westchester Counties and has delivered over two-million weekend meals to children in low-income households.

Touring Filling in the Blanks with its co-presidents/co-founders, Shawnee Knight and Tina Kramer.

In Greenwich, I visited Kids In Crisis (KIC), another nonprofit organization that provides state-licensed shelter services for children. Since opening in 1978, KIC has provided over 161,000 youth with trauma-related services, including housing, crisis prevention/intervention, case management, counseling, recreation, education, family reunification, and aftercare.

Homes for all

We celebrated the completion of Lawnhill Terrace 4 at Charter Oak Communities, the final phase of a project for which I secured almost $500,000 in federal funding in 2021. Lawnhill Terrace is 100% affordable housing, comprised of two-and three-bedroom apartments that serve a population of working families with lower incomes. In one of the most expensive housing markets in the United States, it is crucial that Southwest Connecticut retains this type of long-term, deed-restricted affordable housing.

Visiting Lawnhill Terrace in Stamford with State Rep. Anabel Figueroa, Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons, Charter Oak Communities CEO Vincent Tufo, and State Senator Pat Billie Miller.

Going green

My friend Rep. Rosa DeLauro and I presented Hotel Marcel in New Haven with a LEED Platinum plaque for leading the charge on energy efficiency. Powered by over 1,000 solar panels, Hotel Marcel operates without the use of fossil fuels. Hotel Marcel is the first hotel in the United States since 2015 to be certified at the highest level of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED standards, and only one of 10 in the country to ever to gain LEED Platinum status.

The hotel’s architect and owner, Bruce Becker, turned the Armstrong Rubber Company building—which sat vacant for twenty years—into a net-zero energy boutique hotel. Kudos to Bruce for achieving his dream while helping limit carbon emissions and confront the climate crisis.

Presenting Bruce Becker of Hotel Marcel with the LEED platinum award alongside Congresswoman DeLauro.

I joined in celebrating Earth Day with some friends on the Green in Norwalk. After a 33-mile bike ride there and back, it's clear there is more we can do to improve bike-ability and walkability in our communities. Safer streets are a win-win: we feel healthier and help save the planet.

Thanks to Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling for his leadership in making our community cleaner and greener for everyone.

Celebrating Earth Day in Norwalk with local leaders.

Building community resilience in Bridgeport

Congratulations to Bridgeport Fire Chief Lance Edwards and his staff for receiving over $1 million in federal funding that my office helped secure through the Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program. Since 2010, the city of Bridgeport has received roughly $10 billion in funding through the AFG Program to train and equip our emergency personnel and support community resilience.
 
This financial assistance will go toward firefighter training and purchasing CPR chest compression devices, which I got to see up close when I visited the Fire Department the other day. I also got to catch up with our dedicated fire and rescue teams.

Visiting with the top-of-the-line crew at the Bridgeport Fire Department. Thanks to Fire Chief Lance Edwards and his team for having me.

Celebrating National Bike Month in Southwest Connecticut

May is National Bike Month. As an avid cyclist, I can’t miss an opportunity to celebrate the ways in which biking helps promote safer streets, connected communities, a healthier planet and happier people. 

To celebrate, my office is collecting photos of Fourth District residents cycling through our community. Whether it’s your daily commute to work, your ride to school, or a weekend exploration, I encourage you to share your favorite bike routes. You can do so by visiting my website. 

As always, I’m here to serve you. If you’re having trouble with a federal agency, please do not hesitate to call my office at (203) 333-6600.  

Sincerely,

Jim