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Phase 1 of shoreline restoration project underway
WEST HAVEN, Oct. 7, 2021 — After consulting with the New Haven office of Save the Sound and the Land Trust of West Haven Inc., the city launched the first of a three-phase project Wednesday to restore the beachfront parcels along the boardwalk that were previously overrun by invasive plant species. The project will unfold over the next two years in the following phases: — Remove invasive plants. — Perform a site analysis and recommend restoration alternatives. — Choose a restoration design and implement it. The project’s ultimate goal is to showcase the best practices of coastal resilience in a way that is educational and enjoyable while enhancing West Haven’s regional reputation. For the latest updates on the project, visit Shoreline Restoration.
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 CEO Michael R. Taylor of the Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center cuts the ribbon with Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, center, to mark the grand opening of the center’s 9,500-square-foot care site at 410 Campbell Ave. in West Haven on Wednesday. With them are, from left, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz; state Sen. James J. Maroney, D-Milford; state Rep. Charles J. Ferraro, R-West Haven; Dr. Mark Silvestri, the chief medical officer of medical and dental services; and Dr. Ece Tek, the chief medical officer of mental health and addiction services. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center celebrates city opening
WEST HAVEN, Oct. 7, 2021 — The Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center held a ribbon-cutting Wednesday to celebrate the grand opening of its 9,500-square-foot care site at 410 Campbell Ave.
The late-morning ceremony, outside the center’s main entrance, featured public officials and representatives of health and social services organizations, as well as community members.
The event included remarks by CEO Michael R. Taylor; Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz; state Sen. James J. Maroney, D-Milford; state Rep. Charles J. Ferraro, R-West Haven; and Mayor Nancy R. Rossi.
“Our new West Haven facility demonstrates our continued commitment to the city of West Haven, to the thousands of West Haven-area residents who we’ve served over the years, and to the thousands more who we now have the capacity to serve,” Taylor said.
Bysiewicz said, “This facility means that more people have access to great health care.” Rossi added: “I’m so excited that we have a state-of-the-art health care facility in West Haven. It is an honor to have you.”
According to Taylor, the new practice location triples CS-HHC’s capacity to improve community access to the health center’s integrated primary medical, medical specialty and behavioral health services.
“We are absolutely delighted to expand our fully integrated services at this critical time in our West Haven location,” said Dr. Ece Tek, the chief medical officer of mental health and addiction services, noting the growing need for mental health services in general. “We will continue to build on serving people in this community with an eye on improving access to mental health care.”
After cutting the ribbon with a pair of oversize scissors, Taylor led officials on a tour of the renovated building, formerly the Beecher & Bennett-Taylor Funeral Home.
Other West Haven attendees included City Council members Bridgette J. Hoskie, D-1, Robbin Watt Hamilton, D-5, Treneé McGee, D-7, and Barry Lee Cohen, R-10.
Hoskie, who represents the district that includes the center, said: “(CS-HHC’s) experience and history of being a vital part of fighting this pandemic will benefit our city and residents greatly. The fact that one of their goals is to fight health disparities while providing services to all makes their expanded presence a great asset for West Haven.”
Council Chairman Ronald M. Quagliani, who could not attend, extended his best wishes.
“I offer my congratulations on CS-HCC’s new state-of-the-art facility that will further support and advocate for so many of our residents,” said Quagliani, D-at large.
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 Mayor Nancy R. Rossi delivers remarks celebrating the Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center’s new care site in West Haven as CEO Michael R. Taylor looks on. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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West Haven Senior Center launches monthly newsletter for residents
WEST HAVEN, Oct. 7, 2021 — The West Haven Senior Center reopened its doors July 8, and every day since has welcomed its membership of residents 55 and older with open arms.
WHSC, based at 201 Noble St. and operated by the Department of Elderly Services, provides a variety of programs and services that allow West Haven’s older residents to “enhance their dignity, support their independence and encourage their involvement with the community.”
Abiding by her predecessor’s monthly bulletin, new Elderly Services Director Alyssa Maddern is also creating and distributing a monthly newsletter, City of West Haven Highlights, through a mailing list and electronically.
According to Maddern, the free newsletter is distributed to more than 300 current and potential WHSC members.
