The brick Veterans Walk of Honor in Bradley Point Park, West Haven. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh, File)

Dedication of brick Veterans Walk of Honor on May 29

WEST HAVEN, April 28, 2021 — In accordance with federal and state guidelines, members of the West Haven Veterans Council and city officials will dedicate the 13th phase of the brick Veterans Walk of Honor at 5 p.m. May 29 in Bradley Point Park.

All veterans are invited to participate in the seaside ceremony, which will feature a presentation of the colors, an invocation and taps, as well as remarks by Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and Veterans Council President Dave Ricci.

The public is also invited. The city will follow all current and future COVID-19 directives to ensure the health and safety of both participants and spectators.

Rossi’s executive assistant, Louis P. Esposito Jr., will serve as the master of ceremonies.

In November 2006, the Veterans Council began the first of 13 campaigns selling bricks to memorialize vets on the 100-yard Walk of Honor between the William A. Soderman and Vietnam Veterans memorials.

The bricks, which cost $75, have charcoal lettering for personalized messages.

About 2,850 bricks have been installed so far, including 130 for the 13th phase and 51 for the 12th phase, which was dedicated May 25, 2019. Last year’s ceremony was postponed because of the coronavirus.

In May 2015, the dedication of the eighth phase included the dedication of a granite stone in memory of Veterans Council President Lorelee “Lori” Grenfell, who died Feb. 19, 2015, at age 60. The memorial was crafted by Giordano Bros. Monuments of West Haven.

The Walk of Honor’s first phase and the city’s Korean War Memorial were dedicated in May 2007.

In May 2008, the walkway’s second phase and a memorial in honor of World War II Army Pfc. William A. Soderman were dedicated.

Soderman received the Medal of Honor after he distinguished himself in December 1944 while defending an important road junction near Rocherath, Belgium.

Four years after his death, on July 1, 1984, the flagpole in Bradley Point Park was dedicated in Soderman’s memory.

City Human Resources Commissioner Beth A. Sabo has overseen the construction of all phases of the walkway, which was built by City Point Construction Co. of West Haven.

Sabo has also supervised the design and placement of the granite Korean War and Soderman memorials, which were made by Shelley Bros. Monuments of Guilford.

Also in 2008, 14 grave markers signifying every war in U.S. history and peacetime were dedicated. The markers are mounted on granite posts.

Subsequent dedications have been held amid much fanfare, attracting hundreds of veterans and their families from all corners of the state and beyond.

Event collects 718 pounds of unused prescription drugs

WEST HAVEN, April 28, 2021 — (Pictured, from left): City resident Michelle Caprio, with Officers Doug Bauman and Jen Brown, disposes of a bag of items outside police headquarters at 200 Sawmill Road on Saturday as part of the Prescription Drug Takeback Day held by West Haven’s Police Department, Youth and Family Services and Prevention Council.

The event collected 718 pounds of unused prescription drugs, expired over-the-counter medications and nicotine products, including electronic cigarettes and other vaping devices.

The event, sponsored by the U.S. Justice Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration, was organized by police spokesman Sgt. Patrick Buturla, Youth and Family Services Director Diane Dietman and Nicole Wiley, the Prevention Council’s prevention coordinator.

(City Photo/Diane Dietman)

Sound Health publishes 11th edition

WEST HAVEN, April 28, 2021 — For the latest COVID-19 vaccine information and resources, stay connected and engaged during the pandemic with Sound Health, the Health Department’s newsletter.

Read about all things public health at Sound Health, Volume 11.

West Haven High student wins public speaking competition

WHHS student wins public speaking competition

WEST HAVEN, April 23, 2021 — (Pictured): West Haven High School junior Lance Andriulli, second from left, receives a gold medal in the school atrium Friday for winning the public speaking competition at last month’s virtual Spring State Leadership Conference of the Connecticut chartered association of HOSA-Future Health Professionals.

Shown with Andriulli are, from left, Principal Dana Paredes, Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and junior Nabiha Khan, a co-president of the school’s HOSA Club.

