Rossi gives another 1-year extension for resident beach stickers

WEST HAVEN, March 29, 2019 — For the second year, Mayor Nancy R. Rossi has extended the city’s 2016-18 beach parking permits, this time through June 30, 2020.

The two-year stickers, which are dark blue, were originally set to expire June 30, 2018, but were extended last year by Rossi to June 30, 2019.

Like last year, the extension will save $15,000 in printing fees the city would have incurred if it printed new beach stickers this year, Rossi said.

Delinquent taxpayers are not eligible for the free stickers until their motor vehicle taxes are paid, city officials said.

Taxpayers can check if they owe back taxes and pay online at Tax Collector. They can also pay in person in the tax office on the first floor of City Hall, 355 Main St.

Beach stickers for new, leased and military-exempt vehicles, including motorcycles, are available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays in the tax office. A “new” vehicle means it was registered in West Haven after Oct. 1, 2018. A motor vehicle registration is required to obtain a sticker for any vehicle.

Each beach sticker includes the vehicle’s license plate number printed on it.

Stickers are for residents whose vehicles are registered in West Haven and are only valid if affixed to the inside lower left corner of the vehicle’s windshield. Commercial vehicles are excluded.

The seasonal benefit entitles resident taxpayers to free beach parking in the following municipal lots: South Street, Dawson Avenue, Sea Bluff, Bradley Point, Rock Street, Oak Street, Altschuler Plaza, Morse Park, Sandy Point and the April Street boat ramp.

Please note that Palace Street is a pay-for-parking site for both residents and nonresidents. Beach stickers are not valid on Palace Street. Anyone with a sticker should park in a municipal lot.

The fee for a replacement beach sticker is $10 — no exceptions, officials said. A motor vehicle registration is required to buy a replacement sticker, which is payable by cash or check.

For nonresidents, a 2019 parking pass costs $125, payable by cash or check. A motor vehicle registration and a driver’s license are required to buy a nonresident beach sticker, which is valid in municipal parking lots only, not the boat ramp.

Replacement and nonresident stickers are available for purchase from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays in the Department of Human Resources on the second floor of City Hall.

Otherwise, the daily parking fee for nonresidents is $12, or $1.50 per hour, payable at the parking meters in the Sea Bluff, Bradley Point, Morse Park and Sandy Point beach lots and at the April Street boat ramp. The kiosks accept bills, coins and credit cards.

For beach sticker information, call the tax office at 203-937-3525 or the human resources office at 203-937-3568.

Marchers sought for Memorial Day parade; applications due April 8

WEST HAVEN, March 29, 2019 — The city is seeking veterans, civic groups, fraternal organizations, service clubs and marching bands to participate in the annual Memorial Day parade, which steps off at 10:30 a.m. May 27. There is no rain date.

Participants must register and list required special accommodations.

Transportation is provided for veterans who are unable to walk the 1 ½-mile parade course, which follows Campbell Avenue from Captain Thomas Boulevard to Center Street. To make arrangements, call the mayor’s office at 203-937-3510.

The parade grand marshal is West Haven Vietnam Veterans member William Benson, an Army veteran of the Vietnam War.

Download a Participation Form.

Forms are also available in the mayor’s office at City Hall, 355 Main St., where they are due April 8. Forms can also be emailed to parade organizer Kristen Teshoney at kteshoney@westhaven-ct.gov or faxed to 203-937-3705.

Workshop seeks input on future of Allingtown; confab set for Monday

WEST HAVEN, March 29, 2019 — The city will hold a public workshop focusing on the future of Allingtown and how it can reach the goals of the recently adopted Plan of Conservation and Development.

The workshop is set for 6 p.m. Monday in the Notre Dame High School auditorium, 1 Notre Dame Way. It is sponsored by the city Planning and Zoning Commission and the Allingtown Steering Committee, an ad hoc committee formed by the commission to help develop a plan for the Allingtown neighborhood.

See the Flyer.

P&Z Chairwoman Kathleen Hendricks said the commission hopes to attract a wide range of participants for the workshop, including neighborhood residents, area businesses, University of New Haven students, community leaders, church groups and representatives of school organizations.

The commission also hopes that Allingtown’s young people will attend to provide fresh ideas for the plan, Hendricks said.

According to Assistant City Planner David W. Killeen, the workshop will include a presentation highlighting items of the POCD vision as well as general areas the committee plans to address, such as making Allingtown more pedestrian- and bike-friendly; promoting the redevelopment of underutilized and vacant commercial properties; improving community facilities, parks and open space; enhancing connections between UNH and the neighborhood; and improving housing and property maintenance.

The workshop will include opportunities for participants to share ideas in small group sessions. The information gathered will help the committee identify issues for consideration in the Allingtown plan, Killeen said.

“There is strength in groupthink,” Hendricks said. “This was a very effective approach when we updated the Plan of Conservation and Development in 2017, and it gave the commission the confidence that we were making decisions based on direct input from the community.”

Killeen said the commission will schedule an additional workshop to cover the draft recommendations under consideration for the plan.

The concept for the Allingtown plan was first envisioned in the POCD, which was adopted by the commission in June 2017.

See the POCD.

For more information, call the Department of Planning and Development at 203-937-3580.