Residents can join the newsletter mailing list by contacting WHSC at 203-937-3507 or amaddern@westhaven-ct.gov.
Residents can also get the newsletter on the city website at Elderly Services/West Haven Senior Center.
“The West Haven Senior Center is thrilled to be back open and is pleased to have back its current WHSC members and welcome new members,” Maddern said. “We are here to serve the West Haven senior community and are always striving to enhance our innovative programming and support services.”
Maddern added: “So if you or someone you know has any questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Welcome to your home away from home, and see you next time at the West Haven Senior Center!”
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Brazilian market, Sabi, marks opening on Campbell Ave.
WEST HAVEN, Oct. 5, 2021 — (Pictured): Sabi Meat Market owner Sergio Dos Anjos is joined by Mayor Nancy R. Rossi on Tuesday to celebrate the Brazilian market’s grand opening at 391 Campbell Ave.
Sabi, housed in a building of small businesses on Campbell Avenue between Brown and Court streets, features a butcher shop and specializes in food items from Brazil, said Dos Anjos, a native of Sabinópolis, Brazil, who has lived in West Haven for the past 18 years.
The new market offers such tender Brazilian meats as picanha — a savory prime cut of top sirloin cooked with the fat for juiciness and flavor — as well as pork and chicken sausages and flank, skirt and tenderloin steaks.
Rossi said Sabi is “the go-to place” for home-style and hard-to-find Brazilian foods and snacks.
The market also offers prepackaged and convenience food products from Brazil.
(City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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Community input sought for American Rescue Plan funds
WEST HAVEN, Oct. 4, 2021 — The city has received funding from the U.S. Treasury Department’s American Rescue Plan Act and is seeking input from residents.
West Haven residents are asked to provide suggestions and recommendations regarding project proposals for consideration. Projects must fit the federal criteria.
Read Mayor Nancy R. Rossi's full announcement letter and take the online survey at Letter and Survey.
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 Dr. Ralph L. Padilla, the owner of the West Haven Animal Clinic at 959 Campbell Ave., holds Gizmo, a Persian cat, with Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, center, and Mayor Nancy R. Rossi during their tour of Hispanic-owned businesses in West Haven on Friday. Bysiewicz and Rossi also visited Budget Transmission Center at 950 Boston Post Road and La Catrina Restaurant and Cantina at 240 Captain Thomas Blvd. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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Bysiewicz, Rossi tour Hispanic-owned businesses in city
WEST HAVEN, Oct. 4, 2021 — In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and Mayor Nancy R. Rossi toured three Hispanic-owned businesses in West Haven on Friday.
Bysiewicz and Rossi, who was joined by Executive Assistant Louis P. Esposito Jr. and City Clerk Patricia C. Horvath, visited the West Haven Animal Clinic at 959 Campbell Ave., Budget Transmission Center at 950 Boston Post Road and La Catrina Restaurant and Cantina at 240 Captain Thomas Blvd.
With the small businesses in full swing, the state and city leaders talked shop with Animal Clinic owner Dr. Ralph L. Padilla, Budget Transmission owner Sammy Rivera, who also owns Budget Car Wash at 936 Boston Post Road, and La Catrina co-owners Nicolas Altamirano Escobedo and Karen Sanchez Benitez.
Bysiewicz and Rossi received an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of each business and chatted with the owners about surviving the coronavirus pandemic, the importance of small businesses in Connecticut, and how they are driving economic growth statewide, including in West Haven.
Padilla, who has practiced veterinary medicine since 1981 and owned the clinic since 1985, said he takes pride in his Puerto Rican heritage and profession by giving back as much as he has received.
With his Puerto Rican flag-draped office door in view, Padilla paused with Eleanor, a Rottweiler dog; Gizmo, a Persian cat; and Buddy, a cockatoo parrot.
Rossi said Padilla’s pro bono services at the West Haven Animal Shelter include dealing with the prevention and treatment of diseases and injuries in animals, both domestic and wild.
The New York City-born Padilla, who traces his paternal lineage to Naranjito, Puerto Rico, was the first recipient of West Haven’s Hispanic American of the Year award at the inaugural Hispanic Heritage Celebration in 2018.
