A satellite image shows the proposed Enterprise Zone on Front Avenue in West Haven. (City of West Haven)

City Council approves Rossi’s Enterprise Zone proposal

WEST HAVEN, Dec. 15, 2020 — The City Council on Monday night approved Mayor Nancy R. Rossi’s proposal for establishing a state-designated Enterprise Zone in West Haven that would run the length of Front Avenue and Spring Street and include the city’s compost site and North End Field.

Connecticut’s statewide Enterprise Zone Program was the first in the country, authorized by the General Assembly in 1981, and qualifies businesses to receive state and local tax incentives when developing properties in distressed areas, or zones, of municipalities.

In West Haven, the proposed area is the only one that meets the qualifications for an Enterprise Zone designation. The zone needs to be a contiguous tract of land with high poverty and unemployment rates, along with a significant percentage of the population on public assistance within the boundary.

New or expanding businesses wishing to participate in the Enterprise Zone Program must submit proposals for approval by the state and be located within the zone. Those businesses would then receive tax abatements on state-levied corporate taxes and local real estate and personal property taxes.

The council’s approval of the Enterprise Zone clears the way for the city to submit its proposal to the state Department of Economic and Community Development for final approval.

“I want to thank state Rep. Michael DiMassa (D-West Haven), who has been instrumental in the research and the development of the city’s Enterprise Zone application,” Rossi said. “This designation will help us develop and revitalize the city’s neediest area, generating new commercial tax revenue and well-paying local jobs.

“With city and state approval, West Haven will become a targeted investment community for research, manufacturing, service, and warehousing operations looking to build or expand within the zone with a substantial initial tax benefit.”

DiMassa said: “I am excited about the newly proposed Enterprise Zone, much of which is in my district. This is a great opportunity for the development of underutilized land and the construction, renovation, and expansion of new and existing businesses.

“I want to thank Mayor Rossi and her administration for working with me and my staff on this yearlong process. This zone will result in a vital increase in the grand list by commercial investment and jobs for our residents. This will give our local economy the boost it needs.”

Rossi added: “The city has already received some interest from the business community on the proposed Enterprise Zone, and I look forward to moving this program forward quickly once approved. I also want to thank state Sens. Gary Winfield (D-New Haven) and James Maroney (D-Milford) and state Reps. Dorinda Borer (D-West Haven) and Charles Ferraro (R-West Haven) for their support of this important West Haven economic initiative.

“I believe this will really improve this area and generate much-needed revenue and jobs.”

City issues snow rules for parking

WEST HAVEN, Dec. 15, 2020 — 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 tag 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.

Rossi lights Christmas tree on Allingtown Green

WEST HAVEN, Dec. 14, 2020 — (Pictured): Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, fourth from left, lights the Christmas tree on the Allingtown Green on Thursday.

Joining Rossi are, from left, Planning and Zoning Commissioner Steven R. Mullins; University of New Haven political science professor Joshua Sandman; mayoral Executive Assistant Louis P. Esposito Jr.; Councilman Peter V. Massaro, D-6; Christian Mullins; state Rep. Michael A. DiMassa, D-West Haven; Councilman Gary Donovan, D-at large; Deputy Chief Michael T. Esposito of the City of West Haven Fire Department Allingtown; and Councilman Barry Lee Cohen, R-10.

(City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Hanukkah menorah lightings mark Jewish Festival of Lights

Hanukkah menorah lightings mark Festival of Lights

WEST HAVEN, Dec. 14, 2020 — (Pictured): Mayor Nancy R. Rossi watches the lighting of the menorah as Rabbi Menachem “Mendy” Hecht of Congregation Beth Israel of New Haven, joined by his children, leads a Jewish blessing at the sundown celebration of the first day of Hanukkah on Thursday on the West Haven Green.

