Allen St. Problem-Project: Mayor Stewart and Candidate Beloin-Saavedra Are Still $6M Short for the Allen St. Project. Our Taxpayers and Flooding Victims Deserve Better Than This!

Updated 10-7-25 Presentation #46: 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 Taxpayers and Residents
City and State Officials

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So we are clear, the City of New Britain’s bond ratings are: Moody’s Positive, Fitch Positive, S&P Stable. These bond ratings give New Britain the ability to receive favorable financing at competitive interest rates, in order to invest in projects to improve the quality of life for our taxpayers. These projects include upgrades for compromised storm-sewer-sanitary infrastructure systems.

So we are clear… Mayor Stewart and Candidate Beloin-Saavedra continue to penalize all of our taxpayers in New Britain by allowing the compromised Allen St. Storm-Sewer-Sanitary Infrastructure to flood our neighborhoods in Ward 4, and by increasing our expensive water pumping and treatment costs, an additional tax on ALL of us, which many of us are unaware of.

We are forced by Stewart-Beloin-Saavedra to live in “third world” flooding and sanitary back-up conditions while they blame the State for not providing the shortfall financing. Governor Lamont and State Representative Bobby Sanchez were instrumental in providing $2M in State Bonding to the City for the Allen St. Project.

Since Stewart-Beloin-Saavedra have the cash on hand and the favorable financing options to fund these essential taxpayer services, “Why do they refuse to Fully Fund and Construct the Allen St. Project?”.

The Allen St. Project is the sole responsibility of our City Officials including Stewart-Beloin-Saavedra. Could Stewart-Beloin-Saavedra be delaying the Allen St. Project for political gain blaming democrats for these delays to unfairly influence our voters?

It seems that bad behavior has been accepted by our local republican political operatives. Days before the 2023 elections, Stewart and Dorsey approved and confirmed a $4M transfer from the General Fund to Public Works for the Allen St. Project. The documentation is attached. It proved to be a contrived, phony transfer. This appears to be another example of political manipulation to unfairly influence our voters.

After Stewart and her Allies’ 12 years of neglect and mismanagement, we demand immediate City Bonding for the $6M Allen St. Project shortfall. We demand the construction bidding process to start immediately! We demand the construction work to start in early spring 2026 or sooner for the 24 month Allen St. Project.

So we are clear: Here is the excerpt from Mayor Stewart’s follow-up letter to State Reps. Napoli and Piscopo regarding the State’s Bonding Requirements for the Allen St. Project, “It was reported back to me that in order for the City to receive ANY State of CT bond dollars for the Allen St. Project, the Bonding Commission would request that there be financial support from the City of approximately 30% of the total project cost.”

No mention of any specific dollar amounts from the State Bonding Commission and certainly there was no indication that the State Bonding Commission would cover the entire Allen St. Project shortfall. See the attached letter; Allen St. Funding. We are certain this will resolve any possible confusion created by Candidate Beloin-Saavedra.

So we are clear: Over the past 30 years we’ve had 10 years with democratic mayor’s and 20 years with republican mayor’s, including the past 12 years on Stewart’s watch. In 2012, Mayor O’Brien-D responsibly initiated the Cardinal Engineering Plan for the Allen St. Problem with an estimated cost of nearly $7M. In 2013, Stewart took office and chose to ignore Mayor O’Brien’s Allen St. Plan. The 2025 updated Shovel Ready Cardinal Engineering Plan for Allen St. with approvals will total nearly $15M. See this attachment.

More facts are noted below, items 1-15:

1) Per Mayor Stewart… “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.”

2) Per Mayor Stewart… “The Allen St. Problem is a definite hazard we hope to mitigate.”

3) Over the past 12 years, hundreds of millions of earmark free dollars have been funneled to Mayor Stewart from our State and Federal Partners. In 2025 alone, per State Senator Lopes, our State Legislators have delivered $151M to Mayor Stewart… However, not one dollar of this money was used to fully fund and construct the Allen St. Project. Stewart-Beloin-Saavedra are still $6M short for the Allen St. Project!

4) Stewart-Beloin-Saavedra are sitting on a $19M surplus in the General Fund. Not one dollar has been used to fully fund and construct the Allen St. Project. Stewart-Beloin-Saavedra are still $6M short for the Allen St. Project!

