For more than half a century, Shiloh Baptist Church has been a beacon of hope and resilience in Bridgeport’s South End. From nurturing local development to supporting families through challenging times, the congregation has remained deeply committed to uplifting the neighborhood..
Its pastor, the Rev. Carl McCluster, has been a driving force for community renewal and restoration. He serves as the elected chair of the South End Neighborhood Revitalization Zone (NRZ), and is a vocal advocate for development that respects the community’s history and empowers its residents.
Now, as the decommissioned coal-fired PSEG plant— once a symbol of industrial pollution with its 500-foot smokestack —will be demolished and transferred to a private developer, hopes for a brighter, cleaner future are rising.
But a new challenge threatens the progress. Monopoles.
United Illuminating (UI) has proposed a project to modernize its transmission infrastructure by installing over 100 monopoles, some reaching up to 195 feet tall, along a 7.3-mile stretch adjacent to the Metro-North Railroad tracks in Fairfield and Bridgeport. The 45 feet of easement UI needs to erect the monopoles would sacrifice the church’s playground and a portion of the sanctuary in order to reconfigure the building’s entrance and exit points, mandated by state building codes.
“It will make the building pretty much unusable,” said McCluster.
The pastor is not giving up. Shiloh Baptist Church has joined the city of Bridgeport, the town of Fairfield, activist groups and business owners who are appealing to a Bridgeport Superior Court judge, challenging the legality of the Connecticut Siting Council’s decision to approve the project. They argue that the monopoles will negatively affect the environment and property values. They want UI to bury the monopoles. The judge heard arguments from both sides on Jan. 13 and has 120 days to issue a ruling.
“We are drawing up on the resources we have and doing what we can do, going door to door,” said McCluster. “When we fight, we win.”
Sarah Wall Fliotsos, a UI spokesperson said the company is committed to working with the community.
“Throughout the early phases of the Fairfield to Congress transmission line rebuild project, UI has remained committed to going above and beyond its obligations to engage the community in both Bridgeport and Fairfield. While we await the Court’s ruling on the appeal of the Connecticut Siting Council (CSC)’s decision, we continue to seek engagement with all involved stakeholders, including Shiloh Baptist Church, to find the best path forward so we can ensure the continued safe, reliable transmission of electricity across the New England region,” said Fliotsos.
Wes Haynes, a historical preservation expert, said UI failed to consider the adverse impact the monopoles would have on the South End of Bridgeport and historic and cultural properties within Fairfield’s Southport historic district.
Haynes’ testimony before the Connecticut Siting Council on behalf of Fairfield stated that UI’s cultural resources report, prepared by the Berlin-based Heritage Consultants, did not fully catalog and characterize the cultural and historic buildings in Fairfield and Bridgeport when it proposed the project.
Among UI’s omissions are the Mary and Eliza Freeman houses, which are the two last surviving buildings in “Little Liberia,” a more than 200-year-old neighborhood in Bridgeport that was home for escaped slaves, according to the report.
“The power lines would alter the experience of seeing the Freeman Houses,” said Haynes. “If these power lines come in, enjoying the Freeman Houses and Little Liberia – a complete little village of people of color in the 19th century – would be altered.”
Bridgeport is recognized by the state as an Environmental Justice Community, defined as a distressed municipality or a census block where at least 30% of residents live below 200% of the federal poverty level. Shiloh Baptist Church is situated within one of these communities, made up almost entirely of Black and Latino people. For years, he’s been speaking out against environmental hazards, pollution and other injustices affecting his neighborhood.
“This struggle isn’t just about land — it’s about preserving the heart of a community that has fought for decades to overcome environmental harm and economic neglect,” said McCluster.
McCluster is no stranger to lawsuits. When PSEG failed to deliver on its promise of jobs after converting its coal-fired power plant to a cleaner natural gas facility in 2019, McCluster sought the support of Earth Justice, a nonprofit public interest environmental law organization.
McCluster said he’s fighting for members of his congregation, who helped build his church like Mother Jones – who used her late husband’s insurance policy to purchase the playground – and Mother Lee, a parishioner who worked as a domestic and sang in the choir.
“These are the people they are trying to run over, and I say ‘No;’ we say ‘No, not here now, not ever’,” said McCluster.
If the appeal is successful, UI will have to resubmit its application to the siting council with details of the new route and its potential impacts. Affected residents and businesses would have to automatically be given intervenor status, providing them with the right to come before the siting council to ask questions and describe adverse impacts.
