Resident Shares Letter to Gov Lamont on Allen St Drainage Improvements Project

To: Governor Lamont, Chief of Staff Brokman, Mayor Stewart, Chief of Staff Dorsey, State Legislators, Flooding Victims, City and State Officials

We have sent this letter to Governor Lamont pleading for his help with the funding for the Allen St. Project Phase 2. To date we have not received a response. It is now crunch time for this project. The final plan will be bid ready by 4-1-25. We need the funding package by 4-1-25 or sooner so we can start this project in 2025 and hopefully complete it by late 2027.

Once again, we must ask our Mayor and her Chief, “What exactly are you doing to help move the state bonding initiative along to completion?”. As we have noted, the 2025 legislative session will convene in a few weeks. Is this bonding initiative on the legislative calendar yet? If not, “Why Not?”. Also, in addition to this state bonding initiative, “What else are you doing to fully fund the Allen St. Project?”. The Allen St. Project must be prioritized and funded asap!

This project has been ignored for 30 years. It’s time for all serious, interested parties to step up and help move this project along to completion. NB Director of Public Works Mark Moriarty, PE is doing his part. He indicates that the planning is moving along with a Bid Ready Completion Date of 4-1-25. Mayor, Governor, Chiefs, Legislators, “Where is the money for the Allen St. Drainage Improvements and Reconstruction Phase 2 Project #4166?”.

We’ve been very patient, 30 years worth. Meanwhile, we will continue to flood. Many of our neighbors are exhausted with the process and they are disappointed by all of the broken promises from our local politicians. Redeem yourselves! It’s now time to fund and construct…Our advocacy will continue until the construction is complete.

Thank you.

F&S Chase

Get Involved! Stay Informed!

Allen St. Drainage Improvements and Reconstruction Phase 2 Project Urgent Notice to All State Politicians and Officials: The Allen St. Phase 2 Project must be funded immediately. Allen St. and our surrounding neighborhoods have flooded ten times since July 4, 2023. We have listed 21 reasons for our pleas for help. Governor Lamont we need your leadership now. Please expedite and fast track the $9.7M Allen St. Bonding Initiative. We know it can be done! 1) The City of New Britain has committed $4.2M for the $13.9M Allen St. Project. 2) 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. 3) Allen St. and the surrounding neighborhoods are not in flood zones. 4) Storm-sanitary cross connections exist on Allen St. further contributing to this public health emergency. 5) Our quality of life is suffering and our property values have declined by 15%. 6) The unhealthy contaminants in the flooding water include; bacteria, fecal matter, fats, motor oil, grease, etc. 7) Flooding anxiety and distress are real health issues. 8) Our taxes increase while our neighborhoods continue to flood. 10 floods since July 4, 2023. 9) We demand our fair share of money from state bonding initiatives to fund our most pressing need; The Allen St. Phase 2 Project. 10) The compromised Allen St. System creates an open air cesspool on Allen St. and in surrounding neighborhoods. 11) Our properties are the catch basin-toilet bowl, where contaminated flood water gathers, waiting for rain events to end before receding. 12) Intense rainfall overwhelms the compromised Allen St. System flooding our neighborhoods and retention pond. 13) The elevated terrain in our area surges the uncontrolled flood water through our properties. 14) Water tables rise and flood water infiltrates and saturates our land. The resulting increased underground water pressure threatens our foundations and slabs. 15) Factor in the related hidden underground soil erosion, settling, shifting and potential sink holes, our foundations and structures are all at further risk. 16) Sink holes cause damage with an estimated cost on average of $300M per year in the USA. 17) Our neighborhoods (50+ properties) resemble that of a third world country during these flooding events. 18) The cause is undeniable...The effects will be catastrophic if the flooding is allowed to continue. 19) The compromised Allen St. System and the required upgrades are beyond our control. 20) The resulting flooding and the related damage is beyond our control. 21) Weston-Sampson Engineers wrote that the Allen St. Project must be a high priority because the infrastructure is at crisis levels. Get Involved! Stay Informed! Frank Chase: fchase989@yahoo.com 860-989-7205 — *Governor Lamont Flyer*

VIA FEDEX OVERNIGHT

Frank and Sharon Chase
24 Roxbury Road
New Britain, CT 06053
[email protected]
860-989-7205

December 2, 2024

Governor Ned Lamont
State Capitol
210 Captitol Ave.
Hartford, CT 06106

Re: City of New Britain and the Allen St. Drainage Improvements and Reconstruction Phase 2 Project #4166

Dear Governor Lamont,

My wife, Sharon and I have been campaigning since September of 2023 to correct the infrastructure problems related to the Allen St. Storm-Sewer System in our neighborhood. This system serves 177 acres of developed, congested, residential neighborhoods. Intense rainfall easily overwhelms this compromised, outdated and undersized storm-sewer system and our retention pond. Our particular section of this acreage receives the brunt of the flooding water.