The annual ceremony was attended by a small gathering of West Haven residents and officials, including state Reps. Charles J. Ferraro, R-West Haven, and Michael A. DiMassa, D-West Haven; Councilmen Barry Lee Cohen, R-10, and Gary Donovan, D-at large; Planning and Zoning Commissioner Steven R. Mullins; and University of New Haven political science professor Joshua Sandman.

Rossi, DiMassa, Cohen, Donovan, Mullins and Sandman were later led in a menorah lighting on the Allingtown Green by Rabbi Joshua Hecht, the headmaster of the Southern Connecticut Hebrew Academy and spiritual leader of Chabad of Orange.

The ceremonies marked the Jewish Festival of Lights, an eight-day commemoration of rededication of the Temple by the Maccabees after their victory over the Syrians.

(City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Rabbi Joshua Hecht, the headmaster of the Southern Connecticut Hebrew Academy and spiritual leader of Chabad of Orange, left, leads a small gathering of West Haven officials, including Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, fifth from left, in a Jewish blessing and the lighting of the menorah on the Allingtown Green to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah.

Joining them are, from left, University of New Haven political science professor Joshua Sandman; Rossi’s executive assistant, Louis P. Esposito Jr.; Planning and Zoning Commissioner Steven R. Mullins; Councilman Peter V. Massaro, D-6; and Deputy Chief Michael T. Esposito of the City of West Haven Fire Department Allingtown.

Also attending the ceremony were state Rep. Michael A. DiMassa, D-West Haven, and Councilmen Barry Lee Cohen, R-10, and Gary Donovan, D-at large.

(City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Taxes due Jan. 1 in West Haven

WEST HAVEN, Dec. 9, 2020 — The second installment of city tax bills — real estate, personal property, motor vehicle, sewer — are due Jan. 1, and payments after Feb. 1 are considered delinquent and subject to interest, Tax Collector Dorothy Chambrelli said.

The 2019 supplemental motor vehicle bills are in the process of being mailed for vehicles registered after Oct. 1, 2019, and are also due Jan. 1.

Taxes can be paid by check, credit card, debit card or money order from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday at the window outside the tax office on the Campbell Avenue side of City Hall, 355 Main St., or by the drop box — check or money order — at the Main Street entrance of the building. City Hall is closed on Friday until further notice.

No cash is accepted until further notice, city officials said. Taxpayers who have cash can go to a bank of their choice to obtain a money order or certified check.

While waiting in line for in-person payments at the tax office window, taxpayers must wear face masks and maintain social distancing at all times, including staying 6 feet away from others.

Taxpayers can also make a payment on the city website at Tax Bills. Sewer bills are on the same page but under a separate tab. Tax payment history can also be viewed and printed.

The fees for credit cards and electronic checks are available at Payments.

Taxes can also be paid by mail — check or money order, no cash — to the tax office lockbox: City of West Haven, Tax Collector, P.O. Box 150461, Hartford, CT 06115-0461. When paying by lockbox or drop box, the canceled check is the receipt.

After Feb. 1, taxes with interest can be paid by mail to the Office of the Tax Collector, P.O. Box 401, West Haven, CT 06516. Payments can also be made in person.

Anyone needing a motor vehicle clearance must pay in person by credit card, debit card or money order.

New UNH police officer sworn in

WEST HAVEN, Dec. 9, 2020 — (Pictured): New University of New Haven police Officer Richard Benson is sworn in by Mayor Nancy R. Rossi on Dec. 8 at the World War I Armistice Memorial on the Green.

Attending the ceremony were UNH Police Chief James T. Gilman, Deputy Chief Adam Brown and Ronald M. Quagliani, UNH’s associate vice president of public safety and administrative services.

Benson recently retired from the New Haven Police Department after a 20-year career, including serving as a school resource officer for many years.

(City Photo/Louis P. Esposito Jr.)

Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and her executive assistant, Louis P. Esposito Jr., reveal the logo Dec. 8 for West Haven’s centennial celebration in 2021. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Rossi reveals logo for West Haven’s 2021 centennial

WEST HAVEN, Dec. 8, 2020 — Mayor Nancy R. Rossi on Dec. 8 revealed the logo for West Haven’s 100th anniversary next year.

