About DSSD

Staff + Board

Meeting Minutes

News + Reports

Sponsorship

What We Do

As the Business Improvement District for the Park City, the mission of the Bridgeport Downtown Special Services District (DSSD) is to promote the preservation and development of the downtown business district; make the area more attractive and accessible; and enhance the public perception of downtown Bridgeport through overseeing and managing its appearance, security, and cleanliness. The DSSD is operated under the direction of a nine member Board of Commissioners representing property owners in Downtown Bridgeport. Access our District Strategic Plan for more details here.

What is a Downtown Special Services District?

A Special Services District is one type of special taxing district Connecticut law authorizes. Under Connecticut General Statute, a municipality can form a Special Services District to promote the economic and general welfare of its citizens and property owners through the preservation, enhancement, protection, and development of the economic health of the municipality. Among other things, the district can (1) acquire and convey real and personal property; (2) provide any service that a municipality can provide, other than education; (3) recommend to the municipality’s legislative body that it impose a separate tax on property in the district to support its operations; and (4) build, own, maintain, and operate public improvements. Voters in the district must approve its establishment at a referendum. Learn more on the Connecticut General Assembly’s website.

Our Services

We bolster the sense of culture and community in the heart of Downtown through open space beautification, our friendly team of Ambassadors who keep the district clean and safe, and a diverse array of activities, including the Color It In program and the Downtown Farmers Market. Learn more about what we do in our 2021-2022 Annual Report here.

Our District

The Downtown is bounded on the east by the Pequonnock River, by Route 8 on the west, by Interstate 95 to the south, and by East Washington Avenue to the north.

Contact Us

You can reach the Bridgeport DSSD team by phone at (203) 908-3622, by sending an email here, and by stopping into the Bridgeport DSSD office located at 938 Broad Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604.

Staff + Board

Officers

Philip Pires, Chair
C&W Associates II, LLP

David Iassogna, Vice Chair
M&T Bank

Eric Gross, Treasurer
John Broadcannon, LLC

Robert Schneider, Secretary
Jimmy’s A & N, LLC, Ex Officio

Commissioners

Javier Ceja
Downtown Strategic Group

Karolyn Egbert
Trefz Corporation

Fred Frassinelli
AMS Real Estate

Philip Kuchma
Kuchma Corporation

Ryan McClay
Forstone Capital, LLC

Max Pastor
Bordentown DB, LLC

Bridgeport DSSD Staff

Lauren Coakley Vincent
President + CEO

Meeting Minutes

Meeting Protocol

The Downtown Special Services District Board of Commissioners meets monthly, on the second Wednesday of the month at 4:00pm. Meetings are open to the public. The meetings are held in person at the DSSD office (938 Broad Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604).

The agenda for each meeting will be:

Call to Order
Recognition of Guests
Approval of Minutes
Treasurer’s Report
Report from the City
President’s Report
Reports of Standing and Special Committees
Old Business
New Business

Meeting documents will be available at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting. Materials for the April 12, 2023 meeting accessible here.

Special + Standing Committees

The Downtown Special Services District also has special and standing committees, which meet on a monthly basis. Their regularly scheduled meetings are held in the DSSD office, open to the public, and set as follows:

Executive: First Wednesday of each month at 12:00 p.m.

Physical Conditions: Last Friday of each month at 8:00 a.m.

Public Safety: Last Friday of each month at 8:30 a.m.

Special Events + Marketing: First Tuesday of each month at 9:00 a.m.

The meetings take place at the DSSD office (938 Broad Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604) and via video and telephone conference.