“The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”
Thomas Paine, The Crisis
Observances were held at the National Iwo Jima Memorial on Monday, May 27th, the Memorial Day holiday, as part of this week’s activities to honor all men and women who served in the armed services and lost their lives in wars and conflicts throughout U.S. history.
On Thursday, May 30th, wreath-laying services will be held during the morning at New Britain’s monuments and the traditional Memorial Day Parade will kick off at 5 p.m.
8:00 am – General John Patterson Memorial on East/Allen Streets
8:30 am – Spanish American War Memorial at Willow Brook Park, 635 So. Main St.
8:45 am – Vietnam Memorial at Willow Brook Park, 635 South Main St.
9:15 am – Sherrod E. Skinner Memorial on Corbin Ave./Lincoln Street
9:45 am – Israel Putnam Stone at Walnut Hill Park
10:00 am – World War I Memorial Monument at Walnut Hill Park
10:30 am – General Casimir Pulaski Monument/General Tadeusz Kosciuszko Monument at Pulaski Park
11:00 am – Civil War, World War II, Korean and Vietnam Memorials at Central Park
11:30 am – 65th Infantry Regiment Park at Beaver Street, North Side (corner near LaSalle and Washington Streets and Farmington Avenue)
11:50 am – Belvidere Area World War II Memorial at Campbell Square, Stanley St/Hillcrest Ave.
12:15 pm – Captain Brian S. Letendre U.S.M.C. Memorial at Pendleton Road/Sunnyslope Drive
The National Iwo Jima Memorial was conceived and built by the Iwo Jima Survivors Association, led by Dr. George Gentile, a New Britain native and NB High School graduate who practiced dentistry in his native city.
According to the Iwo Jima Association: “On Feb 23, 1995 the monument was dedicated in memory of the 6,821 Americans who lost their lives on Iwo Jima. The names of the 100 Connecticut men who died are inscribed on the monument, and 100 flags are flown at the Park to commemorate their sacrifice.”
DPW Repaving Will Cover 23 Streets Starting June 17th
The City’s annual road paving program will resurface portions of 23 streets in the summer months, the Department of Public Works (DPW) announced.
Ward Four streets slated for work include Alexander Road from Miriam Road to Stanley Street and McClintock Street from LaSalle Street (in Ward Three) to Eddy Glover Boulevard.
The road work throughout the city begins June 17th and is expected to last approximately six to seven weeks. Officials say the rehabilitation work involves milling two inches off the top of existing pavement and then installing two inches of new pavement.
A total of $1,890,000 is appropriated for milling and paving this year with funding from state Road Aid, the Local Capital Improvement Program (LoCIP) and the city’s 1% for roads program.
Alexander Road from Stanley St to Miriam Road is slated for paving this summer.
The Table below shows all streets selected for rehabilitation by the Pavement Management Program for the city’s 165 miles of roadways. Once the paving begins in June residents may check for daily updates:
NEW BRITAIN – Residents of Ward Four will have an opportunity to meet with their Democratic City Aldermen on Saturday, May 18th, at 10 a.m. at Central Connecticut State University to discuss municipal and neighborhood issues, Democratic Council Majority Leader John McNamara (D-4) announced.
The constituent meeting will be held at CCSU’s Marcus White Hall in the Marcus White Living Room, 2nd Floor on the CCSU campus. McNamara and Ward 4 Alderman Neil Connors (D-4) will answer questions and address resident concerns.
An update on 2024-2025 municipal budget now under consideration will be provided. Other topics will include the 2024 street paving program, stormwater infrastructure and the FLUSH program, Batterson Park and traffic calming measures to curb speeding.
“Meeting regularly in the ward is a good way to get feedback from citizens on issues that city government can address,” said McNamara, who held his first constituent meeting in February. The meeting is open to all city residents.
Stanley Quarter Park
Ward 4 encompasses the neighborhoods near Central Connecticut State University and Stanley Quarter Park, extending to Farmington Avenue and out to Brittany Farms and Batterson Park. The ward includes the Saint Francis (12), Holmes School (13) and Pulaski School (14) voting districts.
For more information: John McNamara, 860-416-0665; john.mcnamara@newbritainct.govn
The Common Council will hold a Public Hearing on the Mayor’s Proposed General Fund Budget, Capital Improvement Program Budget and Special Revenue and Enterprise Funds Budget for the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers, 27 West Main Street.