In a video message posted on the city’s YouTube channel, Rossi, speaking from her office, unveiled the new logo, which features a blue-and-gold “100” that is overlapped with a gold banner with “Centennial” in white lettering and “1921-2021” in blue numbering below it.

The round logo is bordered by “City of West Haven” in blue lettering and “Celebrating Our Past” and “Inspiring Our Future” in gold lettering.

Watch the video message on West Haven YouTube.

“The City of West Haven Centennial Celebration Committee is excited to announce this image as the formal West Haven centennial logo,” Rossi said in the message. “This will also be accompanied by a newly colorized city seal, which will be used throughout 2021.”

Rossi said the committee, composed of city officials and community members, will use the logo for promoting and celebrating the 1921 birth of Connecticut’s youngest town.

The centennial logo was commissioned by Rossi, the committee’s honorary chair. The design was supervised by committee member Beth A. Sabo, the city’s commissioner of human resources.

Rossi said the committee is organizing a series of commemorative events for three straight weekends, starting June 24, 2021. Plans include a kickoff ceremony and other festivities that observe West Haven’s rich and diverse heritage, she said.

“The City of West Haven Centennial Celebration Committee continues to actively plan city-sponsored events that can allow everyone to safely celebrate the past 100 years of West Haven history,” Rossi said. “Future official centennial announcements will continue to be posted on the city website.”

West Haven, now a city, incorporated as Connecticut’s youngest in 1961, is also one of the state’s oldest communities.

In 1648, West Haven, then known as West Farms, was settled by farmers from the New Haven Colony. West Farms became the separate parish of West Haven in 1719 through a petition granted by the state General Assembly. In 1822, the parish united with North Milford to form the town of Orange before separating from Orange in 1921 to become the town of West Haven.

According to the Historical Society, West Haven was founded by several New Haven Colony leaders who recognized the value of the extended shoreline, unadulterated forests and potential farmland. The historic crossing into West Farms was by horse bridge over the West River near New Haven Harbor. The West River Crossing is an event commemorated to this day, both in ceremony and in a master mural in the post office on Campbell Avenue.

Soon after, according to information on the society’s website, guilds built six large post-medieval houses within a short distance of the community’s central Green, a common grazing and meeting site. The earliest settlers shared the lands with three major Native American tribes that historically summered in West Farms, using the resources of forests, three tributaries and a shoreline abundant with freshwater and saltwater life.

Sound Health newsletter published

WEST HAVEN, Dec. 7, 2020 — Stay connected and engaged during the pandemic with Sound Health, the official newsletter of the West Haven Health Department.

Check out the latest edition at Sound Health.

COVID-19 Testing Site at Savin Rock Conference Center

Mayor Nancy R. Rossi lays a wreath at the base of the granite William A. Soderman Memorial on the Veterans Walk of Honor in Bradley Point Park during the city’s virtual observance of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day on Dec. 7. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Pearl Harbor virtual event airing on West Haven YouTube

WEST HAVEN, Dec. 7, 2020 — Due to COVID-19 restrictions limiting large public gatherings, the city and the West Haven Veterans Council commemorated Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day on Dec. 7 with a virtual ceremony now airing on the city’s YouTube channel.

Rossi delivered poignant remarks honoring the American patriots who made the ultimate sacrifice 79 years ago during Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.

Watch the 19-minute ceremony on West Haven YouTube.

On Dec. 7, 1941, just before 8 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time, a swarm of 360 Japanese warplanes descended on the island of Oahu and bombed the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor, killing an estimated 2,335 service members and 68 civilians.

“This event would launch the neutral United States into action during World War II to protect the democratic freedoms enjoyed by Americans, our Allies and many others around the world,” said Rossi, speaking from a World War II exhibit in the West Haven Veterans Museum at 30 Hood Terrace.

