Pinpoint relocates to West Haven train station district

WEST HAVEN, Nov. 21, 2018 — Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, center, cuts the ceremonial ribbon Tuesday with Pinpoint managing partners T.J. Andrews, third from left, and Steve Gentile, fourth from left, to mark the relocation of the marketing company’s headquarters to 45 Railroad Ave. in the city’s burgeoning transit-oriented development zoning district around the train station.

Joining the celebration are, from left, mayoral Executive Assistant Lou Esposito; state Reps. Charles J. Ferraro, R-West Haven, and Dorinda Borer, D-West Haven; City Clerk Deborah Collins; and city Planning and Development Commissioner Fred A. Messore.

Pinpoint was previously at 53 Hancock St., Stratford, and is now in a newly remodeled, 25,000-square-foot warehouse across the street from the Metro-North Railroad commuter station.

Gentile, who is also the company’s strategy director, said the move to West Haven triples the space Pinpoint had occupied and was critical to accommodate its rapid expansion in personnel, capabilities and production equipment.

The full-service marketing company, founded by Gentile in Milford 11 years ago, specializes in creative design, large-format printing, direct mail, imprinted promotional products and brand development.

Pinpoint has 20 full-time employees, with plans to expand its workforce by at least 40 percent in the next five years, and is a partner of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars.

Other clients include Live Nation, Comcast Corp., Yale University and iHeartMedia Inc.

Read the official Pinpoint News Release.

(City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Mayor Rossi stands next to corrugated plastic cutouts of nutcracker soldiers made by Pinpoint that will go on display during the holiday season at the Westfield Connecticut Post shopping mall in Milford. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

With the West Haven Christmas tree aglow in the background, The John C. Ireland Bandstand on the snow-covered Green is bedecked with huge electric snowflakes as Victorian-era streetlamps decorated with angels blowing on trumpets illuminate the walkways during a Yuletide celebration from yesteryear. (Contributed Photo)

Christmas tree lighting on Green set for Saturday

WEST HAVEN, Nov. 21, 2018 — The annual lighting of the Christmas tree on the Green will herald an evening of merrymaking Saturday.

On a nearby stage on Main Street, the festivities will kick off at 4 p.m. with a rendition of the national anthem by West Haven High School sophomore Nora E. Mullins, followed by holiday carols sung by the St. Lawrence School chorus.

The ceremony will continue with performances by the West Haven High dance team and the Top Hat Dance Academy and Yuletide classics sung by the Church of the Holy Spirit choir and the Bailey Middle School chorus.

At 6 p.m., Mayor Nancy R. Rossi will greet revelers. The West Haven High School and Seahawks cheerleading teams, dressed as elves, will then escort Santa and Mrs. Claus to the stage, where they will join Rossi and her special guests — city schoolchildren who have achieved various academic honors — to set the tree aglow.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will arrive in a 1916 Ford pump firetruck from the West Haven Fire Department.

The city’s official Christmas tree is encircled by five smaller evergreen trees adorned with fluorescent-colored lights.

Before returning to the North Pole, Santa and Mrs. Claus will meet visitors and pose for snapshots in their workshop until 8:30 p.m.

Organizers will offer the photos with Santa as a free digital download online. Starting Tuesday, people can view and download their photos on the city’s Flickr page at https://goo.gl/EkLxZz. The internet address is case-sensitive.

Just steps from Santa’s workshop, boys and girls can drop off their wish lists at St. Nick’s official U.S. Postal Service mailbox.

The event is sponsored by Baybrook Remodelers Inc., Anthony Cordone, First Congregational Church of West Haven, Komar Construction Co., the McCarthy family, New Life Church, The Rock House School of Music, RVP Studios, Studio G Music Instruction, USAlliance Federal Credit Union, West Haven Chamber of Commerce and West Haven United.

Huge electric snowflakes will decorate The John C. Ireland Bandstand, and Victorian-era streetlamps bedecked with angels blowing on trumpets will illuminate the walkways.

Along with hayrides, children can ride on a vintage firetruck from the West Shore Fire Department. Youngsters can also enjoy a variety of craft stations on the Green, where they can make ornaments, write letters to Santa, and make cards for U.S. troops overseas and those at the Veterans Affairs Hospital on Campbell Avenue.

The activities are free, but people are asked to bring nonperishable items for the West Haven Emergency Assistance Task Force, which provides food for residents in need.

West Haven United, an organization aimed at bringing the city’s volunteer groups together, will announce the winners of its ornament-making and merchant window-decorating contests.

Volunteers from the Chamber of Commerce will hand out hot chocolate, and vendors will sell food and novelties.

