Apraxia Awareness Day proclaimed in West Haven

WEST HAVEN, May 12, 2023 — (Pictured): Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, left, presents a proclamation to Forest Elementary School fourth grader Nicholas Gorske declaring Apraxia Awareness Day in West Haven on Thursday.

Shown with them are, from left, Nicholas’ mother, Anna Gorske; his sister, Aryanna Gorske, 16; and Forest paraprofessional Cynthia Russello, speech pathologist Jennifer Sandberg and Principal Thomas J. Hunt.

Nicholas, 10, has childhood apraxia of speech, or CAS, a motor speech disorder that makes it difficult for children to speak.

To raise awareness of CAS for the sixth straight year, Nicholas recently emailed Rossi about declaring the special day in West Haven.

Rossi, an ardent supporter of CAS awareness, said, “Public awareness of CAS in the city of West Haven is essential for families of children with apraxia and the professionals who support them to best advocate for needed services for children learning to use their own voice.”

National Apraxia Awareness Day is May 14.

(City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

West Haven named a HEARTSafe community by heart association

WEST HAVEN, May 12, 2023 — The city has been named a HEARTSafe community by the state Department of Public Health and the American Heart Association, Mayor Nancy R. Rossi announced.

DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani congratulated Rossi on West Haven’s designation in an April 24 letter.

“This three-year re-designation, effective April 24, 2023, recognizes your community’s continued commitment to provide improved cardiac response and care to the residents of your community utilizing the ‘Chain of Survival’ of early 9-1-1 access, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, defibrillation and advanced care,” Juthani wrote.

Rossi commended Emergency Management Director Joseph Soto for coordinating the city’s application and meeting the renewal requirements of a HEARTSafe community.

“This recognition is a direct reflection of the efforts of our emergency management director, Joseph Soto,” Rossi said. “Thank you for continuing to make West Haven a safer community.”

The city has received a citation from the DPH Office of Emergency Medical Services for its designation.

The office’s HEARTSafe Program, in collaboration with the heart association, is aimed at helping Connecticut’s municipalities, workplaces and campuses improve the chances of survival for anyone suffering from a sudden cardiac arrest.

According to the program, 110 of the 169 municipalities are designated HEARTSafe communities. In addition, 11 businesses in the state are designated HEARTSafe workplaces.

The designations are awarded through an application process.

Older Americans Month marked

WEST HAVEN, May 12, 2023 — Older Americans Month, established in 1963, is celebrated every May.

Led by the Administration for Community Living, OAM is a time for us to acknowledge the contributions and achievements of older Americans, highlight important trends, and strengthen our commitment to honoring our older citizens.

This year’s theme, “Aging Unbound,” offers an opportunity to explore a wide range of aging experiences and promote the importance of enjoying independence and fulfillment by paving our own paths as we age.

Read the full News Release.

$10K gift continues funding for breast cancer scholarship

$10K gift continues breast cancer scholarship

WEST HAVEN, May 4, 2023 — (Pictured, from left): Doug “the Rake” Ruickoldt and son Douglas J. Ruickoldt present a $10,000 check on behalf of the West Haven Breast Cancer Awareness Program to West Haven High School Principal Dana Paredes on May 4 to benefit the Susan A. Ruickoldt Scholarship Fund as program committee member Beth A. Sabo looks on.

The donation was made possible by the annual Dubel’s Golf Tournament, Westies Nutrition and the West Haven Youth Soccer League and will support the scholarship fund for the next 17 years, Sabo said.

The Ruickoldts and Paredes thanked and lauded Sabo for her tireless devotion to the Breast Cancer Awareness Program, including collecting more than $700,000 for breast cancer research and education since the program’s inception in 2000.

The scholarship fund was founded in March 2003 to raise breast cancer awareness in honor of Susan Ruickoldt, who taught third grade at Savin Rock Community School before dying of breast cancer in 1997.

Each spring since 2003, scholarship organizers have awarded $2,000 in Ruickoldt’s memory to a female high school senior from West Haven who plans to continue her education.

(City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Craft, farm, food truck vendors sought for market

WEST HAVEN, May 4, 2023 — The city is seeking craft, farm and food truck vendors to participate in the Tony Inzero Farmers Market, which will open its 2023 season July 6 in the Oak Street Beach parking lot off Captain Thomas Boulevard.

The market, nestled on the right side of the Oak Street municipal lot, will include state farmers selling homegrown fruits and vegetables and crafters selling wares from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays and Saturdays through Oct. 14.

It will also include food trucks.

To participate in the semiweekly market, download an Application.

Applications are also available for pickup in the mayor’s office at City Hall, 355 Main St., where they are due June 16.

Completed applications must be emailed to Killian Gruber, the market’s manager, at kgruber@westhaven-ct.gov or faxed to 203-937-3705.

For more information, call Gruber at 203-937-3510.

Youth programs offered

WEST HAVEN, May 2, 2023 — West Haven’s Youth and Family Services and Parks and Recreation are teaming up to offer two special evenings for residents ages 13-17 at Bailey Middle School and ages 7-12 at Savin Rock Community School.

The events, for West Haven residents only, are scheduled for May 18 at Savin Rock and June 8 at Bailey.

The Westies V.I.P. Night events include:

— A video game trailer with nine gaming stations for up to 22 players at a time or an RC NASCAR racetrack. Bailey will have the video trailer; Savin Rock will have the racetrack.

— An interactive Krazy Konez game and a photo booth.