Having received the Mayor’s proposed $269.5 million budget and a proposal for a 39.59 mill rate Common Council Democrats are working to adopt a budget plan that makes smarter investments in the community’s needs and minimizes the tax burden on working families and seniors after last year’s double-digit increases in property taxes.
The public hearing is an important part of the process for citizens to share their concerns, ideas and priorities about how the city will maintain essential services within the limits of anticipated revenues for the year that starts on July 1.
“Individuals seeking to join the public hearing remotely may join by calling 1-339-209-6176. The public may attend the hearing in person or view a live broadcast online via the livestream link: https://www.newbritainct.gov/meetings
For additional information
Contact Council Majority Leader John McNamara. 860-416-0665
This report is the second in a series to keep the community informed about Council business and to encourage public participation in city government from the perspective of the Council Democratic Majority Caucus.
The details of municipal purchasing, tax and and leasing agreements will be reported back to the Common Council in changes to city ordinances sought by Council Democrats.
New Britain Common Council Majority Caucus Update April 2024
At the April 10th Council meeting a resolution was approved requiring that signed lease agreements be reported back to the Common Council. Similarly, the Council’s Administration, Finance and Law subcommittee has advanced resolutions that will require the administration to provide contract details and the terms of tax agreements once they are signed. The Common Council approves winning bids for contracts, leases and tax abatements that are public information and authorizes the Mayor to negotiate and execute the terms. The intent of the transparency resolutions is to provide all members of the Council with the final details on major purchases, tax agreements and leases automatically.
Municipal Budget: Public Hearing Is April 23
Having received the Mayor’s proposed $269.5 million budget and 39.59 mill rate for the year that begins July 1st the Common Council begins its work to “adopt the capital and operating budgets of the City and the Board of Education” no later than June 5th. Between now and then Council Democrats’ priorities include an increased level of local support for education, building homeless prevention services’ capacity, addressing critical capital improvements and maintaining essential services within the limits of anticipated revenues.
The public will have the opportunity to weigh in on the new fiscal plan on April 23rd at 6 p.m. at a public hearing in Council Chambers. The budget proposal will then get a review with department heads at committee meetings on April 30th and May 1st to determine a final budget that will be sent to the Mayor.
Hearing from citizens on the 23rd and throughout the budget making process is essential to arriving at a budget that meets the community’s needs without a dollar wasted.
Addressing Reckless Driving, Speeding
Members of the Common Council have filed more than 20 petitions on speeding, pedestrian safety and traffic enforcement issues in residential neighborhoods since last November. The petitions prompt the Police Department to conduct traffic studies for possible remedies.
Assistant Majority Leader Iris Sanchez (D-3), for example, has filed recent petitions to address pedestrian safety issues on Brook Street near New Britain High School and on South Main Street where a resident of the School Apartments was seriously injured by an auto. It has been an ongoing issue for Alderwoman Sanchez who filed her first petition for a traffic light at the location back in 2018. In December, Alderwoman Wilma Barbosa (D-2) requested “speed humps or other speed reducing mechanisms” on the East Side over complaints that employees of a nearby company “drive aggressively in and out of the facility during the time school buses are picking up and dropping off children.”
At issue is the current policy that bars use of speed humps on all city streets. Last month Council President Francisco Santiago (D-5) petitioned to review the prohibition as reports of accidents, speeding and distracted driving increase in neighborhoods. The situation is putting new demands on the police for targeted enforcement on the city’s 170 miles of streets.
Council Democrats will work with the Administration and Republican alderpersons to consider a range of “traffic calming” strategies including speed humps, additional speed radar displays, raised crossroads or intersections, additional signage and neighborhood-based safety awareness campaigns.
Stormwater Trouble Spots
Engineering work is underway for two of the city’s trouble spots for stormwater and sewage system deterioration in the Overlook Avenue-McKinley Drive and Allen Street-Roxbury Road neighborhoods. Final design and project costs, according to the Department of Public Works (DPW), will be completed in the second half of 2024. Council Democrats continue to seek full funding from local, state and federal sources to expedite projects that have lingered on the city’s Capital Improvement list without action or funding for years.
Francisco Santiago (D-5) Council President Pro Tem
Twenty residents from the three voting districts in Ward 4 participated in the first constituent meeting of the term on February 10th organized by Alderman John McNamara.
The Saturday morning meeting held at Spottswood AME Zion Church on Crestwood Lane focused on neighborhood issues and a new municipal budget for the next fiscal year.
