Kickoff fundraiser tapped for Columbus Day parade

WEST HAVEN, May 10, 2017 — The Columbus Day Committee of Greater New Haven will hold a kickoff event from 6-9 p.m. June 28 at the Cielo Banquet Ballroom, 85 Chase Lane, to launch its fundraising campaign for the 2017 Columbus Day parade in West Haven.

The benefit will include a buffet of Italian foods donated by city restaurants, along with beer, wine, soda, coffee and dessert. It will also include entertainment by crooners Earl Benedetto and Mike Negretti.

Tickets, which cost $25, are on sale in the mayor’s office, 355 Main St., and the West Haven Italian-American Civic Association, 85 Chase Lane. Checks are payable to the Columbus Day Committee.

For tickets and reservations or for information, contact Cathy Sherman, executive administrative assistant to Mayor Edward M. O’Brien, at csherman@westhaven-ct.gov or 203-937-3510. Tickets are also available by calling Frank Consorte, former president of the Italian-American Club, at 203-676-6379.

Proceeds will go to the Greater New Haven Columbus Day Parade, which steps off at 1 p.m. Oct. 8.

O’Brien has tapped residents Natalie Guiliano DeRosa, Grace Iannucci Hendricks and Marie D. Lacobelle to lead the procession as grand marshals.

Guiliano DeRosa and Lacobelle are former recipients of the West Haven Columbus Day Committee’s Italian-American of the Year award, with Guiliano DeRosa receiving the civic honor in 2014 and Lacobelle in 2015.

Iannucci Hendricks is a longtime member of the West Haven Italian-American Ladies Auxiliary.

The two-hour parade, which rotates among six municipalities, was previously held in the city in 2011 and 2006.

To march in the parade, click on Reservation Form.

For parade information, go to www.columbusdaynewhaven.org.

West Haven announces summer concert series lineup

WEST HAVEN, May 10, 2017 — The city’s summer concert series will kick off June 16 on the Green with ’60s rock music performed by Sixties Satisfaction, sponsored by West Haven Vietnam Veterans Inc.

The free concerts are scheduled from 7-9 p.m.

The annual Friday night concert series will follow June 23 with the Sounds of Frank Sinatra, sponsored by the Columbus Day Committee of Greater New Haven, and oldies by the Vinnie Carr Band June 30, both on the Green.

New York City Swing Band will play Motown standards July 7, followed by rhythm and blues classics by Latanya Farrell July 14, Top 40 gems by Timmy Maia Experience July 21 and country favorites by Midnight Rodeo Aug. 4, all in Old Grove Park.

The eclectic lineup will continue with ’60s, ’70s and ’80s rock anthems by Cover2Cover Aug. 11 and R&B hits by Shaded Soul Aug. 18, both in the Grove.

Concerts postponed by rain will move to the same time and venue the following Monday, except the Vinnie Carr Band, which has no rain date.

For rescheduling information, go to the Department of Parks and Recreation website, www.whparkrec.com, or call 203-937-3677 after 4 p.m. the day of the concert.

Scholarship offered in memory of schoolteacher

Scholarship offered in memory of Savin Rock School teacher

WEST HAVEN, May 4, 2017 — The city’s Breast Cancer Awareness Committee is accepting applications for a scholarship fund it founded in memory of a third-grade Savin Rock Community School teacher who died of breast cancer.

The 15th annual Susan A. Ruickoldt Scholarship Fund will award $2,000 to a female high school senior from West Haven who plans to continue her education.

Candidates must submit an application form, an official transcript and a class rank, as well as a 250-word essay on achievements and goals and a 250-word essay on the importance of breast cancer screening and education.

Applicants must also submit a letter of acceptance from a postsecondary school and a letter of intent to attend the school.

Applications are available at West Haven High School, 1 Circle St. They are also available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays in the Department of Human Resources at City Hall, 355 Main St.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. May 22.

Craft, farm, food truck vendors sought for farmers market

WEST HAVEN, May 4, 2017 — The city is seeking craft, farm and food truck vendors to participate in the Tony Inzero Farmers Market, which opens its 18th season July 6 on the Green.

Through Oct. 28, the expanded marketplace at Main Street and Campbell Avenue will feature state farmers selling homegrown fruits and vegetables Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

It will include crafters selling their wares and an internet radio station DJ playing hit music.

The Thursday markets will showcase food trucks galore, dishing up baked potatoes, fried dough, Italian ice, kettle corn, lobster rolls and pulled pork.

