Easter Bunny delivers egg candy bags to 600 city kids

WEST HAVEN, April 23, 2020 — (Pictured): Peter Cottontail recently hopped his way across the city and delivered egg candy bags to the first 600 children ages 2-10 who registered online as part of the Department of Parks and Recreation’s new Easter egg scramble.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing restrictions, the Easter Bunny and his friends distributed the bags to residents at the curb of their house or apartment. Some youngsters even found a purple ribbon in an egg, which they returned to Park-Rec in exchange for a prize.

(City Photo/Kerri Ruocco)

Walmart gives supplies to 1st responders fighting virus

WEST HAVEN, April 21, 2020 — (Pictured): Walmart of West Haven employees donate several cases of Gatorade, water, and Lysol disinfectant spray and wipes to members of the West Shore, West Haven and City of West Haven Allingtown fire departments; the West Haven and New Haven police departments; and the Connecticut State Police on Monday to aid first responders in the coronavirus fight.

Among those receiving the supplies from store manager Tamara Sweeney and asset protection associate Nyijal McMillan in the Walmart parking lot at 515 Sawmill Road on behalf of the departments are West Haven Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, West Shore Fire Department Chief Stephen Scafariello, West Haven Fire Department Chief James P. O’Brien, acting City of West Haven Fire Department Allingtown Chief Michael T. Esposito, and West Haven police Sgt. Patrick Buturla and Officers Ahmed Arnold, Kevin Bowerman and Kim Simone.

Walmart and other West Haven businesses have mobilized to donate cleaning supplies, face shields and medical gowns to help protect people from COVID-19.

Walmart Inc., headquartered in Bentonville, Ark., is keeping its retail stores operating during the coronavirus pandemic.

(City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Bulk pickup is thru Friday; e-waste drop-off is Saturday

WEST HAVEN, April 21, 2020 — Bulk trash pickup is this week and runs through Friday.

Residents are reminded to separate metals, recyclables and regular trash from bulk trash and put them out no more than 24 hours before pickup. Violations carry a $100 fine per daily offense, Public Works Commissioner Tom J. McCarthy said.

Residents are also reminded to “Put a Lid on It!” and use lids on all trash cans. Rain-soaked trash costs West Haven 10 times more at the dump, said McCarthy, adding that using trash can lids will save the city money by reducing the weight of trash and cost of tipping fees.

Bulk items include couches, chairs, tables, carpeting, padding, fencing and small amounts of bundled lumber, which may not exceed 6 feet in length. No building materials, tires, mattresses, propane tanks or hazardous waste are accepted.

Options for disposing of building materials include renting a dumpster or bringing the materials to a disposal facility for a fee.

Tires can be brought to Town Fair Tire, 63 Boston Post Road, Orange, for a fee of $2.75 per tire.

Hazardous waste can be dropped off for free at HazWaste Central, 90 Sargent Drive, New Haven. HazWaste is open Saturday mornings from mid-May through October.

Propane tanks can be brought to Taylor Rental, 304 Boston Post Road, Orange, for a fee of $10 per tank.

In response to coronavirus concerns, the city has suspended mattress drop-off until further notice.

The amount of bulk trash per collection is limited to 6 cubic yards, which is equal to a pile of trash about 6 feet long, 6 feet wide and 4 ½ feet high.

Homeowners are required to rent a dumpster or hire a junk removal service at their expense if trash exceeds 6 cubic yards. Otherwise, trash exceeding 6 cubic yards will be left at the curb, and a $100 fine per daily offense will be imposed, McCarthy said.

To prevent a potential fine, property owners should familiarize themselves with the city’s trash guidelines at Public Works.

Bulk trash must be generated by the customer at the residential unit where it is collected. Trash will not be collected if it is generated by anyone other than the resident of the home.

Bulk items must be separated and orderly. Do not place them next to a mailbox or utility pole or close to a fence, McCarthy said.

