Allen St. Project #2 Oak St. to Beacon St: Flooding Updates City Council Meetings 4-23 and 4-24-24.

To: All Past and Present City Officials and All Department Directors
All Long Suffering Flood Victims; Property Owners and Residents

This updated record is being shared regarding the status of our neighborhood’s storm-sewer system and Federal-State-City responses. Our concerns need to be given the highest priority. Our quality of life is suffering and our property values have declined by 15%. When the flooding water recedes, we are forgotten by our city officials. Even though our critical neighborhood is not in a flood zone, the flooding continues… 6x’s in 2023.

We find it suspicious that the present mayor, after 10 years in office, her chief of staff and the city clerk all failed to follow the proper protocols covering a proposed money transfer of this kind; (Resolution #36236) with no input from the Director of Finance. There seems to be a failure to communicate and a serious misrepresentation of the facts. (See attachments.)

Just weeks before election day 2023, it seems that the mayor and her chief of staff perpetrated a disingenuous act to gain an unfair and/or a dishonest advantage over the voters in Ward 4. As victims in this storm-sewer flooding fiasco, we must question the mayor’s motives and intentions. The record is clear, the required Allen St. Project has been ignored, neglected and mismanaged by all of our city officials for decades including 10 years under the Erin Stewart watch.

The mayor’s proposed FY 2024 budget does not mention this $4M from Resolution #36236, therefore, we must conclude that Erin was aware of this error in her judgement, which calls into question her core values and operating methods. After all, she did sign off on this resolution along with the city clerk. It seems we were all deceived and manipulated by the mayor. Meanwhile, the flooding will continue.

“Where is the money?”… continues to be our MANTRA!

As we see in the mayor’s proposed budget FY 2024 Capital Improvement Program, the partial funding Expenditure Schedule for the Allen St. Project #2 construction costs have been pushed out to FY’s 2026 and 2027. (See attachments.)

This has been a reoccurring behavioral pattern for this mayor over the years, kicking the Allen St. Project down the road with no real funding initiatives in place. We will continue to demand Erin Stewart to redeem herself and prioritize, fund and complete the required upgrades for the Allen St. storm-sewer system. The funding shell game continues. Our state and city officials have known about this compromised system for years. (See attachments.)

As we have shown, over the years, millions of dollars have flowed into New Britain from our federal and state partners. Erin has NOT allocated 1 Dollar for the Allen St. Project #2. For examples, see attachment, below. The mayor has written, “The Allen St. Project #2 is our most pressing need”. Meanwhile, she allocates this found money for many other projects ignoring and neglecting the property owners and residents on Allen St. and in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Funding ingenuity is required to complete the Allen St. Project #2, as the mayor has done with other higher profile projects such as the Bee Hive Bridge Enhancements, Stanley Reception Pavilion, Public Works Operations Center, Police Headquarters, NB FLUSH, Osgood Park, Citywide Fiber Optic Broadband, Downtown Development Fund for Luxury Housing, Overlook-McKinley Stormwater Improvements, etc. Bonding the Allen St. Project #2 with other immediate infrastructure needs is the fiscally responsible way to fund these critical projects to preserve and to keep our core neighborhoods safe, flood free.

For the past 30 years, city officials have underestimated and misjudged the dangerous conditions created by climate change and the resulting severe weather, while ignoring and neglecting the required storm-sewer upgrades on Allen St. Taxpayers vote for and ask our city officials to keep us safe and to insure our quality of life. Our neighborhood, block and property resembles a “Third World Country” during these flooding events because of an outdated, undersized, deteriorating storm-sewer system. All of our city officials past and present are responsible for this ongoing fiasco.

Please read the attached links from 9-27-23 and 4-20-24:

There are many storm-sewer challenges in New Britain none greater than the Allen St. Project. The cause is undeniable…The effects will be catastrophic if our city officials allow the flooding conditions to continue. Prioritize-Fund-Complete the Allen St. Project now!

Thank you.

Frank and Sharon Chase