The vendors will include the Cappetta’s Italian Imports & Pizza truck, Casa Bianca Pizza, Riley’s Mobile Kitchen and Sweet Cupcasions.

Also, volunteers from West Haven United will sell hot apple cider and snacks.

After the lighting, the sounds of the holiday season will fill the air with live music on the bandstand from Rock House, RVP Studios and Studio G.

If it rains, the lighting will go on at 5 p.m. Monday.

For the latest news and information, subscribe to the city’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CityofWestHaven.

Small Business Saturday is Nov. 24

WEST HAVEN, Nov. 21, 2018 — Mayor Nancy R. Rossi has announced the city’s participation in the ninth annual Small Business Saturday on Nov. 24.

Nov. 24 also marks the lighting of the city’s Christmas tree on the Green. The Yuletide event attracts hundreds of people each year, many of whom Rossi hopes take advantage of sales at downtown specialty shops.

Small Business Saturday falls between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It is a day to celebrate and patronize the small, independently owned businesses that help stimulate local economies across the country.

“West Haven has a number of small businesses that offer gifts for the holidays,” Rossi said. “From practical selections, such as gift certificates for oil changes, car washes, landscaping services and beauty salons, to more romantic ideas like jewelry, fine dining and wine, we have it all.

“We also have businesses where you can shop online for truffle products and gourmet meats for gift-giving or for your holiday tables.”

“And don’t forget our restaurants,” Rossi said. “After all that shopping, you’re going to need a break and a bite to eat.”

Small Business Saturday was established by American Express in 2010 in response to the most pressing need of small-business owners — more customers — and has served as the ceremonial kickoff to the holiday shopping season for small businesses ever since.

According to AmEx, an estimated 108 million consumers shopped or dined at small businesses on Small Business Saturday last year.

Similar to last year, the Small Business Saturday Coalition, led by Women Impacting Public Policy, a nonpartisan small-business advocate known as WIPP, is rallying mayors nationwide to show their support and encourage their communities to shop small on Nov. 24.

“West Haven’s diversity is reflected in our small businesses,” Rossi said. “When you support a small business, you’re supporting our community as well.”

In recognizing the importance of supporting independent businesses, Rossi has issued a Small Business Saturday proclamation declaring the special observance in West Haven.

Read the Proclamation.

Merchants and consumers can learn more about Small Business Saturday, including how to participate, at www.shopsmall.com.

Fighting cancer

WEST HAVEN, Nov. 21, 2018 — From left, Dubel’s Golf Tournament organizer Elma Mohan, a breast cancer survivor, and Dubel’s Cafe owner Fred Hugendubel, the tournament co-chairman, present a $6,000 check for the West Haven Breast Cancer Awareness Program to committee member Beth A. Sabo on Thursday at City Hall.

The money was raised at the annual golf tournament in October.

The other organizers were co-chairman Art Gilbert, Kaci Fabish, Jo-Anne Hugendubel-Case, Sue LePre and Mary Price.

Since its inception in 2000, the program has collected hundreds of thousands of dollars for breast cancer research and education.

(City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

City issues snow rules for parking

WEST HAVEN, Nov. 15, 2018 — To help crews expedite snow removal, Public Works Commissioner Tom 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 Department of Public Works at 203-937-3585 or visit Public Works.

For the latest news and information, subscribe to the city’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CityofWestHaven.

Deadline extended for flood plain easement funding for Beach St. area

WEST HAVEN, Nov. 9, 2018 — In the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene and Superstorm Sandy, the U.S. Agriculture Department has authorized assistance through the Emergency Watershed Protection Floodplain Easements Program.

The program, managed by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, or NRCS, aims to buy permanent land rights to properties to mitigate the effects of future storms. Participation in the program is voluntary.

Federal Emergency Management Agency and Sandy Surge flood maps indicate that some properties in the Beach Street neighborhood of West Haven may have been flooded during one or both of those weather events, and that some landowners may be eligible to enroll in the program.

Eligible landowners will be paid a one-time purchase price fee, based on neighborhood historic comparable sales as of Oct. 29, 2012, while the sponsor — in this case, the city — will pay the “fee simple” and become the property owner. Once the property is purchased, all on-site structures will be demolished and removed, restoring the area to its natural condition.

To apply for the program, contact city grants writer Eileen M. Krugel at 203-937-3620, ext. 3010, or ekrugel@westhaven-ct.gov. Applications must be postmarked or received by Nov. 26 at City Hall, 355 Main St., West Haven, CT 06516.

Those with questions can contact program coordinator Kristin Walker at 860-871-4033 or kristin.walker@ct.usda.gov. They can also contact State Conservation Engineer Arthur Ramthun at 860-871-4030 or arthur.ramthun@ct.usda.gov.