To download a participation form, click on Farmers Market Application.

Forms are also available in the mayor’s office at City Hall, 355 Main St., where they are due June 9. Forms can also be emailed to farmers market organizer Erin Sweeney at esweeney@westhaven-ct.gov or faxed to 203-937-3705.

Public info meeting slated for project to raise Beach St.

Public informational meeting slated for project to elevate Beach Street

WEST HAVEN, May 4, 2017 — The city will hold a meeting for the reconstruction of a section of Beach Street and First Avenue that was 5 feet underwater during Superstorm Sandy.

Members of the public are invited to review and discuss the project’s preliminary design plans with officials from the city and its engineering consultant, DTC of Hamden, at 7 p.m. May 11 in the Harriet C. North Community Room on the second floor of City Hall, 355 Main St.

At the informational meeting, a DTC representative will present an overview of the plans, which are about 60 percent complete, according to City Engineer Abdul Quadir.

Quadir said the $8.5 million project calls for raising a 4,000-foot stretch of First Avenue and Beach Street from Monahan Place, near the wastewater treatment plant, to Morse Avenue, near the former Chick’s Drive-in restaurant.

Elevations will range from 2 to 5 feet, based on existing topography, Quadir said.

“The raising of Beach Street will ensure that the road is fully accessible throughout an extreme storm, such as Superstorm Sandy,” Mayor Edward M. O’Brien said.

The coastal resiliency project is part of West Haven’s aggressive recovery efforts in the aftermath of Sandy to better protect the Beach Street area from flooding events.

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

In the storm’s wake, the city has taken steps to make it more resilient to tidal flooding and coastal storms, including dredging the Old Field Creek salt marsh off Beach Street, thanks to federal funding to help Connecticut municipalities like West Haven make such improvements.

The Beach Street project, which kicked off in 2015, is being financed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program.

The project will also include the construction of new concrete sidewalks and a two-way bike lane for future connection to a regional shoreline bikeway system, said David W. Killeen, assistant city planner.

Anyone with questions about the meeting or project can call Quadir at 203-937-3577.

Senior Celebration Day set for May 18

WEST HAVEN, April 28, 2017 — In recognition of Older Americans Month, the Department of Elderly Services will hold its 28th annual Senior Celebration Day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 18 at the Savin Rock Conference Center, 6 Rock St.

The health and resource fair, designed for residents and their caregivers, will include more than 30 elderly service agencies and businesses, refreshments and giveaways, as well as music by Vinnie Carr.

Free box lunches will be provided for 300 people by reservation courtesy of Apple Rehab-West Haven, West Haven Funeral Home, RegalCare at West Haven and Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center.

Lunch tickets must be picked up at the Allingtown and West Haven Senior Center, 201 Noble St., or the senior housing complexes. Seating is limited.

Beautification Committee seeks volunteers, schedules meeting

WEST HAVEN, April 18, 2017 — The West Haven Beautification Committee is seeking volunteers to help with planting and organizing community cleanups.

Committee Chairwoman Marilyn Wilkes will hold a meeting for new and current members from 7-8 p.m. May 18 in the basement conference room of City Hall, 355 Main St.

Those unable to make the meeting can join the committee by calling Wilkes at 203-415-4712.

The committee is composed of volunteers who plant flowers and care for designated locations across the city, including litter cleanups, during the spring and summer months.

“I believe that everyone can make a difference and everyone has a role to play in environmental stewardship,” said Wilkes, founder and president of the West Haven Community Garden, which is behind the former Molloy Elementary School at 255 Meloy Road. “From picking up a piece of trash you see on the street to caring for your home to planting gardens throughout the city to recycling — it all builds our sense of community and helps our city.”

Wilkes said several Saturday cleanups around the city in April, May and June have been organized and need volunteers:

—April 29, 9-10 a.m., Colonial Boulevard brook.

—May 13, 9-11 a.m., Savin Rock Beach and walkway, with Land Trust of West Haven.

—May 20, 9-10 a.m., Jones Hill Road.

—June 10, all day, “Keep Your Street Neat” Campbell Avenue event.

—June 17, 9-10 a.m., Minor Park area, Allingtown.

To sign up for a cleanup or for information, contact Stacey Giaquinto at stacey.giaquinto@whschools.org or 203-494-5190.

Student participants will receive community service credit, said Wilkes, who sits on the Land Trust board of directors.

The committee welcomes input from residents about other areas needing attention, she said.

The committee can also help publicize resident-organized litter cleanups, Wilkes said.