News Analysis
Speedbumps and Speedhumps Work – Will New Britain make residents’ Safety a priority?
The Board of Public Works of the city of New Britain issued in June 2023 a policy banning the use of speed bumps and humps on city streets. While the policy statement claims to place “high priority on reducing accidents and injuries and increasing safety on its road network” it claims that, for many communities, […]
Stewart Budget Leaves Schools With Less Local Funding After Inflation
The level of local operating funding New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart (R) has proposed in her budget for the upcoming year appears to leave city schools more than $2 million less, after inflation, than the city’s funding for the current year. Stewart’s budget would increase overall city spending by $3.7 million. But a small fraction […]
Bill For “Precise” Wording On City Charter Referendums Gets Hearing
New Britain Lawmakers, League of Women Voters Back Fair Ballot Questions By John McNamara Legislation to ensure specific wording on local referendum questions has been proposed for a second year at the Connecticut General Assembly’s Government Administration and Elections Committee (GAE). The GAE Committee will consider House Bill 5494 that would establish “standards” for city […]
Rebuttal to Mayor Stewart’s Comments Flooding Concerns In New Britain
1) Mayor Stewart noted; the city has applied for numerous grants and requested funding through our state delegation yearly for the last 10 years and so far, we have not been successful in it being awarded. 2) Mayor Stewart noted; there is no construction budget allocated for the Allen St. Project right now because it […]
Is spending $2.7 million on a Reception Pavilion at Stanley Golf Course Justified?
The February 28 New Britain Common Council meeting has an agenda item requesting the Common Council to approve funding an installation of a reception pavilion in the New Britain-owned golf course for $2,698,000 by Diversity Construction Group LLC of Wallingford, CT. While a reception pavilion at the golf course would provide a location to host […]
Critical Neighborhood Flooding Update: City Council Meeting 2-28-24
Get Involved. Stay Informed. Attend the City City Council Meetings and the Board of Finance and Taxation Meetings…OUR VOICES MUST BE HEARD! This updated record is being shared regarding the status of our neighborhood’s storm-sewer systems and State-City responses. Our concerns need to be given the highest priority. Our quality of life is suffering and […]
The Renaissance Of The Dual Language Program At Diloreto School
It was 2012 and the major item on the New Britain School Board meeting agenda was the closure of the dual language program at Diloreto school. Superintendent Kelt Cooper with the support of the president of the school board Sharon Saavedra were proposing to replace a popular program that allowed the children of Diloreto K-8 […]
Early Voting Beginning in New Britain
Following new Connecticut state law early voting in Connecticut will be provided beginning with the April 2nd, 2024 presidential primaries. In a memo to the New Britain Common Council for its February 14, 2024 meeting, Peter Gostlin and Lucian Pawlak the Republican and Democratic registrars of voters recommended that The New Britain Senior Center on […]
Critical Neighborhood Flooding Update: Board of Public Works Meeting 2-5-24.
An open letter from Frank and Sharon Chase To: City OfficialsDate: February 5, 2024 Dear Elected and Appointed City Officials: These “vital details”(substance vs. talking points) will help you better understand our focused efforts to correct the ongoing flooding in our neighborhoods. The neglect and mismanagement we have uncovered has been occurring in public view […]
New Sex Education Program Will Tackle High Teenage Pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Infections in New Britain
New Britain has the second highest teenage pregnancy in Connecticut according to the Connecticut Department of Health, with 24.3 pregnant teens per 1000 women ages 15-19 and is also 8th in the state in Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI). In the October 16, 2023 New Britain school Board Curriculum Committee meeting, Lara Bohike, the District 6-12 […]
Ten New Britain Schools Need Major Renovations in 10 Years – A New Report Suggests
On the January 8th 2024 Consolidated School District of New Britain Board meeting, the board heard a report titled “Facility Condition Assessment & Energy Audit” prepared by Bureau Veritas. In the current buildings’ conditions only Holmes Elementary was not classified as “well maintained” but as in “functional conditions.” Holmes Elementary School was original constructed in […]
Critical Neighborhood Flooding Update: 1-16-24
By Frank and Sharon Chase The following is a recent message sent to city officials. This updated record is being shared regarding the status of our neighborhood’s storm-sewage systems and city-state responses. Our concerns need to be given the highest priority. When the flooding water recedes we are forgotten by our city officials. To our […]
Martin Luther King and the Economic and Social Bill of Rights
By Tim O’Brien Editor’s note: The following commentary is a republication of an article originally published personally by the author in 2014. This weekend, our nation, state and communities celebrate and remember the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his accomplishments. It is a time when I have always felt inspired by his work, […]
Critical Neighborhood Flooding Update: 1-9-24
By Frank and Sharon Chase This updated record is being shared regarding the status of our neighborhood’s storm-sewage systems and city-state responses. Our concerns need to be given the highest priority. When the flooding water recedes we are forgotten by our city officials: Back in the mid 90’s, PW Director Joe Carilli wrote to my […]
New Britain Ranks Low for Tree Canopy Cover: What are the Consequences and What Could be Done?
A 2013 report “New Britain Urban Forest” prepared for the City of New Britain by the Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency (CCRPA) found that New Britain has one of the lowest tree canopies comparing to other cities in Connecticut. While Connecticut cities had an average tree canopy of 49% and overall town coverage average of […]
A Narrative: Tax Payer Debt, Funding, Storm Drainage and Sanitary Systems
By Frank and Sharon Chase, 1) Tax Payer Debt Reaches $325M as reported in the NBP 12-23-23: Over time, New Britain mayors have tried to avoid mill rate increases and higher taxes in the belief it would be fatal to their re-election efforts… Meanwhile, they simply “kick the can down the road” disregarding future fiscal […]
There is a large Gap between New Britain municipality employee diversity and the diversity of the City’s Population
According to WalletHub report New Britain has the 30th most diverse population among all cities in the United States. The diversity measure includes ethnic diversity, ethno-racial diversity, linguistic diversity, and birthplace diversity. Within these categories, New Britain stands out as 12th in the nation in language diversity (https://wallethub.com/edu/cities-with-the-most-and-least-ethno-racial-and-linguistic-diversity/10264). According to the census, New Britain’s racial/ethnic […]
Police Blotter Data Appears to Show Many Latinos as White
Police blotter lists published by the city appear show list most Latinos arrested as white, listing ‘race’ but not ethnicity. The police blotter lists published by the city that have this demographic information appear to show that 73% of the people arrested in the periods covered by these reports were white and 27% were Black. […]
Flooding in New Britain – The Role of the Shrinking Permeable Spaces
This year flooding hit New Britain hard. Flooding has been experienced in Roxbury Rd, Newberry Street, Allen Street, Overlook Ave, and McKinley Drive causing residents to speak in front of the common council demanding solutions. But flooding is by no means new in New Britain. The most susceptible area for flooding in New Britain is […]
Housing Insecurity in New Britain a Growing Problem That Needs to be Addressed
In September 2021 the US department of Housing and Urban Development awarded $2.2 million to the city of New Britain for a new grant called HOME-ARP. This grant was part of the $1.9 trillion that congress allocated for the American Rescue Plan to stimulate the economy, especially in poor communities who suffered most from the […]