Rossi and the West Haven Hispanic Heritage Committee bestow the award annually on a Hispanic resident who personifies service in the city’s thriving Hispanic American community.
Rivera, the 2021 Hispanic American of the Year, became the award’s third recipient on Sept. 24. Last year’s ceremony was postponed because of COVID-19.
On Route 1 in Allingtown, Rivera showed Bysiewicz and Rossi his bustling automotive repair shop, established in 2005. As they greeted each of his nine full-time employees, Rivera pointed out that his burgeoning business enterprise includes his 4-year-old touchless car wash next door, a 24-hour operation with four employees.
Rivera was born in Cayey, a mountain town and municipality in central Puerto Rico, and moved to New Haven’s Fair Haven neighborhood with his mother and brother in 1981 at age 4. He moved to West Haven when he purchased Budget Transmission in 2005.
The public-spirited Rivera, who grew up “very poor,” said he appreciates those who helped his business career and believes in paying it forward.
“The American dream is having a lot of employees and taking care of them — and them taking care of me and taking care of my customers,” Rivera said.
Rossi said Rivera’s good works include donating toys amid the pandemic to the Three Kings Day celebration in January and supporting the hurricane relief effort in Puerto Rico.
Bysiewicz and Rossi made their last stop at La Catrina, where the owners opened the visit by thanking Rossi for cutting the ribbon at the Mexican restaurant’s grand opening on Feb. 24.
Altamirano Escobedo said La Catrina serves the taste of Mexico, specializing in such authentic dishes as tacos, burritos, tortas, quesadillas and enchiladas made from his mother’s time-honored recipes, along with savory fish, chicken, steak and pork entrees. The fusion of traditional Mexican cuisine is complemented by creative concoctions of citrusy-flavored margaritas and other zesty cocktails.
Altamirano Escobedo and Sanchez Benitez, who hail from Puebla, Mexico, and now live together in Hamden, chose the West Haven location, housed in the Savin Rock Plaza near the beach, because they “love the city.”
Accentuated by bright hues of the owners’ native Mexico, the remodeled restaurant and bar, open for lunch and dinner daily, is decorated with Spanish furnishings, knickknacks and murals.
The striking theme of La Catrina is “Dia de los Muertos,” or “Day of the Dead,” the popular Mexican holiday that commemorates loved ones who have died.
“La Catrina,” a female skeleton donning a dress hat with feathers, is the referential image of death in Mexico and the symbol of Dia de los Muertos, observed Nov. 1-2.
As a tribute to the culture and people of Mexico, the restaurant’s festive and spacious dining room and barroom are enlivened by vivid pink and yellow stucco walls that showcase Day of the Dead-themed murals with skeleton faces painted by West Haven artist Cruz Manuel.
Like Padilla and Rivera, the owners of La Catrina are committed to supporting their vibrant community and carrying on the proud traditions of Mexico.
West Haven’s diversity is its strength, said Rossi, adding that the owners of all four businesses are a testament to the promise and greatness of America.
In observance of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs through Oct. 15, West Haven recognizes the important legacy of Hispanic Americans and the inspiring contributions they have made to the culture and history of the United States.
Hispanics have had a profound and positive influence on the civic and cultural life of America, enhancing and shaping the national character with centuries-old traditions that reflect the multiethnic and multicultural customs of their community.
Hispanic Heritage Month, which traces its roots to 1968, begins each year on Sept. 15, the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile also celebrate their independence days during that period.