Andriulli received the medal from his HOSA adviser, Valerie Cosenza, a registered nurse who teaches nursing at the school, for his four-minute-winning video, “Unlocking Your Potential.” He was joined at the midday ceremony by his grandmother, Theresa Andriulli.

HOSA, headquartered in Southlake, Texas, is an international organization of high school and postsecondary students that supports career development in health care professions.

The student-led organization aims to empower members to become leaders in the global health community through education, collaboration and experience.

(City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Rossi leads Earth Day cleanup of Spring St.

WEST HAVEN, April 23, 2021 — (Pictured): Public Works Commissioner Tom J. McCarthy holds a trash bag while Mayor Nancy R. Rossi disposes of a plastic bucket found in a marsh off Spring Street during the city’s Earth Day cleanup Thursday.

The grassroots cleanup, organized by the Department of Public Works and local developer The Smyrna Group, targeted the south side of Spring Street, which connects West Haven and New Haven along the marshes that lead to Long Island Sound.

Also pitching in for the effort were Rossi’s executive assistant, Louis P. Esposito Jr.; Councilman Robert Bruneau, D-9; Ernie Chiarelli, the Public Works Department’s project coordinator and sidewalk inspector; and Smyrna representatives.

Volunteers picked up rubbish in the marshland and placed it into trash bags provided by public works. The department also provided a front-end loader and dump truck to remove the bags.

Bruneau, who owns Bruneau’s Garage in West Haven, provided a tow truck to drag rubber tires and wooden railroad ties from the water.

Spring Street was closed to traffic throughout the cleanup.

According to McCarthy, a broad swath of debris — plastics, TVs and tires, as well as plastic foam products — has collected in the canals that feed the West River, which empties into the Sound.

The area is home to a wide array of wildlife, including a family of swans.

(City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Tow truck operator Robert Bruneau, the owner of Bruneau’s Garage in West Haven, pulls several tires from the water off Spring Street as part of the city’s Earth Day cleanup. Bruneau is councilman of the 9th District. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

City Council slates spring cleanups

WEST HAVEN, April 20, 2021 — Each City Council district will hold spring cleanups over the next few months. The cleanup efforts will be led by each district council member in cooperation with Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and the Department of Public Works.

Details at Spring Cleanups.

Applications available May 3-28 for summer youth jobs in West Haven

WEST HAVEN, April 20, 2021 — Applications for the Summer Youth Employment Program will be available from May 3-28 in the athletic director’s office at West Haven High School and the main office at Bailey Middle School.

The four- or five-week summer program, which begins July 5, is aimed at funding positions for low-income city residents ages 14-21.

Students must return applications with all required documents to their school office.

Students who attend other schools must download an Application.

Downloaded applications with all required documents are due by noon May 28 to coordinator Jim Eagan, Summer Youth Employment Program, Department of Human Resources, 355 Main St., West Haven, CT 06516. Applications can also be inserted into the drop box at the Main Street entrance of City Hall.

No applications will be accepted after May 28.

Students must also include copies of information, such as a birth certificate and Social Security card, as well as documentation of household income.

Family income is based on the number of people per household and is required to be within 185% of state poverty income levels.

Incomplete applications will not be processed. Applicants will be notified by mail or phone if more information is needed.

‘Kids & Kites’ event set for families of special needs children

‘Kids & Kites’ event scheduled for families of special needs children

WEST HAVEN, April 20, 2021 — West Haven Youth and Family Services and the West Haven Interagency Network for Children are holding a “Kids & Kites” event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 1 in Bradley Point Park.

The event will give area families of children with special needs an opportunity to learn about the WHINC programs, services and support groups, including those for Spanish-speaking families, while meeting other families of special needs kids.

Kites are provided. The rain date is May 2.

Parking for residents and nonresidents is available in the parking lot of the Savin Rock Conference Center, 6 Rock St., off Captain Thomas Boulevard.

