Applications available April 1-26 for SYEP

Applications available from April 1-26 for Summer Youth Employment Program in West Haven

WEST HAVEN, March 14, 2024 — Applications for the Summer Youth Employment Program will be available from April 1-26 in the main entrance at West Haven High School and the main office at Bailey Middle School.

Applications are available on the city website for students who do not attend West Haven High or Bailey. Download an Application.

The summer program, which begins July 8 and runs at least four weeks, is aimed at funding positions for low-income city residents ages 14-21.

Students must return applications, including students who downloaded them, with all required documents to West Haven High from 7-8:30 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and to Bailey from 8-9:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

No applications will be accepted after April 26.

Students must also include copies of information, such as a birth certificate and a 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.

Free radon test kits available at West Haven Health Department

WEST HAVEN, March 14, 2024 — It’s not too late to test your home for radon, the second-leading cause of lung cancer.

Radon is a colorless, odorless and naturally occurring radioactive gas formed from the natural decay of uranium. It’s found in rock, water and soil.

While radon in outdoor air poses a relatively low risk to human health, it can enter homes from the surrounding soil and become a health hazard inside buildings, city Health Director Maureen B. Lillis said.

Lillis said testing for radon is recommended every two years.

The city Health Department has received a limited number of free radon test kits from the state Department of Public Health.

To receive a test kit, West Haven residents can call the Health Department at 203-937-3660. A sanitarian from the department will help place the kit in the home, Lillis said.

To learn more about radon, visit the DPH Radon Program.

Former West Haven school nurse Sandy McCauley is the city’s 2024 Irishwoman of the Year. McCauley will receive the “Irish Person of the Year” honor two days before St. Patrick’s Day during West Haven’s 31st annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration outside City Hall’s Campbell Avenue entrance at noon Friday. (Contributed Photo)

Sandy McCauley, former school nurse, named city’s 2024 Irishwoman of Year; event set for noon Friday

WEST HAVEN, March 14, 2024 — Sandy McCauley, a long-standing member and volunteer of the West Haven Irish American Club and the Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, has been named West Haven’s Irishwoman of the Year.

McCauley, a former longtime West Haven school nurse, will receive the honor two days before St. Patrick’s Day during the city’s 31st annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration at noon Friday.

The West Haven St. Patrick’s Day Committee will fete the city’s top Irishwoman by hanging a green street sign designating City Hall’s Campbell Avenue entrance as “Sandy McCauley Square” for a year.

Last year’s recipient, retired West Shore fire Capt. Richard “Woody” Beirne, will take home his sign at the start of the ceremony.

The “Irish Person of the Year” award is bestowed annually on an Irish resident or couple who personifies service in the city’s close-knit Irish community.

“My family’s Irish heritage has been such a big part of my life in the West Haven community,” said McCauley, a city resident since 1966. “I am proud, humbled and honored to be chosen to represent all of the kind, generous and amazing Irish folks in our city as the 2024 West Haven Irish Person of the Year.”

McCauley will toast her Irish lineage with dozens of friends and loved ones, along with an array of shamrock-clad dignitaries and descendants of folks from the Emerald Isle.

Accompanied by Celtic music played by bagpipers and drummers, the West Haven Police Honor Guard will escort McCauley to the Campbell Avenue side of City Hall for her special recognition.

The St. Patrick’s Day Committee, co-chaired by the city’s 2011 Irish Couple of the Year, Glenn and Joanne Conlan, includes the lifeblood of West Haven’s Irish society, such as members of the Irish American Club and former honorees, as well as former and current city, fire and police officials.

“I’m thrilled to honor Sandy McCauley as our 2024 Irishwoman of the Year,” said Mayor Dorinda Borer, the city’s 2014 Irishwoman of the Year. “Sandy’s dedication to our city, her strong Irish roots and her tireless work as a school nurse and volunteer truly make her stand out. Whether she’s helping our schools, organizing events or supporting our Irish community, Sandy’s impact is felt by everyone around her.”

Borer continued: “Sandy’s not just receiving an award, she’s a symbol of what makes West Haven special. Her caring nature, hard work and love for our traditions shine bright. We’re lucky to have Sandy, and I’m proud to celebrate her as a shining example of the best of West Haven. Congratulations, Sandy, on this well-deserved honor!”

McCauley hails from an ancestry whose legacy is woven into the tapestry of the American fabric.

Nearly 200 years ago, sons and daughters of Erin, escaping the Great Famine, embraced the dream of a brighter future and embarked on a bold journey across the Atlantic to make their new home in a place of hope and promise. And when they landed on America’s shores, they shared the true treasures of their homeland: song and literature, humor and tradition, faith and family.

McCauley and her younger sister were born and raised in Huntington, Indiana. She graduated from Huntington Catholic High School in 1962, followed by the St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing in 1965. She moved to West Haven a year later.

