Activists Organizing Neighborhood Call to Action Meeting 1-4-25 on Allen Street Drainage Improvement Project

I am Frank Chase. My wife Sharon and I have been leading the advocacy campaign for the long over due Allen St. Storm-Sewer System Upgrades since September of 2023. We live at 24 Roxbury Road.

All of our recent flooding updates and narratives with photos and documents are published on-line in the New Britain Progressive’s “Flooding Series“.

To all of those skeptics and arm chair quarterbacks out there, one of Mayor Stewart’s closest associates sent a note to us with this statement; “Again, I appreciate and respect your advocacy efforts”.

Allen Street Project: Saving Our Neighborhood

Because of our advocacy efforts we know the following:

1) The Allen St. Storm-Sewer System serves 177 acres of developed, congested, residential neighborhoods. Intense rainfall easily overwhelms this compromised, outdated, and undersized storm-sewer system and the retention pond. Our particular section of this acreage receives the brunt of the contaminated flooding water.

2) Our city officials have known about the compromised, outdated and undersized Allen St. Storm-Sewer System for 30 years.

3) For 30 years our elected and appointed officials have neglected and mismanaged the Allen St. Problem allowing the system to deteriorate further.

4) Our city officials chose to conceal this inconvenient truth from us. Meanwhile, our city officials all agree that the overdue Allen St. Upgrade is our most pressing need.

5) The current mayor wrote, 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 continue to flood.

6) The 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. The mayor and her experts have clearly identified the cause. Now we must stop the flooding, sanitary back-ups and breaks.

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.

7) Over the years, 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 by our local officials. Now we are demanding our fair share to stop the storm-sewer flooding, sanitary back-ups and breaks in our neighborhoods. We have been too quiet too long while our neighborhoods and properties continue to flood with contaminated water.

8) For those football enthusiasts out there we are now in the red zone. Meaning we can close this deal but we need your help to cross the goal line. The blocking and tackling is almost complete. We now need to press our state and local officials into action on our behalf.

9) Send e-mails to your state and local officials detailing your personal experiences because of the compromised Allen St. Storm-Sewer System flooding, sanitary back-ups and breaks. Attend City Council Meetings with prepared remarks describing your property losses, expenses and inconveniences. Attend State Bonding Commission meetings with your prepared remarks. This is not a one and done effort. We need all of you to step up to make sure our collective voices are heard.

10) E-mails:

Governor Ned Lamont’s Chief of Staff Brokman [email protected]

Representative Jahana Hayes’ Chief of Staff Lupo [email protected]

State Legislators:

Ritter [email protected]
Lopes [email protected]
Piscopo [email protected]
Napoli [email protected]
B. Sanchez [email protected]
M. Sanchez [email protected]
Turco [email protected]
DeFronzo (Elect) [email protected]

Mayor Erin Stewart and Chief of Staff Dorsey [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Majority Leader McNamara [email protected]

New Britain City Council Alderpersons

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

Per Director of Public Works Mark Moriarty the bid ready-shovel ready-shovel worthy plan for the Allen St. Project Phase 2 will be available by April 1, 2025. Now we must FUND and CONSTRUCT! We need your help to get the job done for the benefit of all.

Thank you.

F&S Chase

Allen St. Basin Flooding Photos:

Stanley-Roxbury-Newbury Typical Retention Pond Flooding.