Couples wed 50 years feted at in-person valentine party

West Haven, Feb. 14, 2023 — Mayor Nancy R. Rossi gave out valentines to 17 married couples of 50 years and more at the city’s first in-person Valentine’s Day party in three years on Tuesday.

Ocean Avenue residents Gabe and Robin Alvandian, who have been married for 65 years, were among the city couples honored by Rossi at the West Haven Senior Center on Valentine’s Day.

Each couple received chocolates, a long-stemmed red rose and wine glasses, as well as a framed photograph of themselves.

For three decades, the city had recognized those sweethearts who reached the half-century mark and beyond with a party featuring entertainment, dancing and refreshments.

In 2021-22, however, the COVID-19 pandemic had forced the city to reinvent its decades-old Valentine’s Day tradition by organizing back-to-back alternative events that celebrated the holiday of love from the safety of couples’ homes. While the events were welcomed and kept the tradition alive, they were not the same, Rossi said.

With that socially distanced reinvention now history, the city played Cupid for the 33rd straight year by holding its Valentine’s Day party — complete with entertainment, dancing and refreshments for the first time since 2020 — in the second-floor arts and crafts room of the Johnson Community Center at 201 Noble St.

The two-hour party, presented by the mayor’s office and the Department of Elderly Services, included oldies music crooned by Alex Pericas Jr. and lunch catered by Lorenzo’s Restaurant of West Haven. The roses were provided by Fitzgerald’s Florist of West Haven, and Costco of Milford provided a cake.

Rossi presented the Alvandians, the event’s oldest married couple, and the youngest couples, Hillside Avenue residents Ken and Mariann Lord and Platt Avenue residents James and Patricia Serry, both 50 years, with a bottle of sparkling wine and a gift-wrapped pendant necklace courtesy of Leslie Jewelers of West Haven.

They do!

West Haven, Feb. 14, 2023 — (Pictured): Justice of the Peace Jo Ann Callegari, holding a marriage certificate, officiates the marriage of Alyssa M. Palmieri and James M. Clark Jr. in the Harriet C. North Community Room at City Hall on Tuesday.

Palmieri and Clark, who live on Captain Thomas Boulevard, were among six West Haven couples united in matrimony on Valentine’s Day as part of an annual service sponsored by the city clerk’s office, which offers free weddings to couples who apply for a marriage license at City Hall.

Elm Diner collecting donations for Turkey quake survivors

WEST HAVEN, Feb. 14, 2023 — Mayor Nancy R. Rossi is urging the support of a relief effort mobilized by a popular city diner for the survivors of last week’s catastrophic earthquake in Turkey.

Elm Diner at 111 Elm St. is collecting monetary donations — as well as donations of blankets and clothes, including hats, gloves and scarves — for those affected by the quake.

On Feb. 6, the magnitude 7.8 quake, the world’s deadliest in more than a decade, hit close to home for many West Haven residents who come from Turkey and have family there.

Rossi is calling on her fellow Westies to give what they can in a time of crisis for a country near and dear to so many in West Haven, which has the largest Turkish American population in Connecticut.

“My heart breaks for the people of Turkey and Syria following the tragic earthquake (last week),” Rossi said. “This event particularly resonates throughout the West Haven community due to our large Turkish and Syrian population, one of the largest in the state.”

Elm Diner owner Ahmet Kangal, who hails from Turkey, said all donations will bolster aid for those displaced by the devastation.

“I encourage Westies to come together to support the survivors of this terrible natural disaster through monetary donations,” Rossi said. “Donations of clothing and blankets are also essential due to the extreme cold and threat of hypothermia.”

People can drop off donations at the diner from 6 a.m. to midnight seven days a week.

Marchers sought for West Haven Memorial Day parade

WEST HAVEN, Feb. 10, 2023 — The city and the West Haven Veterans Council are seeking veterans, civic groups, fraternal organizations, service clubs and marching bands to participate in the annual Memorial Day parade, which steps off at 10:30 a.m. May 29.

Participants must register and list required special accommodations for the procession, which has no rain date.

The city will provide transportation for veterans who are unable to walk the 1 ½-mile parade route, which follows Campbell Avenue from Captain Thomas Boulevard to Center Street. To make arrangements, call the mayor’s office at 203-937-3510.

The parade grand marshal is Mark Levine, an Army veteran of the Vietnam War.

Download a Participation Form.

Forms are also available for pickup in the mayor’s office at City Hall, 355 Main St., where they are due May 8.