— Pizza by Franco’s Fried Dough-Licious.

In addition, Picasso's Paint Party will do face painting and tattoos. There will be music and other city departments on hand to create a special night for young people who attend.

The fee is $10 per child — a $5 sibling discount is applied for two or more children.

Register at Park-Rec.

Make Music Day set for Old Grove Park from 5-8:30 p.m. June 21

WEST HAVEN, May 2, 2023 — Make Music Day will return for a second year and celebrate the first day of summer with live music at the beach.

The free event, presented by ArtsWestCT and the West Haven Early Childhood Council, is scheduled from 5-8:30 p.m. June 21 in Old Grove Park on Palace Street.

Food trucks will be on-site, and community groups will have tables with educational information and helpful resources.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their musical instruments, or they can use one of a limited number made from repurposed materials and offered by ArtsWestCT for community use.

Sign up for the ArtsWestCT Newsletter to receive updates.

Mattress drop-off discontinued because of safety concerns

WEST HAVEN, April 28, 2023 — Effective immediately, mattress drop-off at the city garage on Collis Street has been discontinued because of public safety concerns, Public Works Commissioner Tom J. McCarthy announced.

To dispose of mattresses moving forward, McCarthy said West Haven residents must buy mattress bags from the Department of Public Works and put them out for pickup on their weekly curbside collection day.

The bags cost $10 each, payable by cash or check, and are available in the public works office on the third floor of City Hall, 355 Main St.

“As a courtesy to our residents, we have reduced the cost of the bags from $25 to $10,” McCarthy said. “We look forward to continuing our mattress collection service using the much-safer mattress bags.”

Phase 2 of Beach Street raising set

WEST HAVEN, April 26, 2023 — Phase 2 of the long-anticipated raising of Beach Street is set to begin in May, Mayor Nancy R. Rossi announced.

Rossi said the project will raise a section of Beach Street up to 11 feet above sea level to protect the area’s flood-prone neighborhoods.

The project will also help ignite economic development on the Beach Street corridor, she said.

“I am ecstatic for the final phase of the raising of Beach Street,” Rossi said. “The road raising will absolutely spur economic activity on Beach Street and the surrounding area.”

The mayor added, “I have been fighting for this project since I originally requested it be put first on the city of West Haven’s state bonding list, and I am grateful for the project to pass the final approval point.”

In May 2020, Rep. Dorinda Borer, D-West Haven, announced $5.2 million in state funding for Phase 2 of the road raising. The money joined $3.5 million in federal and local funding for Phase 1, including $2.94 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program and $560,000 from the city.

The two-phase project consists of raising an approximately 3,900-foot stretch of First Avenue and Beach Street from Monahan Place, near the Water Pollution Control Plant, to Morse Avenue, near the former Chick’s Drive-in restaurant.

Phase 1 was completed two years ago and raised the road up to 7 feet from Monahan Place to the wastewater treatment plant.

Just over a decade ago, the area was 5 feet underwater during Superstorm Sandy, City Engineer Abdul Quadir said.

Phase 2 had been delayed since 2021 because of a protected species of grass that had been discovered by officials from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection during the permitting process.

“I want to thank City Engineer Abdul Quadir for his assistance in guiding the project through each delay,” Rossi said.

Quadir said Phase 2 will raise Beach Street from the treatment plant to Morse Avenue and should take about eight months to complete.

The project, like its counterpart, will include new sidewalks and a two-way bike lane on the beach side of the road, he said.

On Oct. 29, 2012, the Water Pollution Control Plant at 2 Beach St. was inaccessible to staff members and emergency vehicles for nearly 12 hours due to extensive flooding from Sandy.

Thanks to federal and state funding to help Connecticut municipalities mitigate flooding in the wake of the superstorm, the city has taken steps to make its shoreline more resilient to tidal flooding and coastal storms, including dredging the Old Field Creek salt marsh off Beach Street and installing a new tide gate system on the Cove River.

Applications available May 1-26 for summer youth jobs in city

WEST HAVEN, April 20, 2023 — Applications for the Summer Youth Employment Program will be available from May 1-26 in the athletic director’s office at West Haven High School and the main office at Bailey Middle School.

Applications are also available on the city website. Download an Application.

The six-week summer program, which begins July 10, is aimed at funding positions for low-income city residents ages 14-21.

Students must return applications with all required documents to West Haven High from 7-9 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and to Bailey from 8-10 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

No applications will be accepted after May 26.

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.

In addition, some work sites will require a COVID-19 vaccination. Students must indicate their vaccination status on the application.

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

Food scrap bags sold at retail sites

WEST HAVEN, Feb. 24, 2023 — Residents who need more green and orange food scrap bags can buy them at the following retail locations ($1.05 for five green bags and $1.55 for five orange bags):

• Krauszer’s Food Store, 10 Jones Hill Road (Babybrook Shopping Center, corner of Ocean Avenue)

• Krauszer’s Food Store, 911 Campbell Ave. (corner of Spring Street)

• Krauszer’s Food Store, 377 Campbell Ave. (corner of Brown Street)

• Krauszer’s Food Store, 191 Platt Ave. (near the WHHS entrance)

• Nazar Halal Meat & Market, 39 Elm St. (West River Plaza)

• Greatway Food Store, 502 Sawmill Road (across from Walmart)

• Best Gas & Food Mart, 161 Boston Post Road (near the Allington Green)

• Noble Gas Station, 941 Boston Post Road (corner of Farwell Street)

City touts 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)