“The men and women who lived during this tumultuous time would become known as the greatest generation,” said Rossi, flanked by a wingtip from a Japanese Zero fighter that was shot down by a Bridgeport anti-aircraft unit. “If we do not take the time to remember (Pearl Harbor), we risk a sense of disconnection that dishonors the memory of those who died.”

The solemn service also featured remarks by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Veterans Council President Dave Ricci. Louis P. Esposito Jr., Rossi’s executive assistant, served as the master of ceremonies.

Representing the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, Florence Stoeber, the wife of the late Jack Stoeber, a Navy veteran of Pearl Harbor and Iwo Jima who was a regular at West Haven’s Pearl Harbor rites for many years, read the names of the 18 Connecticut servicemen who died at Pearl Harbor. Capt. William S. Johnson IV, joined by members of the West Haven Fire Department Honor Guard, tolled the department’s chrome bell each instant a name was called.

Stoeber, whose ashes were scattered in Pearl Harbor after he died Jan. 16, 2016, at age 97, was a .50-caliber machine-gunner aboard the destroyer tender USS Whitney in the Pacific theater of World War II.

In her remarks, Rossi noted that Floyd Welch, Connecticut’s last known Pearl Harbor survivor, died Aug. 17 at age 99. Welch, of East Lyme, served aboard the battleship USS Maryland and helped save many lives aboard the bombarded battleship USS Oklahoma.

“West Haven is fortunate to have created places, such as Bradley Point, the Soderman Memorial Flagpole and our Veterans Walk of Honor, where we can gather to remember our military and honor heroes like Floyd Welch,” Rossi said.

In observance of Pearl Harbor Day, West Haven Vietnam Veterans member William “Bill” Benson lowered the museum’s American flag to half-staff.

The tribute included the Pledge of Allegiance led by Veterans Council member Al Terr, the national anthem sung by West Haven High School senior Nora E. Mullins, and opening and closing prayers given by Vietnam Veterans chaplain Elliott Hastings.

It also included a wreath-laying by Rossi and taps played by former West Shore Fire Department Lt. Kevin McKeon.

Representing the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, Florence Stoeber, the wife of the late Jack Stoeber, a Navy veteran of Pearl Harbor and Iwo Jima, reads the names of the 18 Connecticut servicemen who died at Pearl Harbor in 1941 as master of ceremonies Louis P. Esposito Jr., Rossi’s executive assistant, looks on. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Flanked by members of the West Haven Fire Department Honor Guard, Capt. William S. Johnson IV, left, rings the department’s chrome bell 18 times in honor of the 18 Connecticut servicemen who died in the Japanese bombing of the U.S. Navy base on Oahu, Hawaii. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Former West Shore Fire Department Lt. Kevin McKeon plays taps. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Rossi heralds the holidays with surprise virtual tree lighting

Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, joined by 10-year-old grandson Arthur Rossi and Santa Claus, heralds the holiday season Dec. 5 with a surprise virtual lighting of the Christmas tree on the West Haven Green. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Rossi heralds holidays with surprise virtual tree lighting

WEST HAVEN, Dec. 7, 2020 — Mayor Nancy R. Rossi heralded the holiday season Dec. 5 with a surprise virtual lighting of the Christmas tree on the Green.

Despite the city postponing this year’s public tree lighting festivities to 2021 due to rising coronavirus cases and restrictions limiting large public gatherings, Rossi, whose favorite holiday is Christmas, could not bear the thought of waiting another year.

So, with a little help from Santa Claus and her 10-year-old grandson, Arthur Rossi, the mayor decided to share the true spirit of Christmas by giving residents a gift in the form of a special tree lighting video presentation to hold them over until next year.

Watch the video presentation on West Haven YouTube.

“The health and safety of our residents is more important than ever this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Rossi said. “Hopefully this time next year, we can fully celebrate our tree lighting festivities on the Green.”