Completed forms must be faxed to 203-937-3705 or mailed to the West Haven Memorial Day Parade, Office of the Mayor, 355 Main St., West Haven, CT 06516.

Rossi holding Feb. 21 town hall meeting in person, on Facebook

WEST HAVEN, Feb. 7, 2023 — Mayor Nancy R. Rossi is inviting residents to participate in a town hall meeting in person at City Hall or virtually on Facebook Live at 6 p.m. Feb. 21.

The community event is aimed at fostering communication and transparency between City Hall and West Haven residents.

Residents can attend the town hall in the Harriet C. North Community Room of City Hall, 355 Main St., or they can participate in the meeting on the Facebook Live page called UNH Mayor’s Advisory Commission.

The town hall is sponsored by the mayor’s office and the University of New Haven Mayor’s Advisory Commission, a collaborative, student-driven task force founded in 2015 to strengthen town-gown relations.

The UNH commission is led by Christyllis A. Douglas, a junior studying psychology, and adviser Chris Haynes, an associate professor of political science and national security.

All members of the community are encouraged to participate in the town hall and ask questions. The moderators are Haynes and commission member Brian Cao.

Participants can send questions before the meeting by email to [email protected] or [email protected]. They can also submit questions during the meeting in the “Comment” section on Facebook Live.

Participants are allowed one question with a one-minute time limit. At the beginning of the question, they must state their name and the subject of their question, with all comments related to the city or government of West Haven.

Participants must keep all dialogue courteous and respectful.

For more information, call the mayor’s office at 203-937-3510, or email [email protected] or [email protected].

New city restaurant, Tropical Caribbean, marks opening

WEST HAVEN, Feb. 3, 2023 — Sporting a pair of oversize scissors, Mayor Nancy R. Rossi cut a blue ribbon with Tropical Caribbean co-owner Juan Reyes on Feb. 2 to celebrate the homestyle restaurant’s grand opening at 703 Campbell Ave.

Tropical Caribbean is the life of the party on West Haven’s main thoroughfare of Campbell Avenue, enlivening the space formerly occupied by the Blue Horse bar and restaurant, about a mile south of the University of New Haven’s main campus.

The new restaurant, co-owned by Alex Brito, serves the tastes of the Caribbean — the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico — and specializes in authentic Latin cuisine prepared by Reyes’ parents, Pedro and Argentina Reyes, including Sancocho Dominicano, a popular Dominican meat and vegetable stew.

Reyes and Brito, who are best friends, hail from the Dominican Republic, where they met at age 7 and now live near each other in West Haven.

Among the time-honored family recipes on the restaurant’s savory menu are Chimi Dominicano, a traditional Dominican burger; Cuban sandwiches, known as Cubanos; Chuletas Fritas, Puerto Rican-style fried pork chops; and Shrimp Mofongo, a Puerto Rican dish consisting of fried mashed green plantains with fresh garlic, pork rinds and sauteed shrimp in a tomato lemon sauce.

Other menu favorites include beef empanadas, grilled meat, known as churrasco, and creamy Cajun shrimp over linguine.

The fusion of house-made Latin fare is enhanced by island-inspired cocktails of notable Caribbean places, events and personalities.

Tropical Caribbean exclusively brews Don Carvajal Cafe coffee, a company founded by Dominican entrepreneur Hector Carvajal, 26, and based in the Bronx borough of New York City.

The freshly remodeled restaurant and bar is decorated with festive furnishings, art and knickknacks that reflect the culture and warm vibes of the Caribbean, including Taino masks made in the Dominican Republican adorning the dining room’s dark shiplap walls, along with lamps fabricated from Brugal rum bottles hanging from the barroom ceiling above the natural stone and stained pine bar.

It is further accentuated by high-top tables and flat-panel TVs.

Rossi and Reyes marked the ribbon-cutting with his four children: Brenda, 22, Emily, 20, Justin, 14, and Julius, 11.

They were joined by City Clerk Patricia C. Horvath, city Tax Collector Dorothy Chambrelli, Rossi Executive Assistant Louis P. Esposito Jr. and landlord Skip Voss.

They were also joined by Simon McDonald, the director of membership and marketing for the Milford Regional Chamber of Commerce, and chamber members West Shore Associates owner Erin Eberhardt, of West Haven, and Patriot Bank Vice President Robert Creigh, of Milford.

While the restaurant’s opening was grand, the best was saved for last.

