Aniello Cappetta. (Contributed Photo)

Aniello Cappetta named West Haven’s Italian of the Year

WEST HAVEN, Oct. 7, 2019 — The West Haven Columbus Day Committee will honor its “primo italiano” at the city’s 21st annual Columbus Day Celebration.

Aniello Cappetta, who owned and operated Cappetta’s Italian Imports in Allingtown for nearly a quarter century, will receive the committee’s Italian American of the Year award Friday at City Hall, 355 Main St.

The award is bestowed annually on an Italian resident, or couple, who personifies service in West Haven’s close-knit Italian American community.

“I am very proud of being Italian and very happy to receive this honor from the city of West Haven,” Cappetta said.

Cappetta, 71, will fete the Italian navigator and observe his ancestry with scores of his closest friends and loved ones, along with an array of dignitaries and descendants of folks from the old country clad in red, white and green.

Accompanied by Italian music, members of the West Haven Italian American Civic Association will escort Cappetta to the steps of City Hall at 11:30 a.m. for his special recognition.

A lunch will follow in the First Congregational Church of West Haven’s Fellowship Hall, at 1 Church St. opposite City Hall on the Green.

In the indomitable spirit of Christopher Columbus, Cappetta is a testament to the promise and greatness of the United States.

“Aniello Cappetta is a proud Italian man who has called West Haven home for a very long time,” Mayor Nancy R. Rossi said. “He and his wife, Palma, raised their children and established their business here. Aniello is the head of a hardworking family that gives back to the community. It is my great pleasure to honor him as West Haven’s Italian American of the Year.”

Columbus, a son of Genoa and an experienced seaman, set sail aboard three Spanish ships across the Atlantic Ocean in the summer of 1492, a bold expedition that pushed back the boundaries of the known world and opened up a new continent for future generations.

Cappetta, one of 13 siblings, was born and raised in the town of Acerno in the province of Salerno, Italy. He served in the Italian air force and also worked as a carpenter.

In 1970, at the age of 22, Cappetta and his wife, the former Palma Malangone, also a native of Acerno, left their home in southwestern Italy and came to America for “a better life and to start a family.”

After the couple settled in New Haven, he worked for a construction company in West Haven.

In 1972, Cappetta and his wife opened their first restaurant, Mama Lucia’s in Ansonia, becoming the first family members to open a food establishment.

The couple sold the restaurant in 1976. For the next eight years, they worked in housekeeping at the Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven while raising their four children: Luigi, Rosa, Donato and Maria.

The couple moved their brood to West Haven in 1983.

A year later, Cappetta and his wife started a new venture and opened LP Video on Route 1 in Allingtown. The store, which sold Italian American films, introduced the couple to the great people of West Haven, he said.

In 1989, the couple returned to the food service business and opened Cappetta’s Italian Imports across the street from LP Video. The business at 188 Boston Post Road started as a deli and specialized in food items from Italy.

A few years later, Cappetta’s expanded to offer pizza and other Italian specialty foods and provide catering services.

Before long, the business that Cappetta and his wife built in the heart of Allingtown became “the go-to spot” for home-style and hard-to-find Italian foods.

Although he handed it down to sons Donato and Luigi in 2013, Cappetta, whose wife passed away in 2016, still spends much of his time at the neighborhood institution, now Cappetta’s Italian Imports Pizza and Catering.

Rossi will present Cappetta with a mayoral citation recognizing his civic-minded contributions and good works — noble qualities that epitomize the city’s top “paisano” of the year.

Cappetta will receive an Italian flag from Paul M. Frosolone, president of the Italian American Civic Association, and Josephine Matera, former president of the Italian American Ladies Auxiliary, as well as a jacket embroidered with his new title, Italian American of the Year, from Rossi.

The cultural event will include remarks from mayoral Executive Assistant Lou Esposito, the master of ceremonies, and an Italian blessing from Michael Abbott, director of ministry at Notre Dame High School.

It will also include renditions of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the Italian national anthem by Liz Levy, followed by a greeting from Rossi.

Cappetta’s propensity for community service includes serving as an ambassador of his rich heritage.

He is a longtime member of Club Napoli in Northford and the Italian American Club of East Haven.

Cappetta lives on Pagano Court, a cul-de-sac off Jones Street near First Avenue, and has nine grandchildren.

His name will join the 20 previous Columbus Day recipients on a plaque in City Hall.

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

A crew from Tri State Flexi Pave Inc. of Danbury installs a new flexible, porous pavement material in one of Campbell Avenue’s 60 tree pits on Friday. The Flexi-Pave product allows air and rainwater to pass into soil to keep street trees healthy while providing a low-maintenance solution to weed and unplanned vegetation growth and removal. (City Photo/Leo Kelly)

60 tree pits on Campbell Ave. getting makeover

WEST HAVEN, Oct. 7, 2019 — The city is renovating 60 tree pits along Campbell Avenue to prevent trip hazards and protect street trees.