Also, do not place bulk items in front of a vacant lot or home — they will not be collected, he said.

Details at Bulk Trash Pickup.

In addition to bulk trash, the city picks up metals, including household appliances, also known as white goods, and toilets. To schedule a pickup on their curbside collection day, residents must call the Highway Department at 203-937-3644 or 203-937-3585. Appliance doors must be removed.

Leaf bags are picked up until June 1 and from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, and grass bags are picked up from May 18 to Nov. 20. The bags are picked up on residents’ weekly collection days. Leaves and grass clippings must be in separate biodegradable paper bags and will not be accepted if they are in plastic bags.

In response to COVID-19 concerns, the city has also suspended brush pickup and closed the compost site until further notice.

For electronic items, including TVs, the next drop-off day for e-waste is Saturday.

Residents can drop off electronic recyclables — typically anything that contains a circuit board or needs a battery — from 8 a.m.-noon at the city’s highway maintenance garage, 1 Collis St.

The city is partnering with Take 2 Inc. of Waterbury, a state-approved recycler and collector of universal e-waste devices, to collect residential electronic items on a quarterly basis.

The collection is free for residents who have such items as computers, monitors, printers, keyboards, modems, computer mice, tablet computers, TVs, VCRs, DVD players, photocopiers, fax machines, scanners, video game machines, digital media players, personal digital assistants, stereo equipment, telephones, cellphones, cameras, microwaves and other small appliances.

Anything that has refrigerant, including air conditioners and dehumidifiers, is not accepted. Those items are considered white goods, and residents are asked to schedule a pickup on their curbside collection day by calling the Highway Department.

Details at E-waste Drop-off.

For the e-waste drop-off, residents are asked to heed the following guidelines:

• Stay in your vehicle.
  
  
• Vehicles will be spaced out. Event workers will remove electronics from your vehicle. There should be no interaction between residents and workers.
  
  
• No mattresses or box springs will be disposed of at the moment.
  
  
• No smoke detectors, ballasts or hazardous waste — lighter fluid, liquids, paint — will be accepted.
  
  
• Electronic items left curbside will be tagged with information on the e-waste schedule and must be removed, or face a potential fine.

For the latest news and information, subscribe to the city’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CityofWestHaven.

Water St. closing Monday for The Haven demolition phase

WEST HAVEN, April 21, 2020 — The city is permanently closing and abandoning Water Street on Monday in preparation for the demolition phase of The Haven luxury outlet center.

Mayor Nancy R. Rossi said the project developer is setting up detour signs and digital sign markers in the area of Elm and Main streets to give motorists ample notice of the road closure and traffic change.

The Water Street closure and abandonment is expected to pave the way for the demolition of several existing commercial buildings as part of The Haven South Municipal Development Plan.

Rossi said executives of The Haven Development Co. have updated city, police and fire officials and utility providers on the $200 million, 261,182-square-foot waterfront development.

The development company is led by John P. Dionis, the vice president of development for Simon Premium Outlets, based in Morristown, New Jersey, and Matt Armstrong, the executive vice president of The Haven Group LLC, based in Dallas.

The developer’s demolition plans for “Demolition Area ‘A’” of The Haven South were reviewed by Rossi, Planning and Development Commissioner Fred A. Messore, and representatives of the Regional Water Authority, Southern Connecticut Gas and United Illuminating. The area is composed of 55 properties bounded by First Avenue, Elm Street, Water Street, Center Street, Richards Place, Main Street and Bayview Place.

The plans were prepared by the Benesch design firm of Glastonbury.

The Haven’s demolition phase is expected to begin shortly after Monday with the environmental remediation of some commercial structures, followed by the acquisition of demolition permits for each property, officials said.

When completed, The Haven will encompass 26 waterfront acres featuring dozens of luxury retail shops, restaurants and a promenade. The project is expected to generate between 800 and 1,200 jobs and several million dollars in municipal tax revenue and fees, officials said.