To: Allen St. Basin Flooding Victims and City of New Britain Officials… Elected and Appointed
Over the past 30 years our city officials have ignored the Allen St. Flooding Problem. Our due diligence indicates that the Allen St. Problem has been neglected and mismanaged by the current mayor, by the four previous mayors and by our city councils over the past 3 decades. Former Director of Public Works Joe Carilli first identified the Allen St. Storm-Sewer Problem in the mid-nineties.
- Mayor Stewart noted back in 2013 when she took office, that the Allen St. Project is our most pressing need… 11 years later our neighborhoods continue to flood.
- Stewart continues, the Allen St. Project is critical to resolving chronic issues including flooding due to storm-sewer failures, sanitary back-ups and breaks due to insufficient capacity and the system’s age. Meanwhile, our neighborhoods continue to flood.
- Stewart indicates there are storm-sanitary cross connections on Allen St., further contributing to this public health emergency. We are approaching Stewart’s twelfth year as mayor and our neighborhoods continue to flood.
Here is a sample of the long overdue upgrades planned for the Allen St. Project which involves nearly 1 mile of Allen St. from Oak St. to Beacon St:
- New 54″ to 66″ reinforced concrete storm mains will be installed to replace the deteriorating 24″ clay storm main from Dixon to Beacon.
- The sanitary sewer main will be upgraded from a deteriorating 12″ clay pipe to a 24″ PVC pipe.
The Allen St. Storm-Sewer System serves 177 acres of developed, congested, residential neighborhoods. Intense rainfall easily overwhelms the compromised Allen St. Storm-Sewer System flooding our neighborhoods and retention pond. Our particular section of this acreage receives the brunt of the contaminated flooding water. The contaminants in the the flooding water include bacteria, fecal matter, fats, motor oil, grease, etc.
Our neighborhoods (50+ properties) resemble that of a third world country during these flooding events. The compromised Allen St. Storm-Sewer System creates an open air cesspool on Allen St. and in the surrounding neighborhoods. Our properties are the catch basins/toilet bowls where the contaminated flood water pools waiting for the rain events to end before receding. Our neighborhoods are not in designated flood zones, but we’ve had 10 floods since July 4, 2023 and many more floods previous to this date going as far back as the mid-nineties.
The cause is undeniable and the effects will be catastrophic if the flooding is allowed to continue. The compromised Allen St. Storm-Sewer System and the required upgrades, the resulting flooding and the related damage are all beyond our control. Our City Officials dating back to the mid-nineties are directly responsible for this ongoing flooding nightmare. This broad flooding time line and now the increased flooding frequency has and continues to batter our properties and structures.
Weston-Sampson Engineers’ peer review from August 2023 indicates that the Allen St. Project must be a high priority because the infrastructure is at crisis levels.
Therefore, we are asking for the required reimbursements in full to cover our damage claims and our out of pocket expenses. You have received (via e-mail 11-19-24) our list of concerns and rebuttals to PMA-Old Republic’s recommendations with attachments. You have received a follow-up (via e-mail 11-25-24) with more information, attachments and our updated loss listing.
Regardless of the age of our structures, over many years, needless wear and tear has accelerated in and around our structures because of this out of control flooding water from our compromised, outdated and undersized Allen St. Storm-Sewer System. This flooding is not an act of god…Our City Officials are responsible for this neglect, mismanagement and the resulting damage to our properties and structures.
Our City Officials (The City of New Britain-PMA-Old Republic’s Insured) have tragically misjudged the Allen St. Problem and the unintended consequences. Now our City Officials (The City of New Britain-PMA-Old Republic’s Insured) must be held accountable for our damage claims. All of the flooding victims including us MUST be reimbursed for our legitimate losses. We have complied with all of the bureaucratic directives… Now is the time for our responsible City Officials to step up and pay up in full!
Thank you.
Frank and Sharon Chase
Allen St. Basin Flooding Photos:
Stanley-Roxbury-Newbury Typical Retention Pond Flooding.
Hampton-Eton Typical Flooding.
24 Roxbury Typical Flooding.
Newbury Typical Flooding.
