Ansonia has received a lot of attention for its economic revitalization efforts, from new businesses to new streets. Property values are rising and our city is being seen as a great investment opportunity.
However, I want to make sure that proper credit is given to those city departments working hard to clean-up Ansonia’s image and set the stage for all this fantastic progress.
I’m talking about Ansonia’s Anti-Blight Department, one of the most active departments in the city since the aggressive “Godzilla” of all blight laws was adopted under Mayor Cassetti and his team.
Did you know that the Ansonia’s anti-blight program has remediated 97 properties since June 2016 alone? This includes trimmed lawns, picked-up trash, and fixed windows. In short, the program looks to eliminate conditions that damage neighborhood property values and imperil the health and safety of our community.
This remediation extends from residential areas to commercial districts, where the importance of orderly business expansion is a priority. A clean Main Street will attract more businesses and more investment, not to mention the customers that are necessary for a healthy business climate!
Anti-Blight officials have also been successful in assisting the city with several major projects that involve seriously blighted properties. This includes the pending demolition of Peck School, the liens secured in the former Farrel Process Laboratory and the city’s plan to acquire and demolish the 60+ acres formerly known as American Copper and Brass.
All of this activity has been conducted in a manner responsible to the taxpayers, with the program generating in excess of $145,000 in fees and fines since last year, and recouping over $20,000 directly from remediation liens in that same period.
As alderman, I would support our Ansonia’s Anti-Blight Department as a necessary compliment to the economic revival the city is experiencing.
I believe that the department is on the right track by making it easier for the public to interact with anti-blight efforts, such as the STOMP Blight smartphone app and the community clean-up days that have been held. I would like the opportunity to help expand these initiatives and get more even more residents involved in voluntary clean-up programs, and to assist the elderly and disabled in cleaning their properties.
Programs such as Ansonia’s Anti-Blight program go a long way to protect property values and increase residents’ quality of life.
I am thankful to the work of the city’s anti-blight administrators, and hopeful that we have only seen the beginning of this promising initiative from Mayor Cassetti.
Joseph Cassetti
The writer is running for the Board of Aldermen on the Republican line to represent the Third Ward.
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