Waterbury asks legislature to transfer Randall Meadow so town can pursue flood-mitigation work

Representative Teresa Wood of Waterbury told the Corrections & Institutions Committee that the town seeks a transfer of state-owned Randall Meadow — locally called the "cornfield" — to allow Waterbury to pursue flood-mitigation work that officials say could reduce downtown flood depths by up to a foot in a typical 100-year event.

The transfer language appears in the committee's capital bill draft (page 30, section 23), and town officials presented maps, hydrology findings and cost estimates at the committee’s March session. "In Waterbury, we've had 3 floods in the last 2 years," Representative Wood said, arguing that local ownership would let the town move more quickly on long-term work.

Why it matters: Town officials and long‑time municipal staff said reshaping the field — removing silt from a raised center and lowering roughly 15 acres nearest the river by two to three feet, per hydrology modeling — could cut flood elevations across much of downtown Waterbury and protect the adjacent state office complex. The Buildings and General Services division (BGS) told the committee it has an active FEMA application related to removing silt deposited in the field during recent floods; BGS officials cautioned that a land transfer or pre-transfer work could affect that application.

What town officials described

Town speakers said the parcel lies in a special flood hazard area and is unsuitable for development. Bill Shepelock, former municipal manager of…