City sidewalk inspector Ernie Chiarelli and tree warden Leo Kelly are coordinating the removal of brick pavers and debris in the tree pits from Captain Thomas Boulevard to Brown Street to make way for the installation of Flexi-Pave, a porous pavement made with shredded car tires and a urethane bonding agent.

The recycled product is the definition of environmentally friendly, according to its manufacturer, K.B. Industries of Clearwater, Florida.

Kelly said the porous pavement material has been proven to clean rainwater as it passes through.

He applauded the treescape project, saying that safeguarding city trees on lower Campbell Avenue has been an arduous task.

For several years, rainwater has been washing mulch and topsoil out of the tree pits into the street gutter, according to Kelly, and the brick pavers have been restricting tree growth.

He said the flexible pavement product allows air and rainwater to pass into soil to keep street trees healthy while providing a low-maintenance solution to weed and unplanned vegetation growth and removal.

“Tree health and a safe, stable surface for pedestrians are of the utmost importance,” Kelly said.

The work is being done by Tri State Flexi Pave Inc. of Danbury and funded with a state Local Capital Improvement Program grant.

Chiarelli said he expects to complete the project, which began last week, by the end of the month. Residents should note the “No Parking” signs in the work areas.

Anyone with questions about the project can call the Department of Public Works at 203-937-3585.

Skeleton Fest coming to West Haven from Oct. 12-31

WEST HAVEN, Oct. 7, 2019 — West Haven is holding its first Skeleton Fest from Oct. 12-31. The festival will highlight fun Halloween activities in a citywide celebration.

The event is being planned as part of the city’s ongoing sustainability efforts to become certified under the SustainableCT initiative.

See the official Skeleton Fest Poster.

Mayor Nancy R. Rossi presents Iris Milagros Diaz with a black “Hispanic American of the Year” jacket at the city’s second annual Hispanic Heritage Celebration on the steps of City Hall on Friday. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Iris Milagros Diaz honored as city’s Hispanic of the Year

WEST HAVEN, Oct. 4, 2019 — Iris Milagros Diaz, a civic-minded steward of West Haven known for giving back to its thriving Hispanic American community, received the city’s Hispanic American of the Year award at the second annual Hispanic Heritage Celebration on Friday.

Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and the West Haven Hispanic Heritage Committee recognized Diaz, the daughter of parents hailing from Guayama, Puerto Rico, during a late morning ceremony on the steps of City Hall.

The committee bestows the award annually on a Hispanic resident, or couple, who personifies service in West Haven’s vibrant Hispanic American community.

At the 25-minute event, Diaz, 50, a longtime Allingtown fire commissioner, honored her Puerto Rican lineage with dozens of friends and loved ones, including her mother, Nancy Cruz; her brother, John Cruz; and her children, Mark Anthony Goodwin, 21, and Jessica Goodwin, 18.

Along with descendants of folks from Puerto Rico and Latin America, she was also joined by an array of city and state officials, including Reps. Michael A. DiMassa, D-West Haven, and Charles J. Ferraro, R-West Haven, who presented Diaz, the first female recipient of the award, with a General Assembly citation on behalf of the city’s delegation.

Diaz, who won the Miss Puerto Rico of New Haven Pageant in 1988, told the crowd that she humbly accepted the honor on behalf of the entire Hispanic American community. She then thanked her mother and children and her colleagues from the City of West Haven Fire Department Allingtown, many of whom were in attendance.

“It is wonderful to see the diversity in our city and the lengths the leaders of our city go through to recognize and honor all cultures in our community,” said Diaz, the first Hispanic to sit on the Allingtown fire commission, including serving as its chairwoman in 2016-17.

A Latin-flavored lunch was provided by local restaurants after the event in the First Congregational Church of West Haven’s Fellowship Hall, opposite City Hall on the Green.

In observance of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs through Oct. 15, the city 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.

Rossi said Diaz, a city resident since 2000, epitomizes the noble qualities of serving her community and carrying on the spirited traditions of Puerto Rico.

She is a member of the Latino Haven Committee of West Haven and was the Hispanic Society of West Haven’s public relations representative from 2004 to 2009.

A member of the Yale Latino Networking Group, she has been an ambassador and a steering committee member of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas in New Haven since 2015.

After her reign as Miss Puerto Rico of New Haven, Diaz was a pageant coordinator, mentor and judge for many years.

Rossi lauded the public-spirited Diaz, whom she called a woman of faith and family, for her wholehearted devotion to the city and its robust Hispanic American community.