Planning for a new municipal budget begins this month at the Board of Finance and Taxation as city departments and the Board of Education submit their proposed plans for the 2024-25 fiscal year. The public is encouraged to weigh in on budget priorities at Common Council meetings and at a Common Council budget hearing to be held in April or May. A new budget will be adopted in June.
In door-to-door canvassing last fall Alderman McNamara said he heard residents’ concerns about flooding in the Roxbury Road area and other locations, education funding and the quality of schools, higher property tax bills and Batterson Park’s future.
NBC Connecticut
Meeting Summary:
Batterson Park Project: A final state study (See link below) has been submitted to the General Assembly that lists options and costs for the operation of Batterson Park. Residents Seth Cerone and Tobias Gummersbach expressed reservations about the proposed plans which include a paved walking path around the pond. Favored by the study is a public-private partnership that involves Hartford-based RiverFront Recapture with the City of Hartford retaining ownership. However, the Batterson Drive residents pointed to a number of concerns: Hartford has a record of neglecting Batterson (described as “benign neglect” in the study); aeration systems need to be installed to clean out bacteria if the park is ever to be restored for swimming; there are concerns about safety and liability issues for New Britain if a path impacting 19 homes on the southern side of the park is opened. The concern is that New Britain will be responsible for emergency services and trash pick ups at the park, which will add unintended expenses for the city. Alderman McNamara believes Batterson should become a state park as envisioned by House Speaker Matt Ritter, but given the Governor’s constraints on the state budget a state park nor the public-private option likely will not happen in the immediate future. Update: On February 9th the Legislature’s Environment Committee raised a concept for the drafting of a bill for “the operation and management of Batterson Park” in response to the completed DEEP report. A legislative hearing will be scheduled to consider the proposal.
Flooding and Stormwater, Sewage Mains: Citizen complaints led the city to commit $6 million in late 2023 to repair long neglected and dilapidated sewer and stormwater mains in the Allen Street and Overlook-McKinley Avenue areas. Residents Frank Chase, who organized his neighborhood, and Andrew Pope shared the conditions including possible loss of insurance and thousands of dollars in personal expenses. The Allen Street problem led to six floodings on Allen, Hampton, Newbury Eton Place, Brighton Street and Roxbury Road from last July through December. Engineering work is supposed to be completed by fall to issue bids for improvements. At issue now is securing the necessary funding for the improvements. Gayle Sanders Connelly (Stanley Street), a former Board of Education President, also said there are issues with water from the trail construction in her neighborhood including basement flooding.
Education : The Board of Education’s (BOE) proposed budget basically covers contractual obligations and results in the elimination of about 80 teacher assistant positions but will require additional local support to avoid further cuts. One time post-pandemic funding allowed the school district to scale up supports for students but it is going away this year. Board of Education Member and Ward 4 resident Diana Reyes pointed out that New Britain is third from the bottom in terms of local aid per student and that advocacy will be needed at the state and local (Council Budget Hearing) to make support for schools more of a priority than in past years. The BOE’s proposed budget and plan can be found in the link below.
Other issues:
Alderman McNamara said tax breaks for developers and businesses are necessary to spur development but that the city has not received enough community benefits for the 26-year abatements for luxury downtown housing granted in recent years.
Gayle Sanders Connelly and others said targeted communication (reverse 911s, alerts) is needed in neighborhoods when there is police activity and emergency public works activity is occurring.
Attendees at the meeting included former Alderman David DeFronzo and Democratic Town Committee Chair and former Alderman Chris Anderson.
Rev. Dr. Jonathon D. Counts and trustees Sam Simmons, Brian Simmons and Kemry Israel of Spottswood AME Zion Church were thanked for opening their Fellowship Hall for the meeting.
Another constituent meeting for Ward 4 will be held in May at a time and place to be announced.
Residents of New Britain’s Ward 4 will have an opportunity to discuss municipal issues and neighborhood concerns on Saturday, February 10, from 10 a.m. to noon at Spottswood A.M.E. Zion Church, 35 Crestwood Lane.
Ward 4 Alderman John McNamara, the Common Council Majority Leader, will host his first neighborhood meeting of the term to hear from residents and to provide an update on the city budget process and efforts to improve stormwater and sewer mains.
“I encourage citizens to join me for coffee and conversation. Meeting in the ward is a good way to get their perspectives on issues that city government can address,” said McNamara, who was elected last November to the Common Council and plans to hold seasonal meetings to encourage citizen participation in Ward 4
Ward 4 encompasses the neighborhoods near Central Connecticut State University extending to Farmington Avenue and out to Brittany Farms and Batterson Park. The ward includes the Saint Francis (12), Holmes School (13) and Pulaski School (14) voting districts.
