Our Taxpayers Deserve Better Than This: Mayor Stewart Comes Up Short Again. What Is Stewart's Back-Up Plan? Where Is The Money?

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.

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

UPDATED 8-20-25 PRESENTATION #40: This updated record is being shared regarding the status of our neighborhood’s storm-sewer-sanitary system and the City and State responses.

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

Mayor Stewart released her 2025 List of Projects in her Annual Message. The list included NB-FLUSH, Parks, Housing, Infrastructure, etc. Nothing was mentioned about the Allen St. Storm-Sewer-Sanitary Project. Mayor Stewart is still $6M short for the Allen St. Project.

1) The Allen St. System serves 177 acres (per Cardinal Engineering) of developed, congested, commercial and residential properties. Intense rainfall inflows and infiltrates our compromised, underground infrastructure which floods and saturates our land. This flooding easily overwhelms our antiquated and undersized storm-sewer system and retention pond.

2) Our section of this acreage (50+ properties and structures) receives the brunt of the contaminated flooding water along with the sanitary back-ups and breaks. The elevated terrain in our area surges the uncontrolled flood water through our properties.

3) 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. Our neighborhood resembles a primitive third world country during these flooding events because of this malfunctioning Allen St. storm-sewer-sanitary infrastructure. Our taxpayers deserve better than this.

4) The compromised Allen St. Storm-Sewer System creates an open air cesspool on Allen St. and in the surrounding neighborhoods. Our properties are the TOILET BOWLS-CATCH BASINS where all of the contaminated flooding water gathers waiting for the rain events to end before receding. This is unacceptable, shameful and scandalous.

5) Water tables rise and flood water infiltrates and saturates our land. The resulting increased underground water pressure threatens our foundations and slabs. Factor in the related HIDDEN underground soil erosion, settling, shifting and potential sink holes, our foundations and slabs are at further risk. Our quality of life continues to suffer… Our taxpayers deserve better than this.

6) In 1995, Director Carilli determined with his engineers that the Allen St. Storm-Sewer System requires upgrades.

7) From 1995 to 2025, the record clearly shows how the Allen St. Problem has grown from a localized, small storm-sewer back-up to the neighborhood wide storm-sewer-sanitary flooding emergency that it is today.

8) Over the past 30 years, City Officials chose to kick the Allen St. Project down the road allowing the system to deteriorate further. City Official neglect and mismanagement has carried the day regarding the Allen St. Project. Flooding apprehension and distress are real health issues for all flooding and sanitary back-up and break victims. Our quality of life continues to suffer… Our taxpayers deserve better than this.

9) In 1997, Mayor Pawlak noted that we don’t want storm water infiltrating the sewage system because it needlessly increases the water volume treated at the Mattabassett Plant. This costs all New Britain taxpayers more money and the excessive storm water strains and overwhelms the Mattabassett Plant. New Britain connected to Mattabassett in 1976. HOW MANY WATER TREATMENT DOLLARS HAVE BEEN NEEDLESSLY WASTED OVER THE DECADES? Our taxpayers deserve better than this.

10) In 2012, Mayor O’Brien responsibly initiated the Cardinal Engineering Plan for the Allen St. Problem with an estimated cost of nearly $7M.

11) In 2013, Mayor Stewart took office and chose to ignore Mayor O’Brien’s Allen St. Plan. The 2025 updated Cardinal Engineering Plan for Allen St. with approvals will total nearly $15M.

12) Cardinal Engineers are the experts when it comes to challenging, municipal storm-sewer-sanitary upgrades. The Allen St. Upgrades/Improvements covers approximately 0.7 miles of Allen St. from Oak St. to Beacon St.

Here are some of the required long overdue Upgrades/Improvements:

New 54″ to 66″ storm mains will be installed to replace the existing 24″ storm main from Dixon to Beacon.
The sanitary sewer main will be upgraded from a 12″ pipe to a 24″ pipe.
2500′ of existing 100 year old water main will be replaced.
Streetscape improvements include; trees, sidewalks, curbing, pavement, etc.

13) Through the years 2013-2025, Mayor Stewart described the Allen St. Project this way; “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.”

14) Mayor Stewart also identified the antiquated storm-sewer cross connections on Allen St. These cross connections funnel storm water into the sewage system. THESE CROSS CONNECTIONS AND THE INFILTRATION NOTED BY MAYOR PAWLAK NEEDLESSLY COST ALL NEW BRITAIN TAXPAYERS MORE MONEY. Our taxpayers deserve better than this.

