Neighborhood Activists Call for Prioritizing, Planning, Funding and Construction to Complete Allen Street Drainage Project

To: Allen St. Flooding Victims, Concerned Citizens, City and State Officials.

PRIORTIZE:

Back in the mid-nineties, Director of Public Works Joe Carilli, PE determined with his engineers that the Allen St. Basin needs storm-sewer upgrades. Fast forward 28 years to August of 2023, Weston-Sampson Engineers declared, “The Allen St. Project must be a high priority because the infrastructure is at crisis levels”. The Allen St. Basin has flooded 10 times since July 4, 2023 and many more floods prior to this date.
Mayor Stewart wrote numerous memos to our elected legislators regarding New Britain’s state legislative priorities from 2013 to 2025. Included in these memo’s are her direct comments regarding the Allen St. Problem-Project:

“The Allen St. Project is our most pressing need. 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”. Stewart also identified storm-sanitary cross connections on Allen St., which contributes to this public health crisis. The contaminants in the flooding water include a toxic mix of bacteria, fecal matter, fats, motor oil, grease, etc.

Stewart knew from day one about the storm-sewer-sanitary issues on Allen St. and in the surrounding neighborhoods. She failed to complete and fund the required Infrastructure Resiliency Plan for the Allen St. Basin.
When Stewart took office, she chose to ignore the 2013, $7M Allen St. semi-final engineering plan. The 2025 Allen St. final engineering plan will total nearly $15M. Meanwhile, our neighborhoods continue to flood due to storm-sewer failures, along with sanitary back-ups and breaks due to insufficient capacity and the system’s age.
Back in 2023, Stewart wrote to me, “Thought you may like to see how far back I’ve been asking the state for help with the Allen St. sewer work. I’ll continue to keep advocating to get this project funded.” It seems that she is placing the blame for the Allen St. infrastructure failures at the feet of our state legislators. See attachment.

Over these years (2013 to 2025), our state legislators allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to Stewart which she used for high profile projects such as the Bee Hive Bridge, Stanley Events Pavilion, Public Works Operations Center, Downtown Luxury Housing and many others. Not $1. for the Allen St. Project…“Our Most Pressing Need.”
$56M from the ARPA-Covid Program was funneled to New Britain for infrastructure projects. The state projects that hundreds of millions of dollars more will be allocated to New Britain in fiscal years 2025, 2026 and 2027. Thus far, Not $1. for the Allen St. Project. Meanwhile, our neighborhoods continue to flood and we continue to have sanitary back-ups and breaks. See this.
Obviously, Stewart had…And continues to have access to hundreds of millions of dollars. Over the years, Stewart has failed to allocate any of these funds for the Allen St. Project chanting along the way, “We have no money for the Allen St. Project”. Stewart has ignored and neglected her constituents in Ward 4. Stewart’s neglect and mismanagement is unacceptable.
Our Mattabassett Waste Water Treatment Facility is impaired by the excessive storm water and ground water entering and flowing from the compromised Allen St. waste water system during these flooding events, adding to our water treatment costs.
Along with thousands of extra water treatment dollars that our taxpayers have paid out over the years, we must factor in the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent to repair the antiquated Allen St. storm-sewer failures, the expensive updates to our aging Allen St. engineering plans and the reimbursements to our flooding victims for their damage claims. And of course, we must factor in the millions of dollars needed to construct the Allen St. Project in today’s dollars vs. 2013 dollars. The mismanagement is obvious.
Again, the Allen St.Storm-Sewer System serves 177 acres of developed and congested residential neighborhoods. Intense rainfall inflows and infiltrates (I&I) our compromised, underground infrastructure, flooding and saturating our land, overwhelming our undersized and antiquated storm-sewer system and our retention pond. Our particular section of this acreage (approximately 50 properties) receives the brunt of the contaminated flooding water.
We’ve heard the commentary regarding the CBA (Cost-Benefit Analysis) regarding the Allen St. Project. Yes, it is a costly, difficult project. Director Moriarty and his engineers need to step up and complete the required CBA clearly detailing the Allen St. Problem. Whether one home is flooding due to compromised infrastructure systems, or 50 properties or 100 properties, each case requires and deserves the needed effort and upgrades from our city officials. GET THE JOB DONE!
As Stewart noted in her interview with WVIT-NBC back in September of 2023…The pipes are too small to fit the amount of storm water and storm run off we are having. We are targeting the main areas of town that catch these storm-sewer issues the most. It’s all about being prepared, being aware that climate change is definitely real and this is the impact it’s going to have on us for years and decades to come”.
The Allen St. Problem is in a main area of town, a HIGH RISK AREA. As Stewart noted back in 2014, Allen St. is one of the City’s longest and busiest thorough fares. Thus far, the Allen St. Problem has been ignored by Stewart. Why does this Mayor insist on ignoring the Allen St. Problem?
Over the years, the record clearly shows Stewart failed to prioritize the Allen St. Problem using the city’s resources for other higher profile projects. Meanwhile, our quality of life continues to suffer, our safety continues to be in harm’s way and our properties and structures are at risk.

PLAN:

Director Moriarty indicates that the Allen St. Project will be “shovel ready” from his perspective by April 1, 2025. Questions linger regarding the DOT approvals, etc. Are all of the required approvals in place? Moriarty must respond to the taxpayers by February 26, 2025.

FUND:

Our state legislators report that they are working all potential sources of funds for the Allen St. Project: DEEP Grant (the application and the CBA are due March 3, 2025), state bonding, appropriations, etc. Moriarty must provide a copy of the DEEP application and the CBA to the taxpayers by February 26, 2025.
After all of our lobbying efforts for the Allen St. Project, Stewart did finally commit the city’s required 30% share of the funds needed to close a deal with the state. However, recently, Stewart has threatened to pull her commitment.
The city has the funding sources to complete the Allen St. Project. Again, city officials have failed to obtain new funding from these sources and have prioritized available funds for other higher profile projects such as the Bee Hive Bridge, Stanley Events Pavilion, Public Works Operations Center, Downtown Luxury Housing and many others.
We ask, “What is the status of the city’s initiative to procure emergency bonding from their sources? Mayor Stewart must respond to the taxpayers by February 26, 2025. We doubt that we will receive an update from Stewart regarding her funding efforts. Transparency is not a strength of this mayor and her administration. Silence and concealment are their preferred operating methods.
We, along with the other taxpayers in our neighborhood, have diligently paid our taxes for decades. We are demanding our fair share of money from our Federal-State-City governments to fund our most pressing need, the Allen St. Project.

CONSTRUCT:

TO BE DETERMINED! It seems that we are inching along after all these years of neglect…More to come.

Recently, Mayor Stewart told us that good leaders do not waffle…They say what they are going to do and they do it. Erin went on to say, “I’m that same type of leader”. Our response; “Stewart has waffled for 12 years regarding the Allen St. Project. 50+ properties continue to flood in the Allen St. neighborhoods on Stewart’s watch because she has failed to prioritize and fund the Allen St. Project.

Our advocacy campaign will continue until the Allen St. Project is complete. We have been waiting for these promised storm-sewer upgrades for 30+ years. We have prioritized the Allen St. Project. Mayor Stewart has not…

Thank you.

F&S Chase

https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/residents-of-new-britain-neighbors-blame-city-for-flooding-issues/3104083

https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/new-britain-residents-push-state-to-fund-infrastructure-project-to-fix-flooding-issue/3466141

Allen St. Basin Flooding Photos:

Stanley-Roxbury-Newbury Typical Retention Pond Flooding.