English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in Bridgeport, CT

BRIDGEPORT, CT — Bridgeport officials announced Thursday that the New York Islanders will move their minor league hockey team from Total Mortgage Arena at the end of its 25th season this spring, ending a two-decade run at the city-owned waterfront venue.

In a separate announcement also on Thursday, the team said it is moving the AHL affiliate to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

The arena has been home to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and, more recently, the Bridgeport Islanders. Originally known as the Arena at Harbor Yard, the facility opened on Oct. 10, 2001, as part of Bridgeport’s waterfront revitalization effort. The city said the arena was designed as a multipurpose venue for sports, concerts, and large entertainment events and was part of a broader public investment in Connecticut’s tourism and entertainment infrastructure.

Now known as Total Mortgage Arena, the building can seat up to 10,000 for concerts and more than 8,000 for hockey, according to the city. Over the past two decades, it has hosted events including Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Monster Jam, and concerts by Bruce Springsteen and Elton John.

"We thank the New York Islanders and Oak View Group for bringing sports fans and concertgoers to Bridgeport for more than two decades. Bridgeport has earned the reputation as the 'Arts and Entertainment Capital of Connecticut,' and the Arena has been a major part of that story," said Mayor Joe Ganim in a statement.

Ganim also said the city will begin planning for the facility’s future with state partners.

"I am committed to working with our state partners on a public process that will reimagine what this facility can be and how we can continue to foster Bridgeport’s arts and entertainment identity," Ganim said.

In a statement, the Islanders thanked Bridgeport for the support.

"On behalf of the entire New York Islanders organization, I want to extend our deepest thanks to the City of Bridgeport and the incredibly loyal fans who have supported this team for the past 25 years," said Kelly Cheeseman, President of Business Operations for the Islanders and UBS Arena. "From the early days of the Sound Tigers to our time as the Bridgeport Islanders, this community has been the heart of our AHL operations. We are grateful for the memories, the partnerships, and the passion the fans in Connecticut have shown our players and staff."

No specific plans have been announced for when the public process will begin to fill the Bridgeport venue. The city said leaders have started engaging stakeholders at multiple levels of government and are working to determine a new future for the facility. According to the city, those stakeholders are committed to keeping the arena open and supporting Bridgeport’s economy, arts, and culture.

The city said more information about next steps in the public process will be released when details become available.

"For far too long, Connecticut's school funding system has failed cities like Bridgeport and the 19,000 students we serve." — Mayor Ganim

BRIDGEPORT, CT — Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim on Thursday proposed increasing the city’s contribution to public schools by $10 million over the next two fiscal years, part of a broader effort he said is needed to address funding disparities in Connecticut’s education system.

The proposal, which will be included in the mayor’s upcoming budget plan, would raise the city’s annual contribution to the Bridgeport Board of Education by $5 million in the next fiscal year and by an additional $5 million the following year. If approved, the increase would represent the two largest single-year increases in municipal education spending in the city’s history and raise the city’s minimum budget requirement for schools.

In an opinion column submitted to the Connecticut Post, Ganim also called on state lawmakers to increase the base amount used in Connecticut’s Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula, the primary mechanism for distributing state aid to school districts. The foundation level of the formula — currently about $11,525 per student — has not been increased since 2013.

"For far too long, Connecticut’s school funding system has failed cities like Bridgeport and the 19,000 students we serve," Ganim said in a statement. "Our children are just as talented and deserving as any in this state, yet their opportunities are too often dictated by a ZIP code rather than their potential. I want to thank the members of the Bridgeport legislative delegation for leading the fight in Hartford for a fairer funding formula for our students.

"While protecting Bridgeporters from the unfair burdens of local property taxes has been a central concern during my tenure as mayor, we must be part of the solution on the local level. I encourage the City Council to support this proposed funding increase for the BOE during the upcoming budget process."

The mayor has previously emphasized limiting increases in local property taxes but said the additional funding for education is necessary.

City Council President Jeanette Herron and Budget Co-Chairs Ernest Newton and Richard Ortiz said in a joint statement that they support the proposal and plan to advocate for it during the council’s budget deliberations.

"We thank Mayor Ganim for working collaboratively with us to put forth this proposal," the joint statement reads. "This proposal represents an unprecedented turning point for Bridgeport’s students. We have many competing needs in this city, but we refuse to let education take a back seat any longer. By working alongside Mayor Ganim to deliver the largest municipal funding increase in our city’s history, we are sending a clear message: Bridgeport is putting its students first. We look forward to championing this investment throughout the Council’s budget process."

Bridgeport Public Schools serves more than 19,000 students, making it the largest school district in Connecticut. Like other urban districts, it faces higher costs related to services such as special education, transportation, and programs for English language learners.

Ganim argued in his op-ed that the ECS formula does not reflect the current costs of education or inflation, which he said has contributed to funding gaps between urban districts and wealthier communities with larger property tax bases.

The mayor also called for broader revisions to the formula to better account for districts with higher concentrations of poverty, English language learners, and special education needs.

Under Ganim’s proposal, the city would increase its contribution to the school system while continuing to press state officials for additional education funding. The City Council is expected to review the proposal as part of its annual budget process.