Bulk pickup is April 22-26, e-waste drop-off is April 20

WEST HAVEN, April 11, 2024 — The next bulk trash pickup week is April 22-26.

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

Residents are also reminded to “Put a Lid on It!” and use lids on all trash cans. Rain-soaked trash costs West Haven 10 times more at the dump, according to Sandella, adding that using trash can lids will save the city money by reducing the weight of trash and cost of tipping fees.

Bulk items include couches, chairs, tables, carpeting, padding and fencing, 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 and mattresses are not considered bulk trash and will not be collected.

Tires can be brought to Town Fair Tire, 63 Boston Post Road, Orange, for a fee of $2.75 per tire.

To dispose of mattresses, residents must buy mattress bags from the Department of Public Works and put them out for pickup on their weekly curbside collection day through Oct. 4. The bags cost $30 for the first one and $20 each after that. They are payable by cash and available in the public works office on the third floor of City Hall, 355 Main St.

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.

Propane tanks can be brought to Taylor Rental, 304 Boston Post Road, Orange, for a fee of $10.60 per tank.

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, Sandella 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, Sandella 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 & Other Services.

In addition to bulk trash, the city picks up metals, including 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 203-937-3585. Appliance doors must be removed.

Leaf bags are picked up through Dec. 13. The bags are picked up on residents’ weekly collection days. Leaves and grass clippings must be in separate biodegradable paper bags and will not be accepted if they are in plastic bags.

The city also picks up brush that is cut into 3-to-6-foot lengths and tied in small bundles, no more than 70 pounds. Logs and stumps are prohibited.

Residents can bring grass clippings as well as bagged leaves and untied brush to the compost site, 1 Kimberly Ave., from 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. weekdays and, starting in June, from 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturdays. The first cubic yard of compost is free with proof of residence. Additional compost costs $25 per cubic yard. Residents must bring buckets and shovels.

For a $50 fee, the Public Works Department will deliver up to 2 cubic yards of compost to homes in West Haven. Prior to the pickup or delivery of compost, residents must make a cash payment in the public works office on the third floor of City Hall. No credit cards or personal checks are accepted.

For electronic items, including TVs, the next e-waste drop-off day is April 20.

Residents can drop off electronic recyclables — typically anything that contains a circuit board or needs a battery — from 8 a.m.-noon at the city garage, 1 Collis St.

West Haven is partnering with Take 2 Inc. of Waterbury, a state-approved recycler and collector of universal e-waste devices, to collect residential electronic items on a quarterly basis.

The collection is free for residents who have such items as computers, monitors, printers, keyboards, modems, computer mice, tablet computers, TVs, VCRs, DVD players, photocopiers, fax machines, scanners, video game machines, digital media players, personal digital assistants, stereo equipment, telephones, cellphones, cameras, microwaves and other small appliances.

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 curbside collection day by calling the Highway Department.

Details at E-waste Drop-off.

For the e-waste drop-off, residents are asked to heed the following guidelines:

— Stay in your vehicle.

— Vehicles will be spaced out. Event workers will remove electronics from your vehicle. There should be no interaction between residents and workers.

— No mattresses or box springs will be disposed of at the moment.

— No smoke detectors, ballasts or hazardous waste — lighter fluid, liquids, paint — will be accepted.

— Electronic items left curbside will be tagged with information on the e-waste schedule and must be removed, or face a potential fine.

For the latest news and information, subscribe to the city’s Facebook page at West Haven City Hall.

Tickets available for Kickoff Dinner supporting Greater New Haven Italian American Heritage Fest

WEST HAVEN, April 11, 2024 — West Haven is the host community for October’s Greater New Haven Italian American Heritage Festival.

Kicking off the festivities is a dinner from 6-10 p.m. May 15 at West Haven’s Cielo Banquet Hall, 85 Chase Lane, where the city will recognize this year’s grand marshal, longtime resident Mark Consorte.

Mayor Dorinda Borer, who tapped Consorte, said: “Mark is a great representative of what the Italian culture stands for: kindness, charitable and family-oriented. As a longtime teacher, he’s mentored thousands of students with his knowledge and passion and additionally has volunteered toward organizations across our city.”

Also being recognized is West Haven Funeral Home owner Celia Pinzi, who will receive the Greater New Haven Italian American Heritage Committee’s Laura Luzzi service award.

“Celia has been there for so many of us, myself included, and I felt it was important to recognize a wonderful person who silently stays behind the scenes and doesn’t look for recognition but provides great comfort and support to our residents,” Borer said. “Celia always steps up and generously participates in our nonprofits, lifting up the community.”

In addition to West Haven, the host community rotates annually among New Haven, North Haven, Branford, East Haven and Hamden, the host of last year’s festival.

West Haven was the host for the event, which was a parade before transitioning to a festival, in 2017, 2011 and 2006.

According to organizers, the committee transitioned the parade to a festival to allow for wider participation.

The cost of the Kickoff Dinner is $50 and includes a buffet dinner, coffee and dessert, as well as a cash bar and raffles. A separate raffle will be held for two round-trip tickets on Avelo Airlines to anywhere Avelo flies out of Tweed-New Haven Airport.

To buy dinner tickets, call committee members Michael Luzzi at 203-671-9415 or Paul Frosolone at 203-887-6089.