The event will include door prizes, such as $25 Stop & Shop gift cards, and a meet-and-greet with Diane Dietman, the new director of Youth and Family Services.

Families can return updated membership registration forms. Forms are also available for new members.

Face masks are required for all participants and spectators.

For more information, contact Dietman at 203-937-3633 or dietman@westhaven-ct.gov.

FEMA offers COVID-19 funeral aid

WEST HAVEN, April 15, 2021 —The Federal Emergency Management Agency is providing financial assistance for coronavirus-related funeral expenses incurred after Jan. 20, 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought overwhelming grief to many families, and FEMA is helping to ease some of the financial stress and burden caused by the virus.

For information on the FEMA program, see the flyers at COVID-19 Funeral Assistance (English) and COVID-19 Funeral Assistance (Espanol).

Rossi restricting shoreline parking for residents only

WEST HAVEN, April 15, 2021 — The city is installing "Beach Permit Parking Only" signs this week along the shoreline, from South Street to Beach Street, Mayor Nancy R. Rossi announced.

Read the full News Release.

City holding Memorial Day parade, seeking marchers

WEST HAVEN, April 9, 2021 — The city will hold the 2021 Memorial Day parade and is seeking veterans, civic groups, fraternal organizations, service clubs and marching bands to participate in the annual procession, which steps off at 10:30 a.m. May 31, Mayor Nancy R. Rossi announced.

Although West Haven’s parade was postponed last year because of the coronavirus, this year’s parade will take place in accordance with federal and state guidelines, city Health Director Maureen B. Lillis said.

“I am very excited that Gov. Ned Lamont has authorized parades in Connecticut this year,” Rossi said. “For more than a century, our Memorial Day parade has been a patriotic tradition that families in West Haven have looked forward to and participated in to commemorate the unwavering courage and selfless sacrifice of our great American heroes.”

The city will follow all current and future directives by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state Department of Public Health to ensure the health and safety of both parade participants and spectators, Lillis said.

Lillis said that no vendors of any kind are allowed along the parade route, which goes up Campbell Avenue from Captain Thomas Boulevard to Center Street.

According to organizers, participants must register and list required special accommodations for the parade, which has no rain date.

The city will provide transportation for veterans who are unable to walk the 1 ½-mile parade course. To make arrangements, call the mayor’s office at 203-937-3510.

The parade grand marshal is World War II veteran Frank Corso, who served in the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1942-45.

Download a Participation Form.

Forms are also available for pickup at City Hall, 355 Main St., where they are due May 3.

Forms can also be emailed to parade organizer Kristen Teshoney at kteshoney@westhaven-ct.gov or faxed to 203-937-3705.

Leading up to the parade, the city is urging all participants and spectators to review the following guidelines:

— Marchers and participants must wear face masks in accordance with CDC and DPH guidelines.

— People must maintain social distancing of 6 feet while marching or participating while driving or riding in a car or on a truck, float or trailer.

— Marching bands must maintain social distancing of 9 feet while playing.

— The city has the right to refuse a group or an organization from participating at the time of the parade if the rules are not obeyed.

#FunFactFriday coming to West Haven centennial Facebook page

Every Friday is #FunFactFriday on W. Haven centennial Facebook page

WEST HAVEN, April 9, 2021 — The City of West Haven Centennial Celebration Committee has launched a new series called #FunFactFriday to promote the community’s 100th anniversary this year.

Every Friday, the committee will post tidbits celebrating historical events, people and places in West Haven from the past 100 years on its official Facebook page, City of West Haven Centennial Celebration - 1921-2021.

The page is administered by the city and edited by Dan Shine, one of the foremost authorities on West Haven history. Like the page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CityofWestHavenCentennialCelebrationCommittee.

The historical facts are compiled from various West Haven Library references by staff members Taylor Cordova and Kiana Arevalo under the supervision of Executive Director Colleen Bailie.

The committee is planning a number of commemorative events, starting June 24, to observe the 1921 birth of Connecticut’s youngest town.

COVID-19 Testing Site at Savin Rock Conference Center