Flanders: Randall Meadow project – inches matter

February 26, 2026

To the Community:

In each of Waterbury's four recent floods, there were properties that experienced water on the first floor by a few inches above and others that escaped the devastation by a few inches below the first floor.

The Randall Meadow project to remove 100,000 cubic yards of soil will increase flood water storage by 20 million gallons on the floodplain, thus decreasing flooding of properties.

This project can only decrease flood levels; it will not increase flood levels.

The state legislature has supported the project by transferring the 40-acre Randall Meadow to Waterbury at no cost. The town has been granted a $2 million in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds to reduce the project cost of $4.3 million. Waterbury has an opportunity to move forward on a project that can reduce flooding and property damage in the area for many years.

P. Howard "Skip" Flanders outside his Elm Street home following the July 2023 flood takes a break as Rotarian Ariel Mondlak delivers sandwiches. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti

Some have recommended not supporting the project while looking for alternatives. This is the best and most feasible alternative to reduce flooding. It is the largest project and closest to the properties you want to protect – Randall and Elm Streets – to achieve the reduction in flood levels.

Some have recommended not supporting the project because of uncertainty in the size of the flood reduction achieved: Those with properties in or near the floodplain live with uncertainty in every flood warning. The only thing certain is that there will be future floods.

This is Waterbury's opportunity to take a positive action.

Following Tuesday's bond vote, let's hope we can move forward on Randall Meadow to complete this project before the next flood.

Remember, INCHES MATTER. 

P. Howard “Skip” Flanders

Elm Street resident