Middletown board approves $2.55 million bond recommendation for Bartholomew Road pump station after public hearing

The Middletown Water Pollution Control Authority on Dec. 5 voted unanimously to recommend issuing a $2,550,000 bond to plan, design and build a booster pump station on Bartholomew Road, after a public hearing in which nearby residents pressed staff about siting, stormwater runoff and noise.

At the start of the special meeting, Director Joseph S. Fazino read the public notice into the record, saying the resolution "appropriat[es] $2,550,000 for the planning, design, and construction of the Bartholomew Road ... pump station and recommending the issuance of $2,550,000 bond and obligation of the city pursuant to the Connecticut General Statute Section 7-263a." The resolution text was filed with the city clerk, Fazino said.

Chairman Brian Gardner moved to approve the resolution and a member seconded. After brief remarks thanking staff for advancing the proposal, the board took a voice vote. The chair declared the matter passed; the transcript records no opposition or abstention.

Neighbors used the public hearing to press for details and safeguards. One resident asked, "Is this amount of infrastructure really warranted for what's, the requirements for the water system?" Staff replied the replacement responds to recurring mechanical failures at the existing Cove Avenue station (installed in 1969), which has no backup generator and requires portable pumps to restore service during outages.

Staff said the planned station would be built above grade to avoid confined-space entry, and described a small, two-room building (pump room and generator room) “maybe 15 by 20” feet, with an indoor diesel generator installed on a dual-wall containment tank and leak detection. On expected noise, staff said the generator would be "usually 85 decibels or lower" and would be inside the building; final design drawings and exact elevations had not yet been produced.

Another neighbor, Derek Dudek of 110 Bartholomew, asked why the town could not rehabilitate the Cove Avenue footprint or expand an existing facility instead of siting a new station in the neighborhood. Staff said the pump location is driven by pressure-zone requirements and proximity to the Long Hill tank; the department also said Cove Avenue is constrained by the hill and existing traffic and that the Bartholomew site better fits the pressure zone.

Residents asked for screening and drainage along any proposed access drive. Dudek said he wanted "evergreen trees planted around it, fencing," and drainage to prevent runoff; staff said landscaping, screening and drainage would be addressed during final design and planning-and-zoning review.

The board and staff emphasized the action on Dec. 5 was a step in the process: final design, planning-and-zoning review, public notices and grant/funding steps remain. Fazino said the town will post public notices, and staff said signs and additional formal public notice will precede site-plan review.

Next steps: the board recommended the bond issuance and staff will pursue design and funding; the project must later appear before planning and zoning with a proposed site plan.