The free Heritage Festival, in its second year, is scheduled from noon-4 p.m. Oct. 12 in West Haven’s Old Grove Park on Palace Street, off Captain Thomas Boulevard. The rain date is Oct. 13.

Festivities will include live music and family-friendly activities to celebrate the region’s deep-rooted Italian heritage. Details are forthcoming.

To participate in the festival as a sponsor or vendor, call the mayor’s office at 203-937-3510.

Join Paige’s Purple Pirates in cystic fibrosis fight

WEST HAVEN, April 11, 2024 — Help support 2-year-old Paige McCormack in her fight against cystic fibrosis, an inherited disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system and other organs in the body.

Paige was diagnosed with CF when she was only 2 weeks old.

Now, her parents, Mark and Jill McCormack, and her grandparents, Tim and Debbie Collins and Keith and Maureen McCormack, will not stop until CF stands for “Cure Found.”

On May 19, join Paige’s Purple Pirates in the Great Strides walk for a cure at Jimmies of Savin Rock, 5 Rock St.

Any donation is appreciated to help reach Paige’s $5,000 fundraising goal for the walkathon, which is presented by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Donate to Page or join her team at Paige’s Purple Pirates.

Borer announces new blight enforcement effort

WEST HAVEN, March 27, 2024 — (Pictured): Mayor Dorinda Borer and members of the city’s Blight Enforcement Task Force hold a news conference in the Harriet C. North Community Room of City Hall on March 27 to herald a new campaign to fight blight in West Haven.

The announcement featured remarks by Borer, who was flanked by more than a dozen task force members, including city, police and fire officials.

The newly created task force is composed of the mayor’s, blight and corporation counsel’s offices and the Police, Fire, Public Works, Building, Zoning Enforcement and Health departments.

West Haven’s blight enforcement effort aims to provide for a cleaner city for an improved quality of life.

To report a blight complaint, call the new blight hotline at 203-937-3750.

Watch the video.

(City Photo/Andrew Kosarko)

New pizzeria, Papa Dough’s, celebrates grand opening

WEST HAVEN, March 27, 2024 — Papa Dough’s, the city’s newest pizzeria, celebrated its opening in grand style March 27.

Mayor Dorinda Borer cheered as Papa Dough’s co-owner Pasquale Villano, sporting a pair of oversize scissors, snipped a “West Haven blue” ribbon to officially open the restaurant’s doors in West Shore’s Woodlawn Shopping Center at 845 Jones Hill Road.

Villano was accompanied by co-owners Mike DelVecchio and Josh Wechsler and family and friends.

Borer delivered remarks welcoming the owners to the city’s business community and the “beautiful” location on Route 162.

The location is familiar to local pizza aficionados as the former longtime home of Full Circle Pizza. The site has been extensively remodeled and is situated across from a stand-alone CVS Pharmacy.

At Papa Dough’s, pizza connoisseurs can sink their teeth into The Godfather, a thin-crust red pie topped with meatball, mozzarella cheese and vodka sauce, and The CPR, a thin-crust white pie topped with mozzarella, chicken cutlet, pepperoni and ranch dressing.

“Papa Dough’s mission is to redefine the quick service pizza experience by crafting exceptional pizzas with the highest-quality ingredients,” said Villano, of Orange. “With a commitment to excellence, we aim to delight our customers with every bite, creating a memorable eating experience that reflects our passion for quality, speed and unparalleled customer satisfaction.”

Also marking the afternoon ribbon-cutting were West Haven Democratic state Rep. Bill Heffernan, Borer chief of staff Rick Spreyer, city Fair Rent Commissioner Steven R. Mullins, City Council Chairman Nicholas A. Pascale, D-at large, and council members Gary Donovan, D-4, and Christopher E. Vargo Jr., D-8.

They were joined by Milford Regional Chamber of Commerce President Michael Moses and Simon McDonald, the chamber’s director of membership and marketing, along with chamber members West Shore Associates of West Haven owner Erin Eberhardt, New Haven Bank of West Haven branch manager Hala Urban and Edward Jones of Milford financial adviser Jay Borelli.

The dine-in pizzeria, which offers delivery and takeout services, also serves a variety of tasty calzones, such as The Wise Guy, filled with meatball, sausage, and mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, and The Angry Bird, filled with chicken cutlet, mozzarella and buffalo sauce.

Other menu favorites include bone-in and boneless chicken wings and Papa’s “shareables,” such as seasoned waffle fries and Philly cheesesteak egg rolls, as well as flavorful desserts, including deep-fried Oreos and churro fried dough sticks.

Papa Dough’s is open from 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from noon-8 p.m. Sunday. It is closed on Monday.

Marchers sought for Memorial Day parade

WEST HAVEN, March 21, 2024 — The city and the West Haven Veterans Council are 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.

Participants must register and list required special accommodations for the procession, which has no rain date.

The city will provide transportation for veterans who are unable to walk the 1 ½-mile parade route, 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 Gerald Cafferty, an Army veteran of the Vietnam War.

Download a Participation Form.

Forms are also available for pickup in the mayor’s office at City Hall, 355 Main St., where they are due May 2.

Completed forms must be faxed to 203-937-3705 or mailed to the West Haven Memorial Day Parade, Office of the Mayor, 355 Main St., West Haven, CT 06516.

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.