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 Bysiewicz and Rossi pose with Buddy, a cockatoo, at the West Haven Animal Clinic. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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 Rossi presents Bysiewicz with a West Haven centennial-emblazoned tote bag containing the new centennial book, “City of West Haven: Village to Town,” along with a centennial coin, lapel pin and decal. Looking on are City Clerk Patricia C. Horvath and mayoral Executive Assistant Louis P. Esposito Jr. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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 Budget Transmission Center owner Sammy Rivera, center, is joined outside his automotive repair shop at 950 Boston Post Road by, from left, City Clerk Patricia C. Horvath, Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and mayoral Executive Assistant Louis P. Esposito Jr. Rivera also owns Budget Car Wash at 936 Boston Post Road. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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 Rossi laughs as Bysiewicz jokes with Rivera in his office. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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 Rivera is joined by his 23-year-old son, Nicholas Rivera, and sBysiewicz, Rossi and Esposito. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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 La Catrina Restaurant and Cantina co-owners Nicolas Altamirano Escobedo and Karen Sanchez Benitez, center, are joined outside their Mexican restaurant at 240 Captain Thomas Blvd. by, from left, mayoral Executive Assistant Louis P. Esposito Jr., Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and City Clerk Patricia C. Horvath. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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 Altamirano Escobedo pauses with Rossi and Bysiewicz in La Catrina’s barroom. The barroom and dining room feature “Day of the Dead”-themed murals with skeleton faces painted by West Haven artist Cruz Manuel. The popular Mexican holiday celebrates loved ones who have died. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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 Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and author Dan Shine reveal West Haven’s newly published centennial book, “City of West Haven: Village to Town,” at City Hall on Sept. 24. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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Centennial book signing set for Oct. 20 at City Hall
WEST HAVEN, Sept. 29, 2021 — Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and author Dan Shine will sign copies of West Haven’s newly published centennial book, “City of West Haven: Village to Town,” on Oct. 20.
The book signing will take place from 5:30-7 p.m. in the first-floor foyer of City Hall, 355 Main St.
The $20 historical book, printed in partnership with GHP Media of West Haven and released on Sept. 24, chronicles the stories and photos that shaped West Haven’s past 100 years.
“It is the city’s, the committee’s and Mr. Shine’s hope that the reader will find the following stories to be enlightening, entertaining and moving, in accordance with the content of each,” said Rossi, the honorary chairwoman of the City of West Haven Centennial Celebration Committee.
The 116-page book was commissioned by the committee to commemorate West Haven’s 1921 birth and its incorporation by the General Assembly as Connecticut’s youngest town.
Rossi and Shine will sign more books from 5:30-7 p.m. Nov. 17 at the city’s Main Library, 300 Elm St.
The book is also available for purchase in the Department of Human Resources at City Hall or by calling Commissioner Beth A. Sabo at 203-937-3558.
Rossi praised Sabo, the committee’s chairwoman, for overseeing the book and West Haven Public Library Assistant Director Catherine Bushman for laying out the contents, including the black-and-white and full-color photos.
The information was sourced from the “Historian’s Corner” series written by Shine, one of the foremost authorities on West Haven history. The cover was photographed by James Holt and designed by Toni Perry, who also provided the finished layout.
The book’s articles are dedicated to Shine’s father, Daniel R. “Bob” Shine, who died in 2004.
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 Members of the 8th Regiment Connecticut Volunteers, Company A fire their Springfield muskets during the finale of the West Haven centennial exhibit, “Hubbard Farms,” in Hubbard Farms Park on Sept. 25. The regiment is a Union Civil War living history and reenacting organization that helped celebrate the legacy of the Hubbard family and farm with a Civil War encampment. The exhibit also included children’s activities, food and live music. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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Hubbard family, farm celebrated with centennial exhibit
WEST HAVEN, Sept. 28, 2021 — Hubbard Farms Park on Sept. 25 was transformed into a Civil War encampment and a venue for children’s activities, food and live music to celebrate the legacy of the Hubbard family and farm at the West Haven centennial exhibit, “Hubbard Farms.”
The five-hour exhibit, presented by Hubbard family member Steven Johnstone, was part of the West Haven Centennial Celebration, a six-month series of free events commemorating the community’s 1921 birth and its incorporation by the General Assembly as Connecticut’s youngest municipality, said Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, the honorary chairwoman of the City of West Haven Centennial Celebration Committee.
Local cover band The Navels kicked off the late-morning festivities, performing a two-hour-plus set of classic rock anthems on a flatbed truck provided by Bruneau’s Garage of West Haven outside the park’s main entrance on Hubbard Road. The group was followed by guitarist John Ciambriello, who played acoustic renditions of Top 40 hits.
Read the full story, see the photos and watch the video at Hubbard Farms.
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Every Friday is #FunFactFriday on W. Haven centennial Facebook page
WEST HAVEN, July 29, 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 this month, to observe the 1921 birth of Connecticut’s youngest town.
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