MAYOR STEWART; our children’s education not as important as another town’s crap!
What is wrong with our priorities here in New Britain? We are currently shortening school days and sending the children home from school early on Thursdays because our city government can’t find enough money to pay our teachers for a full day’s work in order to do teachers conferences after school
At the same time we are considering paying $57 million for upgrades to the Mattabassett sewer plant in order to enable them to continue accepting sludge from non-member towns at the expense of the taxpayers of the 3 towns that own the plant: New Britain, Cromwell, and Berlin. The total cost for the plant upgrades needed to keep processing this outside sludge is now up to $81.4 million as recently reported by the plant’s Executive Director, Brian Armet. New Britain taxpayers would be required to foot the bill for 70% of that expense, an estimated $57 million. This sounds like just a number, but it is equal to the entire amount the city spends annually for public safety and public works--combined! It is also more than 5 times the $11 million the Board of Education reports being short in its budget.
What is even more disturbing is that Mayor Stewart has publicly supported this denitrification upgrade without any apparent concern for what it will do to the taxpayers of this city. This is an example of how out of control the operation of the Mattabassett plant is, and how the mayor has lost touch with what is happening at the plant. The recent release of 120,000 gallons of raw sewage into the wetlands of Cromwell and the Mattabasett and Connecticut Rivers is just another example of the mismanagement that plagues the plant.
A member of the board of directors requested a study into the impact of ending the practice of burning our own sludge, and trucking it to the MDC plant in Hartford for processing. This study was never done and the management of the plant continues to proceed with the expansion plans regardless of the impact it will have on the member towns and their taxpayers—who will be forced to pay for it.
A complete elimination of any outside sludge, along with contracting out of our own sludge to the MDC would be expected to drastically reduce the cost to the three towns and it is time that this option be pursued. It is also time for Mayor Stewart to step up to the plate and reign in the mismanagement and waste that is so apparently out of control at Mattabassett. Perhaps if he did, he would have the necessary money needed to pay our teachers and keep our kids in school full time.
What is wrong with our priorities here in New Britain? We are currently shortening school days and sending the children home from school early on Thursdays because our city government can’t find enough money to pay our teachers for a full day’s work in order to do teachers conferences after school
At the same time we are considering paying $57 million for upgrades to the Mattabassett sewer plant in order to enable them to continue accepting sludge from non-member towns at the expense of the taxpayers of the 3 towns that own the plant: New Britain, Cromwell, and Berlin. The total cost for the plant upgrades needed to keep processing this outside sludge is now up to $81.4 million as recently reported by the plant’s Executive Director, Brian Armet. New Britain taxpayers would be required to foot the bill for 70% of that expense, an estimated $57 million. This sounds like just a number, but it is equal to the entire amount the city spends annually for public safety and public works--combined! It is also more than 5 times the $11 million the Board of Education reports being short in its budget.
What is even more disturbing is that Mayor Stewart has publicly supported this denitrification upgrade without any apparent concern for what it will do to the taxpayers of this city. This is an example of how out of control the operation of the Mattabassett plant is, and how the mayor has lost touch with what is happening at the plant. The recent release of 120,000 gallons of raw sewage into the wetlands of Cromwell and the Mattabasett and Connecticut Rivers is just another example of the mismanagement that plagues the plant.
A member of the board of directors requested a study into the impact of ending the practice of burning our own sludge, and trucking it to the MDC plant in Hartford for processing. This study was never done and the management of the plant continues to proceed with the expansion plans regardless of the impact it will have on the member towns and their taxpayers—who will be forced to pay for it.
A complete elimination of any outside sludge, along with contracting out of our own sludge to the MDC would be expected to drastically reduce the cost to the three towns and it is time that this option be pursued. It is also time for Mayor Stewart to step up to the plate and reign in the mismanagement and waste that is so apparently out of control at Mattabassett. Perhaps if he did, he would have the necessary money needed to pay our teachers and keep our kids in school full time.
One smelly solution to the Mattabassett Sewer Plant $57 million up grade - have New Britain residents sign-up for their Affordale Housing Government Loan and install an out- house(toilet)in their back yards?
ReplyDeleteThat way we get to keep all the New Britain smelly crap here in New Britain?
Its about time the mayor gave a crap about our children
ReplyDeleteMight be something Dick Blumenthal needs to look into.
ReplyDeletewait until you see what this does to our tax bills...tax and spend, tax and spend.
ReplyDeletelaugh now, but cry when you see your tax bills.
ReplyDeleteAn out house will be the only thing we can afford when these guys get done.
ReplyDeleteBesides the extra tax burden on our taxpayers, what about the impact this might have on causing additional odors in my town?
ReplyDeleteMary from Cromwell
Do you have a breakdown of the cost by town? I am from Berlin and it seems when it comes to Matabbasett, everyone seems to forget us.
ReplyDeleteYou can e-mail me directly at:
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Thanks for your help.
Don't expect the mayor to do anything. Check out this video if you want to find out how the mayor dealt with another crappy problem:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.myleftnutmeg.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8343
(copy and paste to your browser)
When the mayor says on the tape that he is going to go out there and "kill him in about five minutes" is he talking about that poor citizen in distress or the fireman? Either way it is shameful!
ReplyDeleteJim Sanders raised that question about what would the single parents do about child care and the supt of schools said that they would have to take responsibility. Sounds like they forget who pays there salary.
ReplyDeleteBusiness Week publication stated that these Connecticut Towns might be caught in the Wall Street meltdown and be seriously affected by credit crises on Wall Street.
ReplyDeleteNot surprisingly, Darien,CT tops the list - with Wethersfield,CT listed due to its heavy reliance on real estate values that sustain its economy.
Darien,CT
Share population in finance and real estate: 27.23%
Nearest large city: New York
Population: 20,666
Median salary: $168,687
Westport,CT
Share population in finance and real estate: 19.39%
Nearest large city: New York
Population: 26,822
Median salary: $137,133
Wethersfield,CT
Share population in finance and real estate: 18.73%
Nearest large city: Hartford
Population: 26,146
Median salary: $63,359
So does that mean it is another reason not to spend 57 million of our money to give free services to other towns? Wake up Mr. Stewart, and put your golf clubs down for a change.
ReplyDeleteMY OH MY, another story where the tax payers pay through the nose and good old Mayor Stewart just doesn't do anything about it, what a shock.
ReplyDelete