Former NB Director of Public Works Joe Carilli, PE first identified the Allen St. Storm-Sewer Problem back in the mid-nineties. Over the past 30 years, our city officials have neglected the Allen St. flooding problem allowing the system to deteriorate further.

We have presented the facts to the City Council and to the Public Works Commission a total of 26 times over the past 15 months. We pleaded for help for years previous to September 2023. City Officials chose to conceal the inconvenient truth from us. Our relentless due diligence has uncovered the facts. Sadly, the contaminated flooding water continues to threaten us with each passing weather system. The contaminants in the flooding water include bacteria, fecal matter, fats, motor oil, grease, etc.

Mayor Stewart noted back in 2013 when she took office, that the Allen St. Project Phase 2 is our most pressing need. 11 years later our neighborhoods continue to flood!
Stewart continues, the Allen St. Project Phase 2 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 will continue to flood!
Stewart identified storm-sanitary cross connections on Allen St. further contributing to this public health emergency.

Our neighborhoods (50+ properties) are not in designated flood zones, but we’ve had 10 floods since July 4, 2023 and many more floods over the years previous to this date going back to the mid-nineties. Our neighborhoods and 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 and properties, where the contaminated flood water pools, waiting for the rain events to end before receding.

We purchased 24 Roxbury Road in 1973 with a healthy, dry basement and a flood free property. Our property and our neighborhood are not the same today. As responsible property owners, we and our neighbors have made every effort to mitigate our losses. The obvious flooding consequences because of this proven neglect has forced us to hold our City Officials responsible for this ongoing nightmare.

Over the decades, the City of New Britain received millions of dollars in aid from our state and federal partners. These dollars were allocated for other higher profile projects. The Allen St. Project Phase 2 was not prioritized by the Stewart Administration. We have shined a light on this unhealthy, dangerous storm-sewer problem, finally, slowly moving this project closer to fruition.

Here is a sample of the long overdue upgrades planned for the Allen St. Project Phase 2 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.

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.

We have petitioned the following prominent people to help us. They have copies of our narratives, documentation, photos, etc.

Governor Ned Lamont’s Chief of Staff Brokman

Representative Jahana Hayes’ Chief of Staff Lupo

State Legislators:

Ritter
Lopes
Piscopo
Napoli
B. Sanchez
M. Sanchez
Turco
DeFronzo (Elect)

Mayor Erin Stewart and Chief of Staff Dorsey

Majority Leader McNamara

New Britain City Council Alderpersons

Simpson
McAdam
Barbosa
Scott
I. Sanchez
Connors
Santiago
Saavedra
Russell
Hargraves
Gibson
Smedley
Pabon
Malinowski

We have included for you, Mayor Stewart’s commitment letter indicating her willingness to contribute 30% of the total project cost as required by the State Bonding Commission. Now we need your help to move this bonding initiative through the state bonding process. NB Director of Public Works, Mark Moriarty, PE indicates the final bid ready plan by Cardinal Engineering will be available April 1, 2025.

Allen St. Commitment for Allen Street Flood Project

We are pleading for your help so we can fund this project and construct this project as soon as possible. Once the shovels break ground it will take 18-24 months to complete. Please help us stop this unhealthy flooding. Our properties and structures have been battered for decades. Our quality of life continues to suffer. We are speaking up on behalf of all of the flooding victims in our neighborhoods.

We have been waiting patiently for 30 years. Time is of the essence…The new legislative session will be convening soon. We need this emergency funding by April 1, 2025, or sooner. A sense of urgency is required by all serious, interested parties. The next tropical rainy season will be here soon.

Thank you. Please follow-up with us as soon as possible.

Sincerely

Frank and Sharon Chase

Governor Lamont’s Gatekeepers

Please acknowledge that Governor Lamont has received this letter and has read it. We are pleading for your assistance with this vital matter. If you need more details please contact us immediately. Or simply view the New Britain Progressive on-line, all of our recent flooding updates and narratives with photos and documentation are published in their “Flooding Series“.

F&S Chase

860-989-7205

Thank you!

Allen St. Basin Flooding Photos:

Stanley-Roxbury-Newbury Typical Retention Pond Flooding.