Politics & Government
Mattabassett Sewage District Town Leaders: Compromise Within Reach
Legislators, elected officials from New Britain, Berlin and Cromwell visit wastewater treatment facility, discuss concerns over board representation reductions.
The Mattabassett District Board of Directors held a leader summit Tuesday night to hash out the key points of a proposal to allow Middletown to become a full-voting district member.
William Candelori, chairman of the board, and Brian Armet, executive director, opened the meeting, each making statements in support of Middletown becoming a voting member.
“Look, we understand that this is a tough issue,” said Candelori. He stressed that everyone should be open to change and remember what is at stake for all the towns that are part of the sewer district, now comprised of New Britain, Berlin and Cromwell.
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Including Middletown on the board would save Berlin users $235,000 annually, New Britain, $1.4 million, and Cromwell, $105,000. The Mattabassett board voted last month to include Middletown. The proposal, however, must still be approved by the state legislature, as well as the New Britain Common Council, Berlin Town Council and Cromwell Board of Selectmen.
If Middletown joined the district, each town within the district would have three representatives. Representatives of New Britain are concerned about this because that would reduce their membership from seven to three. Berlin currently has three members and Cromwell has two. Each member has a single vote on the board.
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After much discussion of the issue, Armet urged members to “not be seduced by politics.”
“It’s a fair deal,” said Cromwell First Selectman John Flanders.
“I don’t think you will see this opportunity again,” said Candelori.
A representative of Cromwell stated that he is aware of the potential gains, but that he just wants to make sure all the information was presented so a decision can be made based on the pros and cons of the issue.
One long-time representative of Cromwell mentioned that many years ago, the other towns on the board “ganged up” on Cromwell when they had a problem. Candelori quickly dispelled this notion going forward.
“This is a truly regional board that operates the way it should,” Candelori said.
As the host town of the waste management agency, Cromwell representatives said they also are concerned about all of the towns having the same number of representatives, saying it might be unfair to some of the towns.
Mary Marrocco, a New Britain alderwoman, said people in her town are worried about a proposal to spend $100 million on the expansion of the wastewater plant.
“People are concerned in this economic time about their money,” Marrocco said. However many members of the board expressed that including Middletown on the board will save all of the towns money in the long run.
She also expressed concern that some towns will be paying more.
“New Britain pays a larger proportion of the bill … only because they use a larger facility … we’re all paying the same rate,” said John Luddy, of Berlin, Deputy Treasurer of the Board.
“I’m sure we’re going to come up with some sort of a compromise,” said New Britain Alderman Paul Catanzaro.