McCauley lives in the city’s Richmond Avenue neighborhood and has two adult children: Terri Graf, of Lincoln, Massachusetts, and Sean McCauley, of Milford. She has three grandsons: Collin Graf, 21, Justin Graf, 16, and Logan McCauley, 8.

Sandy McCauley is an integral member and fundraiser of West Haven’s Irish club and Greater New Haven’s parade committee and has served as a marshal in many “wearin’ o’ the green” parades in downtown New Haven. She was last year’s recipient of the committee’s prestigious Cornelius Driscoll Award for outstanding public service.

Borer praised the civic-minded McCauley for “devoting her time and talents” to the deep-rooted Irish American community.

At the midday event, the mayor will present her with an Irish flag and a proclamation citing her dedication to her “spirited heritage.”

McCauley will also receive an embroidered “Irishwoman of the Year 2024” jacket.

West Haven’s Irish community takes great pride in the St. Patrick’s Day traditions handed down from each generation. Every March 17, those of Irish birth or lineage honor the memory of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland who brought the message of Christ to the Irish people nearly 1,600 years ago. Teaching the word of God, St. Patrick used the three-leaf shamrock, with each leaf representing the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The need to preserve their Celtic identity in the U.S. led the Irish to form the Hibernian Society, which held the first St. Patrick’s Day parades, and local organizations, such as West Haven’s Irish club.

Members of the New Haven County Firefighters Emerald Society Pipes & Drums will lead the event’s opening procession, followed by remarks by St. Patrick’s Day Committee member David Coyle, the master of ceremonies.

Retired Pastor Mark R. Jette, the city’s 2010 Irishman of the Year, will offer an Irish blessing. Jette formerly served St. Lawrence and St. Paul churches in West Haven and Sacred Heart Church in Suffield.

Fiona Stewart, the queen of the 2013 Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade, will sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the Irish national anthem, “Soldier’s Song,” followed by remarks by Borer.

McCauley, joined by her son and daughter-in-law, Erin Reilly McCauley, will then pull off a shroud revealing the rectangular sign.

Sandy McCauley is widely known for her work as a school nurse and volunteer. She served West Haven Public Schools for more than three decades, retiring in June 2023, and was a fixture at after-school enrichment activities. She continues to serve the school district as a substitute nurse.

McCauley was a member of Local 1547 of the West Haven Federation of Teachers and School Nurses and is a former president of the School Nurses union. She was recognized as an “Everyday Hero” in 2012 by the American Federation of Teachers union.

She is a former member of the Connecticut Association of School Nurses and was its School Nurse of the Year in 2000.

A self-described local and state history buff, McCauley serves as the treasurer of the West Haven Historical Society. She also helps raise funds for the society, headquartered in the historic Poli House at 686 Savin Ave.

McCauley is a longtime member of the Savin Rock Fireworks Committee and has served as a co-chair for several years. She is responsible for raising money and securing permits for the annual pyrotechnic show — the city’s largest one-day event, launched off the Bradley Point shoreline.

McCauley’s propensity for volunteerism has included serving as a Girl Scout troop leader, a member of the West Haven High School Band Parents Association and a member of the St. John Vianney Ladies’ Guild.

Johnstone temporarily suspends City Council duties due to ‘medical issue’

Johnstone temporarily suspends council duties over ‘medical issue’

WEST HAVEN, Feb. 28, 2024 — Republican Councilman Steven J. Johnstone, who represents West Shore’s 10th District, is coping with a medical issue and has temporarily suspended his City Council duties.

Johnstone, the council’s minority leader, has requested until further notice that constituents direct all 10th District matters to council members Meli Garthwait, R-at large, and Brian Laucks, D-at large.

Garthwait can be contacted at mgarthwait@westhaven-ct.gov and Laucks at blaucks@westhaven-ct.gov.

“The city of West Haven wishes Councilman Johnstone well in his recovery,” Mayor Dorinda Borer said. “We will all pitch in and cover his responsibilities so that our constituents are served and Councilman Johnstone can take the time to recover.”

Sewer system report available Feb. 15 for public review, comment

Sanitary system report available for public review, comment

WEST HAVEN, Feb. 22, 2024 — The 2023 annual report for the city’s Municipal Separate Sanitary and Stormwater System is available for public review and comment.

The “MS4” report can be viewed on the city website or in the engineering office on the third floor of City Hall.

Anyone wishing to comment on the report can send it by mail to the Office of Engineering, City of West Haven, 355 Main St., West Haven, CT 06516. Comments by email can be sent between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays to City Engineer Abdul Quadir at quadir@westhaven-ct.gov.

Comments are due no later than March 21.

Anyone with questions can call Quadir at 203-937-3577.