Reyes surprised attendees with a special performance by diablos cojuelos — or limping devils, the main character of the Dominican Republic’s Carnival celebration — that had people on their feet and dancing.

The costumed devils danced and scampered to the vibrant sound of DJ Felix Solano’s merengue music mixed with other Latin and Caribbean rhythms.

Much to the delight of guests, the limping devils spontaneously expanded their performance to the outside of Tropical Caribbean, entertaining passersby on bustling Campbell Avenue, including a school bus of children, and turning the thoroughfare into a Dominican street festival for a showstopping moment.

Tropical Caribbean offers happy hour specials on weekdays and brunch on weekends, as well as live music, open mic events and karaoke.

The restaurant has 17 employees, including Reyes’ three oldest children, and is open from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.

Taxpayers can appeal property assessments in West Haven

WEST HAVEN, Jan. 30, 2023 — The Board of Assessment Appeals will hear appeals of real estate and personal property assessments on the 2022 grand list by appointment during March.

The board will also hear appeals of motor vehicle assessments on the 2021 supplemental motor vehicle grand list that received a tax bill due Jan. 1.

Any property owner who wants to appeal an assessment must submit a written application to the board. The assessor’s office must receive the completed form on or before Feb. 20.

Download an Application.

Applications are also available in the assessor’s office on the first floor of City Hall, 355 Main St., or by calling the office at 203-937-3515. Staff members will answer questions about the appeal process.

Tax relief programs for elderly, disabled homeowners offered

WEST HAVEN, Jan. 30, 2023 — The assessor’s office is accepting applications by appointment for tax relief programs for elderly and disabled homeowners.

West Haven residents can apply for the programs, based on their 2022 taxable and untaxable incomes, weekdays from Feb. 15-May 15 in the assessor’s office on the first floor of City Hall, 355 Main St. For an appointment, call 203-937-3515. No walk-ins.

The state offers a tax reduction benefit depending on income and marital status through the circuit breaker program. To qualify, the applicant or spouse must be 65 or older by Dec. 31, 2022, or permanently and totally disabled as defined by Social Security.

Income limits, including Social Security, are $49,100 for a married couple and $40,300 for a single person. Those eligible for the program must reapply every two years.

To qualify for the West Haven tax freeze program, the applicant must be age 70 by Dec. 31, 2022, and have lived in the city for at least 20 consecutive years. The program will freeze the city portion of the resident’s taxes only for the upcoming year.

Income limits, excluding Social Security, are $50,000 for a married couple and $35,000 for a single person. Those eligible for the program must reapply each year.

The assessor’s office is also accepting applications until Oct. 1 for additional veterans exemptions. The maximum income is $49,100 for a married applicant and $40,300 for a single applicant.

For veterans who are 100% service connected, income limits are $21,000 for a married applicant and $18,000 for a single applicant. Social Security and veterans disability payments do not count for 100% disabled veterans only. All other ratings must include veterans disability payments and Social Security.

West Haven residents must bring leaf bags to compost site until April 15

WEST HAVEN, Jan. 24, 2023 — Residents are reminded that leaf bag pickup ended Dec. 15.

The city will not pick up leaf bags until the curbside service resumes the week of April 15.

Until then, residents must bring all leaf bags — paper, no plastic — to the compost site, 1 Kimberly Ave., from 6:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Proof of residence is required.

The 2023 pickup schedule for leaf bags is April 15-June 1 and Oct. 1-Dec. 15.

West Haven permanently removing skateboard park on Beach Street

WEST HAVEN, Jan. 24, 2023 — In preparation for the second phase of this year’s road-raising project, the city is permanently removing the Beach Street Skatepark.

On Monday night, the City Council unanimously approved funds to dismantle the shoreline skateboard park. The money was initially approved by the West Haven ARPA Committee and is provided by the city’s American Rescue Plan Act spending plan through a grant from the U.S. Treasury Department.

The city awarded the skatepark contract, called “Demolition of Cement Structures,” in early November to Cerilli Construction LLC, which submitted the lowest bid of $23,525, said Ernie Chiarelli, the project coordinator and sidewalk inspector for the Department of Public Works.

By comparison, Chiarelli said the highest bidder submitted a proposal of $60,800 for the work.

Under the bid specifications, Cerilli, based in North Haven, is tasked with taking apart the park’s huge precast concrete ramps, removing the remaining asphalt, transporting the demolished concrete and asphalt to a location determined by the city, and removing and reinstalling the existing chain-link fencing.

