Presentation #36. This updated record is being shared regarding the status of our neighborhood's storm-sewer-sanitary system and the City and State responses

All of our recent flooding updates and narratives with photos, video interviews, documents, etc. are published on-line in the New Britain Progressive’s “Flooding Series”. Listen to and view our City Council Presentations on the City Web-Site… Go to newbritainct.gov. Click on government, common council, videos.

To: Our Neighborhood Flooding and Sanitary Back-Up Victims, Concerned Residents and Taxpayers, City and State Officials:

As Alderperson Saavedra recently noted, look at all the progress the city council has made thus far, we have amassed $6M for the Allen St. Project. The REALITY is… Stewart’s regime is still $8M short. Saavedra failed to mention that the updated final engineering plan with the required approvals are in-place for the Allen St. Project because of Alderperson McNamara and Director Moriarty’s collective efforts.

Mayor Stewart has noted during her 12 year reign, that the Allen St. Project is our most pressing need. Stewart’s efforts with the Allen St. Project have come up short and we are still flooding with sanitary back-ups and breaks.

We provided you with a simplified version of our recent presentation to the New Britain Claims Committee. The committee rejected our mitigation and rehabilitation claim because it did not fit into their narrow interpretation of a loss/injury. Our mitigation efforts were found unworthy for a suitable reimbursement from the city.

We stepped up to protect, restore and preserve our property and structures. Our City Officials have neglected and ignored the Allen St. Problem. Now we want our City Officials to step up and reimburse us for our mitigation costs. We are making our best effort to limit and minimize our losses. Our City Officials have NOT stopped the flooding and the sanitary back-ups!

After 30 years, our City Officials have refused to prioritize, fully fund and construct the Allen St. Project. If and when the funding is completed, we are looking at the very least 2-3 years or more of flooding. The actual construction will be 18-24 months. Remember, when the flooding water recedes and during dry spells, the residents and taxpayers in the Belvedere Section of Ward 4 are conveniently forgotten by our City Officials.

Sharon and I will continue with our advocacy campaign to Prioritize, Fully Fund and Construct the Allen St Project. Stewart’s Regime has decided to penalize Sharon and I because we have shined a bright light on our elected officials including Erin Stewart and because we have chosen to mitigate our property from the compromised Allen St. System to avoid more losses, injury and mental anguish. Erin Stewart is responsible for this ongoing fiasco.

Thank you.

F&S Chase

June 4, 2025

Claims Committee: Simplified Version

In December 2023, Mayor Stewart advised us, feel free to criticize the way I spend the taxpayer’s money. Per Stewart’s invitation, we have stepped up to voice our opinions regarding Stewart’s priorities and fiscal behavior.

Mayor Stewart has failed us again…She is $8M short for the Allen St. Project. We have clearly shown that this mayor has neglected and mismanaged the Allen St. Storm-Sewer-Sanitary Problem with the related flooding, sanitary back-ups and breaks for 12 years since she took office in 2013.

Remember… our neighborhood, block and property are NOT in a designated flood zone. The contaminants in the flooding water include a toxic mix of bacteria, fecal matter, fats, motor oil, grease, etc.

The cause and effect is obvious. As Mayor Stewart has noted since 2013, “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.”

Mayor Stewart also identified storm-sewer cross connections on Allen St. contributing to this public health crisis. As Mayor Pawlak noted in 1997; You don’t want storm water infiltrating the sewage system because it needlessly increases the volume treated at the plant. It costs all New Britain taxpayers more money and the excessive storm water strains and overwhelms the plant.

As we all know, all of these problems continue to this day. There is something wrong in this City when City Officials allow a neighborhood in the Belvedere Section of Ward 4 to deteriorate over 30 years because of an outdated, malfunctioning infrastructure system further penalizing all of the taxpayers in New Britain.

Weston-Sampson Engineers declared in 2023, “The Allen St. Project must be a priority because the infrastructure is at CRISIS LEVELS.” To date, Mayor Stewart has refused to prioritize, fully fund and construct the Allen St. Project.

The effect is 13 floods since 2018 (the year we started tracking the floods) with many sanitary back-ups and breaks. The photos you have seen clearly show the impact these floods are having in our neighborhood, block and property. During these flooding events, our neighborhood turns into an open air cesspool similar to what you’d find in a 3rd world country. Our City Officials have successfully dehumanized our living conditions.

We voice our opinion and we put our money where our mouth is. We made the effort to protect, restore and preserve our property and structures. Over 12 years, Stewart has NOT protected, restored and preserved our neighborhood.

We had no choice, we waited long enough… 30 YEARS for our City Officials to resolve the flooding issues in our neighborhood. We moved forward with a mitigation and rehabilitation plan to protect, restore and preserve our property and structures (basement, garage, house, yard, driveway).

The specialized contractors who viewed our flooding photos and learned about our flooding circumstances, responded, “Have the City correct their storm-sewer problem…THEN CALL US!”.

As we all know, the City has NOT corrected the cause of the flooding. We have been waiting for 30 years, including 12 years on Mayor Stewart’s watch. Thankfully, Rudy Lopez, from RL Construction (a New Britain based firm) stepped up and made the effort to plan and construct our required mitigation and rehabilitation upgrades.

We presented our case for reimbursements from the City for our mitigation and rehabilitation costs. As responsible property owners, tax payers and as flooding victims, our flooding circumstances are beyond our control. We were forced to make this effort with our limited resources to protect, restore and preserve our property and structures.

We factored in the groundwater infiltration, inflows and soil saturation with the Allen St. System flooding (13 floods since 2018) and with the Allen St. Project full funding and construction in doubt for years into the future. Based on all of these facts, we completed our warranted mitigation and rehabilitation plan intending to limit and minimize our losses.

Over the years, Mayor Stewart received hundreds of millions of earmark free dollars from our State and Federal Partners. As Stewart noted over these years, the Allen St. Project is our MOST PRESSING NEED! However, she refused to allocate any of this State and Federal money to fully fund the Allen St. Project. After spending all of this free money, Stewart is asking the state to bail her out again.

The record is clear, we were forced to protect, restore and preserve our property and structures because our City Officials have failed to fulfill their duty and responsibility to upgrade the compromised Allen St. System protecting our neighborhood, block and property from the resulting flooding.

Folks are leaving our neighborhood and property investors are disgruntled because of the callous infrastructure neglect in the Belvedere Section of Ward 4. Our quality of life continues to suffer, our safety continues to be in harm’s way and 50+ properties and structures are at risk.

There is no more time for fabricated deflections and deceptive talking points from our City Officials. Bottomline… Our City Officials have FAILED us and continue to FAIL all of us, the flooding victims in the Belvedere Section of Ward 4.

Thank you.

F&S Chase