5) There have been 13 Floods since 2018… 50+ properties and structures are all at risk. So we are clear, this severe flooding qualifies us for flood insurance which we pay for in this supposedly flood free neighborhood, because of 30 years of neglect and mismanagement by our City Officials, including 12 years on Mayor Stewart’s watch.

6) Contaminants in the flooding water include bacteria, fecal matter, fats, motor oil, grease, etc. The compromised Allen St. Storm-Sewer System creates an open-air cesspool on Allen St. and in the surrounding neighborhoods during these flooding events.

7) Inflow and Infiltration (I&I) refers to the entry of groundwater and stormwater into antiquated sanitary sewer systems. Mayor Stewart has identified outdated engineering practices known as “cross connections” on Allen St., which funnels storm water directly into the sewage system. Per APX10 Consultants: “It is estimated that I&I costs US Cities around $100B annually”.

8) The I&I and the cross connections on Allen St. needlessly increases the water volume treated at the Mattabassett Plant. This costs all New Britain Taxpayers more money to pump and treat this excessive water, which most taxpayers are unaware of. New Britain was connected to Mattabassett in 1976. How many taxpayer water treatment dollars have been needlessly lost over the decades? Our Taxpayers deserve better than this!

9) Now factor in the costs associated with overflows, basement flooding, private property damage & mitigation, litigation, regulatory penalties, environmental degradation, public health concerns, band-aid repairs, etc. when our outdated and undersized storm-sewer systems are pushed beyond their limits. In total, untold taxpayer dollars are wasted, which most taxpayers are unaware of. Our Taxpayers deserve better than this!

10) When the contaminated water recedes and during dry spells, the taxpayers and residents in Ward 4 are conveniently forgotten by our City Officials. To date, Stewart and her allies have failed to Fully Fund and Construct the stand alone Allen St. Project.

11) The cause and effect of the neglected and mismanaged Allen St. Problem has been clearly identified. In 2023, Weston-Sampson Engineers declared: “The Allen St. Project must be a priority because the infrastructure is at crisis levels.” The Allen St. Plan is Shovel Ready; Fully Fund and Construct the Allen St. Project now. It appears the Allen St. Project is stalled in political mischief created by Stewart-Beloin-Saavedra!

12) From 1995 to 2025, our City Officials chose to kick the Allen St. Project down the road allowing the system to deteriorate further. Mayor Stewart calls the Allen St. Problem a “definite hazard” and calls the Allen St. Project “our most pressing need”. The experts have weighed in, “The Allen St. Storm-Sewer-Sanitary Infrastructure is at crisis levels”.

13) Our quality of life continues to suffer and our safety continues to be in harm’s way. Candidate Beloin- Saavedra’s dishonest spin and callous take on the Allen St. Problem which adversely effects the taxpayers and residents in Ward 4 is unacceptable. Mayor Stewart has the authority to correct these hazardous conditions which she has refused to do. It is Mayor Stewart’s sworn responsibility to protect and serve her taxpayers and residents in Ward 4. She continues to fail all of us.

14) We have closely monitored the Stewart-Beloin-Saavedra behavior pattern for 2 years. Their caustic spin occurs when they are called out for neglecting and mismanaging the Allen St. Project. As Stewart has demonstrated with her behavior, we will have more of the same with Beloin-Saavedra, better known as Stewart 2.0.

15) We have debunked all of Stewart-Beloin-Saavedra’s talking points. There is no more time for fabricated deflections, delay tactics, fuzzy math, phony transfers, political distractions and theatre from our City Officials. The experts have weighed in, “The Allen St. Storm-Sewer-Sanitary Infrastructure is at Crisis Levels”. Candidate Beloin-Saavedra erroneously calls all of this a “false narrative”.

Enough is Enough! Vote for honest, smart, responsible, experienced leadership for New Britain. As Independents, we endorse the Democratic Team; Bobby Sanchez for Mayor and his Slate of Candidates including John McNamara and Luz Ortiz-Luna in Ward 4 for the benefit of all New Britain taxpayers and residents.

Thank you.

F&S Chase
Stay Informed…Better Yet Get Involved!

For more information visit: https://newbritainprogressive.com/category/neighborhood-flooding/ or call Frank Chase at 860-989-7205