The 170-by-90-foot park was constructed in 2004 for $96,000 by Skate Parks Inc. of Scituate, Massachusetts, and is based in the Morse Park municipal parking lot next to the former Chick’s Drive-in restaurant.

According to Chiarelli and other city officials, the 19-year-old skatepark has fallen into disrepair and out of popularity in recent years. Vandalism has caused dangerous conditions for skateboarders, and flooding from the nearby Old Field Creek salt marsh has deteriorated the concrete ramps, making them a liability, he said.

In addition, the raising of Beach Street is slated to incorporate 25% of the skatepark along the fence line and would force the city to relocate the park.

Chiarelli said that according to estimates, relocating the skatepark would cost at least $60,000, not including surface preparation work, such as installing an asphalt pad and fencing.

But after consulting with contractors, Chiarelli said the city determined that relocating the park could not work because the concrete ramps would likely fall apart when moved “due to concrete degradation.”

The demolition work is expected to begin within two weeks and take about 10 days to complete.

City issues snow rules for parking

WEST HAVEN, Jan. 17, 2023 — To help crews expedite snow removal, Public Works Commissioner Tom J. McCarthy is reminding residents and businesses to observe parking regulations during and after storms.

Per the “Severe Weather” parking ordinance under Chapter 188 of the West Haven Code, police will ticket and tow vehicles violating the ordinance at the owner’s expense. Violators will receive a $100 fine.

Once snow begins to fall, a parking ban is in effect on the even-numbered side of most roads, unless one is posted with a “No Parking” sign on the odd side.

The ban is in effect for 36 hours after a storm. Residents are urged to park in driveways or designated private lots.

However, during an official snow emergency declared by Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, a parking ban will run from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. on both sides of Campbell and Savin avenues, Morgan Lane, Elm Street, Meloy Road, Second Avenue from Elm to Beach streets, and Main Street from Savin to Washington avenues.

McCarthy is also reminding residents and businesses to shovel their sidewalks within 24 hours after a storm or face a $25 fine “for each day that the violation persists.”

According to the “Removal of Snow and Ice” ordinance under Chapter 195 of the West Haven Code, people are given 24 hours to remove snow from sidewalks on and bordering their properties. Violators are subject to the $25-per-day fine, which is enforced by the Police Department, the ordinance states.

To report a complaint, call the department’s nonemergency line at 203-937-3900. Complaints are kept confidential.

McCarthy also pointed out that plowing or blowing snow into city streets is prohibited and violators are subject to a $60 fine for each offense, per the ordinance.

Also, residents and businesses with mailboxes damaged by snow thrown from a plow are the responsibility of the property owner. The city will only repair mailboxes damaged by the striking of a plow blade if there is visible evidence, such as paint or tire tracks.

Snow removal around mailboxes is the property owner’s responsibility.

Residents are also urged to help firefighters keep hydrants clear of snow.

For more information, call the Highway Department at 203-937-3644.

West Haven heralds launch of state’s largest food-to-clean-energy program

WEST HAVEN, Nov. 14, 2022 — West Haven is the first city in the state to offer a citywide curbside food scrap diversion option to all single-family residents, Mayor Nancy R. Rossi announced.

Rossi said the program allows all single-family homes — one, two and three families — to easily separate food scraps and have them collected at the curb in the same container now used for residents’ trash collection.

The city has received a $1.3 million Sustainable Materials Management grant from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to develop and launch a food-to-clean-energy program.

Grant Coordinator Doug Colter, who secured the funding for the city, said the state is facing a solid waste disposal crisis, as traditional options for disposing of municipal solid waste are diminishing or becoming more expensive. With fewer and rapidly aging disposal options in Connecticut, residents and municipal leaders can expect disposal costs to increase at the remaining waste incineration facilities “as well as out-of-state landfilling,” Colter said.

On Nov. 7, the West Haven Food to Clean Energy program launched a nine-month pilot project for curbside food scrap diversion. Participation in the program comes at no cost to the 16,000 eligible households.

Colter said the funding covers the purchase of special color-coded bags for trash and for food scrap separation for the nine-month pilot. It also covers the cost of educational materials — mailers, a website and a Connect mobile app — along with personnel to sort the bags and the shipment of food scraps to Quantum Biopower in Southington, where the food will be converted into clean electricity, he said.

More details at Food Scrap Recycling.

Informational Materials

The Downsizing Donation Guide: A Resource for Residents of New Haven County (PDF)

What’s In? What’s Out? A Guide to Recycling (PDF)