For more information: John McNamara, 860-416-0665; john.mcnamara@newbritainct.gov
Hearing From Citizens Is Essential During Budget Process in 2024
January 12, 2024
Two months into a new term the new Democratic majority on the Common Council is working on key issues raised in last year’s municipal election and in responding to public concerns on housing and shelter for the unhoused, stormwater infrastructure and the status of the city audit.
Council Democrats are committed to making city government responsive and accountable and restoring a bipartisan approach to moving the city forward. Our progress will be based on policies and actions that can improve the well-being of all residents.
New Britain Common Council Majority Caucus Update
This monthly majority caucus report is the first to keep the community informed about Council business and to encourage public participation in city government at the Council and boards and commissions.
Housing and Shelter For The Unhoused: Higher rents, evictions and a shortage of affordable housing are creating increasing demands on under-funded shelters and support services for the unhoused in New Britain and the region. Compelling testimony from unhoused New Britain persons and advocates dominated public participation at the last two Council meetings. Council members have been assessing current capacity and responding individually. The Council will hold a special meeting January 23rd on city efforts and actions, as well as to consider “sustainable solutions and collaborative endeavors to combat homelessness.” Members of the Community Services Division and Department of Planning and Development will be participating. In addition, a bipartisan resolution drafted by Ald. Neil Connors (4) to create a subcommittee on housing and homelessness was referred to the Planning, Zoning and Housing Committee (PZH) chaired by Ald. Nate Simpson (1) on January 10. Introducing the resolution Ald. Connors said PZH will determine if the subcommittee can be beneficial to “avoid duplication of efforts, and to bring together all the ideas that community members and stakeholders have to improve the situation facing our unhoused fellow residents.”
Stormwater Infrastructure: In response to a public outcry from two neighborhoods last fall repeatedly flooded from heavy rains, the prior Common Council committed $6 million in funds for the repair of undersized and deteriorated stormwater and sewer mains in the Allen Street-Hampton-Roxbury Road and Overlook and McKinley Avenue neighborhoods. Citizen action led by Frank and Sharon Chase and others prodded the city to authorize funds. Although identified for improvements over at least 10 years and problems that go back 30 years, start dates have been repeatedly delayed because of funding issues and use of available funds for other purposes. The delays have continued to take a financial and personal toll on residents experiencing basement flooding and property damages. In November and December the Common Council authorized $161,200 for Public Works’ on-call engineering work for final designs before the projects can begin. These are small but important steps toward the city — working with state and federal governments — to put storm water system upgrades at the top of the capital improvement list and to accelerate green infrastructure practices to sustain homes and neighborhoods.
City AuditStatus: A resolution to re-establish a Council audit subcommittee was favorably recommended by the Administration, Finance and Law Committee (AFL) on January 3rd for Council approval at the January 24th meeting. The audit sub-committee, adhering to state law that says the Council is the “appointing authority” for auditors, will review and approve “all items relating to the selection of an independent auditor for the City of New Britain.” The AFL Committee will also review the findings of the delayed 2022 audit that was not available until mid-December. Consequently, the 2023 audit, due on December 31st, will be delayed. Progress by the Finance Department will be monitored on correcting weaknesses that led to delay and non-compliance.
The City Budget For 2025: In June the Common Council will adopt a municipal budget for the year that begins July 1, 2024 that will maintain essential services and set new priorities. Last year’s record property tax increases were a reminder that the task of arriving at a fiscally responsible plan that addresses community needs will be as challenging as ever.
The budget process begins this month with city departments and the Board of Education proposing their expenditures. The Board of Finance and Taxation will hold hearings in February on the proposed budgets and will send recommendations for operating expenses, capital improvements and the tax rate to the Mayor. By April 10th the Mayor’s Proposed Budget will go to the Common Council. The Council will schedule a public hearing in April. After its review the Council will adopt the budget on June 5th and send it to the Mayor.
Through every step of the budget-making process hearing from citizens at public participation will be essential to arriving at a fair budget that meets the community’s needs without a dollar wasted in the new fiscal year.
Francisco Santiago, President Pro Tempore, John McNamara, Majority Leader and Iris Sanchez, Assistant Majority Leader
New Britain Alderman John McNamara 