Rossi presented her with a Puerto Rican flag and a black jacket embroidered with her new title: Hispanic American of the Year.

The mayor also read a citation praising Diaz’s good works.

“As a pioneering resident of West Haven and the first Hispanic to serve on the Board of Fire Commissioners of the City of West Haven Fire Department Allingtown, your extraordinary story is treasured by our city,” Rossi said. “You are proof the American dream is alive and well!”

The cultural event included remarks from mayoral Executive Assistant Lou Esposito, the master of ceremonies. Before a blessing from Denya McGee, pastor of Abba’s House International Fellowship of North Branford, Maribel Aguilar-Meza sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the Puerto Rican national anthem, “La Borinqueña.”

Diaz was born in the South Bronx, a borough of New York City, and moved to New Haven with her family at age 15.

Raised by her “single, strong, independent” mother, Diaz said she knew early on that she wanted to help make a difference in her community.

Her contributions to West Haven include serving as vice chair of the Charter Revision Commission.

She has also volunteered at other organizations through the years, including the West Haven Girl Scouts, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America and the New Haven Diaper Bank.

A 27-year employee of Yale University, Diaz is a clinical trials research recruitment coordinator at the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, a department of the Yale School of Medicine.

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

Mayoral Executive Assistant Lou Esposito, the master of ceremonies, opens the program with Mayor Rossi. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Maribel Aguilar-Meza sings the Puerto Rican national anthem, “La Borinqueña.” (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Denya McGee, pastor of Abba’s House International Fellowship of North Branford, gives the invocation. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Iris M. Diaz receives a General Assembly citation from state Reps. Michael A. DiMassa, D-West Haven, far left, and Charles J. Ferraro, R-West Haven, on behalf of the city’s delegation as Mayor Rossi looks on. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Iris M. Diaz is presented with a Puerto Rican flag from Mayor Rossi. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Mayor Rossi reads a citation honoring Iris M. Diaz for her myriad good works. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Mayor Rossi and Iris M. Diaz share a warm embrace. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

After the ceremony, Mayor Rossi pauses with Iris M. Diaz and her mother, Nancy Cruz; her son, Mark Anthony Goodwin, second from left; her brother, John Cruz; and her daughter, Jessica Goodwin. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Helping others

WEST HAVEN, Oct. 3, 2019 — Mayor Nancy R. Rossi joins President Omer Kizilcik of the Wellspring Community Center, formerly known as the Turkish Cultural Center of Connecticut, on Thursday at City Hall to announce the center’s gift of 120 pounds of ground beef to the West Haven Emergency Assistance Task Force.

The donation was made possible through the center’s partnership with Embrace Relief, a nonprofit international humanitarian relief and development organization based in Fairfield, N.J.

The beef was blessed Aug. 11-14 during the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, meaning “Feast of Sacrifice.” The most important Islamic holiday marks the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim — Abraham to Christians and Jews — to sacrifice his son.

During the four-day holiday, Muslims slaughter sheep or cattle, distribute part of the meat to the poor, and eat the rest.

Rose Majestic, executive director of WHEAT at 674 Washington Ave., said the beef will feed 4,000 city families in need.

West Haven has the state’s largest Turkish American population.

(City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Revaluation underway for homeowners in West Haven

WEST HAVEN, Oct. 3, 2019 — West Haven has hired the appraisal company Vision Government Solutions Inc. of Hudson, Massachusetts, to perform the city’s state-mandated 2020 revaluation.

Data mailers are being sent to residential property owners to verify property information. It is essential that all data mailers are returned.

In the coming year, Vision data collectors will verify information on file with the city assessor’s office and visit properties recently sold, with open building permits or with known physical changes.

All data collectors will be wearing an ID badge, and their vehicles will be registered with the West Haven Police Department.

Homeowners are encouraged to ask for identification before letting anyone into their homes. Those questioning the identity of a data collector can call the Police Department’s nonemergency line at 203-937-3900 or the assessor’s office at 203-937-3515 for further confirmation.

For more information on the revaluation process, call the assessor’s office at 203-937-3515.

Oct. 18 flu clinic moved to Johnson Community Center at 201 Noble St.

WEST HAVEN, Oct. 3, 2019 — The Health Department is moving its flu clinic on Oct. 18 to the Johnson Community Center at 201 Noble St.

The walk-in clinic, originally set for the Savin Rock Conference Center, is from 9 a.m.-noon and for city residents 18 and older.

The following insurances are accepted: Medicare, Aetna and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

Insurance carriers Cigna, ConnectiCare, UnitedHealthcare and Medicaid are not participating.

Residents should bring all insurance cards and wear a short-sleeved shirt.

People can also pay by cash or check. The private pay rate is $40 for a quadrivalent flu shot and $65 for a high-dose flu shot for those 65 and older.