Bulk trash pickup week, e-waste drop-off day in April

WEST HAVEN, March 26, 2019 — The next bulk trash pickup week is April 8-12.

Residents are reminded to separate metals, recyclables and regular trash from bulk trash and to put them out no more than 24 hours before pickup. Violations carry a $100 fine per daily offense, Public Works Commissioner Tom McCarthy said.

Bulk items include couches, chairs, tables, carpeting, padding, fencing and small amounts of bundled lumber, which may not exceed 6 feet in length. No building materials, tires, mattresses, propane tanks or hazardous waste are accepted.

Options for disposing of building materials include renting a dumpster or bringing the materials to a disposal facility for a fee.

Tires can be brought to Lakin Tire East Inc., 220 Frontage Road, for a fee.

Mattresses can be disposed of for free in a container at the city’s highway maintenance garage, 1 Collis St. Mattresses must be dry.

Propane tanks can be brought to Taylor Rental, 304 Boston Post Road, Orange, for a fee of $10 per tank.

Hazardous waste can be dropped off for free at HazWaste Central, 90 Sargent Drive, New Haven. HazWaste is open Saturday mornings from mid-May through October.

In addition to bulk trash, the city picks up household appliances, also known as white goods, and toilets. To schedule a pickup on their curbside collection day, residents must call the Highway Department at 203-937-3644 or 203-927-3585. Appliance doors must be removed.

The amount of bulk trash per collection is limited to 6 cubic yards, which is equal to a pile of trash about 6 feet long, 6 feet wide and 4 ½ feet high.

Homeowners are required to rent a dumpster or hire a junk removal service at their expense if trash exceeds 6 cubic yards. Otherwise, trash exceeding 6 cubic yards will be left at the curb, and a $100 fine per daily offense will be imposed, McCarthy said.

To prevent a potential fine, property owners should familiarize themselves with the city’s trash guidelines at Public Works.

Bulk trash must be generated by the customer at the residential unit where it is collected. Trash will not be collected if it is generated by anyone other than the resident of the home.

Bulk items must be separated and orderly. Do not place them next to a mailbox or utility pole or close to a fence, McCarthy said.

Also, do not place bulk items in front of a vacant lot or home — they will not be collected, he said.

Details at Bulk Trash Pickup.

For electronic items, including TVs, the next e-waste drop-off day is April 13.

Residents can drop off electronic recyclables — typically anything that contains a circuit board or needs a battery — from 8 a.m.-noon at the highway maintenance garage.

Anything that has refrigerant, including air conditioners and dehumidifiers, is not accepted. Those items are considered white goods, and residents are asked to schedule a pickup on their weekly collection day by calling the Highway Department.

The e-waste drop-off is free for residents who have such items as TVs, hand-held video games, computers, monitors, copiers, scanners, microwaves, toaster ovens and other small appliances.

Details at E-waste Drop-off.

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

West Haven Seahawks cheerleading squads honored

WEST HAVEN, March 26, 2019 — Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, back center, and City Council members, including Chairman Ronald M. Quagliani, back center, congratulate cheerleaders and coaches of the Ray Tellier Midget Football League’s West Haven Seahawks junior varsity and pee wee cheerleading teams Monday night at City Hall.

At the ceremony, held during a council meeting in the Harriet C. North Community Room, Rossi presented each cheerleader and coach with a citation recognizing the teams’ national ranking in the competition and game day routines in the Pop Warner National Cheer & Dance Championships on Dec. 1-8 at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla.

Each cheerleader and coach also received a City Council citation for their achievement from Quagliani, D-at large, on behalf of the council.

(City Photo/Kristen Teshoney)

Watch St. Patrick’s Day 2019 on West Haven’s official YouTube channel

WEST HAVEN, March 26, 2019 — Watch West Haven’s 28th annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration honoring Irishwoman of the Year Joan Downing Connor on the city’s official YouTube channel.

Watch the video on West Haven YouTube.

Flapjack fundraiser to benefit special needs children

Flapjack fundraiser at Applebee’s to benefit children with special needs

WEST HAVEN, March 1, 2019 — The West Haven Interagency Network for Children will hold a flapjack fundraiser from 8-10 a.m. April 27 at Applebee’s restaurant, 526 Boston Post Road, Orange.

The cost is $6 and includes pancakes, bacon and a drink. Proceeds will support activities for children with special needs.

Tickets are available at West Haven Youth and Family Services on the second floor of City Hall, 355 Main St. The agency’s goal is to sell at least 200 tickets.

For information or to buy tickets, contact WHINC Director Robert S. Morton at 203-937-3633 or morton@westhaven-ct.gov.

Driver safety course offered in West Haven

Driver safety course offered May 1

WEST HAVEN, March 27, 2019 — The Allingtown/West Haven Senior Center will offer an AARP Driver Safety Program from noon-4 p.m. May 1 at the Johnson Community Center, 201 Noble St.

The program is designed to help sharpen driving skills, develop strategies to adjust to age-related vision changes, develop hearing and reaction times, and learn about the effects of medication on driving performance.

Participants must complete the class to receive a certification for insurance purposes.

The fee is $15 for AARP members and $20 for nonmembers, payable to AARP.

To register, call the senior center at 203-937-3507.