15) In 2018, Mayor Stewart refused our invitations (multiple times) to walk our neighborhood with us. Our lingering questions went unanswered, for example: “Do we need to upgrade the underground system along Allen St.?” STEWART and her REGIME went silent. Our taxpayers deserve better than this.

16) We had 3 floods in 2018, the year we started tracking the flooding. Stewart wrote in her memos; “Allen St. is a definite hazard we hope to mitigate”. A true leader must possess the WILL to complete the required mitigation upgrades on behalf of their constituents. As we have noted, Stewart knew in 2013 that the Allen St. System was compromised. Writing memos does not get the job done. Our taxpayers deserve better than this.

17) When the contaminated flooding water recedes, and during DRY SPELLS, the taxpayers and residents in the Belvedere Section of Ward 4 are conveniently forgotten by our City Officials. Our taxpayers deserve better than this.

18) 6 floods occurred in 2023 and 4 more in 2024. 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. Our quality of life continues to suffer… Our taxpayers deserve better than this.

19) Over the past 12 years, hundreds of millions of earmark free dollars have been funneled to Mayor Stewart from our State and Federal Partners. Not One Dollar was used to fully fund and construct the Allen St. Project. Our quality of life continues to suffer… Our taxpayers deserve better than this.

20) Once again, Mayor Stewart expects the State to bail her out. We have learned that our State Officials have offered a $2M grant in aid which we are grateful for. Mayor Stewart you are still $6M short for the Allen St. Project. Our quality of life continues to suffer… Our taxpayers deserve better than this. What is your back-up plan? Where is the money?

21) Our City Officials have neglected and mismanaged the Allen St. Problem for over 30 years including 12 years on Mayor Stewart’s watch. Again, Mayor Stewart has noted during her years in office; “The Allen St. Project Is Our Most Pressing Need and Allen St. is a definite hazard.” Meanwhile, the flooding will continue with sanitary back-ups and breaks, and our quality of life will continue to suffer.

22) Along with thousands of extra water treatment dollars that our taxpayers have unknowingly paid out over the decades because of storm water infiltration and cross connections, we must include the thousands of dollars spent to repair the antiquated Allen St. storm-sewer-sanitary failures. Also, factor in the expensive updates to our aging Allen St. engineering plans and the reimbursements to our flooding victims for their damage claims.

23) In total, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent needlessly. This does not include the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent by us and our neighbors to mitigate our properties hoping to avoid future catastrophic losses due to the flooding and sanitary back-ups. All of this is out of our control. OUR CITY OFFICIALS REFUSE TO REIMBURSE US FOR THESE MITIGATION EXPENSES. Meanwhile, our quality of life continues to suffer… Our taxpayers deserve better than this.

24) Because of City Official neglect and mismanagement, millions more dollars are now needed to construct the Allen St. Project in today’s dollars vs. 2013 dollars. All of this is fiscally irresponsible behavior with ongoing neglect. Meanwhile, our quality of life continues to suffer… Our taxpayers deserve better than this.

25) The cause and effect because of the neglected Allen St. Problem is clearly identified. Whether one home is flooding due to compromised infrastructure systems, or 50 properties or 100 properties, each case requires the maximum effort and full funding from our City Officials for these long overdue upgrades. Our quality of life continues to suffer… Our taxpayers deserve better than this.

26) We have debunked all of Stewart’s Allen St. talking points. There is no more time for fabricated deflections, delay tactics, fuzzy math, phony transfers and political distractions from our City Officials.

27) As we have clearly shown, Mayor Stewart has failed us and continues to fail all of us, the flooding and sanitary back-up and break victims in the Belvedere Section of Ward 4 and all of the taxpayers in New Britain. Our taxpayers deserve better than this.

28) After 13 floods over the past 7 years, the 2025 Allen St. Plan is ready to go. Mayor Stewart: PRIORITIZE, FULLY FUND and START CONSTRUCTION of the Allen St. Project NOW. Mayor Stewart, you report a General Fund Surplus of $34.9M, with $9.9M assigned and $25M UNASSIGNED. You are $6M short for Allen St. Step up and fully fund the Allen St. Project for the benefit of all New Britain taxpayers.

Our Taxpayers deserve better than this; Our quality of life continues to suffer, our safety continues to be in harm’s way and 50+ properties and structures are all at risk.

Thank you.

Frank and Sharon Chase