Tag: Batterson Park

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.

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.

Links and References

Link to Common Council Schedule and Meetings

Batterson Park Study January 24 2024 (CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection)

Board of Education 2024-2025 budget plan (January 2024)

For more information:

John McNamara 860-416-0665 john.mcnamara@newbritainct.gov